Evidence of meeting #34 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was environment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Noon
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Where's the restriction? Is it federal government? Is it Environment Canada?
Noon
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
I think it's federal government.
When you dig, you're naturally diluting.
Noon
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
If you're naturally diluting, I think that's okay, but you cannot take a tonne of clean soil and mix it with a tonne of contaminated soil. It is against the regulations.
Noon
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Thank you. That was the clarification I was looking for.
Mr. Cuzner, for two minutes.
Noon
Liberal
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
My comments will be brief.
Really, all I want to do is reassure you, Mr. McSweeney, because you seemed to be a little concerned about the cleanup in Sydney. You talk about your project being studied? You're only a piker when it comes to the Sydney tar ponds. You guys have the study starter-kit when you talk about the Sydney tar ponds. It's been studied and overstudied and gone through so many....
Know this, though: going forward with what the government announced, I thought it was a kick in the teeth that they said nothing had been done for 13 years. That community has given its soul towards the cleanup, through the joint action group and the processes after that. They've popped their guts out, and they are very comfortable and confident with this cleanup process.
I commend the government for following the recommendations that were put forward by the full panel review that nobody else wanted. Stéphane Dion called that full panel review, it was done, and the recommendations came forward.
Now, for Elizabeth May to say that they're sprinkling fairy dust.... That's a pretty good quote from her. I think maybe she was sprinkled with fairy dust, because the technologies she's been putting forward have all failed.
On soil washing, there's a residue with soil washing. What are you going to do with the residue? You're going to have to burn it, and those things will be emitted into the atmosphere as well.
The people of Cape Breton are ready for this cleanup technology and for what's going forward. They're comfortable with this. Let's get on with it.
As far as the big concrete block, I've seen remediated sites before. When we look at Moncton, a fourplex arena, ball fields, and soccer fields are all over the former CN rail yard.
Sydney will come to terms with that and there will be something productive there. We're turning the page as a community. It's easy to look over the fence and say we could have done this or we could have done that. But through the process that's going forward, we'll have a great community, a big blight in the middle of our community will be cleaned up, and we'll go forward.
So I just wanted to put your mind at ease.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
I appreciate your passion, Mr. Cuzner. I did leave you a few seconds overtime.
Mr. McSweeney.
12:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
I just want to make it clear that it wasn't Elizabeth May who said “sprinkle fairy dust”. She did not say that. My colleague came up with that line this morning. I used that line. I read out what Elizabeth May said from the Globe.
I think it would be fair to say, Mr. Cuzner, there are factions in the community that would support high-temperature thermal oxidation and factions that wouldn't. At the end of the day you're not going to have ball fields or golf courses, because you cannot do that with the solution that has been put forward. It'll be fenced off and that's it.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
12:05 p.m.
Bloc
Raynald Blais Bloc Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
I'm always asking questions about Belledune, but that's quite alright with me.
Is it in fact true that the Canada Pension Plan purchased one million dollars worth of Bennett Environmental shares in Belledune at a cost of $24 per share in early 2001-2002? True or false?
12:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
I have no idea.
12:05 p.m.
Bloc
Raynald Blais Bloc Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
Did you in fact serve as Executive Director of the Standards Council of Canada from 1992 to 1998?
12:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
Yes.
12:05 p.m.
Bloc
Raynald Blais Bloc Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
Is it true that when your company proposed the Belledune incinerator project, it also had contracts with New Jersey?
12:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
I can't comment. I wasn't there.
12:05 p.m.
Bloc
Raynald Blais Bloc Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
By the way, this never came to pass, even though that's what the company claimed at the time. As our Chair so rightly stated, we represent the voters. When they are concerned, we are concerned. Therefore, I can't accept you're saying that opportunity for consultations presented themselves, but that no one came forward and that the public isn't concerned. I represent the people of the Gaspé region and I know for a fact that they have been concerned for quite some time. To alleviate some of this concern, I'm asking you again to agree to an independent environmental impact assessment. You seem to be telling us that everything is going well, that your process is the best there is and that environmental waste doesn't pose any kind of problem. If everything is as good as you claim, then why not agree to a proper study so that our many concerns can be addressed and dispelled?
12:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
The plant is ready. The provincial government is considering the permit. I don't think there is a need. I can tell you that after 13 days of public hearings, 10 people showed up. The five mayors of that region have implored the Premier of New Brunswick to get this plant moving. They represent the people of Belledune, Bathurst, Petit-Rocher, and Beresford. Those are the people I'm interested in.
12:05 p.m.
Bloc
Raynald Blais Bloc Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
Mr. McSweeney, I can list all of the municipalities in the Gaspé region that asked to...
12:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Environmental Affairs and Public Affairs, Bennett Environmental Inc.
Well, they were not there. They did not show themselves.
12:05 p.m.
Bloc
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
We appreciate your comments, Mr. McSweeney. Thank you.
Mr. Stoffer.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You showed how you treat the soils there, but how do you treat your water that becomes contaminated?
12:05 p.m.
Flavio Campagnaro Process Engineer, Bennett Environmental Inc.
We have an on-site collection system. The entire building is drained to a common sump, and from that sump it's pumped into storage tanks. We have an on-site water treatment system with coagulants, flocculence, activated carbon, etc., that treats the water. Then it goes into treated water storage tanks. Those tanks are tested to make sure the water's clean. If it's clean we reuse that water in our process. If it's not clean, we re-treat it through the system. It's an enclosed system.
12:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Thank you.
Mr. Kamp? Mr. Lunney? Mr. Manning? Last chance....
We do have another issue that we have to get to today, so I'd like to thank our witnesses for appearing today. We certainly appreciated the comments.
[Proceedings continue in camera]