Thunder Bay councillor 'cautiously optimistic' about state of harbour cleanup talks

The City of Thunder Bay should play an advisory role in any potential future plans to clean up a contaminated site in the north end of the harbour, but it can't foot the bill.

That's according to Andrew Foulds, the ward councillor for the area that includes the north harbour site located at the mouth of the Current River.Foulds is also the chair of a municipal advisory committee on climate change prevention and sustainability.

"The reality is, the city does not have the funds I mean, we're talking about a massive expense to clean this up," he said.

"The city, I think, needs to be at the table in an advisory position, [and to] be able to add advice and knowledge regarding things like zoning," Foulds continued, noting that any cleanup efforts, should they happen, will likely involve consultation with adjacent landowners.

• Hamilton mayor says harbour cleanups need a 'champion'

• Lake Superior toxic sludge cleanup options require millions

Most, if not all, stakeholders in any proposed cleanup of the harbour could also be at the same table next month for the first time, according to Jim Bailey, the coordinator of the Thunder Bay Remedial Action Plan the group responsible, at the local level, for advocating for a number of projects in the harbour.

Talks for a June meeting to discuss establishing a north harbour steering committee stemmed from discussions in April between local interests, including the Thunder Bay Port Authority, federal and provincial environmental agencies and Transport Canada, Bailey said, adding that he wants to reach out to the city and property owners near the polluted patch to bring them on-board for future talks.

Estimated costs for a cleanup, based on a number of options presented in 2014, ranged anywhere from $30 million to $90 million. Bailey said one thing that was discussed in April was looking at ways to manage the price tag and "getting a lower-cost option on the table."

"I'm pleased that there is the offer of having the city involved.I think that that's a good thing," Foulds said. "But at the end of the day, the financial resources need to come from other orders of government that have the ability to raise those funds."

More evidence of cooperation

Transport Canada is the federal department that owns the water lots where approximately 400,000 cubic metres of mercury-soaked pulp fibre are suspended in Lake Superior after decades of industrial use.

Bailey said the April meeting was the first time its officials attended talks in Thunder Bay.

It's a different tone from the past few years where little headway was evident after a number of remediation options were presented to the public in 2014. Officials in Hamilton, where harbour remediation is underway, have pointed to the success in their community of bringing a variety of interests together.

• Who is responsible for leading a cleanup of Thunder Bay's harbour? Depends who you ask

"I wouldn't say we're on the verge of a cleanup here by any means but the idea of collaboration and agreeing to meet and to try and get this project done, that's something new," Bailey said.

"There's been reluctance to date."

That apparent commitment to cooperation is something Foulds said he's also "cautiously optimistic" about, adding that EarthCare is in frequent contact with the remedial action plan.

"I think this needs to be a top priority," he said. "I'm hopeful that all the stakeholder groups can get together and cooperate and find a solution to clean this north harbour up."