THUNDER BAY -- Patty Hajdu, the MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North and minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, is raising the issue of mercury contamination in the harbour with two cabinet colleagues.
In an interview with tbnewswatch.com, Hajdu said she will ask Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Transport Minister Marc Garneau this week about the status of efforts to undertake a cleanup.
At issue is the potential threat to the environment and to human health posed by nearly 400,000 cubic metres of pulpy, mercury-contaminated material, up to four metres thick in places, that lies at the bottom of the north harbour. The toxic patch was created over decades of industrial activity, and sits offshore from the former Superior Fine Papers mill near the mouth of the Current River.
Hajdu met recently with the Thunder Bay Port Authority and with representatives of the local Remedial Action Plan to receive briefings on the issue. RAP has been looking into remediation of the polluted site, but to date there has been no decision on whether to proceed, which cleanup method to use, and how to cover the estimated tens of millions of dollars in costs.
After several years of study, no government department has yet been designated to take the lead on a cleanup project.
Commenting on her discussions with the local groups, Hajdu said "I heard frustration really from both parties about the fact that not a lot has been done around the plan...The frustration is very high and the concern is really high."
According to Hajdu, the people she spoke with at both meetings talked about "the risk that it would pose to human health and the challenges in cleanup. It's a big project and it will take a lot of money. Both groups wanted to know what the plans are, moving forward, and my commitment is that I will find out."
Asked if she agrees the cleanup is a federal issue, she said "It's hard for me to say at this point. I know the amount of money that we're talking about isn't in anybody's back pocket, and there's going to be assistance needed to address the remediation. It's my job as MP to represent my constituents and of course that's exactly what I'm going to do. So I'm going to look for solutions. I'm going to look into what the status of the project is and how high on the radar it is in terms of my colleagues' awareness."
Hajdu noted that there is "some speculation" about whether the mercury-contaminated debris is contaminating the harbour, as well as some questions about the potential health risks and whether or not removing the material would itself create any kind of risk. "So I'm curious to hear what my colleague at the environment ministry has to say about that," she said.
The minister has promised to report back soon to the local stakeholders on the outcome of her conversations with her fellow ministers about "how we carve a path" toward a potential solution.
