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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 14 ,2 01 9 | 2 Georgetown's trusted choice for hearing care 360 Guelph St., Unit 44 Georgetown (In the Knolcrest Centre) 905.877.8828 Armstrong Ave Delrex Blvd Try before you buy! At Halton Audiometric Centre, we are committed to your hearing healthcare. To find out if hearing aids are right for you, come in for a complimentary assessment and try the latest digital hearing aids risk free! Proudly Serving Georgetown since 1994 Please drop off your donation at our office located in the Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) Proudly Serving Georgetown since 1994 DR. ANOOP SAYAL & ASSOCIATES Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Than k you for y our supp ort ov er th e yea rs. Dr. A. S ayal We are currently accepting donations for our in support of the 22nd Annual Food Drive Georgetown Bread Basket services were removed," Halton staff wrote. "As part of our continu- ous monitoring, we investi- gate the neighbourhood for the presence of lead as part of any watermain project or at the time of a water- main break. If lead is ob- served, Halton Region takes immediate corrective action and replaces the ser- vice line or connection." With lead being a com- monly used building mate- rial decades ago, Region of- ficials cautioned that there may be lead in the water from pipe fittings and con- nections in older homes built before 1975. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton issued a statement in response to the Star in- vestigation that says he will bring a motion forth at the next regional council meeting that encourages residents to replace any lead water pipes in their homes with safe alterna- tives. "I will also be writing to the provincial Minister of Education about water safety standards in our schools," said Burton. "We take any concerns associat- ed with our drinking water and public safety very seri- ously." In March, Health Cana- da cut the federal lead guideline in half - to 5 parts per billion (ppb) from 10 ppb - to reflect the neuro- toxin's health risks. Onta- rio has for now kept its benchmark at 10 ppb while it reviews Ottawa's new guideline. According to the Region, the Halton Regional Labo- ratory has tested 3,604 Hal- ton water samples for lead - both public and private - since 2007, and the results showed a 99.3 per cent com- pliance rating. But in Halton's aging school system, the Star in- vestigation revealed that the Halton District School Board had 304 exceedances in the past two years - one of the highest totals among school boards in the prov- ince. Lead fixtures, including taps and water fountains, were historically used in school plumbing and many remain in place today as the main culprits of elevat- ed lead levels in drinking water. "We regularly test our drinking water fixtures, and if exceedances are de- tected, we implement ap- propriate measures based on the direction and guid- ance from the Halton Re- gion Health Department," said Steve Allum, manager of environmental pro- grams with the district school board. In addition to flushing the lines and installing fil- ters, the board removes lead-laced fixtures, he said in a written statement. "In those instances, la- bour and materials are usually around a few hun- dred dollars. If fixture re- placement is necessary, the full cost can range into the thousands." But school board offi- cials say the province has not been dealing with the added costs of removing lead. "There hasn't really been much discussion from the Ministry of Education to us about how to respond to this," said Maia Puccetti, superintendent of facility services for the Halton Dis- trict School Board. The Ministry of Educa- tion said that while it allo- cates funding to school boards, those boards are re- sponsible for deciding how the funds are spent, "as they are in the best position to determine their renewal priorities and local needs." For homeowners who suspect or know their water has elevated levels of lead, it's up to them to replace the portion of the water service line and plumbing on their private property. Halton is working to ed- ucate homeowners on how to check their plumbing and also offers residents water testing for lead lev- els, which can be secured by calling 311 or emailing ac- cesshalton@halton.ca. For more information visit halton.ca or hdsb.ca. -with files from Robert Cribb NEWS Continued from page 1 LEAD MAY BE IN WATER FROM PIPE FITTINGS IN PRE-1975 HOMES THE ISSUE: LEAD IN DRINKING WATER LOCAL IMPACT: WHILE OLDER HOMES AND SCHOOLS MAY BE AT RISK OF HAVING LEAD FROM AGED PLUMBING FIXTURES IN THEIR WATER, HALTON SAYS THE WATER IT PROVIDES RESIDENTS IS SAFE TO DRINK. STORY BEHIND THE STORY Following a lengthy investigation by the Toronto Star about lead in Canada's drinking water, we looked closer at how safe the water is in Halton, and how local authorities and politicians are responding to the national exposé.