INDEX PCB Digest - 4/15/02
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1) Northern Daily News - 4/11/02 - Front Page
Doctors say no
2) Northern Daily News - 4/12/02 - Editorial
Doctors tell twisted tales
3) Northern Daily News - 4/12/02 - Front Page
Local doctors sign petition against facility

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1) Northern Daily News - 4/11/02 - Front Page
Doctors say no
Most area physicians oppose the proposed Bennett facility

Rick Owen
Northern Daily News

Kirkland Lake:

Nine of 13 local area doctors have gone on record as opposing Bennett Environmental's plans to locate a soil treatment facility in Kirkland Lake.

The doctors held a press conference Wednesday, outside the Kirkland Lake Medical Centre, which started with a disclaimer saying that the opinions being expressed were the personal feelings of the doctors and do not represent the opinions of the hospital, the physician recruitment and retention committee or the medical centre. "

Dr. Richard Denton said it is the opinion of the doctors, as health professionals, that it is better to practise prevention, rather than treating a illness once it develops.

He said, "We, the undersigned people, are concerned that there is a possibility of toxins, namely dioxins, furans, being released along with PCBs either by fugitive emissions or by way of human error and that these will accumulate up the food chain, and because humans are at the top of the food chain, therefore we are concerned this is where harm can be done and, as doctors, this is why we are speaking out."

While the doctors feel they have, obligation as health professionals to speak out on what they perceive as a health issue, Kirkland Lake Mayor Bill Enouy questions their expertise.

"To me, they are medical practitioners, which is fine, but they are not specialists in what Bennett is purporting to do. They are just just medical doctors and I would say the reason we have an environmental assessment is so that experts in that field can look at the the process and see if its going to be safe or not, and I would put my faith in their opinion," said Enouy.

Dr. Denton said they feel that the Bennett plant should not be built close to schools and the current location is within one and half kilometres of two schools and two day care centres. They feel this is not an appropriate location. He said they are also concerned about the agricultural hinterland that "these substances” can accumulate in. Studies conducted for Bennett Environmen tal have indicated that there will be no impact on human health and that the maximum impact point is 400 metres North off the plant.

Danny Ponn. chief operating officer for Bennett, said that Bennett wasn't involved in the site selection. The town recommended seven sites to the Citizens Advisory Committee and the committee unanimously chose the Archer Drive location.

Another concern Dr. Denton has is a letter written by the MOH, in St. Ambroise Quebec, stating that he is concerned an accumulation of t heavy metals around the plant in Quebec, while it is not at a dangerous level yet, he is concerned that this could pose problem. He said that is another reason they are speaking up now before it happens.

In terms of making the Bennett facility safer, Dr. Denton said they feel that it should not be built close to schools or close to people. He said that the people who are most at risk are mothers, babies and fetuses, and, therefore, the plant should not be built close to these people or close to an agricultural hinterland.

"You should not be building it in a populated area, so, if they want to put it in an isolated area, then I personally would not have a problem with that," said Dr. Denton.

When asked why, when he was mayor, he supported the current location, Dr. Denton said, “Again, as you are aware, I was under a lot of pressure on a number of issues. It was a committee that made that decision - it was a council decision as opposed to my own personal decision."

Dr. Denton said the reason he didn't speak up against the location at that time was because the information he had was that this was a safe proposal. He since learned of more problems.

The fact that former the mayor has changed his position on Bennett is something that does not sit
well with the current mayor.

Enouy said," Dr. Denton promoted it. He was one of the ones that bragged about bringing TCI to town and he did take credit for bringing Bennett to the stage it was at when he was running."

While Dr. Denton dismisses the studies conducted by Bennett as part of its environmental study, and Dr. Mitchell believes that studies are only as good as the people who do them, and noted that a number of years ago the tobacco industry did a study saying tobacco is safe, Enouy believes in the environmental assessment process.
 
Enouy said the town only supports the Bennett project if it passes the environmental process.

"I would say the reason we have an environmental assessment is so that experts in that field can look at the process to see if its going to be safe or not and I would put my faith in their opinion," he said."If people is come out and say this might happen and that might happen, that is why we have an assessment. You can't speculate on things like that just because you are a medical doctor, a  teacher or a clubhouse lawyer. It doesn't mean you know more than people looking at this thing with expert eyes."

The mayor then added, "The Ministry of the Environment will look at the facts and will not be swayed by "political or emotional decisions or opinions, And, if the facts present themselves that Bennett should get a licence, then they will get a licence." And, in terms of the location of the plant, Enouy said, "Its either safe or not safe. If it's not safe here, it' s not safe anywhere, and if it' s safe  here, its safe anywhere. So, it's got nothing to do with location - its either safe or not safe."

