Northern Daily News
Monday, January 7, 2001
Page 3
 
Meeting goes well
Rick Own
Kirkland Lake:
 
Timiskaming MPP David Ramsay described Saturday's information session about the Bennett Environ mental proposal as being an excellent presentation and he congratulated the Timiskaming Federation of Agriculture for bringing both sides to the event.
 
He said his only disappointment was that more people didn't attend. About 150 people attended the day long session at Northern College.
 
Ram say said he salutes Bennett Environmental for bringing its experts, and the experts who oppose the Bennett proposal.
 
Bennett Environmental is currently going through an environmental assessment in hopes of locating a soil decontamination facility in Kirkland Lake.
 
Ramsay said he had been talking to those opposed to the project, to the proponents of the project and to the Ministry of Environment. The MPP said that one difference between this proposal and a landfill is that this process can be shut off.
 
Ramsay said the process would have to be monitored on a continuous basis. He noted that one of the debates Saturday centred on stack bum testing, as opposed to continuous monitoring.
 
Haileybury Mayor Tom Wells, who also attended the information session, said that after having heard the discussions, he has further questions. He said that the environmental assessment is not yet as complete as he would like to see.
 
The Haileybury mayor said the Bennett proposal has been dis cussed at length by council and that they are still establishing the town's position on the proposal.
 
Wells said Haileybury is supportive of Kirkland Lake's efforts to attract new industry, but wants to make sure it is safe. The mayor also noted that they are working closely with Mayor Enouy and Kirkland Lake in the region's attempt to reestablish air service at the Earlton Airport.
 
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Debate over Bennett project draws local public's interest
Rick Owen
Kirkland Lake:
 
The great debate over Bennett Environmental’s proposal to bring a soil decontamination plant to Kirkland Lake drew about 150 people Saturday to Northern College.
 
The event, billed as an information session, was sponsored by the Timiskaming Federation of Agriculture and featured expert speakers both in favour of the plant and those opposed to it.
 
John Vanthof, president of the TFA, described the meeting as excellent and said he wasn't disappointed in the number in the number of interested people who came.
 
He did however voice his concern that Kirkland Lake Mayor Bill Enouy did not attend. Kirkland Lake councillors Todd Morgan and Linda Cunningham attended, as did Haileybury Mayor Tom Wells, Timiskaming. MPP David Ram say and Timmins James Bay MPP Gilles Bison. Vanthof said Bennett Environmental didn't hesitate to accept the invitation to the session and, after the Adams Mine issue, it was important to have both sides of the issue represented.
 
"I agree we should get together and discuss what we have to do so it won't have to be a fight," said Vanthof.
 
In talking about the day's discussion and question and answer period, the TFA president said a lot of people learned a lot on Saturday.
 
He said that until now, Bennett had been going along with the regulations, but there was also an obvious need for a peer review.
 
Vanthof said that initially, the idea for the session was brought up by the TFA subcommittee on the environment.
 
The Kirkland Lake and District Chamber of Commerce was asked to host the event, but declined. Also, a prominent Kirkland media person was asked but declined.
 
When they approached Public Concern Timiskam ing, Vanthof said they asked for assurance that qualified speakers would attend, and that the TFA had no idea what the speakers would say.
 
As well, Vanthof said all invitations did go out to all municipalities and the media on the same day. They were faxed by the TFA and did not include an anti Bennett Environmental pamphlet.
 
He said they did however give PCT permission to do their own publicity for the information session.
 
Kirkland Lake Mayor Enouy made it known at a press conference earlier in the week, that he was not happy about the session, that Bennett was going through an environmental assessment and that the invitation received by the town had an anti Bennett pamphlet with it. Also, because of the short notice, Enouy said he had a previous commitment he had to attend to.