Regina mayor says city will follow Health Canada guidelines with asbestos cement pipes
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said the city will more than likely continue to follow Health Canada guidelines when it comes to asbestos cement pipes (ACP) that carry drinking water to residents’ homes.
Masters made the comments Tuesday, following a CTV News W5 investigation that revealed the city’s water utility system is still comprised of about 48 per cent ACP pipes.
“I don’t think I’ve been shy about an infrastructure deficit here at the city in terms of work being done,” Masters said. “I think that right now we follow Health Canada and so if Health Canada comes out and changes [guidelines], I think we methodically continue to replace and reline and do the work necessary.”
Mayor Masters believes that support from all levels of government will be needed in the case of replacing the infrastructure.
According to Health Canada, there is currently no consistent evidence drinking or ingesting asbestos is harmful.
There is also currently no maximum limit of asbestos that can be in Canadian drinking water.
According to a water test done by W5 at a Regina home near the site of a recent water main break, there were 370,000 asbestos fibers per litre in the drinking water supply.
The city initially said was the break was the result of an asbestos cement pipe failure.
According to the W5 investigation, the city later said they had provided the wrong information about the water main break shortly before the story was released.
The City of Regina said it has tested for asbestos fibers in water since 2016 and increased testing in 2020 and maintains it has never found asbestos in drinking water to date.
The city’s director of water, waste and environment Kurtis Doney, maintained that they have still not found asbestos fibers in Regina’s drinking water despite extensive testing in an interview with W5.
“To date, we have not found any asbestos fibers and Health Canada has clearly stated that there is no concerns with asbestos fibers in drinking water,” Doney told W5.
Doney said the City of Regina will continue to test for asbestos fibers in its drinking water but did not acknowledge W5’s findings of 370,000 asbestos fibers per litre in its independent test.
In an email sent to CTV News, Health Canada said it developed a technical document in 1989 for asbestos in drinking water. Health Canada said it then assessed new scientific data in 2009, 2013 and 2018, including studies evaluated by the Texas State Department of Health and the U.S. EPA.
Health Canada said its findings that drinking or ingesting asbestos is not hazardous are consistent with findings from other organizations around the world including, the World Health Organization and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
“In Canada, responsibility for drinking water quality is shared between various levels of government. The principal responsibility of ensuring the safety of drinking water generally rests with the provinces and territories, while municipalities usually ensure the day-to-day operations of treatment facilities and distribution systems. Health Canada worked with the provinces and territories to develop the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality,” Health Canada said.
With files from CTV’s Eric Szeto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.