Troubles in Elkford
The following is a story concerning my hometown of Elkford, B.C. It's scary sounding. I didn't live on this street but I have plenty of friends who did -- some of whom have been sick, and some who haven't. I think the town didn't do the testing because they were scared of what they were going to find. Here is the actual link to the story (I personally think this story is not very well written, kind of a cut and paste job, but I couldn't find anything better).
Residents of Street Allegedly Built on Waste Dump Divided on Health Effects
Provided by: Canadian Press Written by: AMY CARMICHAEL
VANCOUVER (CP) - Residents of "cancer street" in the community of Elkford B.C. allege companies dumped waste in the area, didn't clean up the mess and that nobody, including the government, told home buyers. Many residents have become sick and some blame the land. The street has a terrible stigma in Elkford, says resident and plaintiff Davie Jones and it has been given the unfortunate nickname of "Cancer Street."
Sixteen residents of the southeastern B.C. community have filed a statement of claim against the provincial government and a number of mining companies, accusing them of failing to take adequate measures to rehabilitate the land and make it fit for residential use. Others on the street say they have lived in their homes for close to 30 years and are fine. But they say they wish the village had done more soil and water testing to make sure the land is safe and help the street get rid of its stigma and fear for some residents.
Jack Burden, 75, said he's lived in the same house on the street since 1979. "As far as I know we've had no health problems," he said. But so many of his neighbours are ill and claim they have found garbage in the soil, plastic and batteries, when they dig only 15 centimetres deep.
Burden joined his neighbours in a lawsuit against the local and provincial governments and a number of mining companies. But now he's withdrawn because he doesn't have any proof. He said Elkford officials could have laid people's fears to rest if they'd followed through with soil and water testing. "There was a meeting a few years back and the government denied there was a dump. They said it was probably local people dumping garbage over the bank which I don't think was true. Thing that annoys me, is when meeting took place the mayor at the time said, 'OK, we'll do some test drilling.' It was going to cost lot of money. They said they were going to do it but they never did."
Davie Jones lives down the street from Burden. He believes his prostate cancer was caused by exposure to the land. He claims there was a dump in the area and that the government refused to warn people they were purchasing land on a landfill. Burden has heard the stories but says he's never seen any hard evidence.
Even neighbour and plaintiff Brad Batchelor, whose daughter had leukemia, said he doesn't think the street is making people sick. "We don't have clusters of the same kind of cancer on this street. There's a lot of it but it's all different kinds, and they say when you find something in the environment that triggers cancer, it's all the same kind." He says cancer runs in his family. Now his daughter is in remission.
Batchelor is part of the suit because he's angry at the allegations that his home may have been built on a landfill. "That should have been well publicized," he said. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The defendants, the provincial government, the District of Elkford or Teck Cominco Metals or Fording Coal Ltd., have not filed statements of defence. The statement filed by the plaintiffs in B.C. Supreme Court in February alleges that the metals and coal mining companies used the local land as a toxic dumping ground and didn't properly clean it up. The 16 plaintiffs allege companies allowed mine waste, automobile waste and other toxic hazardous carcinogenic materials on the lands. The statement of claim says the companies covered the waste they dumped in Elkford by creating a landfill. The plaintiffs say the landfill wasn't properly sealed.
Burden says he's pretty sure something was dumped on the land. "When they were developing the town the campsite used to be here. At one time they did dump stuff up here, I'm pretty sure that happened."
Davie Jones, the neighbour who has been demanding action on the issue since 1997, says too many people are sick. "In my neighbour's yard we dug down seven inches and hit garbage." He claims the land is toxic and fears it could harm generations of people. Jones is waiting for the defendants to file statements of defence and is determine to pursue his case.
Neither the local or provincial governments were immediately available to comment and the Elk Valley Coal Corporation did not immediately return calls.
