Al Lunney

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, JUNE 29, 2010

Re: Editorial, Foolish laws, June 21 and Rules Set Standards, June 23.

Minister Prentice is correct when he states that our current practice of dumping poorly treated sewage into our waterways is an environmental and human health issue that must be addressed. What Minister Prentice fails to tell us is that the steps the federal government is taking are baby steps and by no means do they address the full suite of problems we have today with respect to managing our sewage.
Environmental and human health is being jeopardized by treated effluent from wastewater treatment facilities, poorly monitored land application of sewage sludge, failing septic systems and overflows of untreated sewage from combined sewers and treatment facilities that are overwhelmed by rain.

The proposed Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, under the Fisheries Act, only address treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants (with exceptions for northern communities). The level of treatment that will be required (secondary) is the bare minimum to protect environmental and human health.

Not only are we way behind the times on this (the United States made secondary sewage treatment mandatory over 30 years ago!), our federal regulators will give many municipalities 30 years to bring their treatment facilities up to national standards.

The federal strategy to manage sewage does not address septic systems (in Canada about 40 per cent of the population is serviced by septic systems) and it does not address sewage sludge (the solid portion of our sewage). Most important, it does not adequately address a major pollution problem we have every time it rains: raw sewage flows into our river from combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows. If the regulations pass without changes, these overflows of untreated sewage will be better monitored, but considered acceptable and legal.

Here in Canada, the land of lakes and rivers, we are far behind in prioritizing the protection of our water quality and, ultimately, human health. Our wastes have changed significantly over the past decades and sewage has become a toxic cocktail of chemicals and substances that cause cancer, the feminization of fish and frogs, and conditions that render our lakes and rivers unsuitable for swimming and fishing. We need to step up our actions and make decreasing water pollution a true priority.

Meredith Brown,
Ottawa,
Riverkeeper and Executive Director,
Ottawa Riverkeeper
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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At Monday’s council meeting, I will formally announce that I will not run for re-election in October.

Many of you have been asking me to put my hat into the ring one more time. I want you to know that your phone calls, notes and personal conversations mean a great deal to me. I have given my decision a lot of thought, especially since I have so enjoyed the past seven years as mayor. If I were a bit younger, the decision would be easy. But looking at my family history, it isn’t fair to my family. Jeri and I need some down time, some time to visit grandchildren and children, some time to just hang out with each other.

It’s been quite a run. In seven years, Jeri and I have endured many personal hardships: prostate cancer; the loss of three brothers and a sister; the loss of our beloved niece to cancer; and the loss of Jeri’s mom. Because we have thrown ourselves into the political arena, these events have all been public with all the support that a person can get from this wonderful community. But when I look back to 2003, I sometimes wonder how we survived.

I am proud to have been the mayor of this great community of Mississippi Mills. I have enjoyed meeting the people in our community and assisting them with their concerns. I especially want to acknowledge the contributions of the many volunteers in our community. I have enjoyed driving through every part of this large community, being able to appreciate the beauty of our river, the farmlands and the shops.

Some of our accomplishments over the past seven years include the introduction of a Program Review, an ongoing process that has made departments more effective and efficient. All departments create task lists and make regular monthly updates to council resulting in council being fully informed of all issues.

We have greatly improved communication with the community through the advertisements in local newspapers, our website and our e-newsletters.

A major focus for me has been strategic planning. Highlights here include a 10-year capital/financial plan and bringing more businesses to town. General maintenance of roads, sidewalks and bridges are also the result of long-term planning. Plans have also included concentration on policing.

I strongly believe in fiscal responsibility. I am proud to say that taxes in the Town of Mississippi Mills are lower than in surrounding communities of Carleton Place, Perth, Arnprior and Lanark Highlands.

We have made amazing improvements to the infrastructure in our town. Such initiatives as the restoration of the Old Town Hall, the tarring and chipping of the town’s many country roads, the building of the roundabout at the entrance to town and the development of the waste water treatment plant have been undertaken. Other projects such as providing services in the business park, expanding the municipal offices, upgrading the Stewart Community Centre in Pakenham and the Almonte Community Centre have also been among priorities.

