INDEX PCB Digest - 6/19/02
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1) Almaguin News - Burk's Falls - 6/12/02
Opposition to moving toxic waste receives support from local group
2) Almaguin News - Burk’s Falls - 6/19/02 - Letter to the Editor
Toxic Transport
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1) Almaguin News - Burk's Falls - 6/12/02
Opposition to moving toxic waste receives support from local group
By Jeff Renaud
ALMAGUIN: Will the highways of Ontario - including Highway 11 - become a toxic artery for North American waste?
That is the question the group Public Concern Temiskaming (PCT) is asking the citizens of Ontario.
The first stop on the PCT's series of province-wide presentations was orchestrated by the Township of Armour Concerned Citizens' Association and was held last Thursday, June 6th.
PCT is the same group that stymied Kirkland Lake's pursuit of the proposed dumping of Toronto's garbage into the Adams Mine.
Now, the group has targeted Bennett Environmental's proposed toxic waste incinerator in a residential neighbourhood in Kirkland Lake and the proposed expansion of the existing Trans Cycle Industries (TCI).
TCI is a PCB (Polychlorinated biphenyls) destruction operation also in Kirkland Lake.
John Bennett, CEO of Bennett Environmental, has been quoted as saying that he is looking at "cornering the market" in dioxin-contaminated materials.
Dioxin is a toxic waste product formed when municipal and hazardous waste is burned and when chemicals containing chlorine are manufactured.
The most toxic dioxins are classified as human carcinogens (cancer causing agents) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
According to PCT experts, dioxins are 100,000 times more toxic than PCBs. Dioxins have a devastating impact on pregnant women, children and agricultural stocks.
PCBs are manufactured organic chemicals. They are used widely as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment.
According to Health Canada, PCB exposure has been linked with liver, skin, brain and breast cancer.
PCT believes that should the two proposals be approved Ontario's highways will host approximately 20,000 trucks per year hauling toxins from United States and Mexico.
United States and Mexico have both put in legislation to stop incineration of toxic waste.
PCT spokesperson Ambrose Raftis says, "We will not tolerate rural Ontario becoming a haven for toxic waste that both the Americans and the Mexicans will not burn. They (Bennett and TCI) are up here (in the North) for our isolation - and our ignorance."
Canada is set to release new environmental assessment standards in 2004. PCT suggests that this is the reason that Bennett is working diligently to receive the proper permits. The company can then begin construction before 2004 and avoid being legislated by the new standards through a grandfathering clause.
Dr. Neil Carman, a former incinerator inspector for the State of Texas, is assisting PCT in its fight. The incinerator expert suggests that these possible scenarios should be an issue to anyone in the province.
? Two trucks colliding - a gasoline truck and a PCB/Dioxin waste truck
? A collision between a school bus filled with children and a PCB/Dioxin waste truck or a
? A multi vehicle accident resulting in a fire and toxic plume that drifts into a nearby town or city releasing large amounts of dioxin into the local environment
PCT estimates 44,000 big rig accidents every year.
Raftis made a presentation to students at Almaguin Highands Secondary School on June 6th.
Later that evening, Dr. Joseph Gold joined Raftis for a second presentation at the Township of Armour Concerned Citizens' Association (TACCA) meeting in Burk's Falls.
Gold outlined the group's position to the Almaguin News, "We are trying to prevent the building of Canada's biggest toxic waste incinerator in Kirkland Lake. The entire district and indeed all of the province and all of Canada and all the world is threatened by this kind of gigantic producer - it's really a producer - of dioxin emission.
"There are huge risks and huge dangers here to everybody. We are looking around for allies to tell the politicians that we don't trust you to protect us and protect our health. That has been obvious in Ontario in the last three years. We need people to make it clear we won't tolerate this kind of abuse of northern Ontario and the northeast in particular."
Armour councillor Gary McFarlane, in attendance at the TACCA meeting, moved a resolution last night, June 11th, (after press deadline) at the Armour Council meeting concerning the proposed incinerator and council's support of PCT.
It reads: "That the Council of the Township of Armour opposes the use of the Highway system for transport of toxic substances.
