By Steve MacInnis, Cape Breton Post, May 18, 1999
Seven families moved from a Sydney neighbourhood to a
local hotel because of arsenic contamination are likely to
be on the move again soon.
A plan being devised by several provincial and federal
government departments aims to have the families settled
in provincially-owned housing by week’s end.
“We’re working on a one-to-one basis with each family and
assessing their needs in trying to consider options for
housing,” said Angela Poirier, spokesperson for the
provincial environment department.
Poirier said it’s likely the families will be placed in homes
owned by the Department of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
Meanwhile, government officials are also working on a plan
to trace the source of the contamination which has been
leaking into basements in and around Frederick Street.
Frederick Street, in Sydney’s Whitney Pier district, is
located adjacent to what is considered Canada’s worst
toxic waste dump.
The includes the highly toxic
coke ovens property, an overstuffed and leaking municipal
landfill and the famed tar ponds, which hold 700,000 tonnes
of toxic sludge. The bulk of the mess was created after
nearly a century of steel making and byproduct
manufacturing.
The site is now the target of a remediation plan being
developed by the community-based Joint Action Group
(JAG).
The entire area is fenced in and posted with signs advising
of a human health hazard.
Last spring, Frederick Street residents noticed an orange
ooze seeping from a nearby rail bed. Testing concluded
the ooze contained arsenic and registered levels 18 times
above acceptable standards.
Earlier this month, an orange ooze was found in three
basements on the street and in the basement of a home of
nearby Laurier Street. Again, tests concluded the
substance contained arsenic.
Some of the residents have hired a lawyer to deal with the
government over permanent relocation because their
properties are now worthless.
