The issue of lead in Ontario’s drinking water continues to make headlines daily. The upshot is that “Governments should stop dithering over getting rid of lead in water”. as expressed in an opinion piece in the Toronto Star on November 8, 2019. No amount of lead is safe in our drinking water so it just makes sense that our federal, provincial and municipal levels of governments across Canada must start working together to implement policies and allocate the funding needed to ensure all drinking water is safe – whether it be consumed in public schools or private residences.
Ontario Green party leader Mike Schreiner correctly notes that children ought to be able to use the water fountain at their school, without worry about lead contamination:
When a child uses the water fountain at school, they shouldn't have to worry about lead contamination.
I hope the government takes these new reports seriously and changes its tune on public health funding and clean water protection. #onpoli https://t.co/WtsExt0MkH
— Mike Schreiner (@MikeSchreiner) November 5, 2019
A young adult notes that her old high school has the dubious distinction of being the number one school in Ontario for lead toxicity in drinking water:
https://twitter.com/_rheaanne/status/1191754269386563586?s=20
Another citizen questions political priorities in Ontario, where cell phone bans were the government’s focus while lead in drinking water at Ontario’s schools seemed a lower priority:
@Sflecce @Fix_Our_Schools why is your government worried about cellphones, when I can’t even drink the water at my school? #leadinthewater
— Neil Hope (@Neil_Hope123) November 6, 2019
And yet another citizen comments on how lead in water and general disrepair in Ontario’s schools must be priority issues in the days and weeks to come:
2,400 Ontario schools have elevated levels of led in their drinking water.
Ontario’s school repair backlog now stands at $16.3 Billion, a $400 Million increase over the previous year.
Doug Ford’s @OntarioPCParty aren’t addressing any of it. Instead, they’re making further cuts https://t.co/kxA5HtV1oy
— Adam ⚾️ (@GradyTripp00) November 6, 2019
And another citzen highlights the importance of mulitple levels of government coming together to address this non-partisan issue of safe drinking water:
At a time when it's becoming clear that Ontario has a water safety problem, remember that Doug Ford's public health cuts are further handicapping municipalities' ability to monitor and address water safety issues. #onpoli #cdnpoli https://t.co/1nZAa2SlLy
— The Maple (@readthemaple) November 5, 2019