One hundred times the federal government’s safety guideline.
That’s how much lead was found in the tap water at Fisher Park Public School in Ottawa last school year.
Seven other water tests taken at the school in the 2023-24 school year also exceeded the federal government’s lead safety guideline of 5 parts per billion (ppb). The highest reading found at Fisher Park was 567 ppb — among the worst in the province last year.
The taps at the school, which opened in 1949 and teaches 600 seventh and eighth graders, are part of a persistent but preventable problem at hundreds of schools from Peel Region to the northern reaches of the province.
Provincial test data obtained and analyzed by the Investigative Journalism Bureau shows that half of all public schools in Ontario have reported lead levels that have exceeded the federal safety guideline at least once in the last five years.
While the number of schools reporting at least one exceedance has decreased over that time, the data shows the problem remains widespread.
Experts say the true level of risk to children and teens is masked in Ontario because the province relies on a lead safety guideline which is twice as high as the federal threshold. Six years after Health Canada lowered its guideline to 5 ppb to better reflect the health risks of lead, Ontario continues to measure safety at 10 ppb.
Old pipes carry present danger
Concerned experts, parents and community organizations have for years warned that lead in tap water is an urgent problem threatening children’s health.
Since 2019, an ongoing IJB investigation has revealed regulatory gaps, but there appears little momentum in replacing old pipes that contain lead.
The Canadian Environmental Lawyers Association (CELA) is waving the latest red flag with its report, released today, titled Time to Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water. It calls on the province to remove all lead infrastructure in schools and require schools to proactively inform parents when students have been exposed to lead in drinking water.
Currently, the information is only available for viewing in person at schools or by reviewing raw test result data posted on a provincial government website.
“In too many of the institutions that are meant to equip the next generation with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, Ontario’s current laws and regulations allow children to drink water that could impair their ability to do so,” the report reads.
Ontario says it has ‘stringent testing regime’
The Investigative Journalism Bureau’s analysis of 156,000 test results over five years show elevated levels of lead potentially impacting 800,000 public school students.
In the 2023-24 school year, more than 14 per cent of Ontario public schools that reported lead test results had at least one exceedance of the federal guideline. That’s down from 2019-20, when 29 per cent of schools reported at least one exceedance.
“Ontario has one of the most stringent testing regimes for lead in drinking water in the country,” said a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment. “Where exceedances of the lead standard occur at a school, private school or child care centre, facility operators must take immediate corrective action to protect children, including any action directed by the local medical officer of health.”
Common fixes include flushing the taps, replacing lead-laced fixtures and retesting to ensure lead levels fall within the provincial safety guideline.
The statement did not respond to questions about why the province has not adopted the federal safety guideline.
No amount of the neurotoxin is considered safe, according to the World Health Organization. Children are particularly vulnerable. Lead has been linked to behavioural issues, decreased attention span and lowered IQ in children.
“Even at very low levels of exposure, lead can cause life-altering changes to children’s developing brains,” reads the CELA report. “Too many schools still have lead in their water and (the data) underlines the need for the province to introduce a new approach and the funding necessary to protect children’s health.”
Levels above guideline in scores of Ottawa schools
While annual federal guideline exceedances at public schools have fallen, there are school districts — like the two major boards in Ottawa — still reporting high levels of lead.
Sixty-five public schools in Ottawa logged tests above 5 ppb in 2023-24, representing more than 20 per cent of the Ottawa public schools that reported lead test results that year.
In the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), more than a quarter of schools logged at least one federal lead level exceedance last year. However, that number is down from more than 35 per cent five years ago and a peak of 68 per cent in the 2021-22 year.
Like many schools in Ontario, Fisher Park was built decades ago when lead water service lines were commonly used. The province does not mandate lead infrastructure replacement.
Fisher Park administrators did not respond to questions. A school board spokesperson said it “prioritizes safe drinking water for all students and staff.” Water fixtures undergo mandatory lead testing, and any fixtures with lead levels exceeding provincial guidelines are “immediately taken out of service and remediated.”
Twenty-four per cent of all tests in the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) over the past five years exceeded the federal guideline.
“We have always prioritized the safety and well-being of our students and staff, particularly regarding access to safe drinking water,” the board said. The OCSB said it meets all provincial requirements for testing and remediation. The test results cited by reporters “reflect ongoing challenges related to stricter federal standards,” the statement said.
A Peel Region middle school takes ‘corrective action’
Last year, 35 schools potentially exposed more than 10,000 students to elevated lead levels at the Peel District School Board (PDSB).
Morning Star Middle School had a 166 ppb reading in 2021. A test this past year came back at 73 ppb.
“Corrective action was taken in response,” said Corey Boyle, the board’s manager of health and safety, in response to questions about the 73 ppb reading and another test last year that found 49 ppb. The fixture is now on a daily flushing regimen to address the problem, the statement said.
The CELA report found that last year 23 schools in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board reported lead levels exceeding the federal guideline. But those results did not trigger provincial remediation requirements because they remained under Ontario’s guideline of 10 ppb.
Schools with lead levels below the provincial guideline can be exempt from annual testing and only required to test one tap every three years.
“Ontario’s exemption system does not take into account the fact that no dose of lead is safe and that lead concentration is not static,” the CELA report reads. “CELA calls on the province to ensure that health risks are being monitored and that schools with known lead problems are not being exempt from testing requirements.”
The report calls on school boards to post water testing data on their websites and push the provincial government for the money needed to remove lead-laced infrastructure.
Fix Our Schools, an advocacy group pushing for infrastructure investment in Ontario schools, has calculated a $16.8-billion repair backlog.
At Central Technical School in Toronto, a test last year revealed a lead level of 1,200 ppb.
The test result “may have been an issue with the administration of the test and not with the sample itself, as an additional test showed expected results (2 ppb). Regardless, the source was taken out of service and reported,” a spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said.
Twelve per cent of all TDSB schools reported at least one federal lead exceedance last year. The TDSB statement said corrective actions are taken immediately for each provincial guideline violation.
Data analysis by Andrew Bailey
This story was also published to the Toronto Star.
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