October 14, 2025, TORONTO – Ontario municipalities can and should take action to completely remove toxic lead pipes from their drinking water systems, says a report published today by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).
“There is no safe dose of lead. Choosing to leave lead pipes in the ground knowingly puts the health of Ontarians, particularly children, at risk,” said Julie Mutis, a Community Outreach Worker at CELA.
The report, “End of the Line: A better way to get lead out of municipal drinking water,” urges Ontario municipalities to stop conducting partial lead service line (LSL) replacements. These occur when the portion of lead pipe on public property is replaced and then re-attached to the old lead line if the property owner does not pay to complete the replacement.
Lead service lines are the primary contributor to high lead levels in residential drinking water.
“Partially replacing lead service lines is not only ineffective, but can make the lead levels in drinking water worse for months or years to come.” said Theresa McClenaghan, CELA Executive Director and Counsel.
The report points to cities in Quebec and Saskatchewan that have made it mandatory to replace the full lead service line. Only one known Ontario municipality, Hamilton, has a similar by-law and policies in place aimed at preventing partial LSL replacements.
“The fact that multiple Canadian cities have already banned partial lead service line replacements shows that continuing to expose people to this toxic substance is a choice. All Ontario municipalities should choose to protect health and work towards a lead-free future,” said Mutis.
Ontario has had regulations in place since 2007 requiring municipalities to monitor and reduce lead levels in residential drinking water. Despite this, in 2023-24, 26 municipalities reported a lead test that exceeded the provincial limit of 10 parts-per-billion (ppb) and 38 municipalities reported results that exceeded the more stringent federally-recommended lead limit of 5 ppb.
“Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, municipal councillors are legally mandated to ensure the safety of drinking water in people’s homes. They have both a duty and the authority to end partial lead service lines replacements,” said McClenaghan.
The report presents best practices for mandatory LSL replacement by-laws, including equity-informed financial support programs to ensure that clean water is affordable for all home owners.
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For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Julie Mutis, Community Outreach Worker, CELA
julie@cela.ca, 519-328-2573
Media Release: Ontario municipalities must end partial lead pipe replacement and commit to a lead-free future
October 14, 2025, TORONTO – Ontario municipalities can and should take action to completely remove toxic lead pipes from their drinking water systems, says a report published today by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).
“There is no safe dose of lead. Choosing to leave lead pipes in the ground knowingly puts the health of Ontarians, particularly children, at risk,” said Julie Mutis, a Community Outreach Worker at CELA.
The report, “End of the Line: A better way to get lead out of municipal drinking water,” urges Ontario municipalities to stop conducting partial lead service line (LSL) replacements. These occur when the portion of lead pipe on public property is replaced and then re-attached to the old lead line if the property owner does not pay to complete the replacement.
Lead service lines are the primary contributor to high lead levels in residential drinking water.
“Partially replacing lead service lines is not only ineffective, but can make the lead levels in drinking water worse for months or years to come.” said Theresa McClenaghan, CELA Executive Director and Counsel.
The report points to cities in Quebec and Saskatchewan that have made it mandatory to replace the full lead service line. Only one known Ontario municipality, Hamilton, has a similar by-law and policies in place aimed at preventing partial LSL replacements.
“The fact that multiple Canadian cities have already banned partial lead service line replacements shows that continuing to expose people to this toxic substance is a choice. All Ontario municipalities should choose to protect health and work towards a lead-free future,” said Mutis.
Ontario has had regulations in place since 2007 requiring municipalities to monitor and reduce lead levels in residential drinking water. Despite this, in 2023-24, 26 municipalities reported a lead test that exceeded the provincial limit of 10 parts-per-billion (ppb) and 38 municipalities reported results that exceeded the more stringent federally-recommended lead limit of 5 ppb.
“Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, municipal councillors are legally mandated to ensure the safety of drinking water in people’s homes. They have both a duty and the authority to end partial lead service lines replacements,” said McClenaghan.
The report presents best practices for mandatory LSL replacement by-laws, including equity-informed financial support programs to ensure that clean water is affordable for all home owners.
-30-
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Julie Mutis, Community Outreach Worker, CELA
julie@cela.ca, 519-328-2573
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