Serious sewage lagoon concerns remain in Armstrong Twp, despite ON Env. Minister Piccini's response
#onpoli #Ontario #humansewage #sewagelagoon #ontag #rural #wellwater #wellsteward #cleanwater #OntarioMOE #ministryoftheenvironment #Timiskaming #Cochrane #Temiskaming #farmland #stewardship #environmentalassessment #municipal #safety
HANSARD EXCERPT
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO - ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO
Wednesday 16 November 2022 - Mercredi 16 novembre 2022
Member Statements- Township of Armstrong sewage lagoon
Mr. John Vanthof: I would like to once again make this House aware of a situation in my riding: the importation, storage and spreading of raw human sewage, imported from Quebec, stored on a former dairy farm lagoon.
The neighbours raised concerns when this was approved by the current Minister of the Environment.
I contacted the minister, especially because it was a former dairy lagoon and there was a well situated in the area. The ministry replied that it was a green site, there was no former infrastructure, and there was no well. There is a well; it was former infrastructure—when I made this, again, aware to the minister - no reply.
A few weeks ago, I wrote the minister a letter saying, “Well, since the ministry didn’t even identify that there was a well, how can the neighbours be assured you’ve identified any of the other infrastructure around the former dairy site?”
I got a nice letter back on Friday saying that everything is fine.
On Saturday, hopefully by coincidence, the lagoon was pumped.
On Saturday night, after dark, excavators went in and excavated till 4:30 in the morning. I called the MOE—no report. But the local MOE inspector did send an email to one of the neighbours that this was MOE-sanctioned and they were digging out the former foundations of the barn that didn’t exist.
We no longer have faith in the ministry. We need all the documentation.