#CootesCoverup

Wednesday April 29, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 29, 2020

The future of our watershed is far from assured

Look, it’s another non-COVID-19 editorial! That’s right, we wanted to give you a break from nonstop pandemic news and commentary. We know that can get heavy.

November 26, 2019

So instead, let’s talk about the state of Cootes Paradise, Chedoke Creek and Hamilton’s watershed in general. That’s bound to lighten your mood. Not.

A new report from the City of Hamilton says no special cleanup or monitoring of the Cootes Paradise marsh is called for as a result of the now infamous 24-billion-litre sewage leak known as Sewergate.

Before you utter a collective sigh of relief, let’s be clear: That doesn’t mean the protected marsh area is fine. It’s not. And common sense suggests the extra billions of litres of sewage leaked over more than four years into Chedoke Creek, which drains into the marsh, did not help matters. 

December 7, 2019

According to a report from The Spectator’s Matthew Van Dongen, the report by SLR Consulting concludes there was no lasting damage to the marsh from the sewage spill, but it also observes that it’s hard to know where any specific piece of pollution is coming from, because there are so many sources. Well, that’s a relief.

Hamilton Coun. Maureen Wilson rightfully referred to the situation as a “damning indictment” of how the city has treated Cootes through history, allowing it to become dirty nearly beyond redemption prior to efforts in the last two decades to reclaim the marsh.

Progress has certainly been made, but the reality is that Cootes remains painfully polluted, not only by sewage but also by leachate from old landfill sites and toxic-run-off from highways, parking lots and other sources.

November 27, 2019

Back to the report for a bit. The consultant’s view is not necessarily and final word. The Royal Botanical Gardens, which owns the marsh, is studying the report, and while there is no final determination, there are hints the RBG may not agree with the report’s findings. The RBG’s Nick Kondrat told Van Dongen: “ … our initial assessment is that we strongly believe that additional analysis is required to evaluate the severity of the damage” from the spill.

The provincial Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has also yet to pass judgment, and it may differ from the consultant when it comes. It will also determine whether any aspect of the spill broke the law. If it did, charges against the city could follow.

The Hamilton Spectator

But suppose the provincial ministry report doesn’t amount to much. And suppose the RBG’s findings and recommendations aren’t conclusive. Where does that leave us? 

As much as we like to use the Sewergate label — The Spec did coin the phrase and break the story, after all — the spill and its fallout are not the most important issue at hand. What matters more is where we go from here. 

Are we satisfied with the status quo, with ongoing cleanup efforts that have delivered laudable but not conclusive results?

Cootes is still receiving pollution from so many sources pollutants can’t be traced to any one source. Chedoke Creek’s bed is layered with contaminated sludge. Major weather events, of which we are having more and more, still result in sewage holding tank overflow that leaks into the marsh, harbour and lake. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)



 

Tuesday January 7, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 7, 2020

Maybe Sewergate is a turning point for Cootes Paradise

December 7, 2019

On Nov. 21, Royal Botanical Gardens hosted our second open house to inform the public of progress made in our 25-year master plan and to obtain valuable feedback from the community that will help RBG develop a bold new direction through 2045 and beyond.

Our plan aims to address environmental pressures while transforming the Gardens into a world-class tourist destination and leader in conservation and environmental education. The scope of this project will effectpositive societal change for future generations and have significant economic and environmental impacts within southern Ontario and beyond. Naturally, we were very excited to spread the news of our plans at the open house.

September 8, 2018

With coffee in hand, I started that morning with great anticipation, but as I opened The Hamilton Spectator, I was dismayed to read (a now infamous story) that 24 billion litres of sewage and stormwater run-off had leaked into Chedoke Creek.

The focus in the news was on Chedoke Creek. Many people do not realize that Chedoke Creek discharges directly into the eastern corner of Cootes Paradise on its way out to Hamilton Harbour. Many people also do not realize that Cootes Paradise is part of Royal Botanical Gardens lands and that we are the stewards of this incredible area that is part of the Great Lakes System of North America.

