August 29, 2005
The Editor
The Kingston Whig-Standard
Kingston, ON
Dear Editor:
Aside from a few cheerleaders, most Kingstonians are very worried about the
cost and practicality of building a Large Venue Entertainment Centre on Anglin
Bay. One problem that is not getting enough attention is its possible effect
on the environment of building an LVEC on that site.
In the past, the Anglin Bay site has been used for a variety of industrial
purposes, including the location of the locomotive roundhouse for the K & P
rail line. As well, fill has been repeatedly added to the site.
Not surprisingly, a
preliminary environmental study
of the lands already owned by the city
found that both the soil and the groundwater at the site were contaminated
with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, etc.
WESA Ltd., the company that dug and analysed the site boreholes, says that
there are two ways of dealing with the on-site contamination: hauling it away
at an estimated cost of over $1 million or capping the site and closing off
the building from pollutants.
The WESA report recommends the latter option, with vapour intrusion controls
put in place to stop contaminants from migrating under, or into the building.
WESA estimates that just the risk-assessment work for this approach would cost
more than $5 million.
The report also notes that the LVEC should be completely above the Cataraqui
River water level and not have any subsurface components.
While people have questioned the wisdom of marring the waterfront with an
arena, we seem to be forgetting that Anglin Bay is an environmentally
sensitivity site and that the Cataraqui River is ecologically important. Under
the circumstances, it is reckless not to conduct an environmental assessment
to determine the impacts of the LVEC proposal on the surrounding environment.
In fact, a general provision of the provincial law requires municipalities to
complete an environmental assessment for municipal undertakings. However, the
city is saying it is exempt from having to complete an environmental
assessment because its calculation of the project costs that have to be
considered for the law to apply are less than $3.5 million.
The law may allow this questionable bookkeeping for a $37.5 million, but it is
unacceptable. We need to know, as best science can tell us, what will happen
to the groundwater and soil contaminants when a large building puts pressure
on them. Where will they go? What effect on fish habitat and river health will
they have? What impact will an LVEC on Anglin Bay have on the environment?
An environmental assessment is not a punishment that the city should try to
avoid. It is a legal requirement in place to preserve natural assets and to
ensure that adequate environmental protection measures are taken for
large-scale undertakings. New provincial regulations allow environmental
assessments to have a narrow, site-specific focus and to be completed within
short deadlines.
I cannot see how the city can expect to receive federal and provincial
government and other funding for the LVEC on Anglin Bay when it is avoiding
its environmental responsibilities by not completing an environmental
assessment before building on the site.
We need to know, and have a right to know, what impact the project will have
on Kingston's environment and how much the necessary mitigation measures to
protect the environment will cost. We need an environmental assessment. Why is
the city trying to avoid taking this necessary step?
Sincerely,
Vicki Schmolka
Kingston