Work to remediate fountains and sinks at Joseph Burr Tyrell School, Fort Smith; Paul W Kaeser High School, Fort Smith; École St. Joseph School, Yellowknife; Kaw Tay Whee School, Dettah and Chief Albert Wright School, Tulita are complete. The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) has lifted the Health Orders previously in place for these schools, following confirmation that lead levels in drinking water are within Health Canada guidelines. Standard operating procedures are being developed to support ongoing maintenance – including filter replacement and routine re-testing – to ensure the water remains safe over time.
Across the territory, fixture mitigations are approximately 65% complete and materials are on order for the remainder. Of 53 sites tested, 22 have been confirmed to have lead levels below standards set by Health Canada. Thirteen sites have had mitigations completed and require retesting to confirm lead levels. Eighteen sites require mitigations to be completed and retesting before being confirmed to have lead levels within Health Canada guidelines. Work will continue to progress over the following months as supplies are delivered to sites.
Safe drinking water is available in all GNWT schools across the territory.
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
- WSCC Worker’s Report of Injury Form
- Monitoring and Testing of Water in the NWT
For media requests, please contact:
Department of Infrastructure
Government of the Northwest Territories
INF_Communications@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9082 ext. 31166