Residents of Street Allegedly Built on Waste Dump Divided on Health Effects
Provided by: Canadian Press Written by: AMY CARMICHAEL
VANCOUVER (CP) - Residents of "cancer street" in the community of Elkford B.C. allege companies dumped waste in the area, didn't clean up the mess and that nobody, including the government, told home buyers. Many residents have become sick and some blame the land. The street has a terrible stigma in Elkford, says resident and plaintiff Davie Jones and it has been given the unfortunate nickname of "Cancer Street."
Sixteen residents of the southeastern B.C. community have filed a statement of claim against the provincial government and a number of mining companies, accusing them of failing to take adequate measures to rehabilitate the land and make it fit for residential use. Others on the street say they have lived in their homes for close to 30 years and are fine. But they say they wish the village had done more soil and water testing to make sure the land is safe and help the street get rid of its stigma and fear for some residents.
Jack Burden, 75, said he's lived in the same house on the street since 1979. "As far as I know we've had no health problems," he said. But so many of his neighbours are ill and claim they have found garbage in the soil, plastic and batteries, when they dig only 15 centimetres deep.
Burden joined his neighbours in a lawsuit against the local and provincial governments and a number of mining companies. But now he's withdrawn because he doesn't have any proof. He said Elkford officials could have laid people's fears to rest if they'd followed through with soil and water testing. "There was a meeting a few years back and the government denied there was a dump. They said it was probably local people dumping garbage over the bank which I don't think was true. Thing that annoys me, is when meeting took place the mayor at the time said, 'OK, we'll do some test drilling.' It was going to cost lot of money. They said they were going to do it but they never did."
Davie Jones lives down the street from Burden. He believes his prostate cancer was caused by exposure to the land. He claims there was a dump in the area and that the government refused to warn people they were purchasing land on a landfill. Burden has heard the stories but says he's never seen any hard evidence.
Even neighbour and plaintiff Brad Batchelor, whose daughter had leukemia, said he doesn't think the street is making people sick. "We don't have clusters of the same kind of cancer on this street. There's a lot of it but it's all different kinds, and they say when you find something in the environment that triggers cancer, it's all the same kind." He says cancer runs in his family. Now his daughter is in remission.
Batchelor is part of the suit because he's angry at the allegations that his home may have been built on a landfill. "That should have been well publicized," he said. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The defendants, the provincial government, the District of Elkford or Teck Cominco Metals or Fording Coal Ltd., have not filed statements of defence. The statement filed by the plaintiffs in B.C. Supreme Court in February alleges that the metals and coal mining companies used the local land as a toxic dumping ground and didn't properly clean it up. The 16 plaintiffs allege companies allowed mine waste, automobile waste and other toxic hazardous carcinogenic materials on the lands. The statement of claim says the companies covered the waste they dumped in Elkford by creating a landfill. The plaintiffs say the landfill wasn't properly sealed.
Burden says he's pretty sure something was dumped on the land. "When they were developing the town the campsite used to be here. At one time they did dump stuff up here, I'm pretty sure that happened."
Davie Jones, the neighbour who has been demanding action on the issue since 1997, says too many people are sick. "In my neighbour's yard we dug down seven inches and hit garbage." He claims the land is toxic and fears it could harm generations of people. Jones is waiting for the defendants to file statements of defence and is determine to pursue his case.
Neither the local or provincial governments were immediately available to comment and the Elk Valley Coal Corporation did not immediately return calls.
posted by Kris at 11:17 AM
3 Comments:
this is completely off topic, but i swear the first time i looked at this post i thought it said "troubles in elfford";-P
k.
ps. hope the citizens of the town won't give up too easily re: harrasing their goverment for some answer and action...
Whatever, everyone from Elkford knows Davie to be C R A Z Y! Hence we call him crazy davy! He is a paranoid schitzoid dude!
That may be true, but it would take an archaeologist five minutes to find out if the allegations were true. So send me in!
Post a Comment
<< Home