Wow; these are some big allegations. I’ve only lived in Cornwall for five years; but if true there should be some very serious consideration before planting the first shovel.
I’d love to hear from people more on the know of this project.
“Dear Councillors,
Our city has a dump in the middle. It oozes poisonous leachate into and across the private and public lands around it – most running into the St. Lawrence River through storm sewers, and the city’s sewage plant (in effect untreated) for consumption by our neighbours in Glen Walter, Lancaster, and beyond. The Ontario Ministry of Environment admits the pollution on our land, but is content merely to monitor the danger; just don’t drink it, and don’t get it on you.
That same contamination around a home would threaten any occupant’s health, and the home would be rendered unsellable, yet our city is buying land fouled by this dump – for $85,000 per acre.
A few opportunists want to drop a sports complex on the site which, along with being polluted, is hemmed in by that active dump, several odour spewing industries – one intermittently leaking poisons – and an active rail line shunting toxic materials around. It is absurd.
This reckless land flip has “conflict of interest” written all over it, and the seeming “interconnectedness” of seller, buyer, bureaucrat, politician, and business supports the sentiment.
At a public meeting of the Planning Advisory Committee, held to discuss the property’s legal designation:
• The Committee introduced as informational material, a map that was actually promotional material from the seller.
• The Committee failed to distribute a Ministry of Environment memorandum that confirmed the leaking dump, and a Ministry of Environment letter warning of “inherent risks” to public safety.
And in business as usual:
• A realtor – reportedly privy to closed door land and zoning discussions – afterward set about selling affected properties.
• A firm reviewing the Environmental Assessment on behalf of the City of Cornwall (allowing the arena project to continue) admits to relying on second hand information, and on advice from the city and the seller’s realtor.
• That firm is now advising the city on the arena project.
For decades, business, politicians and bureaucrats have done what they do too well. The results are a polluted shore, polluted land, a polluting dump, and a reputation that tens of thousands of dollars to consultants later …simply makes us more appealing to consultants.
Given the climate of impropriety, an appeal of the rezoning issue would be ineffective; instead the matter will be forwarded directly to the Honourable Jim Watson (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing) for examination, with a further request that the Ontario Provincial Police investigate the matter.”
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