Minister charges Opposition critic fearmongering

Environment Minister Bob Mercer said today the Opposition environment critic is speaking irresponsibly in the statements he is making regarding the study currently being conducted at the New Harbour landfill site. Minister Mercer was responding to comments Tom Osborne made concerning Phase II of an environmental testing program now being conducted at the site.

"It is quite obvious that Mr. Osborne has only one agenda here and that is to create fear among the people who live in the area of the New Harbour dump site," said Minister Mercer. "There is absolutely nothing constructive about the comments he is making."

Minister Mercer challenged Mr. Osborne�s comment that the company hired to complete the study, SGE Acres Ltd., was not conducting testing in the appropriate manner since government wants the tests skewed. Minister Mercer said Mr. Osborne correctly stated the provincial environment department was funding the study; however, the Upper Trinity South Environment Committee, a committee made up of area residents, selected the consultant.

"Mr. Osborne certainly crossed the line when he called into question the professionalism of a consulting firm such as SGE Acres," said Minister Mercer. "The scope for the study has been agreed upon by the company, the local committee and my department. I do not have any indication that the company is not working within the agreed upon scope of work.

"And if officials of the environment department did what Mr. Osborne suggested - be on site while the consultant was conducting its work - he probably would have suggested we were interfering with the work of the consultant. However, this is certainly not the case. The consultant is conducting its work without any interference from my department. This is how it should be done."

Minister Mercer said the 1996 report to which Mr. Osborne referred to indicated that the transformers were cleaned to the satisfaction of the federal-provincial committee tasked with the remediation of the Makinsons site and that it was agreed by the committee to dispose of the units at the New Harbour landfill site.

"A study completed in November 2002 indicated there were not any detectable levels of PCBs around the perimeter of the landfill site," said Minister Mercer. "This information was presented to the residents at a public meeting. However, at the request of the committee further work is being conducted on the site to see if there are any PCBs present. This phase of the study will take sample down to the bedrock level."

Minister Mercer said government is working closely with the local committee to ensure that its concerns are being addressed.

"When the current study is completed, I will receive it the same time as the local committee receives it," said Minister Mercer. "We will make public all the results. This is an open process. I cannot understand where Mr. Osborne is getting the notion that there is a cover-up."

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications (709) 729-2575.

2003 03 31                                        5:25 p.m.