North End residents seek answers
Wayne McKay, former NDP candidate for CB South, (pictured above at far right of picture) convened a 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11 at the McConnell Memorial
Library in Sydney to discuss air quality and other concerns of Sydney's North End residents. The group of 25 was apparently stood-up
by crown agency official Gary Campbell - the very man who arranged for the meeting in the first place.
Background Information
As members of the North End's Wintering Harbour Neighbourhood Association were just about to complete construction of a small park adjacent to the tar ponds on Intercolonial street, they were shocked when CBRM's Jerry Ryan notified them that the park would be put on hold for 5 years at the request of the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency. The reasons for the delay are outlined in a series of letters between CBRM and the Tar Ponds Agency - letters that were given to the association by CBRM's Jerry Ryan.One letter from the STPA suggested that residents using the park might be at risk because of fugitive air emissions from the soon-to-begin tar ponds cleanup. The implication seemed quite clear - park users might be in danger, but residents across the street some 40 feet away had nothing to fear.
Residents hoped that STPA's experts might answer some of their questions and concerns at Tuesday's meeting, but Gary Campbell's bizarre last-minute cancellation dashed their hopes. Campbell apparently claimed he didn't know about the meeting. Residents held the meeting anyway and are are adamant that they will get answers from the agency one way or another.
49 Questions answered by STPA - Aug. 29 CB Post article 