Issue 3A, Vol 145, The Brunswickan

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arts | harvest insert inside

news | how to drink smarter

opinion| UNB water situation

sports| reds suffer tough defeat

Volume 145 · Issue 3 • September 21, 2011

www.thebruns.ca

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

Lead levels above limit in drinking sources across UNB campus Hilary Paige Smith News Editor Eighteen per cent of fountains and sinks on campus were found to have lead levels exceeding Health Canada guidelines after campus-wide water quality tests. More than 420 samples have already been sent to an outside laboratory. Facilities Management began testing fountains and sinks on campus after a student-led effort last fall turned up above average levels of lead in a fountain in Bailey Hall. A UNB professor also expressed concerns about water quality on campus. The fountain in Bailey Hall was replaced with a new one that includes a lead filter. Fountains and sinks that were found to have high lead levels have been turned off or marked out of service. Drinking water sources have been tested in every building on campus and people on campus are still asking whether or not their fountain or sink has been tested, bringing to light additional sources on campus. Barbara Nicholson, associate vicepresident of capital planning and property development, said Facilities Management is taking samples from new sinks and fountains as they are made known. UNB has been testing what they call “worst case scenario samples,” a decision they made in conjunction with the consulting firm helping them throughout the process. “What that means is that we’re not quite following the testing guidelines

that would be established by public health in that we’re not flushing the water. We’re taking the sample right from the tap immediately. Primarily, those are being taken first thing in the morning after the water’s had the chance to sit for a while,” Nicholson said. The vice-president said they are testing like this because it’s more representative of how people could be accessing water because most people don’t flush out the taps before drinking. According to Nicholson, Canada Health guidelines state water with more than 10 micrograms (.0001 milligrams) of lead per litre isn’t fit for consumption. “We have some samples with levels that are very close to the limit; they’re below that, but they’re very close. We’re going to go back and retest those ones for peace of mind and comfort and we have some that are over that limit,” she said. Nicholson didn’t have the numbers for how far over the recommended limit the samples were. She also couldn’t say if people were at risk of lead poisoning. “I can’t answer that question because I’m not a medical expert, but there are resources available if people are concerned. The guidelines are based on an extended exposure, not just a one-off occasion,” she said. UNB’s Water Quality Working Group has been consulting with experts from the Department of Health and

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Barb Nicholson said UNB is working to ensure there is safe drinking water on campus and the process will take about six months to complete. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Women of Fredericton to “take back the night” this Friday Amy MacKenzie The Brunswickan

Women march in the 2010 event. Brunswickan Archives

Walking alone at night can be intimidating for women in Fredericton. Many female students who walk the campus “rape” trails at night look over their shoulders, look at the brush that borders the path and wonder, “am I safe?” But on Sept. 22, the women of Fredericton will walk without fear in the annual Take Back the Night event. After nightfall, a group of women will walk together around the city. The event is meant to make a statement against sexual assault and rape and to allow women to walk without fear. Take Back the Night is organized by

the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre. “We want to emphasize the fact that the streets are not safe for women to walk on and we want to reclaim our space and our right to walk,” Kimberley Douglass said. She’s the organizer of Take Back the Night. Joanna Mills is another organizer of the event. She added that having the walk at night is not meant to insinuate that’s where the majority of sexual assaults take place. “One of the big reasons that we are walking at night is to bring attention to myths surrounding sexual assault,” Mills said. “Myths like it only happens at night and on dark streets, which is untrue. So one of the reasons we have

it at night is to symbolize the darkness and secrecy that sexual assault is shrouded in.” Similar to Take Back the Night is SlutWalk. SlutWalk started in Toronto last January after a Toronto police officer told a group of women at a campus information session that if women didn’t dress like sluts, they wouldn’t be raped. SlutWalk was then formed as a way to state that women should be able to dress however they want and not have to worry about assault. Now, SlutWalks are appearing in cities around the world. Take Back the Night’s theme this

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