The owner of a Christian school in Alliston has been fined for violating the province’s Safe Drinking Water Act.
The Alliston Interdenominational Christian School Society, which owns and operates the Alliston Interdenominational Christian School, was convicted May 16 for “being the owner/operating authority of a non-municipal drinking water system and failing to ensure the drinking water system was operated by persons having the training or expertise for their operating functions that is required by the regulations” and “failing to meet sampling/testing requirements required by the regulations,” according to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The ministry noted the offences began on or about Nov. 1, 2019, and ended on or about March 31, 2023.
The private elementary school, which has 60 to 85 students enrolled from kindergarten to Grade 8, has a well on site that serves as a water source. It is classified as a small, non-municipal, non-residential drinking water system because it serves a designated facility. Someone certified as a “trained person” is required to operate the system “to reduce the risk of unsafe water being provided to consumers,” the ministry noted.
It added the owner and/or operator of the drinking water system is responsible for ensuring operators have proper training or expertise.
In January 2023, a ministry inspection found the school’s principal had been operating and maintaining the water treatment system since the fall school semester in 2021 but had not obtained “trained person” certification until May 12, 2022.
It wasn’t the first time the ministry had reported the issue. The Alliston Interdenominational Christian School Society was found to be in non-compliance with the same requirements during inspections in April 2006 and April 2010.
Following the inspection in January 2023, the principal agreed to give the ministry a copy of the results of microbiological water sampling and raw water sampling conducted between February and April of that year. In May, the principal told the ministry not all required samples were taken.
The ministry said sampling and testing had not occurred during “several months” in 2023.
The Alliston Interdenominational Christian School Society was found to be in non-compliance with the same sampling requirements during an inspection in June 2014.
The January 2023 inspection also found there was no evidence drinking water samples had been obtained and analyzed for lead between 2019 and 2022.
The society was then charged and later convicted.
In a Barrie courtroom, the society was fined $9,500, plus a $2,375 victim fine surcharge, and given 30 days to pay.
