April 22, 2005
Vancouver – Today is Earth Day, and Sustainable Resource Management Minister and BC Liberal candidate George Abbott (Shuswap) says the NDP election platform needs to be cleaned up. According to the NDP platform, they would slash the budget for the cleanup of contaminated sites on Crown lands by up to 25 percent.
“The slashing of funding for contaminated sites is the NDP platform’s dirty little secret,” said Abbott.
Page 63 of the NDP platform clearly states that $5 million will be removed from the “sound governance” budget in the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, which funds the clean-up of contaminated lands.
“Carole James buried this slashing of the contaminated sites budget deep in their platform, says Abbott. “Just like tourism, this is yet another example of the NDP’s lack of commitment to what is clearly a provincial priority.”
The BC Liberal government acted on the Auditor General’s 2002 recommendations that significant improvements were required in the cleaning up of contaminated lands. In 2004, the Auditor General stated: “I am pleased that management has accepted our recommendations and has taken action to implement them.”
The following contaminated sites on crown lands are listed as priority projects in the government’s three-year service plan: Pacific Place (False Creek), Britannia Beach, Meadow Avenue (Burnaby), Oak Street (Vancouver), Yankee Girl Mine (Ymir), Candorado Mine (Hedley), Anyox Mine (Stewart), Goose Bay Cannery (River’s Inlet), Sultana Mine (New Hazelton), and Canex Mine (Salmo).
“NDP candidates have been asleep at the switch while funding for the environment disappeared from their platform.” said BC Liberal candidate Virginia Greene, (Vancouver-Fairview), who is running against NDP candidate Gregor Robertson.
