In 2019, after news reports revealed nine per cent of all lead tests in Ontario’s schools and daycares exceeded the national safety guideline, the province said it was working with schools to fix the lead pipes tainting children’s water.
Two years later, the scale of the problem remains unchanged.
The most recent data shows one in 10 water quality tests from Ontario schools and daycares found lead levels above Health Canada’s maximum accepted concentration of five parts per billion (ppb), a Toronto Star/Investigative Journalism Bureau investigation has found.
Lead in Drinking Water
The most recent data shows one in 10 water quality tests from Ontario schools and daycares found lead levels above Health Canada’s maximum accepted concentration of 5 parts per billion (ppb), a Toronto Star/Investigative Journalism Bureau investigation has found.
Read the storyThe IJB releases short audio briefs explaining the stories we report. They’re meant to be a quick way to learn what we’re working on. We hope that you’ll listen. First up in this new feature is reporter Inori Roy discussing the recent investigation into lead in the drinking water of Ontario schools and daycares.
Listen to the audioTwo years after journalists revealed that nine per cent of schools and daycares in Ontario exceeded national safety guidelines for lead in drinking water, the scale of the problem remains unchanged.
The most recent data shows one in 10 water quality tests from Ontario schools and daycares found lead levels above Health Canada’s maximum accepted concentration.