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.
They’re suing the federal and provincial governments as well as the former owners of an abandoned gold mine in Deloro.
There are health concerns because arsenic, a by-product of gold mining, can cause cancer.
The soil around the homes of the 200 residents contains arsenic levels 30 times above what the province considers acceptable.
The value of homes has also dropped dramatically. One resident says her $112,000 home is now worth $50,000.
Deloro sits on the Moira River, near Highway 7 west of Madoc. Participants in the lawsuit could soon include summer residents, because Deloro sits in the middle of cottage country.
It will be a few months before they know if the claim is accepted as a class action lawsuit.
Environmental Bureau of Investigation 