Yukon Employees' Union President Justin Lemphers says students and workers are entitled to safe drinking water

Friday, 18 October 2024 15:21

The issue was initially brought to light by students at Del Van Gorder School in Faro, who discovered elevated lead levels through a science fair project.

The Yukon Employees' Union is taking action against the Yukon government's inaction on lead-contaminated school drinking water, filing a grievance and inviting public support.

Earlier this year, the government pledged to test 30 schools' water supplies but has not honored this commitment. The issue was initially brought to light by students at Del Van Gorder School in Faro, who discovered elevated lead levels through a science fair project.

Yukon Employees' Union President Justin Lemphers stressed that 'students and workers are entitled to safe drinking water, considering the severe long-term effects of lead exposure.'

During the question period at the legislative assembly sitting on October 2, Takhini-Kopper King representative Kate White was curious to know why the territorial government haven’t kept their promise on fixing the contaminated water in schools.

"The chief medical officer of health said that the slightly elevated lead levels in the short term was not dangerous. but we are talking of levels that has doubled, tripled or even hundreds of times higher than standards for the last five years____Thats not slightly and certainly not short term. A hand full of schools have been given bottle drinking water, other school still only have access to the same water that was tested and failed in 2019. For five years the Liberal Government hasn’t fixed the lead contaminated water in schools they promised that work will be completed before schools started this fall but it hasn’t, why not?”

Yukon Minster of Education Jeanie McLean did not give a clear answer. She however said there was clean drinking water in schools.

"I will clearly state to parents, teachers, children, Yukoners that clean drinking water is available in our schools. We have made this a high priority for our government, the health safety and wellbeing of students and staff are absolutely first priority," McLean said.

The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality highlight the irreversible impact of lead consumption on children's intelligence.
Initial tests and remediation occurred in 2018 and 2019, but guideline updates in March 2019 were disregarded.

The Yukon Employees' Union is demanding a completion of remediation efforts before Christmas.

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