a day ago
Additional lead testing happening at Yellowknife schools this week
An additional round of lead testing is taking place at two Yellowknife schools this week.
École William McDonald Middle School was having its drinking water tested Thursday and Range Lake North School will be tested Friday, according to a news release from the Yellowknife Education District No. 1.
Late last month, the school district notified parents and staff about high levels of lead in the water at the two schools. However, the territorial government later cast doubt on those results, saying the initial testing process didn't follow protocol, and that it didn't consult its own experts on water testing or any outside experts.
The Yellowknife Education District No. 1 said in its news release on Wednesday that the sampling taking place at the two schools this week aligns with protocols approved by the office of the chief public health officer, and Health Canada standards. The testing will be done by Stantec Consulting Ltd.
"Once the test results have been received and reviewed, we will share further information with school staff, students, and families," wrote Shirley Zouboules, superintendent for Yellowknife Education District No. 1.
In the meantime, the education district says the two schools are still using alternative water sources.
The previous tests showed lead levels in École William McDonald's drinking water were detected at 0.00903 milligrams per litre, while Range Lake School's levels were 0.025 milligrams per litre. Canada's drinking water guidelines state the maximum acceptable level is 0.005 milligrams per litre.
Two weeks ago, in an emailed response to questions from CBC News, the education department said nearly all the territory's schools have either had or are having lead testing done, with the exception of Įtłʼǫ̀ School in Yellowknife, Chief Albert Wright School in Tulit'a and Chief T'Selehye School in Fort Good Hope. Those three schools are not being tested because they are newer buildings and construction standards changed before they were built.
