Debates of August 15, 2007 (day 10)

Clause 15.

Agreed.

Clause 16.

Agreed.

Part 3, drinking water safety, clause 17. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just for clarification on this, more so on the intent, do we do any…What type of follow-up do we do with water testing and do we broadcast our testing results anywhere? So it sort of speaks to the section as a whole. I suspect community water testing gets sent into some facility like the Stanton Territorial Hospital, gets screened out and…Like, what do we do for public assurance, because the average person wouldn’t know where their water quality sits. They just assume, unless there’s a flag or a report on one of the media things, everything’s good. So where does the average person get to find out their type of quality, how good their water is? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess a number of factors come in. Usually, when we make a public notice, it is in the opposite end, is boil water notices that would go out. However, we do put on the website our results of the water tests that have occurred, on the Stanton website as I am informed. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Is there anything further? No. Thank you, committee. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister and staff in terms of safe water drinking qualities. We have bottled water in our stores in our small communities. There has been some research and reports that our drinking water is actually safer than bottled water, but yet we seem to buy bottled water because of some security or some thought in our heads that it is safer and cleaner. Actually, some reports show just the opposite. We have really good, clean water in the Northwest Territories, Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake and several lakes around here. Are there any types of studies that show why people still buy bottled water in the stores while their water is just as good or better in their backyards in the communities? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it is fairly common now throughout the Northwest Territories. We see that in almost every community where individuals now go to their co-op store, their North Mart and other places, to get bottled water. It goes a lot to the pace, as I have heard individuals say. The fact of the matter is all of our water sources are tested and they meet the qualifications nationally to be used for human consumption. We meet the requirements. The bottled water sources out there are tap water in the majority of situations if you look at it, if you do the actual looking at it, that have run through one more filter system. There is not much more beyond that. I think it is difficult but it seems to be a growing trend to have individuals buy bottled water. It is much more expensive than you get out of the tap. We have heard people say they don’t like the chlorine piece in it, but that is what makes it safe when you do it in the right measurements. It is difficult, but, in fact, as we do our testing, we can prove the water is safe for human consumption. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Is there anything further, Mr. Yakeleya?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is my last question to the Minister on this discussion here. It is something that we can continue to support. I know in our communities we have some really good water quality. The thought of the day that this bottled water is safer than tap water because it is bought in stores, it is wrapped nice and neatly. It shows a mountain and a little stream coming down. Why in the Northwest Territories and through the department that this new act can say very loud and clear that our water is one of the safest and cleanest waters in the world here? It is free. I want to bring that to the attention of the Minister on this issue here in terms of quality and safe drinking water in the Northwest Territories. Let’s put safety back into our lakes and waters and not scare them to other issues where they have to go to the store and buy this bottled water. That is a comment, Mr. Chair. That is all I have to say.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya, for your comment. Next on the list I have Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have just a quick question about water fluoride. Is that an area that we would review or monitor in this particular not just act but section throughout this act? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The work we would do, and again our relationship in this act on how we would provide the testing that is required and the reporting of that is regulated in a number of ways. To give you the proper response, I should go to Dr. Corriveau.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Dr. Corriveau.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The act itself doesn’t speak to the issue of fluoridation. At this point in time, it is a decision that is made at the municipal level, so the municipality will decide whether they will fluorinate. It doesn’t add to the safety. It has been recognized as an efficient way to supplement fluoride levels that may be too low in certain parts of the country. Fluoride is an important compound to protect the strength of enamel in teeth. It has been shown that below a certain level, the problem of cavities is increased significantly when there is no fluoride or the fluoride levels are too low. But fluoride can also be toxic if amounts are too high. So it is something that needs to be monitored. If a municipality decides to fluoridate their water, then they would work with our environmental health officers and we would monitor their use of the fluoride, but it is not something that is contemplated directly or imposed through this act or any of the regulations.

Merci, Dr. Corriveau. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Maybe it is not appropriate to ask the question because you say it is not involved, but to further pursue this, why isn’t it involved in the Public Health Act? One could see it as a toxic substance. Yes, it may help cavities, but it is also found in other areas to be quite toxic to people for their general health. Why wouldn’t it have been considered for this act? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as we proceed and this bill gets passed and put into force, we will also have to do work around regulations of that. As Dr. Corriveau stated, we would be working with municipalities if they decided to use a product like fluoride. We would continue to be involved in that sense. But as we go the next step and look at regulations, those items can be looked at and incorporated. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Seeing how the good Minister keeps the door open on this topic, which means I can question his comment, then I would like to ask or get confidence from him by saying that they will include this as part of the review when those regulations are drawn up and we move forward on this issue. I just want to make sure that he gets the fullness of review, considering the importance of the subject it is to people’s health. So if it doesn’t fall into the bill per se, I can appreciate that and I will respect that. But I want to make sure it is put into the regulations at least through the least examined, under that process. That should be all I need if he says yes.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as we proceed with this and as we work with other departments involved in this along with ourselves, we will take a look at this as one of the areas. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Committee, we are on clause 17 on page 17. Clause 17.

Agreed.

Clause 18.

Agreed.

Page 18, Clause 19.

Agreed.

Clause 20. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just had a quick question in regards to the public health warning. How soon will the chief public health officer get a warning from a community outside of the region that have bigger regions when there is a health warning to be imposed? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Minister Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, if I understand the question correctly, is how soon can an issue be put out there and how soon would it be dealt with. That would work in conjunction with our testing patterns as we found problems. Again, for more detail, we will go to Dr. Corriveau for more detail than I can provide. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Dr. Corriveau.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I understand the question correctly, it is about how soon we can issue an advisory. Well, there is no requirement. I can act independently as soon as I become aware that there is an issue. So there wouldn’t be a requirement to have it vetted somewhere else. We would issue an advisory immediately when the problem is found.

Merci, Dr. Corriveau. Anything further? Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess the only reason I was asking is just yesterday I received an advisory that Paulatuk was under advisory for boiling water. So I was just wondering. By the time they hear about that, I wonder if the chief health officer put the advisory out. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Dr. Corriveau.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I can use that example, the environmental health officer became aware of a test result. He notified me instantly that he was going to issue the advisory and it was issued in a couple of hours.

Merci, Dr. Corriveau. Anything further? Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. We are on clause 20.

Agreed.

Clause 21.

Agreed.

Page 19, part 4, health surveillance and reportable diseases, clause 22.

Agreed.