The beautification of the town has been another priority with large projects such as the Riverwalk and the Veterans’ Memorial Walkway and smaller projects such as the flowers and the community banners in Pakenham and Almonte. Students are hired each summer to keep our community looking beautiful. Of course, the Beautification Committee must be congratulated for their wonderful work and commitment to our community.

Throughout my mandate, I have enjoyed excellent rapport with the town’s partners at the county, provincial and federal levels. I have maintained an excellent relationship with our local MP, the Honourable Gordon O’Connor, and our MPP, Norm Sterling, and believe that I have been been a strong voice for our town with the higher levels of government.

One of the highlights of my political career was to be elected by my peers as Warden of Lanark County in 2007 This experience broadened my knowledge of the workings of municipal politics and widened my list of contacts and friends. When I was warden, the County partnered with the federal and provincial governments to provide high-speed Internet services to virtually all residents of Mississippi Mills. This allows our residents to enjoy the perks of big city living while living in our beautiful countryside.

I have had the luxury of working with two excellent staffs- at the county and especially at the town. I cannot say enough about the professionalism and energy with which these folks serve you in our beautiful town. I’m sure they didn’t know what to make of me when I arrived with no political experience in 2003. They know how much I have relied upon them and how much respect I have for their hard work and dedication.

In preparing to write these thoughts, I read over all of the speeches given at the end of a year or at the beginning of a term of council. The issues I raised during my first election in 2003- sustainable growth, policing, economic development, water protection, the capacity of the lagoon, rural character, protection of our farming community, transparency, seniors and youth- continued to be my focus throughout my two terms in office. I am particularly proud of our accomplishments in infrastructure. We have received grants for so many projects, including the waste water treatment plant, the two arenas, the Old Town Hall, rural roads and bridges, and so much more. I feel proud of what we’ve accomplished.

In the end, it all comes down to relationships with the people I have interacted with in seven years. I have worked closely with two County Councils and have made life-long friends. I have worked with two Town Councils and that has provided me with both joys and challenges. But especially, I have come to know and love the people who make up our town as I met with you in kitchens, town halls, at festivals or in the streets of our town.

There are no words to adequately describe how much I have enjoyed the ride!

Posted in Election | 6 Comments »

The haulers’ licenses have been approved for the next three years. The following paragraph is a part of this approval.

“I wish to reaffirm that Ontario is committed to ending the spreading of untreated septage on
land.  A number of area municipalities are developing capacity to treat septage at their sewage
treatment plants.  Please be aware that I will be taking available treatment capacity into account
when reviewing future applications for the renewal of this spreading site. I encourage you to
support the province’s effort by ending the spreading of untreated septage as soon as other
viable options become available to you.

Steve Burns, Ottawa District Manager, Ministry of the Environment

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The tenders for the Waste Water Treatment Plant were opened at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 27th. Seven major companies submitted bids and, according to our consultants, this was an excellent response.

The majority of tenders came in significantly lower than the projected cost. The lowest tenders are being further analysed and will be brought forward for Council’s review. The results will be formally presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, June 7th at 5 p.m.

As the tenders were significantly lowered than projected, there will be significant savings to both rural and urban residents. Preliminary figures show there would be a one-time capital cost to rural residents of approximately $120.

The Minister of the Environment, John Gerretsen has commited to a face-to-face meeting and we are awaiting suitable dates.

Posted in Mississippi Mills, Waste Water Treatment Plant | No Comments »

May 27, 2010

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment
77 Wellesley Street West
11th Floor, Ferguson Block
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2T5

Dear Minister:

I am writing in response to an article in the May 27th issue of the Canadian Gazette which reported that officials from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) “… told a delegation from Mississippi Mills town council that it was not able to say for sure what action it could take on the issue of septage spreading”. The same article reported that MOE officials suggested Mississippi council use the political route, curious given that the Mayor of Mississippi Mills, Al Lunney was previously directed by provincial politicians to contact MOE staff.

