Once again the Regional Council voted 16 to 12 in favour of building and operating an incinerator in our region and I can only shake my head in disbelief. Aside from the possibility of health and environmental disasters, the cost of this project is unbelievable and that money could be put to much better use. The incinerator will cost about $250 million to build, that is if there are no cost overruns or price increases and we all know how likely that is. And then there is the cost of running this thing every year. The company chosen to build and run the project has a very poor track record in labour relations and in meeting the emissions standards set out by the state where they currently operate, they don’t operate anywhere in Canada though they have tried. And so our next step is to petition the Ministry of the Environment. Join us at the Green Party tent at Lakeview Park on Canada Day and sign our petition.
Incinerator, What Incinerator?
I just got back from the Durham Region Headquarters, where I spent most of the day today sitting through the marathon Regional Council “Committee of the Whole” meeting. While I was not present to hear all delegations – there were 80 or so scheduled – those I did have the chance to listen to speak were thoughtful, insightful and presented clear and in my humble opinion, unequivocal evidence against the construction of the proposed incinerator. On the Council side, it was embarrassing to witness the lack of respect some members chose to show to the very citizens that helped elect them in the first place! On the lighter side of things, Councilor Rick Johnson of Pickering managed to catch forty winks on several occasions while delegates were speaking.
To those concerned, the final vote by Council is to take place a week Wednesday on 24 June. It is not too late, if you are opposed sent your message to the Councillors in your area. Let them know how you feel. You can visit Durham Environment Watch to find e-mail addresses of your Councillors. If your are thinking to yourself, “What incinerator?” or are still not quite convinced, there is plenty of research to be found from various sources on the internet, I encourage you to do your due diligence.
