NEWS RELEASE
FRANCE GELINAS, MPP
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QUEEN’S PARK – Last Thursday MPP for Nickel Belt, France Gélinas rose in the Legislative Assembly to talk about the environmental disaster that happened in Gogama and the need for government action.
On March 7, 33 rail cars from CN derailed, caught on fire and dumped millions of liters of crude oil in the Makami River which runs into beautiful Minisinakwa Lake.
The residents of Gogama are still suffering from the aftermath of the derailment.
Unfortunately this was not the first time, as three weeks prior on February 14, a CN train had derailed.
That derailment was further away from Gogama and away from the public eye.
But this time, it is right on the edge of the village of Gogama.
People driving on Highway 144, can’t miss it.
It looks like a moonscape, everything has been taken off.
There isn’t a tree, a blade of grass or even any soil; nothing is left but rock and water.
“If it was an individual who had done that kind of spill into a river, into the watershed, the government would make sure that this person would pay the price,” Gélinas stated. “But when it is a company like CN, the residents are left on their own or dependent on CN for actions. We have a government that doesn’t do anything to hold CN to account.”
The government has a number of laws they can use to punish CN for their continued malfeasance including; Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, Environmental Bill of Rights, and the Criminal Code.
Gélinas further stated, “This government talks a good game when it comes to protecting the environment but when they have an opportunity to act, where are they?”
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