In our previous blog, “Canada’s Final State of PFAS Report Reveals 100+ Federal Contaminated Sites—Is Your Property at Risk?”, we reviewed the federal government’s March 2025 final State of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Report (the “Report”), which identified over 100 federal PFAS contaminated sites nationwide. Now, new CBC reporting provides critical additional insight: an interactive map pinpointing exactly where these PFAS “hotspots” are located, particularly in relation to communities that rely on private groundwater wells for their drinking water across Canada.
The majority of these PFAS “hotspots” are connected to the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF)—a firefighting foam commonly used to suppress liquid fuel fires. According to the Report, airports and military bases are especially affected, as AFFF has been widely used at these sites for firefighting, training exercises, and equipment maintenance, leading to significant PFAS contamination.
In its reporting, the CBC raises important concerns about the potential for long-term exposure of residents in these communities to PFAS —oftentimes referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and potential health impacts. Toxicologist Marc-André Verner, cited in the CBC article, emphasized that emerging science suggests there may be no safe level of PFAS exposure and that residents living near these contaminated sites could be exposed to PFAS in the drinking water from their private wells.
Figure 1 (left): CBC Map Tracking PFAS Contamination Hotspots at Federal Facilities (as of June 2, 2025). Note that: (i) red pins indicate federal facilities contaminated with PFAS that have residential groundwater wells within 1 km, (ii) yellow pins indicate contaminated federal sites with no known residential groundwater wells within 1 km, and (iii) the size of the surrounding circles represents the population within 1 km of each contaminated facility.
The CBC’s new interactive map offers a stark visual representation of the scope of PFAS contamination linked to federal facilities across Canada—and underscores the real-world implications for residents living nearby, particularly those relying on private groundwater wells for drinking water. As awareness of the health and environmental risks associated with PFAS continues to grow, so too does the importance of regulations and guidelines, litigation and public awareness. If you live near a federal site identified in the CBC’s map and rely on local groundwater, these findings may be relevant to understanding potential environmental and property value legal implications.
The Environmental Law Group at Mann Lawyers LLP is currently litigating Canada’s first and only certified PFAS class action, seeking compensation for residents living near a federally owned site allegedly contaminated with PFAS. Part of the lawsuit focuses on how the public perception of contamination—known as stigma—has allegedly negatively impacted residential property value in the surrounding community.
Our Environmental Law Group is available to deliver presentations on PFAS regulation and class action litigation trends in Canada on request. If you are a professional association interested in understanding the evolving legal landscape surrounding PFAS, we welcome you to contact us.
This blog post was written by Michael Hebert member of the Mann Lawyers Environmental Law team and Nathan Adams (primary author), member of the Mann Lawyers Business Law team and Environmental Law team. Michael can be reached at 613-369-0360 or at michael.hebert@mannlawyers.com and Nathan at 613-369-0380 or at nathan.adams@mannlawyers.com.
