GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Minister Caitlin Cleveland announces proactive measures to protect drinking water safety in NWT schools

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Caitlin Cleveland issued the following statement in response to the latest drinking water test results from NWT schools:

"As a parent, a lifelong resident of the Northwest Territories, and the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I remain deeply concerned by the test results showing elevated lead levels in drinking water fixtures at schools in our territory.

"When we launched the territory-wide testing protocol this fall, we knew that starting with higher-risk schools meant we could see additional findings early in the process. The past two sets of results confirm that risk. They also make it clear that we cannot wait for the full testing schedule to finish before taking further protective steps. The health and safety of students and staff must come first.

"From the beginning, my approach has been proactive and precautionary. As soon as I was made aware of elevated levels last spring, drinking water sources at affected schools were taken offline. I ordered a third-party review to understand what went wrong and how we could prevent it from happening again. We accepted those recommendations and accelerated the development of a coordinated, science-based program to test drinking water in every school across the territory. The new system is doing what it was built to do by identifying risks earlier and more reliably so we can act quickly.

"Today, I am taking additional steps to protect students and staff while testing continues. Effective immediately, the Government of the Northwest Territories will support any Education Body that chooses to safely provide alternate drinking water as a precaution, even if testing has not yet been completed. We will reimburse the reasonable costs of doing so. No Education Body should wait for test results or hesitate because of budget concerns. If alternate drinking water is needed, Education Bodies should proceed, and the GNWT will support them.

"Testing will continue in every region through the established protocol. Remediation will continue wherever issues are found. Water service will only be brought back online once the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer confirms that it meets Health Canada's standards. Families deserve that level of confidence and certainty, and we will work with schools and Education Bodies to provide it.

"I also want to reassure families that transparency remains a priority. We will continue sharing test results, public health orders, remediation actions, and next steps as this work progresses. I am committed to making sure they have clear information about what we are doing and why.

"Parents deserve peace of mind and students and school staff deserve safe learning environments. I will continue to act quickly, transparently, and based on expert advice to protect them."