January 8, 2008

I was both upset and optimistic with this news, as was Drew Wensley, CEO of MT Planners Ltd. I was upset that the positive news of our master plan would be overshadowed by the news of the spill, yet both of us were optimistic that perhaps now, RBG and Cootes Paradise would finally get the attention they need and, more importantly, deserve.

For almost eight decades, we have been working on improving the water quality of Cootes Paradise to enable the aquatic plants to return, creating a better ecosystem where flora and fauna will thrive. For 25 years, we have been involved in one of the largest fresh-water marsh restoration projects in North America — “Project Paradise” — and as of 2015, we had restored about 50 per cent of the marsh’s vegetation. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Saturday December 7, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 7, 2019

With Sewergate, too many Hamilton councillors still don’t get it

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

That line, borrowed from the classic 1967 Paul Newman movie “Cool Hand Luke,” can actually be applied to the situation that continues to fester in Hamilton. Yes, we’re talking about Sewergate.

November 26, 2019

Another way to put it would be that we have a fundamental disconnect. And another: They just don’t get it.

We’re referring to the gulf that now exists between most members of Hamilton city council and the constituents who elected them. Those same constituents who are still talking and writing about Sewergate. In barbershops and salons, in coffee shops and bars. Chances are, if you go to a place where people congregate and talk, this is one of the things they’ll be talking about.

The number of published letters to the editor is now officially a record in modern memory. And those are just the ones suitable for print. Many others were not, for reasons of length, language or extreme viewpoints. And they keep coming, although they’ve slowed now to a handful each day. We will continue to print them where appropriate, but they’ll be mixed with letters on other subjects to reflect a fair balance of what readers are saying.

The point is, Hamilton citizens, in record numbers, show no interest in getting over this. They are, by and large, unsatisfied. They want to see some action. They want to see consequences. Like what? Spectator city columnist Andrew Dreschel will explore that question in a column coming Monday.

November 23, 2019

At any rate, that’s the citizen/taxpayer/constituent side of the equation. Far on the other side of that perception gulf are the members of council who apparently still don’t see what all the fuss is about. They are content to stick with their original defence: They had legal advice that said they would be putting taxpayers at more risk by disclosing the 24-billion litre sewage leak into Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise. Armed with that advice, they decided, repeatedly, that they should not inform the public about the spill. Not that it was much larger than originally reported. Not that the contamination took place over four and a half years.

Not that at one point E. coli levels in Chedoke Creek spiked to 900 times higher than safe levels for paddling. That’s 9,000 times higher than the threshold for safe swimming.

They say they intended to report to the public once the provincial investigation into the leak was complete. When would that have been? No one knows. The Spectator reported on the leak two weeks ago, but this council knew about it for nine months before that. How much longer would Sewergate have remained secret had The Spec not reported on it?

November 27, 2019

Here is what many city councillors just don’t get. They are sorry, they say, that the leak happened. Good for them. We’re all sorry. Probably the people involved with the original mistake are sorry. Everyone and their dog is sorry the accident happened, and was not detected for a ridiculous period of time.

But that’s not what most people are most angry about. It’s the failure to disclose that’s driving people nuts. Too many councillors don’t seem to get that secrecy has justifiably rattled peoples’ trust in city hall. Yes, because of the spill. But more so because if something like this happens again, how can citizens feel confident they will get appropriate disclosure?

Some councillors say Sewergate is a media-generated event. Fair enough. We’re not going to dignify that with a response. But we would recommend that at minimum, these councillors, who seem increasingly insulated from public opinion, take some time and find out how people are really feeling. They might want to start trying to bridge that perception gulf. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Friday November 29, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday November 29, 2019

‘We can’t take that back’: Eisenberger on keeping Hamilton sewage spill details secret

March 28, 2009

Mayor Fred Eisenberger is standing by Hamilton city council’s decision not to disclose publicly the full magnitude of a massive sewage spill for nearly a year.

“The incident happened already,” Eisenberger said Tuesday. “The material, whatever was there, had already gone into the system. We couldn’t get it back.”

