The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Terrapure Working Group wishes to update the community concerning lead testing results at the Kahnawà:ke Survival School (KSS) school grounds. Since the last update, the Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO) has received results from nine maple syrup samples. Six of the samples were from the KSS grounds, covering the years 2022 – 2026. Three samples were from the area around the new cultural center and two of which are from 2024 and one from 2026.
The results ranged from no detection of lead to a maximum of 60 µg/L (micrograms per litre). These results are well below threshold safe consumption values established in Quebec and Ontario of 250 µg/L. Although lead was detected in maple sap collected at KSS, these results indicate that lead has either not concentrated during the maple syrup production process or has been filtered out, to a level that falls within the values recommended as safe for human health.
“Any presence of lead from unnatural sources is unacceptable,” said Ohén:ton Í:rate ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo. “While it is reassuring that maple syrup levels are well below safety limits, we remain committed to fully understanding the extent of contamination in this area and the impacts of nearby industrial activity on our Territory.”
KEPO is continuing testing at the site to get a complete picture of the distribution of lead and cadmium present. This includes upcoming collection of approximately 200 soil samples to generate detailed mapping of the impacted land base, air quality monitoring to evaluate the concentrations of lead and cadmium present in the air, groundwater and surface water samples, and testing of medicines and wildlife found on the site.
This is an evolving situation, and the Working Group will provide additional updates as they become available. For more information, please contact mckmedia@mck.ca. To have your equipment tested, please contact KEPO at 450-635-0600 or environmentprotection@mck.ca.
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About the Terrapure Working Group
The TerraPure Working Group is an internal Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) working group established to coordinate MCK’s response to environmental and public health concerns related to TerraPure, particularly following spills and contamination issues affecting Kahnawà:ke. The Working Group is comprised of representatives from the Council of Chiefs, the Office of the Council of Chiefs, KEPO, Legal Services, and Public Relations.
