The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer issued an announcement today that Health Orders placed at École William McDonald Middle School and N.J. Macpherson School last year have been lifted. Officials reported that the lead levels at the schools no longer exceed Health Canada guidelines.
“All identified fountains and fixtures used for drinking water and food preparation have been replaced, and follow-up testing has confirmed overall water quality. Standard operating procedures have been developed to support ongoing maintenance – including filter replacement and routine retesting – to ensure the water remains safe over time,” read an emailed announcement by the GNWT issued this afternoon.
At École William McDonald Middle School remediation had begun in the summer of 2025 and included fixture replacement, filter install and ongoing system flushing protocols.
For N.J. Macpherson School, remediation began in early fall and included fixture replacement and filter installs.
Comprehensive water testing began at schools across the NWT this fall after findings of elevated levels of lead in two Yellowknife area schools were first made public back in May.
With 16 school test results announced to date, 12 have tested positive for elevated levels of lead in the drinking water.
According to the GNWT’s school drinking water webpages, the testing continued beginning today at a school in Fort Smith with another school scheduled for testing tomorrow in that community and in Yellowknife, followed by a school in Behchokǫ̀ on Jan. 31.
