Comments on tar ponds don't add up
Letter to the editor from Anne Ross
Cape Breton Post
Monday, Mar. 8, 2004
I was upset by a comment made
by Premier John Hamm's in Tuesday's
March 2 edition of the Cape
Breton Post.
Premier Hamm stated that the
Sydney tar ponds have put Cape
Breton on the map for all the
wrong reasons, and it is important
to "clean up the mess" as soon as
possible.
Well Premier Hamm just what
do you think the people in Sydney
and surrounding areas have been
telling the government? Where
have you been?
All the testing proved that it is
a hurman health hazard and Canada's worst toxic site.
Government paid the consultants out of taxpayers' dollars and
you have the evidence Mr. Hamm.
The facts are in and the evidence
is there.
We have been fighting tooth and
nail to have this human health
hazard known to the people,
consultants, government and tourist
alike as the Canada's worst toxic
site, cleaned up!
Millions and millions of our
taxpayers' dollars have been wasted
for years and still nothing
cleaned up. What put Cape Breton
on the map was our coal and steel.
They have been taken away
from us. We have one of the highest
cancer rates that put us on the
map. We have a high unemployment
rate, that too, puts us on the
map.
There is enough work in cleaning
up Canada's worst toxic site to
employ everyone on Cape Breton
Island.
Stop wasting our taxpayers dollars,
clean up the mess properly,
keeping our health in mind!
There has been nothing done
except for a few structures
removed on the old coke oven site
and a dump capped.
Nice green area to the public
eye on the dump hill, but the dump
is still in operation behind the
nice view.
The dump still runs toxic waste
on the coke oven site and to
adjacent communities.
Oh, and least we forget, a new
road that will give us a much closer
view of the toxic site and dump
as we drive by.
We are tired of hearing the
same words from every politician
that comes across our doorstep
during election time.
Let our children remain here
with a strong healthy environment
that they deserve.
Stop blaming our lifestyles! We
live with a toxic soup in the middle
of our city.
Those of us that care about our
people, will continue to fight hard.
We are fighting for the right reasons.
Anne Marie Ross
Sydney
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