October 19th, 2017

Libs fail to act on Niagara River sewage dumping: NDP

Despite multiple letters to the Ministry of Environment, the Wynne Liberals are refusing to take action on raw sewage being dumped in the Niagara River, says Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates.

“This summer, I sent this government a letter asking them to investigate the concerns of the dumping of raw sewage into the Niagara River. It took this government almost one full month and another letter to even reply,” said Gates during question period this morning. “When the Minister of the Environment finally replied, he simply told me this was an American issue. Since that time, raw sewage has been dumped again into the Niagara River a number of times.”

Since Gates first wrote to the government, there have been at least five additional instances where raw sewage has been dumped into the river. The spills are caused by overflow at sewage treatment plants on the New York side of the river; American authorities say the spills could continue for five years.

Gates says local residents and businesses are concerned about how the sewage is affecting water quality and safety.

When Gates reminded the government that “there is no stop sign or fence in the middle of the Niagara River. It connects the US to Ontario. It is a shared natural resource,” Minister of Environment and Climate Change Chris Ballard flippantly replied that “the last time I checked, Niagara Falls, New York is in New York, which is the United States.”

Gates reminded the government of the seriousness of issue.

“Residents want to know if damage was done to our river and how to stop these deliberate spills from occurring,” he said, asking, “When can the residents expect the Premier to take this issue seriously, stand up for our environment and investigate these spills?”