The NWT government says testing has confirmed that one water fixture at the school in Wrigley shows lead levels above Health Canada guidelines.
In a Monday press release, the Department of Infrastructure said it completed testing of the drinking water at Chief Julian Yendo School and the community gym in Wrigley as well as Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River.
The territory said the NWT’s chief public health officer has issued a public health order for Chief Julian Yendo School as one fixture at the school has lead levels above the maximum allowable concentration
The GNWT said it is taking steps to address the issue such as replacing the fixture or installing a filter.
Normal use of the affected fixture will only resume, the territory said, once safety measures are in place, testing has confirmed the water meets all health standards, and it has been approved by the NWT’s chief public health officer.
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The territory said testing has indicated that the lead levels at all water fixtures at the school in Jean Marie River are below acceptable levels under Canadian drinking water quality guidelines.
The territorial government has committed to test the drinking water at all NWT schools after testing confirmed that some fixtures at École William McDonald Middle School in Yellowknife had lead levels above Health Canada guidelines.
Territorial officials launched a formal testing protocol in October 2025 after a third-party investigation identified systemic issues related to an initial water testing pilot that begin in the NWT in late 2024.
So far, testing has found elevated lead levels at some water fixtures at some schools in Behchokǫ̀, Yellowknife, Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Fort Good Hope, Ulukhaktok, Fort Resolution, Kátł’odeeche First Nation and Dettah.
In January, the NWT’s chief public health officer lifted public health orders for École William McDonald Middle School and N.J. Macpherson School in Yellowknife after the territory confirmed that lead levels in the schools’ drinking water no longer exceeded national guidelines.
The GNWT has said it will support education bodies in the territory that choose to provide alternate drinking water as a precaution until testing and remediation are complete and will reimburse “reasonable, cost-effective expenses so that no school hesitates to act out of concern for budget impacts.”
