Ministry Paves Way for Closer Look At Asphalt Plants

Friday, October 13, 2006 04:00 AM

The Provincial Minister of the Environment, Barry Penner says his office will look into the complaints of emissions from the two Asphalt plants located along the North Nechako after the North Nechako Residents and Landowners Association had asked his office to look into the matter.

Spokesperson for the group, Kathleen Haines, says the group is growing impatient with the wait. The Ministry of the Environment has requested all stack sampling information from the period January 2004 to the present. The information must be supplied by October 17th.

Both Pittman Asphalt and Columbia have been operating in a non compliance state since June 23rd of this year and both have been requested to provide further tests.

According to Haines, there are serious health concerns in the area. She says there have been incidents of brain tumours, and one area resident, who was not a smoker, died from fibroids in the lung.

The air quality issue forced one resident in the 1st and Tabor region to move his family into his parents home because the smell was too much to take.

Haines says that with air quality being a priority for Canadians, and the north already having higher than average cancer rates, there is reason for concern especially since Prince George has one of the worst air quality records in the province.

On Thanksgiving Monday residents in the area complained they weren’t even able to sit outside because of the stench and cloud of asphalt in the air.

Haines says since the City of Prince George hands out the paving contracts; surely they have some leverage when it comes to protecting the health of its individuals.

The city's Enivonment department has been working on a report to bring before City Council.

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Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: tiemens1 on October 13 2006 1:21 PM

I don't understand comments such as lefty's above. Because we live in an area that is considered desirable by many, does that mean that we deserve to suffer from the effects of air pollution? Is it some kind of warped tradeoff that nobody mentioned to us when we purchased our home? Believe me - last night when I drove my came home from work (from my $42,000 per year job) and got the lovely blast of asphalt aroma, I wished wholeheartedly that I had purchased a home in a different part of town. from people who think that those of us who are affected by this issue are somehow deserving. Or at least not to be sympathized with. We live in North Meadows. We do not live in a mansion - just an ordinary house that we worked hard to be able to afford. We raised a family here. Why are you so angry with us?

Posted by: tiemens1 on October 13 2006 1:26 PM

Oops I hit a key and posted my message above before I got a chance to finish editing it. Anyway, the gist of it is we are hardly wealthy, we worked hard to have a decent home in a nice subdivision - is that a bad thing? We've lived in North Meadows for years and never, before this year, experienced an issue with any more air pollution than other Prince George folks have to endure. I am having a hard time understanding the delight that some of our fellow citizens are taking in our situatio. What kind of person enjoys other people's suffering?

Posted by: Jethro on October 13 2006 1:36 PM

'What kind of person enjoys other people's suffering...?'

Someone that puts Lefty in front of their name and on their political sleeve.

Posted by: tiemens1 on October 13 2006 2:33 PM

You are so right. Of course. He just caught me at a weak moment. I was probably light-headed from the asphalt fumes!

Posted by: ammonra on October 13 2006 3:02 PM

Or those who think they are always, always Right.

Posted by: fedup on October 13 2006 4:24 PM

man i don't know where everyone lives on this site but it stinks everywhere and i don't think anyone should have to live with it. what i can't beleive is these clean air notices out that say no burning or street sweeping how about no smog produceing till the weather clears i guess we can't afford that?

Posted by: Chadermando on October 13 2006 9:55 PM

Maybe they could refurbish the old CN bridge, and stick the pavement plants out far in the North East corner of the city with the rest of the pollution in the direction the wind usually blows. It would create jobs hauling gravel if they continue to use the same gravel pits out Otway. On the other hand locating a pit out Shelly would be seen as the in thing to do for a competitive advantage. They could celebrate air pollution in all its forms.

If it is across the board, it is a cost of doing business for everyone, equal opportunity because no one is currently located out there.

Posted by: Chadermando on October 13 2006 9:59 PM

Leftie it must be tough living in the VLA, but you chose to live there knowing what your neighborhood is like, and they are victims of an abrubt change of circimstance that infringes on their homes and health directly.

Posted by: Chadermando on October 13 2006 10:01 PM

Try the foothills overpass any other day.

Posted by: Jethro on October 14 2006 11:45 AM

Yup Lefty.

Just a big, dum kid, stupid, stupid stupid.

But I seen lotsa stuff throught my big dum eyes.

Like people who resent other peoples who live in nicer houses then them, just becasue they ain't gotta house that's as nice as those other fellas houses.

You insulted everyone in the North Nechako / North Meadows area by implying they're elitist, and not deserving of environmental protection.

Typical chip-on-the-shoulder, eyes-wide-shut 'lefty' brain poo.

Posted by: owl on October 14 2006 2:04 PM

Not In My Back Yard .......

The attitude that such a philosophy is unacceptable and one ought to attack those with that attiutde and those who want certain standards to be maintained is completely unacceptable.

It does not matter who lived or manufactured where first or last. What matters is do we have good standards in place for protecting the public safety, and are we enforcing those standards?

The answer to both questions is all too often that the standards are inadequate or too wishy washy, and enforcement is virtually non-existent.

In fact, enforcement is typically based on complaints. The frequency with which we are told by the enforcers that such is the situaation, quite frankly, is unacceptable.

If people complain, then those who think like Lefty, start complaining about the complainers and pull the MIMBY thing out of their back pockets.......

Does anyone other than me understand that the "system" simply does not work?

There has to be a better way, and there are better ways, to ensure we can all live in a community which protects our lives from the business of others without each of us fighting each other while those who create the problem in the first place, and those how are paid to enforce standards are simple carrying as if nothing is wrong because they have a business to run in one case and they do not have enough resources in the other case.

Let's find a way to work together on this, people.

Posted by: Marty on October 15 2006 8:04 PM

A good pal of mine lives on Bench drive, which is off of N. Nechako rd....strange that when i go visit him at least once per week, and that includes being there just a week ago for a BBQ, I have not noticed any more odours there than anywhere else in PG.
Actually its much better there than right in the downtown IMHO.

I asked him and his kids if they thought it was bad there, and their response was " What smell are we supposed to be noticing? "

Very strange to say the least ...............