Toxic soil cover-up

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by George Maddux

Local transit authorities are holding back information about toxins in the soil at a long-time St-Henri bus terminal, according to Richard Marois of environmentalist group Résidant Vert. The gas-drenched lot at Lenoir and St-Antoine, soon slated to host a Home Depot hardware store, is thought to have caused lead poisoning and other health problems among nearby residents. Suzanne Duranceau, a resident of the adjacent public housing, says her 11-month-old child has experienced constant health problems and has been diagnosed with high levels of lead in her blood while her other daughter has suffered chronic headaches. "Other neighbours say they feel dizzy or numb and many others got lung cancer," she says. Dr. Réal Barette of the Hôpital Notre-Dame has confirmed a high incidence of lead-related sicknesses in the area.

Marois says Résidant Vert will file access-to-information demands to find out the exact state of the soil, which the MUCTC refuses to disclose because it is currently being sued by the City of Westmount for allegedly polluting the land. Marois says the first step to a solution is to get straight info from the transit corp. "If they're hiding nothing, let them show us the documents. If, as they say, there's nothing bad in the soil, then there will be no problem," says Marois. The group wants the soil, which they estimate contains 240,000 litres of gas, removed and replaced. However Home Depot plans to cleanse the soil over five years employing a special method involving suction and bacteria.