Liberal Millionaires Club

Ronnie McKinley, Liberal Minister of Highways and Doctor of Death for our children

Editor – Disability Alert reported this story as the first article on the Liberal Millionaires Club on June 19, 2008 following up a story in the Guardian of a week earlier. We reported correctly then that the land, with a skim of dirt is another Love Canal in the making.

Love Canal, along the Niagara Rivers, was meant to be a dream community. Improper dumping of chemical wastes turned it into a tragedy with children dying of various cancers and children born with abnormal birth defects.

The US EPA reported:

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.–Twenty five years after the Hooker Chemical Company stopped using the Love Canal here as an industrial dump, 82 different compounds, 11 of them suspected carcinogens, have been percolating upward through the soil, their drum containers rotting and leaching their contents into the backyards and basements of 100 homes and a public school built on the banks of the canal.

Only a corrupt government would risk the lives of school children to make patronage profits for Ronnie McKinley and Clifford McQuaid.

Why didn’t the Province demand all the tainted soil be removed as it was on the corner of University Avenue for the new Jean Canfield Building? The reason is no doubt because the Federal Government doesn’t want to risk the health of adults, while the Provincial Government will sell our children into a poisonous play field for a few dollars.

The PEI Department of the Environment issued an all safe report for the sports field; however, how can Islanders trust them when the Minister George Webster is a polluting farmer?

Ronnie McKinley has always appealed to Islanders as a friendly, country kind of guy. What if he is really just a money-grubbing creep who doesn’t care for our children? The indicators point that way.

Liberal corruption is not a joke or just harmless. It risks our lives everyday when the Liberals think only of their wallets and not the health and safety of Islanders, especially children.

WAYNE THIBODEAU
The Guardian

A Conservative MLA is raising safety concerns about a new sports field being developed in Charlottetown.

Mike Currie says he fears the province is putting children at risk by developing the sports field off Longworth Avenue, which was the site of a former oil tank farm.

During question period Thursday, Currie asked if an environmental safety assessment was carried out.

“If the minister is so concerned about safety, why did you buy four acres of land-locked, contaminated, soaked in hydrocarbons land and are now going to allow our children to play on it?” Currie asked. “It was $1 million you gave your buddy Cliff,” he referred to Charlottetown developer and well-known Liberal Cliff McQuaid.

Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron MacKinley said his department was lobbied to purchase the land by the Department of Education and city councillors. He said all environmental studies were carried out.

“Why shouldn’t the children in Charlottetown have a right to play the same as anybody in rural P.E.I.? We can’t have two standards here.”

The Eastern School District hopes to use the land for a multi-purpose sports field for three inner-city schools.

The field will be used for a variety of sports, such as football, rugby and field hockey and will include a walking track around the perimeter.

Environment Minister George Webster said his officials agreed as long as 30 centimetres of topsoil was put over the property, it would be safe to use.

“We made a determination that the hydrocarbons in the ground did not go anywhere, will not go anywhere, but we wanted that barrier between the existing soil that was there,” said Webster, but Currie said it’s a dangerous precedent.

“So is that going to be the norm from now on? If an oil tank releases its oil onto the ground and it goes down six or eight feet are you going to make them clean it up or just tell them they can shovel some clay over the top of it and everything is fine?” Currie asked.

Reader Comments

Tom The Truth Teller from Ward 4, PEI writes:

This is unbelievable. How much would Cliff McQuaid have had to spend to clean up this land to make it meet residential building code standards. Is the McQuaid that did one on the assessments for government on this property related to Cliff. How can the Birchwood families trust that a few centimetres of soil will make this unsafe site – safe.

Would any other sports field on PEI be built on what appears to be a Toxic Dump. The kids at this school never had a sports field for the entire history of this old school. Now this! I wonder which side of his mouth Minister Webster would be speaking if it were his kids going to play there. And Mitch Tweel. This was a real cruel joke, Mitch. Your electorate gave you a lot of slack. I doubt they will be as generous next time. I know I won’t be voting for you anymore! Posted 22/11/2008 at 7:53 AM

Michael Le Clair from Ward 4, Charlottetown, PEI writes:

This story has me very worried and disappointed. I have long supported the idea that the kids at Birchwood have a sports field. For years and years they were the only kids on PEI without a field.

