FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2000
“Common Sense” Tragedy exposes the depth of public service
cuts
LONDON - The Walkerton E. coli tragedy is a direct result of government cuts
to public services and it may be only the first of many, says Leah Casselman,
president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
“The Walkerton tragedy is a tragedy caused by the Common Sense Revolution,”
said Casselman. “It was 100 per cent preventable. The Ministry of the
Environment has cut over 900 staff, including water and sewage inspectors,
removed 80 per cent of the water sampling locations on the Great Lakes, and
reduced the number of water monitoring stations by 500 so that it can no longer
conduct surface water monitoring north of Barrie. How can the government ensure
quality control of water when it doesn’t have the resources?”
Seven people have died in Walkerton after they drank water contaminated by a
deadly strain of E. coli bacteria.
Casselman said the potential for further problems isn’t restricted to just
the Ministry of the Environment.
“The government can’t ensure the quality of the food we buy and consume
because of its cuts to the Ministry of Agriculture. The people who collected
test samples of fruits and vegetables for pesticide residue have all been laid
off. The potential for contamination has greatly increased and so has the health
risk to the public.”
Casselman will address these issues and others when she speaks to the
Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators this morning. She will be
available for media interviews following her address.
Date:
Wednesday May 31, 2000
Time:
11:30 a.m.
Location:
Hilton Hotel 300 King Street, London, Ontario
