Health Department

Shining a spotlight on the work of public health inspectors

Shining a spotlight on the work of public health inspectors

“The work we do is proactive, science-based, and essential to keeping your water, food, land, air and facilities safe,” explained Lisa Fortuna, Director, Health Protection with Durham Region Health Department, and the current president of the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. “Public health inspectors play an active and key role to ensure that food we eat is safe, checking that water is safe to drink and use, providing infection prevention and control guidance, and case and contact management for many diseases. Our work often goes unnoticed as many times we are behind the scenes working to keep the public safe.”

Iqaluit lifts precautionary boil-water advisory, bypass system still being used

Iqaluit lifts precautionary boil-water advisory, bypass system still being used

Nunavut's Health Department has lifted a precautionary boil-water advisory for the city of Iqaluit. The capital's 8,000 people had been under the advisory since Jan. 19 when the city started using a bypass system to pump water to residents. The city shut down its treatment plant the same day after drinking water coming from taps was found to contain traces of fuel. The water was also contaminated with fuel late last year and residents were under a do-not-consume order for two months.

Nunavut woman learns lead device was in her water tank for 'over 20 years'

Nunavut woman learns lead device was in her water tank for 'over 20 years'

Rhoda Nanook was alarmed when officials from the local housing authority started testing her home water tank for lead with little warning or explanation. "After all these years, why now?" she asked. "It's kind of shocking to learn that you might have lead in your water supply." Nanook lives in public housing with five others in Taloyoak, Nunavut, where there is a housing shortage. Her daughter Karen Nanook, who shares the house with her, has been on a housing wait list for 10 years.