Questions linger for parents of Yellowknife students exposed to high lead levels

Corey Francis says he was shocked when he found out that two Yellowknife schools' drinking water had high levels of lead — his 14-year-old son attended both schools and has been drinking water from their fountains for years.  

Parents and staff from William McDonald Middle School and Range Lake North School were notified in May that the drinking water at the schools contained high levels of lead, months after the Department of Infrastructure had conducted tests on most N.W.T. schools' drinking water. 

After finding out, Francis's son went to his pediatrician. About a week after taking a blood test to determine lead levels, the family received the results. The doctor said Francis's son had lead in his system, but it wasn't high enough to "be worrisome," Francis told CBC. 

"His results were 'elevated,' but we don't really have a baseline to judge from." 

Their family is one of many who has been dealing with the aftermath of the lead discovery. 

"We were a bit shocked and taken aback," Francis said. "Worried for the children of course." 

Lead exposure can lead to lower IQ, hyperactivity, slowed growth and anemia, health officials say. However, those most at risk include children under six, infants and pregnant people, not necessarily middle-school aged children or staff.

Francis's son graduated from William McDonald Middle School this year, and before that he went to Range Lake North. Francis says one of his biggest concerns is the amount of time between when the lead testing took place and when the information was shared with families and the public.

"Why was there a two-month or three-month period before they said, 'OK, now we've got to action this and do something, give them bottled water to drink, make it known to the school staff and the parents'?" Francis asked. "We didn't get an email until May."

In his conversations with other parents he says their frustrations are largely the same, about the delays in getting information. 

"It's a pretty serious thing if you're knowingly letting staff and students continue to drink tap water," he said. 

An independent investigation found that the territorial government was slow to act when it detected lead in the schools' drinking water because two of its departments failed to understand the health implications of the situation. The first set of results showing the high levels came in January and the results of re-tests came in March, yet the decision to turn off the taps and inform families and staff didn't come until May.

In June, the territory's chief public health officer said students and staff could get tested for lead levels in their blood. 

As of last week, there had been more than 80 requests for lead testing appointments, the N.W.T. Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) said in an email.  

Blood samples that are taken during an appointment are not processed in the N.W.T. but are sent to Alberta. Results are often returned five to 10 days after the appointment, and any abnormal results will be sent to the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer, wrote NTHSSA. 

Parents 'wanted some real accountability': MLA

Kieron Testart, the MLA for Range Lake, said he has spoken to over a dozen worried parents and teachers since the news of the lead levels was shared.

"It became very clear that people were very upset and they felt like the government was not forthcoming with the information," Testart said. 

"I heard from concerned parents and teachers that they wanted some real accountability around why the decisions were made the way they were made and who ultimately is responsible." 

Testart doesn't think it's likely that the lead issue will be fixed by the time students return to school in September, but says he will continue to fight for government accountability. 

It's still not clear why there were higher lead levels in the two schools' water. In an email this week, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment said it would have an update next week that "should provide greater clarity" and outline next steps.

Francis's son will have follow-up testing to monitor the lead levels in his blood, and to ensure there isn't an increase.

Francis says he'll be keeping an eye out for any further updates on the situation.  

"We just really hope the information gets brought across to us in a timely fashion," he said. "When they know, we should know."