In a complete reversal from last week’s public message, the Minister of Health and Social Services says there will be signs posted at Yellowknife lakes to warn residents of arsenic levels in the water.
“I provided direction earlier in the spring to move forward with signs,” said Abernethy. “My direction at the time was that we’d cover the cost of the signs if the city would agree to post them, and there was an agreement to that.”
But last week, the territory’s chief public health officer released an updated public health advisory on arsenic levels in lakes around the city which stated there were no plans to erect signs warning residents of possible dangers.
At the time, Dr. Andre Corriveau told Yellowknifer no one was interested in signs because they are expensive and tend to get vandalized.
Rather, he said the government would focus on making information about arsenic levels available online.
Why there was confusion, the minister “can’t say for sure,” but he stressed Corriveau has been brought up to speed on the GNWT’s signage plans.
The health department is now finalizing the signs’ design and determining where at Kam Lake, Grace Lake, Jackfish Lake and Frame Lake they will be posted, Abernethy said.
During a Kam Lake constituency meeting hosted Friday night at the Multiplex by MLA Kieron Testart, the minister told a crowded room of residents the signs would be put up within the next few weeks.
According to last week’s public health advisory, Frame Lake and Kam Lake contain more than 100 parts per billion of dissolved arsenic while Jackfish Lake contains between 52 and 99.9 parts per billion.
That’s well over Health Canada’s safe drinking water guidelines, which state water should contain less than 10 parts per billion of dissolved arsenic.
Residents should avoid fishing, swimming, harvesting berries, mushrooms or other edible plants at the three lakes, as well as drinking untreated water from anywhere in the NWT, according to the health advisory.
Fish should not be consumed from Kam Lake, Frame Lake or Jackfish Lake either, states the advisory, although catch-and-release fishing is OK.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources tested arsenic at Grace Lake this spring.
Results show the lake contains 15 parts per billion of dissolved arsenic, putting it above safe drinking water levels but low enough that the water is still safe for fishing and swimming.
“Not everyone’s going to go looking for this information on the internet, so we need to make sure people are aware,” said Abernethy. “If nothing else, it’s going to cause them to be curious and hopefully they’ll go to the website and other sources to get information.”
One resident at Friday’s meeting wasn’t satisfied with all of the information available.
Jason Simpson, who lives in the Kam Lake area, pointed out there is no information on Niven Lake available in last week’s health advisory.
“It’s just becoming a very public area,” he said, adding many people walk their dogs there, including him. “The idea that we don’t drink it or we don’t swim in it shouldn’t just be the reason why we shouldn’t be worried about these things.”
Abernethy said data for the health advisory came from university studies and other testing, which did not include Niven Lake.
Corriveau suggested people should not use the lake “for any purpose” as it is a former sewage lagoon.
“We’ll talk to the minister of (Environment and Natural Resources) and see what, if any, studies are coming down the pipes and whether or not Niven can be included,” Abernethy told Simpson.
Testart said Northerners have a right to information that affects their communities and families.
“That right to know needs to be supported by the government in providing as much information as possible,” he said. “Just posting something on a website is not sufficient to satisfy that.”
Stephanie Vandeputte, communications and economic development officer at the City of Yellowknife, said the mayor was unavailable to comment on the issue.
“I can reaffirm our position that good communication, including signage, is important in ensuring people know the risks,” she stated by e-mail. “We continue to work closely with (Health and Social Services) on this.”