Tests that showed E. coli in Isle aux Morts water were false positives, says town official
CBC
An Isle aux Morts town official is chalking up a recent E. coli scare in the water to false positive and says the water is safe to drink.
On Saturday the town on Newfoundland's southwest coast announced the water from its water building and taps was safe to drink after testing positive for traces of E.coli a few days earlier.
Deputy Mayor Thomas Herritt said both tests were false positives after government officials retested both water supplies on Friday and informed the town on Saturday of the good news.
"The water's good to drink — it's the same as normal or as it always was," he told CBC News on Tuesday.
He said on Monday morning the town reopened its water building, which had been closed since Wednesday.
Herritt said the last few days caused a lot of concern among the town's 560 residents, many of whom are seniors.
"But now everything is getting back to normal. Everybody seems happy. They're out getting their water jugs filled up and doing what they always did."
Herritt said the town's monthly testing protocols will stay the same despite the false results, but advised people to notice any changes that concern them.
"I'd just like to tell everybody that the water is safe, it's been tested and it's come back good," said Herritt.
"We're keeping an eye on things and if they see something that's out of the ordinary, just let us know and we'll check into it and see what we can do."
He believes the town acted promptly when faced with the possibility of E.coli exposure in the water, which included informing residents to dump any water they'd stored from the town reservoirs and bringing in bottled water for residents.
"In no time at all we had things going and moving," he said.
Herritt said after government officials told them the water was safe, the town got to work making the announcement to residents, through social media and the town's website.
"Most of the seniors were called because they don't have computers," he added.
Alberta's election agency announced Monday it has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada.
One person has been shot by police after allegedly stabbing two people in Toronto's northwest on Monday, police say.
Prince Edward Island's housing market is becoming more balanced, according to new data.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is presenting a new plan worth more than $35.5 billion to keep First Nations children connected to their communities, culture and families.
The RCMP arrested two men who allegedly used a classified ads website to recruit women to smuggle cannabis out of Canada to Nigeria via the country’s biggest airport.
One person is in a critical condition after an incident in Inukjuak, Que., which led to a shoot-out with police.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has picked business executive Mark Wiseman to serve as Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
A man in his thirties is in serious condition after a “targeted” shooting in Kensington Market early Monday morning, according to Toronto police.
One Labrador man is worried he might not make it home for the holidays after Wabush Airport cancelled multiple flights for several days.
Current and former members of Laurentian University’s staff and faculty unions will receive cheques in the new year after paying into a retiree health benefits plan that the university spent on its operational and capital budgets instead.
Shopping local may be the desire, but affordability might decide where shoppers spend their money this Christmas season.
As classes across New Brunswick pause for the holidays, it’s not yet clear which schools are making a dent in chronic absenteeism — a stubborn post-pandemic trend that mostly afflicts the high school cohort, especially in the Anglophone West school district.
CBC Quebec has launched its Make the Season Kind campaign. It's our annual campaign that focuses on food insecurity, while also celebrating kindness, generosity and community spirit around the province.