Hankard St. families still waiting for government to remediate properties
By Tanya Collier MacDonald
Cape Breton Post
Monday, June 28, 2003
Three Whitney Pier families
fear government will renege on
their promise to clean up their
properties, which soil tests suggest
are contaminated enough to
harm their health.
"I want an end to it. It's been
long enough," Rick Chisholm
told the Cape Breton Post Friday.
The father of two children
was also speaking on behalf of
his parents who live next door
and elderly neighbours. The
three homes are situated within
feet of each other on Hankard
Street, which borders Sydney's
coke ovens site.
In 2001, Chisholm's property
was found to have high
amounts of arsenic, lead, total
PAH, hydrocarbons and manganese
and that the levels
exceeded human health guidelines.
Remediation was recommended
for his property as well
as 70 other properties found to
have high levels of contamination.
The testing was part of a
chronic health risk assessment
prepared by toxicologists and
risk assessment experts from
JDAC Environment Ltd.
In June 2002, the province
sent a letter to Chisholm
informing him that his property
would be cleaned up and the
government also outlined how
the work would be done. The
plan included digging up two
feet of soil on the outside and
replacing it with clean dirt and
fresh sod. Inside, contaminated
soil in his dirt basement would
be dug out and replaced with
new material. Venting pipes
would be inserted to remove
harmful vapours and the basement
entrance on the inside of
the house would be sealed off.
A new entrance would be constructed
on the home's exterior.
A short time later, Chisholm
was told that plan wasn't possible.
The province then recommended
he obtain a minimum
of two bids from contractors
estimating the cost of raising
the three homes as well as
installing a new frost wall once
the contaminated soil was
removed.
Chisholm obliged.
Estimates came in around
$90,000 for each home.
"Government said that was
too much. But they remediated
vacant lots throughout the
community that have no children,
no homes, nothing on
them."
He noted that Frederick
Street residents got a voluntary
buyout from government in
1999 and since his home was
recently appraised at $42,000,
relocating him would be less
expensive than raising his
house and putting in a new
cement slab.
"But they don't want to set a
precedent," said Chisholm.
While government continues
to ponder the issue,
Chisholm said his family's life
is on hold.
"I can't sell the house. I can't
renovate it."
When his two children, aged
8 and 14, ask if the contamination
will make them sick, "I tell
them I don't know. I just don't
know."
There is also the question of
whether or not governments
are capable of tackling the
more complicated and larger
issue Chisholm can see from
his front window.
"If they can't remediate
three residential properties,
how are they going to remediate
the tar ponds and the coke
ovens?"
Parker Donham, a provincial
spokesperson, said
Chisholm's problem is "complex."
But, government has
worked hard to find a solution,
he said.
"We're continuing to work
to find a solution. We're confident
we will find a solution. It
has regrettably taken longer
than any of us have hoped
because it's such a complicated
situation."
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