Thorold councillors unanimously supported writing a letter to their Niagara Region counterparts to show they're ready to resume water testing in the city.
“In 2002, the United Nations stated that water is a human right, clean water is a human right, and we're in 2021 and this is an issue now in Thorold,” said Thorold councillor Carmen DeRose.
At the meeting on May 4, DeRose brought the issue to the council's attention after residents had reached out to him.
Since the beginning of lockdown in March 2020, Thorold residents have not been able to have their water tested locally, given the closure of public works offices and public works employees being forced to work from home.
As a result, Thorold residents were given the option to take their water samples to Hamilton, where the cost to test a sample is up to $200 for non-residents. Normally, there is no upfront cost for water testing in the municipality in which a resident lives, as the service is tax-subsidized.
“This is a service that rural homeowners and well owners, they require this, it's a must,” said DeRose.
For now, Port Colborne and Wainfleet have opened their water testing services up to Thorold and other Niagara region residents.
Glen Hudgin, manager of environmental health at Niagara Region Public Health, said the public works offices were originally closed around the Niagara region as a COVID-19 precaution, to reduce contact between people.
He said that municipalities like Wainfleet and Port Colborne were able to reopen their water testing facilities, once coronavirus precautions were in place.
“It's really up to the local municipality themselves,” Hudgin said. “If they feel that they can safely allow access to their building to drop off water bottles, it's going to be up to them. It's not a decision by us.”
- Moosa Imran, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Grimsby Lincoln News
