TORONTO – Staffing cuts have limited the Ministry of the
Environment’s ability to protect the environment, despite the
strength of the ministry’s dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable
staff.
Ancient lab equipment, poorly equipped field inspectors, and the
loss of scientific expertise all hamstring the ministry in its work,
according to a report released by the Ontario Public Service Employees
Union.
The report, Renewing the Ministry of the Environment, is the
result of six union-organized workshops, where ministry staff shared
their vision of how the ministry should operate. The report is
available at: http://www.opseu.org/walkerton/RenewMOErept.pdf
It comes almost exactly a year after Walkerton’s water supply was
contaminated with E. coli resulting in seven deaths, and was prompted
by that tragedy.
Throughout its 42 pages (plus appendices) it quotes from workshop
participants. All quotes are anonymous, at the request of members.
On the loss of focus: "The laboratory system is the heart
of the MOE. And what the government did is cut out the heart. … The
lab was kind of the hub. As samples came in the lab communicated with
a huge number of people. You needed that communication. … You have
to place the lab samples in context of the problem. Whenever you have
a test result, you have to ask a huge number of questions. Who, what,
where, when and why?"
What losing staff means: "There is a lack of a critical
mass so we rely heavily on the knowledge of one or two individuals.
… When they leave, we lose their expertise and sometimes their
function. … The best information is old. We have lost lab function
and the ability to do surveys in order to generate new data and answer
new questions and issues. Specialists have become generalists."
On workload: "I can’t keep up by working late. I’m not
even keeping my head above water. I need a snorkel! And there is
always the worry that if I don’t do something, am I going to get
sued?"
On monitoring water quality: "Before 1996, the Ministry
conducted water quality surveys of watercourses using biological and
bacteriological methods. … The downsizing activity ended this
assessment approach: the labs were closed, collecting equipment was
sold or destroyed, staff were surplused, remaining staff were
restricted from field activities.The
water
quality surveys identified the potential lethal links between
agriculture/industrial development and drinking water supply/ecosystem
health."
On enforcement: "We can only pick our battles to the
detriment of all the other violations we find. In 1998, in
Sudbury/Thunder Bay there were between 800 and 900 occurrences per
year. Of those occurrences, only three per cent went to the
Investigations and Enforcement Branch."
On inspections: "The Ministry currently has no choice but
to believe what people tell us. Staff don’t have time to verify
things. … We had been inspecting a sewage treatment plant for years.
We had no way to verify the information from our inspections. It
turned out that management staff at the plant had been falsifying
records for at least a decade. The plant has an internal lab. A lab
tech blew the whistle."
On paperwork and bureaucracy: "We’re counting what we
do, not doing what counts."
On political interference: "Staff are being asked to write
briefing notes which don’t just give the facts, but also put the ‘correct’
political spin on it. … Work plans are also affected by the crisis
style of management. Water Treatment Plant inspection was an optional
activity two years ago. Post Walkerton, we need to inspect every year
‘until the controversy dies down.’ "
On staffing: "The Ministry [faces] a three-fold threat:
loss of existing scientific talent (and institutional memory) through
retirement of senior staff; insufficient opportunities for staff to
upgrade their skills through training and conferences; and new hires
are few and far between and bring in very junior people with limited
experience and expertise."
Through specific examples and personal experience, staff of the
ministry explain what has gone wrong and what is required to fix it.
Overwhelmingly they say the Ministry is the body which should take
the lead and responsibility for Ontario’s water now and in the
future. The report makes five recommendations for strengthening the
Ministry.
- Hire enough staff to do the job.
- Enhance the expertise of those already working there.
- Give them the practical and legislative tools to do the job.
- Be proactive and use ministry staff expertise in policy and
planning.
- Put money into a solid infrastructure for Ontario’s drinking
water.
The report, prepared for the Commission of Inquiry, was produced
"in the spirit of proud service to the public, with the
conviction that we must learn from the tragedy and in the hope that we
can move forward better prepared to protect the public interest in
safe drinking water."
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For further information:
Katie FitzRandolph (OPSEU Communications) (416) 448-7440; home
(416) 967-5964; e-mail: kfitzrandolph@opseu.org
Megan Park (OPSEU campaigns) (416) 443-8888
