News Release
Office of the Official Opposition

Joyce disappointed with process to establish Waste Management site for The Greater Humber Region

Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District of Bay of Islands, is disappointed that government has unilaterally announced its intention to invest funding to complete geo-technical work for the Wild Cove disposal site without establishing a promised Waste Management Committee representing all communities in the Bay of Islands and Humber region.  

AMinister Byrne promised that a committee would be established to examine the waste management options available in our region,@ said Mr. Joyce. AThis committee was supposed to make recommendations and outline the actions and procedures for the selection process. Unfortunately, government has made their decision without moving forward with this commitment. The Chair of the Greater Humber Joint Councils has also stated publicly that he wasn=t advised of government=s decision to move forward with geo-technical work of the existing Wild Cove site before a committee has been formed.   

AThe City of Corner Brook has favoured the re-development of Wild Cove for some time because they feel this will allow them to maintain control of the regional site, even though other communities in the region feel a new site should be considered. While city representatives have pegged the cost of a new site at between $30 and $40 million, Minister Byrne has already stated that the MMSB and the federal gas tax revenues will cover this cost and local communities will not have to foot the bill.  

AIn making its decision to move forward with geo-technical work on the Wild Cove site, government pushed back the implementation date to 2016. I question why the site in the western region is being delayed, while the process in the central and eastern regions is moving forward. This implementation date is still nine years away and information and testing conducted over the next period of time may change and therefore not be beneficial. 

AI am calling on the Minister of Municipal Affairs to finally form the committee on this important issue and let the committee re-examine all possible sites for the region. There are obvious problems with the direction being taken by government and action must be taken immediately to have more consultation and ensure that the implementation date is not delayed until 2016.@

Media Contact:
Darrell Mercer
Director of Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
709-729-6151 or 709-687-0477