"And further that Council also strongly recommends that its neighbouring municipalities from Windsor through Kirkland Lake also support this resolution, and further supports and encourages any local action group or individuals to this action to convince the Federal and Provincial government to not approve the transport of toxic cargos on our highways."
Bennett Speaks to the News
Vice President of Engineering and Chief Operating Officer of Bennett Environmental Danny Ponn does not foresee the Highway 11 corridor becoming a disaster waiting to happen. "No, I don't think so. We have shipped material from the North to our Quebec site for years and we have never had any troubles."
The COO continued, "We can already meet the Canadian and American standards. What we are proposing in our environmental assessment is that we will meet whichever of the two (sets of standards) is the most stringent. Our incinerator will be deemed safe."
Bennett Environmental is a Canadian company based in Oakville.
When the News asked Ponn why Bennett chose Kirkland Lake over Oakville for the site of the incinerator project, he responded, "The leaders of Kirkland Lake asked us to come. The incinerator helps Kirkland Lake realize what they want to do, move forward, and become an industrial environmental park."
According to Ponn, the proposed incinerator will create about 35 non life-threatening jobs.
"Absolutely not (will the jobs be life-threatening.) The people in our Quebec plant are monitored by CLSE. That is Quebec's Workers' Compensation Board. The staff are tested yearly and have no higher toxins in their body than the general population."
Ponn stated that Bennett was not rushing the site to completion to avoid the new Canadian standards scheduled for 2004. "We can meet those (2004) standards today."
Bennett is set to unveil its personal environmental assessment on June 21st. "The assessment is three years of work. You can't say that we cut corners. We took three years."
According to Ponn, the assessment includes 12 reports: ambient air, human health, ecological risk, social/cultural, agriculture, traffic, mining, archeological, noise, economic impact, bio-physical and surface ground waters. Following the release of the assessment, the public will have seven weeks to comment.
Ponn suggested that one of the PCT experts might not be a credible source. "If you listen to Dr. Carman he uses anecdotes, nothing concrete, nothing scientific. If he were an expert, he would use scientific method. If he could, I would give him a lot more credibility."
In closing, Ponn told the News that he admires PCT for its work and concern. "It is important for the public to voice their concerns. We like to get input. I can understand if you take the extreme negative, you can find the negatives. But look at our proposal in perspective. For instance, you carry 38 tonnes of soil in a truck. Maybe, there are two or three kilograms of PCBs.
Do you consider that hazardous compared to a gasoline truck heading up the highway?"
No Toxic Waste
On Sunday, June 16th, PCT is orchestrating a procession of cars to say "No To Incineration." Cars from as far north as Cochrane and as far south as Muskoka will meet on Highway 11 destination Earlton for a rally and picnic at 2:00 p.m.
Cars travelling from the south can meet on Highway 11 at New Liskeard for 1:15 p.m.
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2) Almaguin News - Burk’s Falls - 6/19/02 - Letter to the Editor
serving East Parry Sound District
Toxic Transport
Editor,
At a meeting in the Berridale Community Centre last Thursday, Armour Township citizens heard plans to haul tanker truckloads of toxic wastes from as far away as Mexico, up through the States, through southern Ontario, through "cottage Country" via Highway 11 and on to a proposed incinerator site in Kirkland Lake.
John Bennett of Bennett Environment Inc. will misuse, for his own profit, Ontario highways that pass through our countryside. He will put at risk the quality of the air, water and soil along that route, and most surely the health of the people who live next to the incinerator itself.
Trucking deadly cargoes vast distances, as a commercial venture, is ludicrous. New technology allows the destruction of these materials at the source of the waste.
It's enough to stun one to silence - but not quite. Better to protest. How about a hundred folks dressed in gasmasks and white overalls to greet our summer visitors. If these trucks are involved in highway accidents, this will be the sight that will be a reality as a clean-up is attempted.
Ontario has yet to grant the necessary licences for Mr. Bennett's business in toxic trafficking.
Objections should be directed to:
Chris Stockwell
Minister of Environment and Energy
[email protected]
135 St. Clair Ave. West
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5
fax 416-314-6748
R.W. Haviland,
Burk's Falls
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