The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has received lead testing results for Helen Kalvak School in Ulukhaktok. Testing has confirmed that some drinking water fixtures show lead levels above the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) set out in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. As a result, the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) has issued a Public Health Order for the school.

Effective immediately, affected water fixtures at Helen Kalvak School will be out of service and an alternate drinking water source will be provided.

The GNWT is taking the following steps to address the issue:

• Signage placed on all affected water fixtures prohibiting access.
• Once all corrective measures are completed, follow-up testing will be carried out and reported to the OCPHO for health risk assessment.
• Water service at the affected fixtures will only resume once new safety systems are in place, testing confirms the water meets all health standards, and approval is provided by the OCPHO.

Water testing at Helen Kalvak School is part of a territory-wide school testing protocol that uses a priority-based approach guided by national best practices and advice from the OCPHO. Priorities are based on factors such as facility age, existing water quality data, and the age of students. The protocol follows Health Canada’s guidance and is adapted to the unique conditions of the NWT, where remote locations, trucked water systems, and older infrastructure can pose additional challenges.

When travel to a community is already planned and testing can be incorporated NWT may proceed even if the school was not identified among the highest priorities.

The GNWT remains committed to ensuring safe drinking water in all schools and will continue monitoring systems, conducting regular testing, and sharing updates as the territory-wide testing program progresses.

Related Links:

• Web Page: Lead Testing in JK-12 School Drinking Water
• Drinking Water Lead Testing in NWT Schools: Procedure for the Design, Collection, Analysis and Testing of Lead in Drinking Water for Northwest Territories Schools
• Report: Investigation into the Testing Program for Drinking Water in Northwest Territories Schools
  • Note: This report has been redacted to remove position titles and other personally identifying details. Where the position title was removed, it has been replaced with the name of the organization the position belongs to.
• WSCC Worker’s Report of Injury Form  
• Monitoring and Testing of Water in the NWT

For media requests, please contact:
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Infrastructure
Government of the Northwest Territories
jacqueline_mckinnon@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9082 ext. 31166