POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE

Not bloody likely in this province. Locally we've had redevelopment/ cleanup at the old Voisin car dealership by Arthur and Church St., the removal and cleanup (gasoline) from beneath the Steddick Hotel, the extensive excavation and cleanup of the former Strauss Fuels across from the former Martin Pet Foods and the tearing down of Procast. I wonder how much of these cleanups were paid for by the polluter? Of course there was the removal of hundreds of tonnes of contaminated soil from Varnicolor Chemical and the ongoing (mostly talk) alleged "cleanup" at Chemtura (Uniroyal).

The reason I wonder about who paid the full cleanup costs is because if it wasn't the polluter then it was you and I the taxpayers. Have you heard of the Contaminated Sites Grant Program? It seems to be running full tilt in Cambridge and it entails grants of up to 100% of restoration costs including labour, materials, soil removal or destruction of contaminants. This program while run at the Municipal level has the involvement of the Province through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment. The Feds are also involved through Canada Mortgage and Housing. Here we have one more example of Externalization of costs whereby business and industry pass their costs and expenses onto the public purse. These are the governments that you and I elect to shaft us.