Dr. Denton makes no apologies for the fact that the community raised $200,000 for doctor recruitment and retention and now the doctors are speaking out against Bennett Environment locating in Kirkland Lake.

Dr. Denton believes as doctors they need to speak out on health care issues, and they appreciate the work of recruitment and retention committee. He believes that people that are workers or unemployed in Kirkland Lake, and supported the recruitment campaign, will not have a problem with the stand the doctors have taken.

"If you look at the number of jobs, you are looking at 30 jobs versus the possible destruction of the agricultural hinterland which is hundreds of jobs. So, if you look at the big picture, I would say what we are trying to do is retain jobs," Denton said.

While Dr. Denton sees Bennett locating in Kirkland Lake as being a hindrance to health care professionals and others locating in Kirkland Lake, he could not say if the number of doctors in St. Ambroise Quebec decreased after Bennett began its operation there.

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2) Northern Daily News - 4/12/02 - Editorial
Doctors tell twisted tales

It’s easy to be against progress when you’re making big bucks. If you don't like something, you can just pack up and leave and never worry about losing a job.

That's the position Kirkland Lake's doctors are in and we suppose that's why they're all telling tall tales about the Bennett Environmental Inc. project.

What's really strange, though, is the continued turnaround of our once mayor, Richard Denton. This doctor once sang the praises of the Bennett Environmental Inc. project. That's at the same time he was working hard to derail a $362 million Toronto garbage package for the Town of Kirkland Lake. The garbage contract got derailed and now Denton is part of a group trying to wreck another economic opportunity for Kirkland Lake.

Now, Denton has joined forces with a number of other Kirkland Lake doctors (and there aren't many of those anymore) to oppose Bennett. Denton isn't mayor anymore, so now he's back with his environmental buddies, opposing anything that might create a few jobs in Kirkland Lake. If Kirkland Lake goes down the tubes, Denton will probably follow the path of fellow doctor John Epps, who also opposed the Toronto garbage deal, then promptly left town.

Mayor Bill Enouy put the whole situation in the right light when he offered comment on the doctors' opposition to the Bennett proposal.

“To me, they are medical practitioners, which is fine, but they are not specialists in what Bennett is purporting to do," Enouy said. “They are just medical doctors and I would say the reason we have an environmental assessment is so that experts in that field can look at the process and see if it's going to be safe or not and I would put my faith in their opinion.”

That's the reasonable direction. But then again, the doctors didn't believe the results of an environmental assessment on the Adams Mine garbage proposal, so why should we expect them to believe the experts on the Bennett proposal? Kirkland Lake's doctors need to get with it and realize that this town needs economic development. Bennett has been committed to making sure its economic development project meets environmental regulations. Bennett agreed to a full environmental assessment. In fact, the company insisted on it.

Kirkland Lake's citizens, the few we have left, are desperate for jobs. They want to work and they don't go out begging for discounts at local stores the way Kirkland Lake's doctors did a few years back.

No, our unemployed people would rather fight for a job than fight for discounts and handouts. Our mayor and council owe our people every chance to find jobs and prosperity here at home. Our unemployed people don't have the big bucks and the elite status doctors seem to have in demanding incentives and discounted services to locate in a community. In Kirkland Lake, we take what we can get. And it would be nice to get a new economic opportunity.

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3) Northern Daily News - 4/12/02 - Front Page
Local doctors sign petition against facility

Nine of 13, local physicians have signed a petition objecting to the proposed location of Bennett Environmental’s soil treatment facility.

The proposed site is on Archer Drive, in the industrial park, and is one of the seven sites the town put forward as possible locations for the plant. The site on Archer Drive was unanimously chosen by the Citizens' Advisory Committee and Bennett was not involved in the site selection.

The doctors who signed the petition opposing the location are: Dr. Durocher, Dr. Chan, Dr. Lapointe, Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Talman, Dr. Denton, Dr. Jordan, Dr. Johnston and Dr. Hacking.
Currently, Bennett Environmental is going through the Environmental Assessment process and, to date, has spent $2-million - most of which was spent on various impact studies needed for the E.A.

If the the location was changed, Bennett Environmental would have to start the Environmental Assess-ment process over again and this would mean a further delay of two years.

Kirkland Lake Mayor Bill Enouy, who supports the soil treatment facility if it passes the E.A., said, "You can't be running around the country getting every body's opinion and that is why you have one official body that makes the decision, that is why we have governments and bureaucracies to make these decisions for us."

While the mayor says he recognizes everyone's right to have an opinion, he does question wbat expertise doctors have in the area that Bennett is involved in.

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