Manitoba Liberals pledge funds for lead remediation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/08/2019 (1712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial Liberals have promised to spend $7 million on lead remediation efforts every year, if Manitobans vote red Sept. 10.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont made the announcement Friday morning outside of Weston School in northwest Winnipeg, where recesses were held on the blacktop this year over concerns about lead levels higher than national safety guidelines in the neighbourhood soil.

“Kids shouldn’t have school yards with high lead levels, and people should be able to plant gardens in their backyards without worrying about their health,” Lamont told reporters.

He said the funds will be spent on testing for toxins, public education campaigns, grants for communities to remediate soil, and evaluations of the effectiveness of removal techniques.

Chronic exposure to lead can have lifelong impacts, including brain, nerve and kidney damage, muscle weakness and increased blood pressure. Young children exposed to lead are especially at risk of health effects since their brains and bodies are developing.

It is unclear how many Manitobans are affected by soil, air and water contaminated by heavy metals. That’s why more resources need to be spent on locating contaminated areas, Lamont said, adding the province needs to pinpoint the source.

During last summer’s area byelection (which Lamont won), it was revealed the PC government withheld a report on heavy metal contamination in south St. Boniface yards from residents for at least six weeks. The sustainable development minister cited election blackout rules as being the reason residents weren’t immediately notified.

Former Progressive Conservative and NDP governments have taken too little action to address lead contamination over the last 30 years, Lamont said, adding both have pointed fingers at one another instead.

(“The Liberal party should be wagging their fingers at the NDP, who hid concerning soil condition results from Winnipeggers for years,” PC spokesman Kevin Engstrom said in an email statement.)

Last fall, the Pallister government undertook soil testing in the neighbourhoods of Weston, Point Douglas, Wolseley, Minto, Riverview, Lord Roberts, Glenelm and Chalmer. The testing took place in the same areas targeted in 1981 and 2007 government studies, which were buried by former governments.

While the latest report indicated lead levels in a majority of the areas decreased over the last 10 years, areas in Point Douglas and Weston were found to have concentrations of lead above the national guidelines — a concentration above 140 parts per million.

Engstrom said the government is waiting on an expert consultant’s report that evaluates options to properly address the issue, adding the Liberals decision to put a price tag on the efforts at this stage is “premature and irresponsible.”

Meanwhile, the NDP’s Fort Garry candidate said in a statement the party has been calling for a risk assessment for Winnipeggers to address the health impacts of soil contamination for more than a year.

Mark Wasyliw said the NDP has called on the Pallister government to retest areas of concern and issue annual soil test reports for residents.

Manitoba Green Leader James Beddome addressed the announcement in a Friday news release, in which he questioned how the average homeowner will decontaminate their own soil with help from a grant.

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“There also needs to be a tightening up of industry regulations to prevent future contamination,” Beddome said.

Earlier this week, the City of Winnipeg sent letters to 23,000 Winnipeggers to warn them their homes might have lead pipes.

When asked whether the $7 million would also address lead pipes in Manitoba homes, Lamont said it is “a much bigger issue” that would have to be done through a separate program.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

Maggie Macintosh
Reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Winnipeg Free Press. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

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