I am from cape breton island which is surrounded by the atlantic ocean. The sydney tar ponds were a hazardous waste site on cape breton island in nova scotia, canada. The sydney tar ponds cleanup is the result of nearly 100 years of. Sydney tar ponds contamination, nova scotia canada ejatlas.
This interdisciplinary project offers new insights into the reclamation history of two of the most controversial and contaminated sites in canadian history. The process of turning coal into coke resulted in a toxic soup of deadly chemicals, mercury and other heavy metals. The people of sydney, ns, canada, are now able to enjoy more of their downtown because remediation of the tar ponds and coke ovens is complete. Cape breton storm cleanup videos and latest news articles. Several critical steps toward cleanup of the tar ponds and coke ovens site are beginning this week. I compare my knowledge of recent cape breton history to that stretch of prince street that runs past big bens convenience functional but full of potholes. The impacts they have had are devastating, chain pickerel are highly predatory. The former steel plant is geographically located in the centre of sydney,4 on cape breton island in the north of nova scotia. Domco coal was mined in dominion, near glace bay and was used to make coke. The creation of the remediation monitoring oversight board was announced in january 2007 when an environmental assessment approval was granted to the sydney tar ponds agency to move forward with the cleanup. There has been much political controversy concerning the cleanup of the site, and. He also served as a founding member of the board of the offshore trade association of nova scotia, as president of the cape breton offshore trade association, as executive director of vision community initiatives for regional development and as co chair of the remediation subcommittee of the sydney tar ponds cleanup. The house resumed from february 16 consideration of the motion that bill c11, an act to authorize the divestiture of the assets of, and to dissolve, the cape breton development corporation, to amend the cape breton development corporation act and to make consequential amendments to other acts, be read the second time and referred to a. See who you know at sydney tar ponds agency, leverage your professional network, and get hired.
Government of canadas response to the environmental. Emily is the chief operating officer at modest tree and has worked with the company through highgrowth stages, leading the operations and project management. Tenders have been called for the final phase of the project. Cape clear lookoff can be found by turning off the 105 trans canada and heading towards margaree until you reach the turnoff towards hunters mountain. The sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites are abandoned industrial properties located within the urban boundaries of sydney, nova scotia, canada. Microstation inroads, sms, widget, as well as 3d applications. Cleanup preparations proceed at tar ponds and coke ovens. The sydney tar ponds, long considered one canadas most toxic waste sites, is being unveiled today as a green space after decades of work and hundreds of millions spent to clean up the site. Duckbill check valves clean up cape breton the duckbill valve is widely used as a backflow device whenever there is a concern of possible backflow up a stream channel. Oct 31, 2018 feds gave millions for sydney tar ponds cleanup. The government of canada congratulates the sydney tar ponds agency and the local companies and their employees who have worked so hard on this important cleanup, said ms. This gravel road keeps going upward into the highlands of cape breton quite literally on top of the mountains. The tar ponds is the common name for muggah creek, a tidal estuary that received discharges from upstream industrial activities associated with approximately 90 years of steel making, including coke production. Located on the eastern shore of sydney harbour in the former city of sydney, the tar ponds formed in a tidal estuary at the mouth of muggah creek, a freshwater stream that empties into the harbour.
The great cape breton clean up cape breton regional. His job was to transform ponds containing one million tonnes of raw sewage, heavy metals, dioxins. Provided technical leadership to teams of software developers. Part of her job was to monitor public perception of the. Environmental clean up of the sydney tar ponds youtube. Cape breton regional municipality also referred to as cbrm, is a regional municipality in nova scotias cape breton island. The attraction for establishing a coal industry in cape breton was the coal mines, a. It was an intimidating sight for burke, who was charged with cleaning up the toxic mess left behind after almost a century of steelmaking at the sydney steel plant in cape breton. The sydney tar ponds experience suggests that truly successful reclamation cannot exist unless past injustices are fully acknowledged, reparations made, and a more complete narrative of contamination and reclamation constructed through open deliberation. Applications to join the remediation monitoring oversight board will be accepted until june 28.
It is the second largest municipality in the province. Pdf indigenous communities and social enterprise in canada. Cape breton an independent board is being created to help oversee the cleanup of the tar ponds and coke ovens site. The landfill area was originally used for slag and other wastes from steel production but is now.
