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Turner Valley Gas Plant

Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in the House the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, who is responsible for the Turner Valley gas plant historical site, told us that because of tough economic times “we’re not going to . . . spend an untold amount of dollars to make sure that we remediate.” The message that I got is that Albertans should just stop whining if a contaminated site is affecting their water. My question is to the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit. Is the minister saying that in the upcoming budget there will be a decrease or an elimination in reclamation funding; in other words, no cash for cleanups?

Mr. Blackett: Well, Mr. Speaker, as everybody in this House knows, I have no idea what is in the next budget. That’s the privy of the minister of finance, and we’ll be informed in due course. As far as reclamation, there is money being spent there. What I said is that we have remediated that site to an industrial standard. There will never be residential activity on that site; there’s an operating gas plant adjacent to it. The site has been remediated to a residential area from where there are walking paths to the individual buildings. At this time it’s prudent for us to take a look at our financial position. If we are going to go forward with further remediation or further expansion or an interpretive centre adjacent to that site, we’ll do so in due course.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the same minister so that I can clarify: given that the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act states that where a substance that is causing or has caused an adverse effect is released into the environment, the person responsible, that being the minister representing the department, shall – not may but shall – take all responsible measures to repair, remedy, and confine the effects of the substance, is the minister saying that he won’t follow the act?

Mr. Blackett: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’m saying that we have done, indeed, all of those things. We have confined the site, we have remediated the site, we have enclosed a membrane, and we have made sure that there was no danger of contamination going to the Sheep River. There’s no seepage of contaminants into the groundwater. It is a site that’s remediated, and it could be used today, if we so choose, in a manner that is appropriate.

Ms Blakeman: I don’t think the 2,000 petitioners believe that.

My next question is to the Minister of Energy. Given that the minister responded to an issue raised by these same 2,000 people by saying that it’s an issue that isn’t there – and that’s in quotes – is the minister denying the seriousness of a contamination for which Alberta Health had issued a directive that pregnant women and children should be restricted from the site?

Mr. Knight: Well, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the issuance of a directive around citizens that may or may not find it to their benefit to visit different industrial sites around the province of Alberta, I would suggest that there are probably a number of places that certain individuals may find it uncomfortable and perhaps not in their best interest to visit.