Hamilton councillors call for public apology for massive sewage leak

Hamilton councillors Maureen Wilson and Nrinder Nann are introducing an amended motion to City Council on Wednesday (Nov.

Hamilton councillors Maureen Wilson and Nrinder Nann are introducing an amended motion to City Council on Wednesday (Nov. 27) that calls for a public apology over the city’s handling of the Chedoke Creek 24-billion-litre sewage leak, as well as improve transparency throughout the investigative process.

Here’s a small portion of what the motion amendment recommends:

• That the City of Hamilton issue a formal apology to the residents of Hamilton for the failure to publicly disclose the volume and duration of the discharge of untreated wastewater into Chedoke Creek when it first became known to authorities;
• That Public Health be directed to immediately identify, assess and report back on:
• any health-related incidents associated with exposure to contaminated waterways in the Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise;
• hospital and clinic data and public health notifications for any unusual illnesses reported since January 2014 that may be the result of bacterial contamination related to the discharge of untreated wastewater into Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise;
• That Public Works and Communications staff prepare a document that details the dates when the Mayor and members of Council were apprised of the situation at Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise and the method of reporting (Committee or Council; type of report (confidential, public, verbal update, etc.); media releases; correspondence (emails, letters, etc.); presentations, etc.) from January 2014 to present;
• That Public Works and Communications staff prepare a document that details the dates when the Mayor and members of Council were apprised of the situation at Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise and the method of reporting (Committee or Council; type of report (confidential, public, verbal update, etc.); media releases; correspondence (emails, letters, etc.); presentations, etc.) from January 2014 to present;
• That staff be directed to publicly release Report PW18076/LS18049 respecting Chedoke Creek Contamination considered by Council on August 13, 2018.

There are a number of other recommendations in the motion which will undoubtedly inspire heated debate around the horseshoe at City Hall Wednesday night.

The amended motion comes forward after Wilson appeared on CHML’s Bill Kelly show earlier Wednesday.

During her appearance, which can be described as being fraught with tension, Wilson expressed her frustration with the processes in place at Hamilton’s City Hall. Even using the word ‘weaponized’ to describe how councillors are tied to protocols.

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Earlier this week, Hamilton councillors voted to hire five people to physically inspect the city’s wastewater system.

The new roles would include four full-time staff to carry out “enhanced inspections” of Hamilton’s massive system and one person who would sample water quality at a cost of just under $500,000.

The motion was introduced by councillor Tom Jackson at Monday’s General Issues Committee meeting.

After committee members voted unanimously to create the new roles, the discussion turned to who was responsible for the information leak.

The seemingly tone-deaf search for the ‘whistleblower, has many questioning the city’s sense of responsibility.

Even an appearance by mayor Fred Eisenberger on Kelly’s show on Tuesday came off as disingenuous.

In response to a question posed by Kelly on this decision, Eisenberger responded that “the damage had already been done….there was deemed to be no public health issue as the gate was closed. If there had been, it would’ve been fully disclosed.”