Full Panel Assessment the obvious course
Robin Henderson
Cape Breton Post
Thurs., Feb. 17, 2005
Could someone please explain to
me why the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency
continues to object to a full
panel environmental assessment of
the various technologies available
for cleaning up Sydney's toxic
waste?
Isn't it good sense to select people
to do the study who are independent,
without conflict of interest,
and educated in the fields pertaining
to the project? This would produce
unbiased scientific answers
and prevent further toxic damage to
a community which has already suffered
far too much illness and death
as a result of the Sydney steel
plant's pollution.
And is it not proper to have the
doors to the meetings unlocked so
that the people whose health and
lives are to be affected can attend to
learn and have a voice in what will
take place in their home town?
Surely when the province is crying
for more immigrants it doesn't
want to endanger the lives of the
people already here. I can't imagine
why anyone would want to immigrate
to a province so environmentally
backward that government is
on the verge of compounding what
is already the worst environmental
disaster in all of Canada.
Perhaps to some people the idea
of even coming here for a short
vacation would seem unwise. As
was so vividly demonstrated by the
drop in tourism to Toronto and the
rest of Canada during the SARS outbreak,
it doesn't take much to frighten
people away from visiting a place
that is perceived as dangerous.
Certainly the Sydney Tar Ponds
Agency would not wish to be responsible
for such disastrous repercussions.
One would expect it to support
the most comprehensive and
transparent study so that the
decision-making process is properly
informed and shared by all concerned.
Robin Henderson
Queen Street
North Sydney
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