I said nothing when it appeared that Cliff MacQuaid got far too much money for this land. Given the track record of land deals on PEI, I felt very uncomfortable with the amount of money going to Mr. MacQuaid.

Now to find out that what we have here is a bit of soil over the top of a very chemically polluted land base is disturbing. Why were the parants not informed? Why were the residents of Ward 4 not informed?

To much has been left to the trust of certain elected officials. Our trust and confidence has been taken for granted.

Why did Mitch Tweel go along with this deal and not represent the residents of Ward 4. Did he not think this chemical pollution a serious issue. Was he not aware of this situation?

I for one will not be supporting the Councillor any longer.

I feel absolutely let down on this issue and a few centimetres of soil is simply not a sufficient answer. We need an independant appraisal of this site and find out what the long term dangers to the health of the kids at Birchwood could be.

Sweeping this under the carpet is not something that I think should take place. I believe when the residents of Ward 4 discover what has taken place here they will be very disappointed! Posted 22/11/2008 at 9:25 AM

Taxpayer from Charlottetown writes:

The land was worthless and should of been donated. This government just like the other one continues to get fleeced by one of their own. If it was donated then we could of spent the million cleaning it up. It sickens me to see public officials waste my tax money. Posted 22/11/2008 at 11:44 AM

Confused In Cornwall from pei writes:

It’s not just contaminated with fuel oil though, it is also over the soil quality standards set by the Canadian Council for Ministers of the Environment in Arsenic, Copper, and Zinc. The arsenic levels in particular are 24 mg/kg — 2 times the applicable criteria of 12 mg/kg. The Guardian reported in June that there were trace amounts of metals and hydrocarbons. At twice the applicable criteria, I think that the phrase trace amounts glossed over the truth. Even if it turns out that Jacques Whitford’s recommendations were sound and properly implemented, why wasn’t the public notified? Ron MacKinley refused the opposition’s request to release the environmental report, stating that he couldn’t release it until after they bought the property! Posted 22/11/2008 at 11:55 AM

JD from PE writes:

Mitch Tweel needs to answer some questions.

I can’t imagine any parent being comfortable allowing their kids to play on those fields knowing what is just few inches below the surface.

Didn’t they one try to bury parts of the Sydney Tar Ponds?

Imagine all the chemicals and dangerous items buried only a couple inches where young children will be playing.

This was a deal cooked up between Tweel and Doug Currie..the Minister of Health which is more than a tad ironic the Minister of Health not worrying about children’s safety.

There needs to be a FULL Environmental study done on this property before any children are ever allowed on this land. Posted 22/11/2008 at 12:33 PM

This is crazy from PEI writes:

Now they want to develop another contaminated site in the tank farm by the Hillsborough Bridge. What do we have a Department of Environment for? Would it not be prudent for them either do their jobs properly or not bother to exist?? Posted 22/11/2008 at 8:31 PM

George from Charlottetown, PE writes:

The term fair market value comes to mind. Selling four acres of contaminated land, land not suitable for development without millions of dollars worth of clean-up doesn’t appear to be prudent use of public funds.

The Love Canal disaster in Ontario is a well known example of using contaminated land for public use and how many fatalities did it take before Government was forced to step in? I know this is an extreme example of the dangers involved but we are dealing with children after all and three meters of topsoil seams to be little protection for our future leaders.

Was this a way for Cliff McQuaid to unload property he would otherwise be unable to sell and if so was the price paid inflated to pad the pocket of a Liberal supporter? Questions, questions, questions Posted 23/11/2008 at 9:28 AM

Mell from PE writes:

Health concerns should be the first issue to resolve and children should not be playing on contaminated sites, period.

I also was in the Cruise terminal for the first time this year when the Charlottetown was in dock, and I was shocked at the air quality I was breathing- I got an instant headache and could not stay in the building- it was all I could do to go through it to the ship for the obvious smell of oil or something toxic in the air- this too should be checked. Posted 23/11/2008 at 2:45 PM

john do from stratford, pei writes:

How many sets 0f lights are ya puttin in at the park Ron? Oh wait you have no property there so it doesnt matter what you and Cliff do!