Temiskaming Speaker
Wednesday, January 16, 2002
Front Page
Haileybury council has concerns over Bennett PCB proposal
HAILEYBURY (Staff) - Haileybury council has asked the
Ontario Ministry of Environment to ensure the ministry addresses the
town's concerns regarding the Bennett Environmental Inc. proposal to
construct a thermal oxidizer facility in Kirkland Lake.
The town is asking the ministry to ensure the proposal
is independently reviewed in an environmental assessment hearing forum.
The town has concluded that the environmental
assessment work carried out to date is not a full environmental
assessment, and wants Bennett Environmental Inc. to conduct further
studies to alleviate the town's concerns.
At this point Haileybury council is providing its
"qualified support" to the project.
In a letter to Bennett Environmental Inc. the town
stated that "the most pressing of our concerns is the absence in
your environmental assessment of details on the potential impact on
Lake Temiskaming, the source of Haileybury's drinking water.
Emissions from the proposed facility will impact Murdock Creek. This
creek flows into the Blanche River which in turn flows into Lake
Temiskaming. We had hoped that a consideration of this would have
been a significant part of your environmental assessment. We are
fearful of an increase in the loading of toxic compounds in Lake Temiskaming."
Haileybury council expressed concern to the ministry
that "the baseline data collection for air quality parameters
was restricted to the two week period between October 18 and November
I. If data were collected in other seasons, dioxin, furan and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon values may display different
background levels. If the data were collected during the winter
heating season, these values may be higher, especially in the
presence of a winter air mass displaying temperature inversion properties."
The town went on to point out that "there was no
data collection for point source contributors of airborne contaminants."
AGRICULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The town also expressed its opinion that "from an
agricultural perspective, the environmental assessment seems
incomplete. It did not credibly demonstrate that there would be no
negative impact on the industry, an industry that in the region
generates annually $100 million in sales. Animal tissue tests and
soil concentration tests were not done; rather, only air quality
modelling was done. We feel that biological baseline data collection
must be done so that the impact of the thermal oxidizer facility will
be known."
The town also complained that absent from this
assessment is an acknowledgement of present and future contaminant
contributors to the regional environment. Since Bennett Environmental
Inc. indicated in their document that this facility is only one of
several similar initiatives being sought by the municipal government
of Kirkland Lake, then the cumulative effects of this goal cannot be ignored."
Haileybury council has forwarded letters expressing
its position to Bennett Environmental Inc., the Ontario Ministry of
Environment, and the Town of Kirkland Lake.
Council passed its resolution regarding the matter at
its regular meeting Tuesday, January 8.