PEI only province openly following Health Canada guidelines for toxic ‘forever chemicals’

The old landfill 150 metres from Doug Jenkins’s front door in Hazelbrook, PEI, has been closed for a few years now, its contents concealed under a stubble of grass and trees. But he and his neighbours had long wondered what lies beneath that tranquil surface, where layers of construction and demolition debris rot alongside the groundwater flowing to local taps.Recently, a provincial testing program – the only one of its kind in Canada – confirmed Mr. Jenkins’s worst fears: His water contains 20 times the level of toxic “forever chemicals” than is recommended by Health Canada. He and several neighbouring households in this rural municipality, located 10 kilometres east of Charlottetown, are now consuming and cooking with bottled water supplied by the province.