Evidence of contaminated water in Ontario communities has prompted the provincial government to announce mandatory lead testing for schools and daycares in older buildings.

"It's clear we need stronger drinking regulations in Ontario to protect those most vulnerable to the effects of lead: our young children, six years of age and under, and pregnant women," said Laurel Broten, the provincial environment minister.

Effective immediately across Ontario:

  • Schools and daycares built before 1990 must test for lead every year.
  • Any of these buildings where lead pipes may be present are also required to flush their systems daily.

"This is a precautionary measure. We are acting to prevent possible exposure to lead," Broten said.

The minister also said that the government's action plan includes a proposed regulation to make regular municipal water testing mandatory.

Results of water quality tests for Toronto released Thursday afternoon found that 10 per cent of samples submitted to the province exceeded recommended levels of lead.

Two out of the 20 samples taken from private residences in the city contained more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of lead -- the Ontario drinking water quality standard.

"This average that we received from just this small sample is in keeping with our historic numbers as we've been testing for lead on a demand basis for consumers for many years now," Lou Di Gironimo, a general manager with the Toronto's water division, said Thursday.

When Toronto performed tests last year, about 7 or 8 per cent of homes had high lead levels, CTV's Paul Bliss reported.

Gironimo urged people who live in older homes to flush their water every morning for five minutes before drinking it to minimize lead concentrations.

"Take a shower, wash your hands, flush your toilets, and start drawing water from the water main. Make sure it's cold then you should have that fresher water that's in the distribution system."

Municipal staff also collected an extra 160 samples above the order from the province and found that 12 exceeded the lead standards.

Higher concentrations of lead were found in the city's extra sample tests than in the 20 samples ordered by the Ministry of the Environment.

While the two samples submitted to the province showed 11 ppb and 13 ppb lead, the 12 others showed up to 30 ppb, three times the recommended limit.

The province recently ordered 36 Ontario towns and cities to submit test results by midnight Wednesday after the City of London found unsafe lead levels in tap water in about 25 per cent of older homes that were tested.

Nineteen of the 35 communities who have provided their results showed lead contamination in tap water.

Toronto Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker told the media that the findings shouldn't deter the city's residents from drinking tap water.

"(We want) to make sure we have the gold standard in terms of protecting the people of Toronto," De Baeremaeker said.

"I recommend that people keep drinking their water, it's the best in the world"

Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. George Pasut, said that lead levels slightly above the standard don't make Ontario's tap water undrinkable.

"The hazard posed by lead levels slightly exceeding today's drinking water standards is minimal," Pasut said.

"People should not conclude that their drinking water is no longer safe. They should not stop trusting the water that comes from their taps."

An estimated 65,000 homes in Toronto, a little less than 15 per cent, have some sort of lead connection service.

"Usually the homes built before 1955 are the homes that have issues with lead," De Baeremaeker said.

He said that the city is spending $7 million a year to phase lead piping out.

"Eventually, on the public property, those lead connections will be eliminated."

The lead problem has even made its way into the Ontario legislature as signs posted inside the 110-year-old building advise visitors not to drink the water because of unacceptable contamination levels.

Health effects

Health experts say lead in drinking water can cause a variety of adverse health effects.

In babies and children, lead exposure can result in delays in physical and mental development, along with slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. In adults, it could cause kidney problems or high blood pressure.

The city of Toronto offers free lead testing for homeowners in the city. The usual wait is three to four days, but Baeremaeker said that growing demand has bumped waiting time up to 10 business days.

Other Ontario municipalities will also test a home's water for free, but if the service line from the street to the home has to be replaced, the homeowner could be on the hook for between $2,000 and $10,000.

With a reports from CTV's Paul Bliss and Desmond Brown