NEWS RELEASE
Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release
Minister violates own Environmental Protection Act: Opposition
Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones, MHA for the District of Cartwright L’Anse au Clair, says the environment minister has been derelict in her duties to respect the Environmental Protection Act when she failed to provide written notification of suspected contamination sites in the Towns of Grand Falls-Windsor, Botwood and Stephenville.
The Opposition Leader questioned the minister today in the Legislature on when she notified the municipalities in writing of contamination on former Abitibi sites, as identified by CRA Reports. Section 27 (iii) of the Environmental Protection Act, states that “the minister shall give notice, in writing, to a municipality where the contaminated site is located.”
“The minister indicated quite clearly today that she has not followed the letter of the law and upheld her responsibility under this Act,” says Jones. “Not only did she not disclose this information publicly back in the Fall of 2009 when she possessed details of the contamination on these sites, but now we know that in not apprising municipalities in writing that she violated the very Act that she is entrusted to safeguard. The people of these communities deserve to know about these reports and the minister failed again to be accountable to the people and their health and safety. ”
“This is a minister with a strong track record of not having any credibility in protecting our environment. We have seen this on issues relating to the protection of caribou habitat, the failure to recycle tires and waste in the province, and just recently, her silence over the issue of potential oil spill impacts off our shores. Now, the minister is not even following her own law outlining proper disclosure of toxic sites. While her main refrain may be “I take matters of the environmental very seriously”, her main role appears to be merely rubberstamping Environmental Impact Statements.”- 30 -
Media Contact:
Kim Ploughman | Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
Tel: (709) 729-4634