The Government of the Northwest Territories has announced that it will provide alternate water sources for staff and schools in the territory following testing that discovered elevated lead levels at Mildred Hall School. Mildred Hall, located in Yellowknife, is reportedly the fifth school in the territory with unsafe lead levels. Other schools that have had high levels of lead found in the drinking water this year include École William McDonald, Kaw Tay Whee School, NJ Macpherson School, and Range Lake North School. “We cannot wait for the full testing schedule to finish before taking further protective steps,” said NWT Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland. “The health and safety of students and staff must come first.” Cleveland also noted that the territory targeted higher-risk schools first with its testing this year, and so it anticipated more findings of note earlier in the process.
