News Coverage

Kingston

Cataraqui pollution fight over Almost nine years after Janet Fletcher started a legal battle to stop garbage ooze from leaking into the Cataraqui River from under a municipal golf course, her fight is over.  The Kingston-Whig Standard   December 15/2005

The City of Kingston guilty The Supreme Court of Canada has announced it will not hear the City of Kingston’s last-ditch effort to avoid convictions under the Fisheries Act.   Lake Ontario Waterkeeper   January 31/2005

Supreme Court rejects city’s Belle Park appeal The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear a City of Kingston appeal of three environmental convictions linked to the old dump on the Cataraqui River. Environmentalists are jubilant. City officials are not.   Kingston Whig-Standard   January 28/2005

City turns to Supreme Court over Belle Park ruling Files application to appeal judgment of top Ontario court.   City of Kingston  August 9/2004

Don’t appeal dump ruling Let’s hope councillors turn the city’s latest legal defeat into a victory for citizens and the environment.  Kingston Whig-Standard   May 17/2004

Belle Park could be landmark case The court decision to uphold three convictions against the City of Kingston for allowing a former dump to leak “toxic soup” into the Cataraqui River is a precedent-setting case for Ontario, says a Toronto environmental lawyer.   Kingston Whig Standard    May 14/2004

City loses Belle Park appeal In a decision considered a victory for environmentalists, the City of Kingston has lost its seven-year legal battle over a former dump that has been leaking contaminated water into the Cataraqui River.
Kingston Whig-Standard    May 13/2004

Precedent at stake in Belle Park case The appeal, before a three-judge panel of the Ontario Court of Appeal, is shaping up to be a question of which laws – provincial or federal – will take precedence.  Kingston Whig-Standard   December 3/2003

City lawyers argue case in Belle Park appeal Round three in the legal battle between environmentalists and the City of Kingston over containment of Belle Park’s garbage-infused groundwater begins Tuesday, December 2.  City of Kingston  December 1/2003

Belle Park ‘playground’ called safe Children who frolic through a manmade marsh built at Belle Park to filter contaminants aren’t in any danger, environment officials say.  Kingston Whig-Standard   May 7/2003

Ministry to appeal Belle Park ruling “The legal principle is important,” says private informant Janet Fletcher. “You don’t stand by and watch them pour [pollutants] into the water until you see fish floating on the top.”   Kingston Whig-Standard   July 3/2002

Belle Park fight a costly waste Instead of dumping more taxpayers’ money into lawyers’ pockets, the City of Kingston should have been spending those public dollars on a long-term solution to stop pollutants leaking from the old Belle Park dump.
Steve Lukits   June 13/2002

Belle Park pollution convictions overturned The decision is disheartening, Mattson said, but he doesn’t believe it’s been a waste of time.   Kingston Whig-Standard   June 11/2002

Farm operators face huge fines for polluting bay Farmers convicted in Fisheries Act case.   Kingston Whig-Standard   February 28/2002

City used river as sewer “15.2 million litres dumped into Cataraqui River during last week’s rains.” Sewage problems continue to plague Kingston waterways.  Kingston Whig-Standard   December 7/2001

Crown argues for $240,000 in fines “All the evidence is in on the court challenge to the Belle Park pollution convictions registered against the City of Kingston and Mirka Januskiewicz, one-time director of environment, almost three years ago.”   Kingston Whig-Standard   November 9/2001

Defence lawyers dispute city’s attack on JP Crown lawyer Jerry Herlihy told the judge hearing their appeal yesterday that the decision should stand because Justice of the Peace Jack Bell’s “conclusions are not unreasonable or unsupported by the evidence.”   Kingston Whig-Standard   November 8/2001

Bite the bullet on Belle Park Time for councillors to demand a clean-up of Belle Park, writes Paul Schliesmann in this Kingston Whig-Standard editorial that mentions EBI‘s Janet Fletcher.  Kingston Whig-Standard   November 3/2001

Ottawa kicks in $100,000 to help clean Belle Park “The City of Kingston has been awarded $100,000 in federal money to clean up Belle Park.”   Kingston Whig-Standard   November 1/2001

Pollution tests unreliable, City Hall says “Fletcher has been fighting City Hall to clean up Belle Park for almost a decade. Whatever the technical solution, it’s time for the city to stop stalling and start fixing, she said.”   Kingston Whig-Standard   November 1/2001

Sewer spill saga an ugly stain on city “The EBI . . . sampled the spill and obtained results within 48 hours, showing that the discharge was contaminated with bacteria at 1,500 times the level at which a public beach would be closed because of a health hazard.”  Kingston Whig-Standard   October 6/2001

Sewage entered river for weeks Cataraqui River pollution focus of an Ontario environment ministry investigation.  Toronto Star   September 26/2001

Sewer spill results in high level of E. coli in river Province investigates Kingston sewage spill.  National Post   September 26/2001

Province investigates sewage spill “Ministry says it ordered city to take action.” Anonymous tip received by city turns out to be from the Ministry of the Environment . . .   Kingston Whig-Standard   September 25/2001

Sewage threat demands action “Bacterial tests taken at the site – not taken, it should be noted, by the city or the provincial Environment Ministry – indicated E. coli levels 1,500 times at which beaches are closed.”  Kingston Whig-Standard   September 25/2001

City plugs ‘astronomical’ sewage spill EBI samples reveal E. coli at 1,500 times the level at which beaches would be closed. “It’s astronomical,” says one senior health official.  Kingston Whig-Standard   September 22/2001

City moves quickly to plug pollution leak City of Kingston identifies source of human sewage pouring into the Cataraqui River. LOK and EBI assisted with sampling of the pollution this week.  CKWS-TV News   September 21/2001

Kingston’s sewage scandal “Mr. Mattson, welcome to Kingston, home of the chronically overflowing sewage plants and leaching garbage dump at Belle Park,” writes the editor.  Kingston Whig-Standard   September 21/2001

Pollution group cries foul “As far as I’m concerned,” says Mark Mattson, “abatement has failed to deal with this problem. This is really an investigation and enforcement issue.”   Kingston Whig-Standard   September 20/2001

Kingston’s sewage success story The Ministry of Environment praises the City of Kingston’s “proactive steps” for protecting Kingston-area beaches. Allen later told local press that he “misrepresented information”.  Lakewide Management Plan Update, 2001   September 10/2001

Make our river beautiful again In the wake of EBI’s Belle Park investigation and the Lake Ontario Keeper launch, the Cataraqui River is chosen to be part of a cross-border clean-up project.  Kingston Whig-Standard   July 27/2001

City must drop pollution appeal “Whoever said science is precise hasn’t heard the conflicting environmental assessments of the Belle Island landfill site.”  Kingston Whig-Standard   March 3/2001

Environmentalist says meeting about dump `not open, honest’ “Councillor defends Belle Park forum as chance for public to learn about leak.” EBI co-founder Janet Fletcher comments on the public meeting.  Kingston Whig-Standard   February 28/2001

Meet the experts tonight on Belle Park pollution An appeal by the City of Kingston brings the Belle Park case back into court today; meanwhile, the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum holds a meeting to discuss the area’s environmental past and future.  Kingston Whig-Standard   February 26/2001

News archive – Kingston 1997-2000