Letter To The Editor:

Snap meeting

On July 29th, there was a snap Public Meeting held at the Legion on Front Street in Sioux Lookout where the contamination issue was presented, primarily by consultants representing the CN Railway and the Municipality of Sioux Lookout.
Sadly, at this meeting, there was a lot of talk without much substance. Talk is talk. Contamination is evidence based. The FACTS were again missing in this presentation. The previous CAO, Ann Mitchell, promised to provide the key reports to the Public, and never did.
When senior Municipal Councillors sit in the audience and respond, “We don’t know. We rely on the experts. That’s what we go on …..”, my response is why aren’t you asking questions, if you don’t know? The tough questions. Your “Terms of Reference” (from the Municipality) for these consultants limits the investigation to primarily diesel fuel contamination (analyzed at parts per million). Given the history of this site, why Councillors, was there a specific limitation on these consultants, instead of a full and complete investigation on the contamination of the Town’s Public Beach, and leaking into Pelican Lake? (as well, the town’s source of drinking water nearby, to boot!)
As representatives of the community, YOU, Councillors, ought to be DEMANDING a full investigation. When you do not know if there is a serious contamination (ie. DIOXINS that require an analysis detected at parts per billion, even parts per trillion), THEN ASK FOR IT!
DEMAND TO KNOW THE FACTS before proceeding on this expensive Waterfront Development.
That is what the attending public mostly expressed at this sudden, though long overdue, Public Meeting.
To know the facts before proceeding?
This actually should have been a simple exercise.
WITHOUT INTERFERENCE …….

Michael Quince, concerned citizen