KINGSTON – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is delighted that Mr. Scott Cordell of Geo-Cor Engineering, Kingston has accepted the government’s offer to act as special advisor to the environmental testing project at the MacDonald-Cartier building in Kingston, which is suspected of being contaminated with coal
tar.
Saturday night, agreement was reached between the government and Cordell over his role as special advisor to assist the government on this project. Cordell was offered the role because of his first-hand knowledge of the site. He had previously done geo-environmental work on an old coal gasification site adjacent to the MacDonald-Cartier Building.
Geo-Cor also did a detailed preliminary investigation and a proposal for extensive testing and analysis that would greatly assist and expedite the current investigation.
On December 5, the union and the employer representatives of the Joint Health and Safety Committee agreed to engage Water Earth Science Associates of Ottawa to conduct intrusive environmental testing with Cordell as special advisor.
“Our local is much relieved that he accepted this role,” said Kathy Smith, president of Local 468. “Our members have had an uphill battle in getting the government to take the issue of coal tar contamination seriously, and do the needed testing. We were not comfortable with the government unilaterally choosing an environmental testing firm. We
wanted someone with Scott Cordell’s intimate knowledge of the site and his expertise and integrity,” said Smith.
The union is also happy with the appointment of Mr. Doug Walkinshaw of Indoor Air Technologies, Ottawa. “Mr. Walkinshaw is a pioneer in the area of indoor air quality problems and solutions,” said Bob DeMatteo, OPSEU’s senior health and safety officer. “This was a difficult set of negotiations that was assisted greatly by provincial mediator Gerry
Lee,” said DeMatteo.
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Contact:
Bob DeMatteo, (416)788-9071
Kathy Smith, President OPSEU local 468, (613) 561-1254
