City of Iqaluit refuses to release raw testing data from water crisis
CBC
The City of Iqaluit is refusing to release raw water testing data from the water crisis last fall, in which hydrocarbons were found in the city's water supply, despite being asked for that data for months and and being consulted on an access to information request about it.
CBC News first started asking for the raw data back in December 2021 as part of its investigation into the crisis that left the city's 8,000 residents unable to drink tap water for nearly two months due to fuel contamination.
Although the city posts testing results on its website, those results are not the raw data.
"To provide you some clarity on the testing and interpretation of the data, samples are sent to a [Canadian Association For Laboratory Accreditation] certified lab to conduct the analysis. Then qualified experts interpret the data for the city," a City of Iqaluit spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC News on Dec. 17, 2021.
"The city will continue to provide the results from those qualified experts, as received."
CBC News continued to ask for the raw data. The city continued to refuse, instead asking for specific questions about the testing or data. CBC News did not receive a response from the city after the Dec. 17 exchange.
In the new year, CBC News again followed up with city officials on the raw data. To that end, CBC News interviewed Mayor Kenny Bell who said he had no issue with the City of Iqaluit releasing the data.
After CBC News indicated it was preparing a story on the city's refusal to release the raw data, the City of Iqaluit committed to releasing it.
"The city is willing to give you this information, however we do so with some reservation, specifically given that the highly technical level of information can create confusion or misinterpretation as data without context can be easily misinterpreted," the city spokesperson wrote in an email on Jan. 5, 2022.
"In handing this over, the city is trusting that you have a reputable and qualified expert to assist you in the interpretation of the information to ensure that anything being published is contextually accurate."
CBC News agreed regarding the need for appropriately contextualizing and evaluating the information provided, and waited for the data to be released.
It never came.
After a month and a half, CBC News followed up on the commitment. The spokesperson continued to say they were following up with city officials. A month later, they said the person "that can make that call has been on leave until yesterday."
"We're meeting today and this will be a point I will bring back up," the spokesperson said.
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