"Water Woes”: NDP MPPs Slam Conservative Inaction on Lead Levels Endangering Ottawa Children

OTTAWA — Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West—Nepean), Official Opposition NDP critic for Education, and Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre), are sounding the alarm today following recent revelations regarding elevated lead levels in Ontario schools' drinking water, which have sparked an outcry from school officials.

Data analysis from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board revealed that approximately one-third of the approximately 5,300 tests conducted between 2019 and 2023 exceeded federal safety guidelines, marking the highest ratio for any school board in Ontario.

"There is no reason that this should be happening in 2024," stated Pasma. "We know the detrimental effects of lead exposure, including lifelong developmental disabilities, heart disease, and lower IQ scores for children. We have the resources to address it. Yet, instead of adopting the federal safety guidelines for lead and supporting school boards in eliminating lead from drinking water, the Ford government is hiding its head in the sand."

Data also shows that aging infrastructure, including legacy lead fixtures and pipes, is a key factor in lead levels in schools. The problem largely disappears in newer schools.

"Addressing the repair backlog is a big part of reducing lead levels," added Pasma. "The Ford government hasn't released the repair backlog numbers in years, probably because they want to hide the fact that it’s going up, not down, because of their inadequate funding. Hopefully, the new Education Minister, Todd Smith, will finally address these issues and prioritize our kids."

Joel Harden echoed Pasma's concerns, stating, "This is the capital of our country. If lead levels aren't acceptable for the kids here, it's telling for the rest of our province. We need in-depth measures to rectify this issue and immediately lower lead levels to the federal standard of 5 parts per billion. The provincial guideline of 10 parts per billion is unacceptable. The requirements need to match the federal levels—there is no way around it.

This government is responsible for this situation. They need to listen to experts and do the right thing. The costs, in the long run, will be huge if we don't act now, not just in terms of financial figures but in the physical and mental toll it will take on our children and communities."