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Sydney - Frederick Street residents are hoping to add weight to their class
action suit against the federal and provincial governments by adding to the
number of plaintiffs.
"There's power in numbers," said Juanita McKenzie, who alerted the world a
year ago that chemicals from the coke ovens site were oozing into the
neighborhood.
"Just like at Love Canal, with any lawsuit against the government it takes
more than just a handful to get noticed."
Hundreds of families live on the banks of the toxic coke ovens and nearby
tar ponds sites in downtown Sydney,
But only three families on Frederick Street are willing to wage a court
battle to make the provincial and federal governments accountable.
"There's just got to be more people who accept the fact they've been abused
by the government, hid in the dark, for years," she said.
"Now the truth is starting to come out, and they should stand up for their
rights."
She said any resident of Sydney worried about the toxins should get
involved in the fight.
The Joint Action Group has so far not considered suing its government
partners.
In the meantime, the smells are beginning to get ripe on the street again
now that the winter cold spell has broken.
"I'm so sick of waking up tired and so sick," she said, complaining about
another headache from the acidic smell in the air Friday.
Last year, levels of arsenic and other toxic chemicals found near Frederick
Street were determined to be well above guideline levels set by the
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
The chemicals were buried with a couple inches of gravel last year.
Ms. McKenzie hoping a separation zone will get them moved out more quickly
than the legal battle.
A June 1 deadline is in place for the group to establish the means for a
separation zone but there's no guarantee a move will happen any time soon. Diseases hit county hard
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Diseases hit county hard
