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00:00:18
PATRICK MCGUIRE: This is the
First Nation of Aamjiwnaang's
00:00:20
burial ground.
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These people have been here
for hundreds of years.
00:00:23
And about 70 years ago, they got
some great new neighbors.
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This is the Chemical Valley.
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The first thing you notice
when you visit Sarnia,
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Ontario, is the smell.
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Imagine a mixture of gasoline,
melting asphalt, and a trace
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of rotting egg smacking you in
the face and crawling up your
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nose every time you breathe.
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It's a cocktail that made me
unpleasantly high and dizzy.
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That smell is the Chemical
Valley, where 40% of Canada's
00:01:06
petrochemical industry is
located in a 25 kilometer
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squared area.
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The Chemical Valley is
responsible for the production
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of gasoline, plastics,
pesticides, fertilizers,
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cosmetics, and a whole bunch
of other chemicals that our
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society relies on.
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It's estimated that in 2013
alone, the Canadian
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petrochemical industry will
generate $24 billion in sales.
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Two years ago, thanks to the
60 petrochemical plants and
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oil refineries that operate in
the Chemical Valley 24/7, the
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World Health Organization gave
Sarnia the title of the worst
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air in all of Canada.
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To make matters worse, a First
Nations reserve called
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Aamjiwnaang, where just under
1,000 people live, shares a
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fence line with the
Chemical Valley.
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This is a serious health concern
for the people of
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Aamjiwnaang, as their community
has consistently
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claimed to have higher cancer
and miscarriage rates than the
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national average.
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And yet, the government has not
launched a proper health
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study to investigate
their allegations.
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Tensions between the First
Nations Community of Canada,
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the government, and the
petrochemical industry have
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been running high for
a very long time.
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Regular participation in highway
blockades and protests
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are the norm for many First
Nations communities in Canada,
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who are pushing back against
environmental damage to their
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native land.
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-You're fucking cowards!
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-What happened is that Anthony
W. George was killed.
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His relatives insisted he
was a peaceful man.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: One of the
major issues the residents on
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Aamjiwnaang need to deal with
are chemical leaks from the
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plants themselves.
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Oftentimes, these leaks
go unreported.
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And in the first half of 2013
alone, there were three spills
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of hydrogen sulfide.
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One of them sent several small
children form Aamjiwnaang's
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day care to the hospital.
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Once we heard about
Aamjiwnaang's struggle, we
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knew we had to go visit the
Chemical Valley ourselves to
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try and get a better sense of
how the relationship between
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the First Nations and the
petrochemical industry is
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being handled, what's being done
to ensure the safety of
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the people of Aamjiwnaang, and
what the future of the
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Chemical Valley holds.
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We visited Sarnia while a high
profile energy conference was
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being held.
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Political leaders and energy
executives had converged on
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the city to discuss how more
money could be squeezed out of
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Canada's most valuable
resource, our oil.
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As you might imagine, the people
of Aamjiwnaang were not
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happy to hear that more
industry would be
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coming their way.
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-Clean water, clean air,
healthy families.
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-No more chemicals
in the valley!
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-No more chemicals
in the valley!
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-Clean air, clean air--
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: While the
protesters demonstrated
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outside of the conference, the
energy industry discussed a
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plan to build new oil pipelines
all across Canada.
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In response, Vanessa Gray, a
20-year-old activist from
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Aamjiwnaang, was there to
cause a disruption.
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VANESSA GRAY: I have the right
to clean air and fresh water.
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If you guys feel that money is
more important than having
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water, then there's something
really fucked up here.
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Thank you.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: When you were
on stage, there were probably
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about six different people that
came up to you trying to
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get you off stage.
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You didn't say a word
to any of them.
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Is that a difficult thing to do,
just keeping a stone face?
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VANESSA GRAY: Yeah, this lady
came up to me and said that I
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was taking her right away to
enjoy the conference in peace.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: How did
you feel about that?
