Dan McTeague hosts 131st town hall meeting
Jan 27, 2010 - 10:41 AM
By Kristen Calis
PICKERING -- Discussions on the 'Big Pipe' dominated a public meeting held by Pickering-Scarborough East MP Dan McTeague last week.
Mr. McTeague held his 131st town hall meeting Jan. 19 at Pickering City Hall, one of his most well-attended meetings to date.
"There was some good commentary there," Mr. McTeague said after the meeting.
Rick Nicolussi of Stop the Stink, a group opposed to an odour control facility being put on the Pickering-Scarborough border, was one of many members in attendance asking Mr. McTeague how he can help fight the plans.
The provincial government is currently reviewing the environmental assessment on plans to expand the pipe that takes sewage from York Region to a Pickering water treatment plant before going into Lake Ontario.
Mr. McTeague said the actual pipe is mostly in Ajax-Pickering MP Mark Holland's riding, who has taken the lead on the topic at the federal level. But the reality, Mr. McTeague said, is the matter is now in the Province's hands, and the federal government doesn't have a say on it until the damage has been done.
"We're sort of the poor cousins in this and I wish we weren't," he said.
If the sewage was to change the quality of Lake Ontario's water, the issue could be dealt with through the Great Lakes Commission, which would involve Canada and the United States, he said.
"Federal power is almost useless until damage takes place," he said.
Jim Robb, executive director of the Friends of the Rouge Watershed, challenged Mr. McTeague on the topic, saying federal jurisdiction trumps provincial jurisdiction. Mr. McTeague disagreed, but feels there must be change in the legislation that will allow the federal government to act proactively on such an issue.
He said he fought to stop Hwy. 407 and Seaton, but that was "as useless as wings on a chicken."
He added it's difficult to address the issue on a federal level when the House of Commons isn't even in session due to the prorogment of parliament.
Overall Mr. McTeague agreed that York Region should treat its sewage in its own region and vowed to fight on behalf of the residents alongside Mr. Holland if the matter reaches the federal level.
Resident Erin Kann said after the meeting that although she found Mr. McTeague's meeting a good opportunity to generate discussion, it was overall lukewarm since he seemed to push his responsibilities off on other levels of government and politicians.
Mr. McTeague replied by saying he doesn't want to mislead the residents and give false promises that cannot be followed through on an issue in which his hands are tied.
Other issues raised at the meeting included the lack of jobs available in Durham, the need for a charismatic leader for the Liberal Party of Canada and stronger support for the military.
Mr. McTeague said one of his biggest issues at the moment is ensuring better pensions for wounded soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
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