Temiskaming Speaker
Wednesday, January 9, 2002
 
BEI protest reaches Tory minister and leadership candidate
 
by Diane Johnston
Speaker Reporter
 
DYMOND - Opponents of a proposed Kirkland Lake waste treatment incinerator took their protests directly to Ontario's environment minister.
 
Minister Elizabeth Witmer, who is also running for the Progressive Conservative party leadership, was greeted by some 50 protesters as she arrived at Franchefco's Restaurant for a leadership campaign stop.
 
"This is good timing for me to be here," the minister told the group at noon Tuesday (January 8).
 
Public Concern Temiskaming (PCT) wants the licensing of any new facilities suspended until 2004 and the legislation of new tougher standards.
 
Minister Witmer, who chatted with protesters for several minutes, told them the meeting allowed her to hear firsthand concerns about the project.
 
She noted that the government has announced plans for tougher hazardous waste laws.
 
She also told protesters that the project would be subject to all the rules and regulations, which have been changed to better reflect Ontarians' concerns.
 
The environmental assessment itself will be conducted by scientific experts, and not politicians, she said.
 
But Ambrose Raftis, a Savard Township member of PCT, told her, "We don't trust the process."
 
He said protesters view the project by Bennett Environmental Inc. as a way to unload a southern Ontario problem on to the North.
 
"We won't tolerate that," he said.
 
After the meeting, PCT member Terry Graves said he was not impressed by the minister's assessments that environmental are conducted by scientists.
 
"She's been minister for 11 months. We have been doing environmental work of this nature for 25 years, and probably know more about environmental assessments than the minister," he said.
 
She herself knows the legislation is weak, he said.
 
"We were there to deliver a message, and to let her know that we are not going to sit quietly by and watch this development happen."
 
Fran Paterson of Kenabeek thanked the minister "for getting out of your car and having the guts to meet us."
 
But she also slammed the loss of funding in 1995 for interveners in environmental assessments. She said individuals are now forced to dip into funds that could have otherwise supported community causes.
 
"You have a tough job, but we are tough people," Ms. Paterson added.
 
"There is much, much further to go,"
 
Mr. Graves said it was "quite gracious" of the minister to meet with them.
 
But he doubted her leadership campaign would have been advanced, had she brushed by the protesters and perhaps been heckled.