'Lack of co-ordination' responsible for delay in notifying schools about lead in water: gov't

The N.W.T.'s education department says there was a lack of co-ordination between it and other territorial government departments when it came to lead testing in schools this year.  

"There was a lack of co-ordination among my department ... and other departments within the [government of the Northwest Territories]," James Fulford, the deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) said Tuesday.

On May 27, Yellowknife Education District No. 1 notified parents and staff about high levels of lead in the water at two schools.

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. 

Tuesday was the first time the N.W.T. government has granted an interview on the issue.

Fulford said it's possible there had been lead in the water since before the testing, but they don't know for how long.  

He said tertiary testing is underway and the territory expects those results within the next week or two.

In a weekend press release, the territorial government cast doubt on its own water test results.

It said it didn't follow protocol, and it didn't consult its own experts on water testing or any outside experts. Asked Tuesday whether the government would be retesting all schools across the N.W.T., Fulford said just that the territory would have a "systematic approach to testing in the future."

The government has committed to an independent review and work is underway for that review to begin.

Fulford said the review would determine what went wrong in the testing, but said ECE wasn't properly equipped to follow the specific protocols required for scientific testing.

He said there is currently no indication of health problems in children who have been consuming the water but said they'll wait for the reviews findings to determine next steps. 

Fulford said he doesn't know how much the review will cost. As a parent with a child in one of the schools, he said he recognizes parents' concerns and that the department is working to rebuild trust with parents, students and staff.

"[The department] places the highest priority on health and safety of students and staff in schools," Fulford said.