The mayor spoke to The Spectator for the first time about the estimated 24-billion-litre sewage leak into Chedoke Creek, which flows into Cootes Paradise, after returning home from an economic development trip in India.

Last week, The Spectator reported that city officials had kept secret not only the volume of the raw sewage spill, but also its four-and-a-half-year duration.

July 16, 2014

Leaked confidential reports from January and September show the spill was attributed to a holding tank gate left partly open from January 2014 to July 2018. The reports also pointed to a second gate failure on the same tank.

Outside legal advice recommended city officials keep the information secret due to potential regulatory fines amid a provincial investigation.

On Tuesday, Eisenberger, who noted his plane landed at 5:30 a.m., defended the approach, saying public health informed residents of a sewage spill at Chedoke Creek in July 2018.

February 21, 2007

Floatable material was sucked up, warning signs were posted, and E. coli levels eventually returned to what they were before the sewage leak, he said.

But the volume of the contamination and duration of the leak weren’t shared with the public, Eisenberger acknowledged.

“Because it was still under investigation. The legal advice that we received at the time was, ‘Do not disclose the full amount; there are potential legal issues that come out of that; there are potential other claims that could be made.’”

Public works spokesperson Jasmine Graham said Tuesday the city has paid environmental lawyer Rosalind Cooper $67,393.55 for her services as of October.

September 19, 2018

Eisenberger said the advice of the Toronto-based lawyer, who has many years of experience in the field, is still worth following.

“I’m not prepared to second guess it,” he said. “I understand the furor that’s out there. I get it. There’s always that tug between full disclosure and legal ramifications, and we have that happen in many instances that we deal with.”

Though the city conducted an initial surface water cleanup in July 2018 — at a cost of about $56,000 — material would have sunk to the bottom. The confidential reports noted dredging could cost $2 million. (Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Wednesday November 27, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 27, 2019

City probes who leaked secret reports to The Spec

November 26, 2019

As if leaking sewage wasn’t enough, now Hamilton council is targeting information leaks.

According to sources, councillors have directed staff to launch an investigation into who gave The Hamilton Spectator confidential city reports on the massive discharge of untreated sewage into Chedoke Creek.

City spokesperson Jasmine Graham declined to comment.

“Conversations with respect to the Chedoke Creek issue were held in closed session. With that, unfortunately we’re not able to share what if anything was discussed.”

But reliable sources say directions given in camera to staff include conducting an internal probe plus the option of consulting Hamilton police.

The secret reports obtained by The Spec revealed that the provincial government is investigating the spill of 24-billion litres of sewage over more than four years, which could lead to charges and significant fines against the city.

November 29, 2019

The media previously reported on the July 2018 spill. But council, based on strategic legal advice, withheld the two reports detailing the full extent of the disaster from the public.

When The Spec informed city officials on Wednesday that it had obtained the January and September reports, councillors discussed the issue behind closed doors.

During those discussions, senior staff was told to try to find out who breached the rules which prohibit members of council and employees from disclosing confidential information without proper authorization.

Coun. Terry Whitehead wasn’t at the meeting but he strongly supports an investigation.

“Conversations with respect to the Chedoke Creek issue were held in closed session. With that, unfortunately we’re not able to share what if anything was discussed.”

But reliable sources say directions given in camera to staff include conducting an internal probe plus the option of consulting Hamilton police.

The secret reports obtained by The Spec revealed that the provincial government is investigating the spill of 24-billion litres of sewage over more than four years, which could lead to charges and significant fines against the city.

The media previously reported on the July 2018 spill. But council, based on strategic legal advice, withheld the two reports detailing the full extent of the disaster from the public.

When The Spec informed city officials on Wednesday that it had obtained the January and September reports, councillors discussed the issue behind closed doors.

During those discussions, senior staff was told to try to find out who breached the rules which prohibit members of council and employees from disclosing confidential information without proper authorization.

Coun. Terry Whitehead wasn’t at the meeting but he strongly supports an investigation. (Hamilton Spectator)