In June 2001, the Ontario government made a commitment to phase out the land application of septage over a five year period. One of the key provisions to take place once regulations were in place was that, “ …all requests for renewed approval of existing Certificates of Approvals for septage application would be reviewed to determine whether the materials could be accepted by local sewage treatment plants or another treatment facilities”. At the same time, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario in his Annual Report 2000/2001 stated that, “… the ECO’s review of existing policies and regulations for the land spreading of sewage sludge and septage has concluded that they are not adequate to protect the environment, even if they were consistently and firmly enforced” and that, “… even though septage presents a greater risk of introducing pathogens into the environment, Ontario’s septage spreading rules are weaker”.

On November 20, 2004, Leona Dombrowsky, then Minister of the Environment, in a speech to the Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services, said “…I believe that ending the practice of land disposal of untreated septage will benefit the people of Ontario. It will help protect public health and it will help protect the environment.” In that same speech, Minister Dombrowsky stated that the establishment of the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund was, “… good news for your industry because it means more municipal systems will be able to accommodate septage in the future”.

I am surprised then, given these statements, that this provincial government and its officials can still not to say for sure what action can be taken when it responds to the Mayor and council of Mississippi Mills. Although provincial politicians have done very little over the past nine years on fulfilling promises to ban land application of untreated septage and have not provided leadership or direction on resolving the issue, thankfully, Mayor Lunney and Mississippi Mills council have shown leadership in providing a solution. A design for septage handling facilities was added to the Mississippi Mills Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade, which was subjected to a provincial environmental assessment and discussed and presented at many open houses within the community.

There is one outstanding issue however. With the increased provincial tax burden, I am sympathetic to the recent concerns raised by rural residents that they will be exposed to the costs of operating the new septage handling facility if septage haulers are still allowed to spread septage within Mississippi Mills. What Mayor Lunney was seeking from MOE officials and you was a commitment to following the provisions of your own strategy, an end to Certificate of Approvals within Mississippi Mills once the septage handling facility is in place thereby ensuring septage haulers will be responsible for all of the operational costs for the facility. I find it puzzling that it is already prohibited to spread untreated septage on fields within the City of Ottawa given access to the capacity at the Robert O. Picard Environment Centre and treatment facility. One result of the Ottawa prohibition is that a large percentage of septage from the City of Ottawa is currently being spread on Mississippi Mills’ farm land. Why would the approach taken for Ottawa be different and thus why can you not provide the same assurances to the Mayor and council of Mississippi Mills once the septage handling facility is in place?

I have already written on many occasions to your predecessors on why banning land application of untreated septage is a good policy and regulations enforcing that policy are long overdue. Your predecessors and senior MOE officials have already stated publicly that this ban is in the public interest and will help protect human health and the environment. You only have to consider the many published studies including the study published in the British Medical Journal and reported in the National Post some years ago, “… people exposed to fields fertilized with human excrement run an increased risk of developing untreatable, potentially deadly viral and bacterial infections and cancer”.

Mayor Lunney is doing the right thing, not the politically safe thing. He and Mississippi Mills council deserve answers to two questions: is the Provincial Government of Ontario still committed to banning the land application of untreated septage, and; will you as Minister of the Environment terminate existing Certificate of Approvals for septage application within Mississippi Mills once the septage handling facilities are in place in 2012?

The newspaper article in the Canadian Gazette reported that the Mayor and his delegation did not get answers or direction from MOE officials at a meeting on May 19, 2010. As Minister of the Environment, I expect you to show leadership on this issue, provide the answers and let the Municipality get on with its work.

Yours sincerely,
Bruce Young
Mississippi Mills

cc. The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, MPP, Premier of Ontario
Al Lunney, Mayor, Town of Mississippi Mills
Tim Hudak, MPP, Leader Official Opposition for Ontario
Norm W. Sterling, MPP
Andrea Horwath, MPP, Leader New Democratic Party of Ontario
Denzil Ferguson, Councillor Town of Mississippi Mills
Editor Canadian Gazette (by e-mail)

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