Michigan grandmothers worried about affects of Chemical Valley

Heather Wright in Sarnia & Lambton This Week

Grandkids battle rare form of cancer

Valerie Benson six-year-old granddaughter Ashleigh, has cancer.

So does Sue Kulman’s. Ireland is only one but, like Ashleigh, has been battling a relatively rare form of cancer called Wilms Disease for much of her short life.

The children are part of a cancer cluster in St. Clair County, Michigan that is now being studied by an epidemiologist hired by the State of Michigan to try to figure out why so many people have suffered from Wilms.

But Benson and Kulman’s only need to look across the river to see what they suspect could be one of the sources of the cancer – Sarnia’s Chemical Valley.

More action needed at Clean Harbors: SHAME

Heather Wright in Sarnia & Lambton This Week

FIGHTING THE STINK Environmental activists protest about Clean Habor's odour emissions on London Road in Sarnia.

A Sarnia environmental group says the Ministry of the Environment has to do more to stop a hazardous waste site from fouling the air.

Seven times in the last six weeks, people around Clean Harbors south of Sarnia were overcome by a powerful odour. Some people suffered headaches and vomited because of the smell. The latest incident was Sept. 21.

Jim Stenton, one of the neighbors affected, said it wasn’t as powerful as the last release, but it was enough to drive visitors from his home and wake him in his sleep.

Shameful asbestos exports

These photos are from the rally before the Walk to Remember the Victims of Asbestos, on October 1st  -

We also had the first and last of those banners up at the September 30th Candle Light Vigil to Honor the Victims of Asbestos

Protest at the Ministry of the Environment

Fox FM has posted an audio clip from the protest today

Here is the note that they included with it -

Drawing the occasional honk from passing motorists, members of a local advocacy group are holding a demonstration outside of Sarnia’s Environment Ministry building today. S.H.A.M.E. (Sarnia’s Hometown Activist Movement Emerging) is trying to put pressure on to clean-up persistent leachate odours at Clean Harbors. Residents have been complaining about the odours for over 6 weeks, many have even reported becoming sick. Ministry officials are now staffing the Clean Harbors site around the clock. SHAME Spokesman Zak Nicholls says it’s not enough. He’d like to see fines imposed against the Brigden area company.

Clean Harbors has until October 14th to present a clean-up plan to the Environment Ministry.

Demand More from the MoE

Lori Vokes and Jim Stenton, both of whom have been severely affected by the Clean Harbours Off Site Impact.

S.H.A.M.E. (Sarnia’s Hometown Activist Movement Emerging) will be participating in its first direct action against the MoE.

WHERE – Ministry of the Environment, 1094 London Road, Sarnia

WHEN – Monday, September 26th, 10am to 1pm

We feel this is necessary in light of a continued MoE failure to bring relief to residents living near Clean Harbours. For more than six weeks, residents living near Clean Harbours have been suffering from an odour that causes severe and overwhelming illness including instant headaches and vomiting. On the evening of Wednesday, September 21, residents were again forced from their homes. It was the seventh time this has occurred. This is wrong.

We are calling on the MoE to take immediate and drastic action to protect the health and livelihood of all residents living near Clean Harbours. We demand that the MoE take real action against Clean Harbours in bringing about an immediate and ongoing solution to the odour that is causing such illness. Clean Harbours must be heavily fined for their flagrant ignorance of directives, weak ones at that, from the MoE. An example must be made to CV industry that those citizens living nearby have the right to clean air, water, and earth.

Don’t Frack With Us! – video

Zak gives a statement in this video, and Toban also is involved in S.H.A.M.E.

http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/dont-frack-southwestern-ontario/7409

Fracking is a toxic, dangerous, and wasteful form of natural gas extraction that we may see around London, Ontario.

Join us on FaceBook! “Don’t frack around London, Ontario“

Cortney Dakin also gave a great statement that didn’t make it into this video

Filmed in London Ontario Canada at City Hall May 2011
Filmed and Edited by Mike Roy
We Are Change London/Toronto
http://www.wearechangetoronto.org

Don’t frack around southwestern Ontario

Toban Black on the Media Co-op

At the end of May, some of us gathered for a “Don’t frack with us!” protest in London, Ontario.

The rally call-out said -

Fracking is a toxic, dangerous, and wasteful form of natural gas extraction that we may see around London, Ontario. The water pollution is the worst of the fracking impacts. Tap water has become flammable after fracking is done to break gas out of nearby shale rock. A stew of toxic chemicals is pumped into each gas well, and radium is one of many underground substances that can be unintentionally released during this extraction.

London anti-fracking rally photos from Toban

A slideshow of photos from the “Don’t frack with us!” rally in London, Ontario.  We brought the anti-fracking banners that were out at the rally.

London anti-fracking rally photos from Shawn

S.H.A.M.E. joined this London rally against fracking.

Here are some photos on Facebook -

Fracking poses risks, environmentalists say

S.H.A.M.E. was part of this protest as well. Zak mentioned plans for fracking around Lambton county, and ongoing issues around Chemical Valley — including emerging concerns about a Wilms’ tumour cancer cluster in Michigan.

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Kyle Rea in Metro London

Environmental group Climate Justice London plans protest for London City Hall at 6 p.m. today

It’s a controversial natural gas extraction technique that environmentalists say threatens our ecosystem.

And while it hasn’t been used yet in Ontario, a group of concerned Londoners are worried hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, could soon be used in Chatham-Kent and Lambton counties.

Today, more than 40 people are expected to gather at London City Hall as part of a protest against fracking.