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Government tire recycling program a
blowout
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Opposition Environment and Conservation Critic and MHA for the District of Bellevue, Percy Barrett, charges the tire recycling program in the province has been on the road going to nowhere for too long and it is time for decisive action, not the blowout that is currently taking place. "I have raised this issue in the past and government has not dealt with the problem in a timely manner. They have put in place deadlines and then let them lapse, at the same time ignoring serious safety concerns,@ says Barrett. AThis issue is symbolic of how the Danny Williams= government has failed to deal with serious problems in this province and in this case they can=t blame the problem on someone in Ottawa.@ The Liberal MHA notes that concerns have been raised about the tires stored at the Bull Arm site. "The area is unfenced and without adequate security and surveillance. This is a serious health and safety hazard which is compounded by the fact that adequate resources are not available in the area to combat a major tire fire. "It is time for the Minister of Environment and Conservation to provide an update on the business strategies he announced on August 14 of last year. At that time, he left the impression that a solution had been found to this problem and that government was dealing with the issue. Eight months later and there are still serious concerns about the storage of these tires. The minister has some explaining to do." Barrett says given the lack of progress in dealing with this issue, he would like government to move quickly on safety and security issues at sites where tires are stored. "We are approaching the summer season when the danger of a tire fire is at its greatest. Once started, tire fires are extremely difficult to put out and have far‑reaching effects on public safety and the environment, including contamination of surface water, groundwater, air and soil. Often, because of the intense heat generated and the difficulty of putting out such fires, they sometimes burn for months. Furthermore, it is a concern that during the summer season, the stagnant water in the tires will become a breeding site for disease-carrying mosquitoes. AThis government=s sense of responsibility to the environment is sadly absent and its tire recycling program has gone flat because of that lack of concern.@ A tire fire in Hagersville, Ontario in 1990 burned for 17 days driving thousands of people from their homes.
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