Freedom Flyer Spring 1989 Cover

Freedom Flyer 14

the official newsletter of the
Freedom Party of Ontario

Spring 1989




Article electronically reproduced from:

The Welland Tribune

February 7, 1989


Fitzgerald says he'll 'make sure' McMaster sewage cleaned up

WELLAND (Staff) - A Deere Street resident, worried about raw sewage being dumped into the Welland river, intends to make sure city hall keeps its promise.

It's a promise he says was broken before, not by the city's public works department, but by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

That, he says, is no way to safeguard the public from pollution.

Barry Fitzgerald of 491 Deere St. is concerned about the discharge of sewage into the Welland River from the McMaster Avenue sewer line. A candidate for the Freedom Party in last November's Welland-Thorold provincial byelection, he raised the issue during his campaign.

Recently, Fitzgerald wrote a letter to Environment Minister Jim Bradley about the matter and was told the city is being issued an order to connect the sewer to the Welland water pollution control plant.

City engineer Gus Marcello said that although the discharges pose no health problem, the concentration of sewage in the waste water going into the river is higher than the environment ministry's guidelines. He said the city has hired a consulting firm to look into the matter and design a connection to the pollution control plant.

Marcello said the problem should be resolved within two months.

Fitzgerald said he'll believe it when he sees it.

"I've had promises from the ministry that go back to last July," said Fitzgerald. "They told me then the matter would be looked after in 30 days. I've been getting the runaround. This is the type of thing which is an ongoing problem with the ministry throughout Ontario and it's not just sewage but also other types of pollution.

"It's great to have laws, but they're not of much use if nobody enforces them," he said.

Fiztgerald said he noticed the sewage flow into the river while canoing last summer "and I came upon this disgusting mess. I thought maybe there'd been a breakdown somewhere."

He then investigated the matter and discovered the McMaster Avenue sewer line was flowing directly into the river.

"I'd like to see the Welland River developed into a recreational area," he said. "That's why I want it cleaned up."

He said he'll watch what action is taken by the city.

"It sounds like a commitment, and if they do it in two months then I'll be happy in two months," said Fitzgerald. "If they don't, I'll be complaining again."




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