THUNDER  BAY  REMEDIAL  ACTION  PLAN  (RAP)   Public  Advisory  Committee  (PAC)  Meeting     November  30,  2016  –  7  p.m.   ATAC  Room  3004   Lakehead  University,  Thunder  Bay  ON     ATTENDANCE     Ted  Armstrong  –  Thunder  Bay  Field  Naturalists   Jim  Bailey  –  Lakehead  University  (LU)  Remedial  Action  Plan  (RAP)   Frank  Edgson  –  Thunder  Bay  Public  Advisory  Committee  (PAC),  Co-­‐chair   Paul  Filteau  -­‐  Public   Colleen  George  -­‐  Public   Tara  George  –  Ontario  Ministry  of  the  Environment  and  Climate  Change  (MOECC)     Jean  Hall-­‐Armstrong  –  Thunder  Bay  PAC,  Co-­‐chair   Richard  Harvey  –  Mayor,  Township  of  Nipigon   Guy  Jarvis  –  Thunder  Bay  Port  Authority   Chris  McLauglin  -­‐    Hamilton  Harbour  Bay  Area  Restoration  Council   Samuel  Pegg  –  LU  RAP  Office   Stefan  Pomorski  –  LU  Student   Bruce  Pritchard  –  Thunder  Bay  PAC   Kathy  Sakamoto  –  Thunder  Bay  PAC   Simon  Shankie  –  Lakehead  Regional  Conservation  Authority   Jamie  Saunders  –  EcoSuperior   Rob  Stewart  –  Lakehead  University  –  Geography  and  the  Environment   Michelle  Willows  -­‐  Public   Nathan  Wilson  –  LU  Graduate  Student     3  participants  joined  the  meeting  online.                     -­‐  1  -­‐     INTRODUCTIONS     J.  Hall-­‐Armstrong  called  the  meeting  to  order  and  asked  attendees  to  introduce   themselves.     REVIEW  OF  MINUTES  OF  SEPTEMBER  21,  2016     Meeting  minutes  of  the  September  21st,  2016  PAC  meeting  were  reviewed.  No   errors  or  omissions  were  noted.     REVIEW  OF  ACTION  ITEMS     ACTION  ITEM  #1  OF  SEPTEMBER  21ST/2016:  J.  Bailey  to  contact  Hamilton   Harbour  RAP  about  the  possibility  of  having  a  presentation  about  the  “Randle  Reef”   harbor  cleanup  project.     STATUS:  Chris  McLaughlin,  Executive  Director  of  the  Hamilton  Harbour  Bay   Area  Restoration  Council  will  give  a  presentation  on  the  project  later  in  the   meeting.         ACTION  ITEM  #2  OF  SEPTEMBER  21ST/2016:  J.  Bailey  to  contact  the  City  of   Thunder  Bay  to  see  if  they  are  offering  tours  of  the  Atlantic  Avenue  Water  Pollution   Control  Plant.     STATUS:  Jim  Bailey  said  the  City  is  open  to  hosting  the  PAC  at  the  Water   Pollution  Control  Plant.       FILM  –  Randle  Reef  Contaminated  Sediment  Remediation  Project   Environment  and  Climate  Change  Canada     A  9-­‐minute  film  produced  by  Environment  and  Climate  Change  Canada  on  the   Randle  Reef  cleanup  was  screened.  The  video  is  available  here.         PRESENTATION  –  BACKGROUND  AND  OVERVIEW  OF  HAMILTON  HARBOUR’S   RANDLE  REEF  CLEANUP  PROJECT   Dr.  Chris  McLaughlin,  Hamilton  Harbour  Bay  Area  Restoration  Committee     Dr.  C.  McLaughlin  gave  a  presentation  on  the  efforts  of  the  Hamilton  Harbour  Bay   Area  Restoration  Committee  (BARC)  to  address  an  area  of    severe  contamination  in   Hamilton  Harbour  centered  around  a  location  at  Randle  Reef.  A  portion  of  his   presentation  covered  the  history  of  the  Hamilton  Area  and  the  background  to  the   contamination.    His  presentation  also  covered  the  140  million  dollar  construction  of   the  cleanup  project.     Slides  from  C.  McLaughlin’s  presentation  can  be  accessed  here.         Following  his  presentation,  C.  McLaughlin  opened  the  floor  for  questions  and/or   comments.  Dr.  McLaughlin  said  he  hoped  his  presentation  would  be  instructive  as     -­‐  2  -­‐     the  Thunder  Bay  Public  Advisory  Committee  seeks  to  find  resolution  for  a  large  area   of  mercury  contamination  in  the  northern  section  of  Thunder  Bay’s  own  harbor,  off   the  mouth  of  Current  River.       The  following  suggestions  were  made  by  Dr.  McLaughlin  and  by  participants  in   meeting  discussion:       • Many organizations cooperated to effect Hamilton Harbour cleanup, among them the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Port Authority. Reach out to similar organizations in Thunder Bay to explore ways in which support can be offered. • Strive for a non-adversarial approach. • Supporting organizations have varying capabilities and assets; they need to work within their own individual means and may have substantial experience, expertise and resources to contribute. • Examine surrounding land uses as these lands may play a role in cleanup, depending upon which cleanup method is utilized. Potential efficiencies and obstacles need to be recognized well in advance. • Reach out to surrounding landowners, they are the most directly impacted stakeholders in any cleanup process. Some of them may have operated in the area for a long time and have sound advice to offer. They may also be able to contribute resources, even if it is only to act as an equipment staging area. • The new owners of “the shipyards” (Heddle Marine Services Inc.) have considerable marine engineering experience, as well as experience in other aquatic cleanup projects. They should be fully informed about the large area of contamination adjacent to their site and any opportunities to assist. • Creosote contamination surrounding the former North Wood Preservers site had a name – “the blob” (cleanup of this site was completed in 2005). Give Thunder Bay North Harbour mercury contamination a name as well. It will raise the profile of this contaminated site within the public consciousness much more effectively than simply referring to the area as, “North Harbour.” • Further, well-communicated information about toxicity and health effects would be helpful in dialogue with the public. • There are very few pictures or video clips of North Harbour contamination, such materials would be very useful in raising awareness of this contaminated site. • North Harbour information on the Infosuperior site should be revised with up-to-date, accurate information, including extensive use of pictures and video clips. • Much more information about North Harbour needs to be disseminated to the public on a frequent basis through a variety of formats from social media to traditional media like newspapers, television and radio. • Innovative steps should be taken such as a boat tour to the site for the media and interested members of the public or members of organizations with a focus on the waterfront; a group could observe samples of the pulpy contaminated material being taken, if such work is happening. • A meeting for fuller, more open discussion of the entire situation including surrounding land uses, presentations on toxicity and health effects, potential funding sources, disposal options and benefits of cleanup could lead to better understanding   -­‐  3  -­‐     and effective solutions being proposed. It would also keep the North Harbour contamination issue in the public eye.     ADJOURNMENT     The  meeting  was  adjourned  at  10:08pm.  Next  meeting  is  scheduled  for  February  8th,   2017..         -­‐  4  -­‐