He also served as a founding member of the board of the offshore trade association of nova scotia, as president of the cape breton offshore trade association, as executive director of vision community initiatives for regional development and as co chair of the. This gemini nominated story looks at the clean up of one of canadas worst toxic sites and how small freaks of nature might unknowingly signal its success o. The infamous sydney tar ponds are well known as one of the largest toxic waste sites of canada, due to almost 100 years of steelmaking in sydney, a once beautiful and peaceful city located on the east side of cape breton island, nova scotia. Remediated sydney tar ponds unveiled as green space cbc news. An industrial hellscape of openpit mines spreads across the land, giving way to 220 km2 of tailings ponds that drown the ruins of. We look forward to seeing local companies leverage their new skills to continue building on the economic growth that this project has brought to cape breton. The sydney tar ponds cleanup is the result of nearly 100 years of steel production in sydney, nova scotia.
In 1995, the government of nova scotia sought to reduce the number of incorporated towns and cities in the province through amalgamation. This mill was named disco, or dominion iron and steel company limited, which was ultimately a subsidiary of domco, or the dominion coal company limited. Over the past 10 years emily has worked in high finance, and in information technology, leading high. Sydney tar ponds remediation project public services and procurement canadafederal lead for sydney tar ponds cleanup january 28, 2007 the government of canada and the province of nova scotia reached an historic milestone announcing the full remediation of the sydney tar ponds and coke ovens cleanup to begin in spring 2007. May argued that the federal government had already spent hundreds of millions of dollars for an environmental cleanup of a provincial installation the sydney tar ponds on cape breton island, which she called one of. The minister of environment appointed sinclair dewis, edwin maclellan and colin hines to the board.
The infamous tar ponds on cape breton island in nova scotia contain an. Producing oil from tar sands is a resourceintensive process. Unfortunately, many of these programs fell victim to the series of. Located in nova scotia, canada, the sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites are the result of more than 100 years of steel production. Jul 18, 2017 operated various software pakages inckuding but not limited to. Preparation of reports, scope of work, and proposals for projects for municipal, provincial and federal government sectors, and industrial and private sector clients. I know that the first target of the jag group was to, within a period of three years, come forward with a process, not a cleanup, but a process to clean up the tar ponds and the coke oven site. Located on the eastern shore of sydney harbour in the. Assessment and recommendations on preventative maintenance and market value of the various structures at the sydney tar ponds site report no. Environmental clean up of the sydney tar ponds duration. Time to start protecting cape bretons wildlife local.
Remediation of sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites. The tar ponds are a 700,000tonne anchor, dragging the island down. I was not here to witness important events like the end of the steel and coal industries, the creation of the cbrm or the tar ponds cleanup. On may 12, 2004, the governments of canada and nova scotia signed a memorandum of agreement moa which committed the two levels of government to the remediation of the sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites, located in the heart of sydney in the cape breton regional municipality, nova scotia. Blue mussels mytilus edulis as bioindicators of stable water quality in sydney harbour during remediation of the sydney tar ponds, nova scotia, canada. Cape breton environmental group plans cleanup at donkin beach. Feb 23, 2016 the origin of orenda software solutions cape bretons top entry in the recent i3 technology startup competition dates back to the days when tanya collier macdonald was working in public relations for the sydney tar ponds cleanup. Since the early 1900s it has received contamination from various industrial and domestic sources including marine transport, ship repair, fish processing, coal mining and processing facilities, steel mills, and untreated sewage. I think that that three years expires in january 2002. Mar 01, 2003 sydney harbour is located on the northeast coast of cape breton island, nova scotia, canada. Robert nearing manager public works east division cape. A narrative analysis of success and failure in environmental remediation.
Emily smits is the cofounder of modest tree, a software company developing virtual, augmented and 3d training tools and solutions. Onsite consultant work for tar pondscoke ovens and ns lands site cleanup contractors including environmental management. Beaton said the backers of the privately funded megaproject have not yet picked a site on the island, but are returning for the fifth time to talk to people and. The cape breton district labour council and the canadian labour congress have organized a series of municipalities matter public forums in different communities within the cape breton regional municipality to bring members of the communities and unions together to discuss what the priorities should be for the municipal government. Remediation of the sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites. Throughout the 19th century, runoff from coke ovens associated with sydney steel corporations nowdecommissioned steel mill filled the estuary with the typical variety of coalbased contaminants and sludge. Men of the deeps,coal mines of cape breton duration. Ive written about the coke ovens and the tar ponds since the early 1980s. Contracts have been awarded to cape bretonbased companies for the construction of the first portion of an interceptor sewer line that bypasses the tar ponds. The tar ponds were constructed in the 1940s to handle the overflow coal tar and currently contain an estimated 700,000 tons of conratninated sediment. May argued that the federal government had already spent hundreds of millions of dollars for an environmental cleanup of a provincial installation the sydney tar ponds on cape breton island, which she called one of the countrys worst toxic waste sites.
