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Opposition Environment critic Percy Barrett says it is important that the
minister of environment and conservation provide a formal explanation of
what went wrong when a serious environmental problem in CBS was reported to
his department, but was not acted upon in a timely manner. Earlier this
month, raw sewage leak into a popular area of Conception Bay South. The leak
was reported by residents but was not immediately followed through by the
department, as would be expected by its mandate.
"The Minister has had a few weeks to gather information on this incident
and get to the bottom on what transpired," says Barrett. "It is now his
responsibility to explain to the public why his department did not handle
the problem in an effective and thorough manner. It is critical to know what
transpired with the process, so that any serious incidents like this are
dealt with more appropriately and to restore faith in the department’s
ability to handle problems of this nature in the future."
Barrett said it is important that people have confidence that if they
report a problem, it will be dealt with in a timely manner by a department
charged with the protection of our environment and with the safety issues
that may arise when the environment is compromised.
"Government has spent a great deal of money and effort encouraging people
to care for and take responsibility for looking after our natural
environment. This is a case where members of the public tried to do their
part, but the government clearly fell down on the job. What is also at stake
here is that the public’s loss of confidence in this department may result
in people being less inclined to report similar incidents.
"At this time, a statement and report from the minister would go a long
way to reassure people that our environment department is still the leader
in protecting and promoting a natural and healthy environment right across
our province. Otherwise, we are left with a loss of faith in this department
to do its job properly."
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