MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 21, 2009

New Site 41 information makes a one-year moratorium imperative, Council of Canadians tells McGuinty

New evidence and a new scientific opinion make a one-year moratorium on Site 41 construction imperative, says Council of Canadians National Chairperson Maude Barlow in an open letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty (included below). The new information raises serious doubts about the validity of the computer model that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Certificate of Approval for Site 41 is based on.

“There is a growing body of new evidence showing that the predictions of the Jagger Hims report, on which the decision to approve the site was based, were flawed,” says Barlow in the letter to the Premier, which is accompanied by a report by professor Jim Buttle of Trent University raising questions about the potential for leachate from the landfill to contaminate the aquifer.

“Regardless of the quality or quantity of modelling that led to the selection of Site 41, observations made by the Community Monitoring Committee indicate that the required upward gradients may not be present and that the aquifer may be connected to the upper aquitard,” says the letter from Barlow. “These observations point to circumstances that would violate critical requirements of the Certificate of Approval.”

“It is imperative that you take necessary action to put a one-year moratorium in place in order to allow for a thorough review of the situation and full public consultation,” concludes Barlow.

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For More Information: Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685, dpenner@canadians.org.

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LETTER TO THE PREMIER OF ONTARIO

Dear Mr. McGuinty,

I am writing to urge the provincial government to implement a one-year moratorium on the construction of a landfill at Site 41 in order to allow outstanding concerns to be addressed.  

The Council of Canadians and a growing number of organizations across Ontario and Canada are very concerned that there has been no independent peer review of the most critical information regarding the suitability of the site and its design, the calibrated MODFLOW. It is incomprehensible that the Ministry of the Environment has approved the site despite the fact nobody from the MOE has seen that information.

Furthermore there is sufficient new information to warrant a review from the provincial government. There is a growing body of new evidence showing that the predictions of the Jagger Hims report, on which the decision to approve the site was based, were flawed. Please find attached a report by professor Jim Buttle of Trent University raising questions about the potential for leachate from the landfill to contaminate the aquifer.

In addition, the Community Monitoring Committee established for the purpose of monitoring developments on the site has gathered new information regarding the North Simcoe Landfill Site 41 requires thorough examination.  The site design is based on computer modeling which predicted a constant upward gradient in groundwater flow. Regardless of the quality or quantity of modelling that led to the selection of Site 41, observations made by the Community Monitoring Committee indicate that the required upward gradients may not be present and that the aquifer may be connected to the upper aquitard. These observations point to circumstances that would violate critical requirements of the Certificate of Approval. Those requirements exist to protect one of the most important groundwater sources known. As reported in local media, five other landfills are already contaminating the Alliston aquifer. We cannot take the risk of contaminating the aquifer any further.

Finally, Farmers, First Nations peoples and other residents who will be directly impacted are outraged by the lack of transparency surrounding Simcoe  County’s approval of the landfill project and its failure to consult the public meaningfully. The County has not yet responded to a request by the Privacy Commissioner to demand the release of the ModFlow data, capitulating to claims by Jagger Hims that the information remain confidential.

As I write this, senior citizens and First Nations people are being arrested for protesting the construction at Site 41 over the last month. The issue has garnered national media attention and several provincial and national organizations including the David Suzuki Foundation have expressed concerns about the landfill project.

Action from the Premier may well be the only recourse to protect the Alliston aquifer. It is imperative that you take necessary action to put a one-year moratorium in place in order to allow for a thorough review of the situation and full public consultation.

Sincerely,

Maude Barlow