Yellowknife’s YK1 school district says Sir John Franklin High School is the latest educational facility in the NWT to report high levels of lead in water.
The territorial government is midway through testing around four-dozen schools, the majority of which have recorded lead levels above Health Canada guidelines in at least some fixtures and fittings.
In a letter to staff and parents on Wednesday, YK1 superintendent Shirley Zouboules said Sir John Franklin High School fixtures “show lead and copper levels above the maximum acceptable concentration” set out by Health Canada.
The school had already moved to bottled water after the GNWT offered to cover the cost of such measures earlier in the academic year.
“With these results, these measures will remain in place until further notice,” Zouboules wrote.
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Officials have attributed widespread lead concerns in older facilities’ water to plumbing materials used at the time.
The issue is expected to extend to many buildings of the same age, but the GNWT has said it is prioritizing schools as lead contamination can have a more pronounced effect on young people.
The territory has ruled out extending testing to private homes or businesses, saying those are the responsibility of their respective owners.
