The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has received lead testing results for Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River, and Chief Julian Yendo School and Community Gym in Wrigley.

Testing has confirmed that one water fixture shows lead levels above the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) in Chief Julian Yendo School. As a result, the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) has issued a Public Health Order for that facility.

Effective immediately, the affected water fixture at Chief Julian Yendo school will require flushing prior to use.

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

• Identify and implement remediation measures for the affected water fixture, such as replacing the fixture or installing a filter. More detailed information on remediation measures will be added to the webpage as it is confirmed.
• Once all corrective measures are completed, follow-up testing will be carried out and reported to the OCPHO for health risk assessment.
• Normal use of the affected fixture 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 for Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River is also complete. Testing has confirmed that all water fixtures show lead levels below the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) set out in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. No Public Health Order was issued, and the school can use fixtures normally.

These tests are part of the GNWT’s commitment to test drinking water in every school in the territory this school year. A priority-based protocol guides the order in which schools are tested, based on factors such as facility age, previous water quality information, and the age of students. While the protocol determines sequencing, the commitment remains the same: all schools will be tested using a science-based approach that reflects Health Canada’s guidance and the conditions of the North.

When GNWT staff are already scheduled to travel to a community and testing can be incorporated, the GNWT may proceed at that time even if the school was not identified among the highest priorities.

The GNWT will support any education body that chooses to safely provide alternate drinking water as a precaution while testing and remediation continue. The GNWT will reimburse reasonable, cost-effective expenses so that no school hesitates to act out of concern for budget impacts.

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

• 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:
Communications
Department of Infrastructure
Government of the Northwest Territories
INF_Communications@gov.nt.ca