In a Toronto Star article published on February 28, 2020 ,Ursula Franklin Academy students Emma Stuart-Kiss and Jack Wilson state, “we were shocked. (We) are very concerned with the lead levels in our school and the lack of transparency surrounding them”. After reading a series of November 2019 Toronto Star Articles about lead in drinking water, the two students began investigating further.
Stuart-Kiss, the editor of the school newspaper at Ursula Franklin Academy, recently wrote an opinion piece for the newspaper stating, “through the deflection of blame and failure to surpass the low bar of Ministry regulations, it becomes apparent that without action and outcry, nothing will change. Apparently, safety and accountability are too much to ask for.”
How does the tool work? Search our database for lead levels in water at Ontario schools and daycares
The test results are from 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.
Is your child's daycare or school listed?https://t.co/JPYjdMyd9p pic.twitter.com/CCJeyon9Y8
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) February 27, 2020
Over the past three years, dozens of schools and daycares have logged dramatic lead spikes above 1,000 parts per billion (ppb), when Health Canada’s guideline states a maximum level of 5 ppb. Experts suggest that levels at this extremely high level can immediately impact blood lead levels in a child and cause harm in cognitive development. Despite Health Canada adopting a 5 ppb threshold, Ontario continues to use a 10 ppb threshold for lead in water.