Water advisory remains in effect for Regina Pioneer Village

A “do not consume drinking water advisory” remains in effect for Regina Pioneer Village.

Saskatchewan Health Authority issued the advisory on Saturday as a precautionary measure after a mechanical failure in the hot water system.

“There was a system that was due for a repair, it failed prematurely and as a result there was a potential for cross contamination,” facilities management executive director, Andre Kroeger said.

Potable water has been brought to the facility for residents, visitors and staff for food preparation and other necessities.

“The advisory was put in place it resulted in some changes to our food services procedures,” long-term care executive director, Debbie Sinnett said. “We removed any tap water from the food preparation and cooking processes and any of the products that we were serving on our nursing units like coffee and tea.”

In 2014, a report released by the Vanderwiel Facility Assessors (VFA) showed the facility needed almost $60 million in repairs.

“We are continuing to invest in the building in repairs we do have a progressive program of repairs and it is based on risk,” Kroeger said. “That coupled with continuous monitoring we’ve actually accelerated and advanced our monitoring just to make sure that we’re ahead of things when they do occur.”

The advisory is expected to stay in place over the next couple of days with maintenance and public health staff monitoring the issue.

The facility is the largest seniors complex in the province providing both long-term care and seniors housing.