News Coverage

Deloro

Deloro mines final cleanup plan announced Ontario’s Minister of the Environment Leona Dombrowsky launches the long-awaited MoE plan for the closure of the Deloro Minesite at a Deloro community meeting.  The Community Press, Eastern Edition   November 19/2004

MoE could be fined for arsenic sludge spill at Deloro The Ontario Minister of the Environment and Leona Dombrowsky, MPP for Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington are taking the overflow of the arsenic sludge storage lagoon at the Deloro arsenic treatment plant very seriously.   Community Press   March 26/2004

Sludge lagoon overflows Toxic sludge overflows from an arsenic sludge storage lagoon at the abandoned Deloro mine site.  H2infO – The Water Information Network March 11/2004

Ontario: River’s arsenic levels 100 times higher than provincial standards DELORO – Arsenic levels in a river northwest of Belleville, Ont.,are higher than what provincial standards allow, tests conducted by the Environment Ministry show. National Post   July 17/2002

The Deloro Decision: Are governments subject to lower environmental standards? “The decision in Deloro represents a serious blow to environmental protection in Ontario, legitimizing lower environmental standards for governments and lowering the bar on the due diligence defence.”   Report    May 25/2002

River in toxic trouble, activist says Janet Fletcher tells The Whig-Standard she’d like to see an investigation into the ministry’s Certificate of Approval and “the whole toxic mess up there.” Kingston Whig-Standard   August 28/2001

The EBI issues a warning tonight to anyone living near the Moira River Janet Fletcher discusses elevated levels of arsenic in the Moira River on this Kingston-area news broadcast. Transcript.  CKWS-TV News   August 24/2001

Environmental group says arsenic levels too high in Moira River “People should be very careful around the water, this is a very severe matter,” says Environmental Bureau of Investigation spokesman, Tom Adams. The Belleville Intelligencer   August 23/2001

Ontario court rules MOE not guilty of Deloro mine site pollution charges This article, which draws heavily from the MOE’s news release on the Deloro decision, discusses the judge’s “due diligence” ruling.  Eco/Log Week   July 16/2001

Ministry of Environment not guilty in Deloro trial Article details the results of EBI’s Deloro trial. Includes a backgrounder on MOE efforts to clean up the contaminated site.  Hastings Star   July 7/2001

Deloro charges against MoE dismissed “The Deloro pollution charges against the Ontario government were dismissed by Justice Celynne Dorval on June 27, 2001…”  Community Press   June 29/2001

Court acquits MOE Deloro pollution “I don’t think having a plan is having due diligence . . . They’ve had a plan for 20 years,” says EBI’s Janet Fletcher.  Belleville/The Intelligencer   June 28/2001

Government acquitted in Deloro water charges EBI responds to yesterday’s decision in the Deloro Mine case.  June 28/2001

Government cleared in Deloro case “Regardless of winning or losing, we have to keep doing our investigations,” says EBI’s Mark Mattson.  Kingston Whig-Standard   June 28/2001

Judge rules in ministry’s favour in pollution case “Government is not at fault because it had taken significant steps to remedy the discharge.”  National Post   June 28/2001

Province acquitted in mine pollution case Judge accepts defence of due diligence in cleaning up Deloro. “It was a surprise and a shock,” said lawyer Doug Chapman, who was confident of a conviction. “Maybe now they’ll do something to clean it up.”  Toronto Star   June 28/2001

Big court ruling EBI spokesperson Janet Fletcher says that while she’s disappointed with the Deloro ruling, her group intends to monitor the clean-up.  CKWS Newswatch   June 27/2001

Woman files charges against government “Allegedly violated own pollution laws.”  National Post   June 27/2001

Polluting charges against environment ministry: trial ends “I believe, in the end, it’s going to be a matter of the judge determining whether the ministry is, in fact, above the laws that they’re supposed to enforce, or whether they are responsible under the law,” says Janet Fletcher.   CBC Radio   April 18/2001

Environment ministry releases study An Ontario government study suggests that the abandoned Deloro Mine site is not harming the environment — a picture which is not entirely accurate, according to EBI’s Janet Fletcher.   News transcript   April 12/2001

Toxic Town

If the government really wanted to help they would clean up the site, not drag this through the courts, says EBI’s Janet Fletcher. Watch it here in Real Video.   CBC-TV, The National   March 21/2001

Heavy metal “Arsenic is an endocrine disrupter.”  Environmental News Network March 5/2001

Residents suing over arsenic contamination “People living in a small community in Eastern Ontario are launching a $50 million class action lawsuit because of arsenic in their soil.”  CBC news online   February 7/2000

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