Not all homeowners near coke ovens want to be moved -
MLA

By Jocelyn Bethune

Sydney - Paul MacEwan says not all residents of Frederick Street want to be moved.

"I know every single family on the street and I can tell you the majority of them have not gone
public or sought to make any controversy," the Cape Breton Nova MLA said of his
constituents.

"It is not accurate to imply that the majority of the people on that street want out."

Some residents of the area, near the former site of Sydney Steel's coke ovens, have
demanded the provincial government relocate them because they believe toxic waste is
making them sick.

A pungent black goo was found oozing from the ground in the past week. And three months
ago, a yellow substance, which contained extremely high levels of arsenic, was found in the
area.

Frederick Street resident Juanita McKenzie agrees there are people who don't feel the
neighborhood is contaminated.

"There are a lot of older residents who have been here their whole lives and they don't see a
problem. ... We've got proof there is a problem. What's it going to take to make people realize
that we have a very big problem here?"

She said her MLA shouldn't ignore the people that want to be relocated just because other
residents have expressed a desire to stay.

"There are only 18 families that are affected here and you have over half of that who want to
be relocated. Which way do you weigh the odds?"

Mr. MacEwan says he respects the fact that some wish to move, but he feels the whole matter
has been politicized.

"It is fundamentally wrong for a parade of politicians to be going up and down the street
saying 'We're backing you.'"

He says the Liberal government is doing the right thing in waiting for study results before
deciding on its next move.

"We are trying to get the facts from the scientific community without political interference."

"I don't believe a politician can go in there, take test tubes of samples and analyse them and
pronounce people sick or not sick."

He says he will stand behind the results of tests conducted by the province's chief medical
officer, Dr. Jeff Scott. Residents will receive results of tests on hair and blood samples next
week.
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