He said anyone who finds debris needing to be cleaned up should contact the. The sydney tar ponds, long considered one canadas most toxic waste sites, is set to reopen as a park 1. We have so many different breeds of sea birds and too often we see them damaged by pollution. A lively and informative blend of news designed to put cape breton listeners back in touch with their communities at the end of the workday. The long awaited cleanup of sydneys tar ponds is one step closer to completion. Sydney tar ponds cleaned up but ghosts of toxic past remain. The sydney tar ponds agency a special operating agency of the. Whereas excess cancer and mortality may be indicative of historic exposures, increased rates of adverse birth outcomes may reflect more current conditions.
The syndney tar ponds in cape breton, nova scotiaa result of toxic runoff from steel industry coke ovensare north americas largest toxic waste site. The minister of environment and pwgsc announced an ea decision for the sydney tar ponds and coke ovens remediation project in may 2005. A narrative analysis of success and failure in environmental. The invasive chain pickerel in cape breton watersheds. Story of the mikmaq involvement in the sydney tar ponds cleanup project 3 part documentary. They will have the tar ponds cleaned up before you finish that thing. The origin of orenda software solutions cape bretons top entry in the recent i3 technology startup competition dates back to the days when tanya collier macdonald was working in public relations for the sydney tar ponds cleanup. Once that cleanup is done, yates said the group will focus on other cape breton beaches, including the one in inverness. The invasive chain pickerel were believed to be introduced into blacketts lake in 2010, by the illegal movements of live fish and dispersal likely by sports fishermen. According to the 2006 census of canada, cbrms population is 102,250. Environment canada and the sydney tar ponds agency developed the proposed cleanup plan. Do a search for cape breton tar ponds in any search engine and youll find tons of news reports on this problem. Gathered data and digitized a map for load balancing of the distribution system for the island of cape breton.
One of the hardest parts of getting the job done will be persuading people who have grown cynical and mistrustful. Dec 14, 2018 i compare my knowledge of recent cape breton history to that stretch of prince street that runs past big bens convenience functional but full of potholes. Pdf blue mussels mytilus edulis as bioindicators of. The tar ponds cleanup was the top story in the daily planet for 2008 and we have been prominently displayed in several national and international magazines, have presented the project to thousands of experts in the field of remediation and environmental technology, and stay close to our community with the help of volunteers on the projects. Forest sector will fight for northern pulp the cape breton post article by columnist jim vibert. We do a shoreline cleanup every year with our girls and it is an amazing way to give back to the community, preserve our beautiful coastline, and educate youth on environmental issues. Sydney, on cape breton island, nova scotia, one of the most scenic parts of the. The cape breton environmental association also says other beaches across the island are affected by. Tar ponds and coke ovens cleanup marks major milestone. Cape clear near cheticamp, ns a rock climbing and hiking. Independent board to oversee tar ponds cleanup section. Histopathologic and histochemical biomarker responses of.
Sydney tar ponds remediation project real property pspc. Baseball sooners return to cape breton tories to stay with hamm. Local willingnesstopay estimates for the remediation of the sydney tar ponds in nova scotia ida ferrara, economics, atkinson, york university, toronto, canada. Information about the tar ponds and coke ovens cleanup progress in sydney, cape breton, nova scotia, canada. The chemicals came from a sydney steel corporations steel mill that polluted the area for over 100 years.
By an astonishing coincedence, this place also has the highest cancer rate in canada. Notorious sydney tar ponds turned into beautiful park. Comments on remediation of sydney tar ponds and coke. Archived sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites remediation. Glace bay,dominion and reserve mines cape breton ns june 1409. The infamous tar ponds on cape breton island in nova scotia contain an estimated 750,000 tons of toxic chemical contaminants, in an area known as one of the most polluted sites in canada. Sydney tar ponds cleaned up but ghosts of toxic past.
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