[All] Fw: Concerns regarding Humber River Spills response.

[Ginny Quinn]

Lulu       YOU ARE A MARVEL!!!!  You keep your eye on so much and then you
know who to contact.  Good for  you.  THANKS  Ginny

 

From: All [mailto:all-bounces at gren.ca] On Behalf Of Louisette Lanteigne
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 4:22 PM
To: GREN2
Subject: [All] Fw: Concerns regarding Humber River Spills response.

 

Good grief. Nobody called the NEB about the Humber Spill so I am sending
this letter to the board members at the NEB. 

 

Lulu 

 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com
<mailto:butterflybluelu at rogers.com> >
To: Sheri.young at neb-one.gc.ca <mailto:Sheri.young at neb-one.gc.ca>  
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 9:10:08 AM
Subject: Concerns regarding Humber River Spills response.




Hello Ms. Young

Please relay this correspondence to the Board on my behalf please. 

Thanks you

Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ont.
N2V 2L2

___________________________________________________________________


Dear Members of the Board, 

On May 31, 2014 I read an article titled, Spill Reported in Humber River in
North Toronto as published by the Toronto Star. The article states:

-Toronto Fire at first reported that the cause was a spill from a
high-pressure oil pipeline


-District Chief John Zovak told CP24 the incident was raised to a Level 2
hazmat call to bring in extra resources to identify the spill site. The
station reported that 40 firefighters and 10 trucks were called in to help
identify the source.


http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/05/31/spill_reported_in_humber_river_in
_north_toronto.html

The concern that I have from this event is the simple fact that the NEB was
not contacted or engaged in this investigation. I verified this with an NEB
staff member Jeremy Demtruk on August 12, 2014 by way of phone conversation
at approximately 2:15 pm. 

It may be an oversight or a one time mistake but then again it may reflect a
culture of complacency. The fact remains that over a 6 year period, the
Humber River has been hit with 900 oil spills and 750 chemical spills as
reported by the Toronto Star on Friday November 2, 2007 in an article titled
Humber River, A Major Concern written by reporter Paul Moloney. That article
is on line here: 


http://www.thestar.com/news/2007/11/02/humber_river_a_major_concern.html
<http://www.thestar.com/news/2007/11/02/humber_river_a_major_concern.html> 


Of these 900 spills, how many of were actually brought to the attention of
the NEB? How many spills have occurred in this area since 2007?

In my view, it appears as though the current protocol in Toronto is for the
municipality and MOE to bypass consultation with the NEB choosing to conduct
their own investigation and clean up "in house". This approach is
unacceptable and poses a serious risk. 

We have preventative policies in place where if there is one pollution
infringement, charges can be laid and if there are repeat offences, fines
increase to create a greater fiscal incentive for compliance. The problem
is, if the municipal emergency services fails to properly report the
incidents we cannot assure that these preventative policies will be
reasonably implemented as designed. 

The NEB has jurisdictional power to address pipeline leaks. Toronto's Fire
Department and Police as well as the MOE were informed about the spill but
the question remains: Who is responsible for NOT contacting the NEB? 

I would like to request that the board investigate this incident..  
 
With any suspected oil pipeline spill, the NEB should be contacted
immediately. A conference call can be facilitated with the NEB, MOE and
Municipal enforcement agencies to clarify the situation, what is being
impacted and what the solution is. After that there should be updates on
implementation and verification that the situation has been reasonably
resolved.

If there is a failure to contact the NEB, it should be deemed an indictable
offence


Thank you kindly for your time. 


Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ont.
N2V 2L2

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