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VANESSA GRAY: I feel that she's
taking my right away to
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breathe air and drink water.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: After chatting
with Vanessa outside
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of the energy conference, we
figured we should go meet up
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with her in a less stressful
setting.
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That didn't exactly happen.
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She brought us to a site
in the valley right by
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Aamjiwnaang called the
Blue Water Plaque.
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It commemorates a middle class
white community who was
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evacuated from the area because
of the unsafe living
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conditions that Aamjiwnaang's
residents still live with.
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You're getting involved in
these very important, big
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issues at a really young age.
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What was it that first drove
you to try and make a
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difference?
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VANESSA GRAY: I've just been
affected by cancer in my
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family and my friends and
loved ones so much.
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And I would like to see Chemical
Valley exposed more
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than it is now.
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I'd like some more health
studies to be done.
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People all over can see how
fucked up the situation is
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because it's something that
a lot of people don't
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understand, and they don't
see every day.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: We went over
to the reserve's well kept
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baseball diamond that sits
directly across from a massive
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refinery to speak with
Christine Rogers.
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Christine is a mother of three
daughters who were affected by
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Shell's hydrogen sulfide leak
in January of 2013, a leak
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that was discovered by the staff
of Aamjiwnaang's day
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care center and the children
they were caring for after
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they all noticed a rotten
egg smell in the air.
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Several children were sent to
the hospital as a result.
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And because Shell did not
properly alert the community,
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the kids were wrongfully
diagnosed for having colds or
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flus when really they were
suffering from hydrogen
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sulfide exposure.
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CHRISTINE ROGERS: You
feel like a failure.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: Why?
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CHRISTINE ROGERS: As a parent,
you do everything you can to
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protect your children.
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You do everything that you can
to make sure that your
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children are safe.
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And when something like that
happens that's beyond your
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control, you just feel like
you've lost control.
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What if it had been
a bigger spill?
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You think you're prepared.
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But really, you're not.
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And I don't--
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honestly, it feels helpless.
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She had gotten the crusted
eyes at that time.
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And her eyes were bloodshot
for three days.
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And I had to take her to the
doctor to make sure there were
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no infections.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: And how do
you think these industries
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need to step up and help this
from not happening?
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CHRISTINE ROGERS: If you want
to operate here, then you
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should have top of the
line technology.
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You should be putting safety
above your dollars.
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It's going to cost too much.
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It's going to cost too much.
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That's what you hear
all the time.
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And I don't care.
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I don't care how much
it costs to you.
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That's my child's safety.
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They would do it if their
kids lived right here.
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There's a funny thing that my
kids, they came up with.
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You see the smoke coming
out over there?
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah.
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CHRISTINE ROGERS: Yeah, they
used to think that those were
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cloud makers.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: That's
cute, but also--
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CHRISTINE ROGERS: I had
to tell her, no, no,
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that's not a cloud.
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That's pollution.
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That's the bad stuff that
we're breathing in.
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So they came up their own
saying, the more clouds in the
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sky, the more people will die.
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As a parent, that is
heartbreaking that my kids
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think about where they
live like that.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: I'm here
outside of the Shell Oil
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refinery, which is one of the
largest refineries in the
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Chemical Valley.
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The air fucking smells like gas,
and this plant alone has
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been responsible for three
different leaks of hydrogen
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sulfide in the past five
months since the
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beginning of 2013.
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And if you're not already
familiar with hydrogen
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sulfide, it was actually used
as a chemical weapon by the
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British in World War I. So you
know it's really good for you.
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When oil was first discovered
near Sarnia in the mid 1800s,
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mass industrialization
was not far away.
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To support the war effort, in
the early 1940s, Sarnia became
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a major center for the
petrochemical industry.
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And from there, business
began to boom.
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Sarnia's proximity to the United
States quickly made it
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an exporting hot spot for
Canadian petrochemicals.
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And to meet the demand,
companies were quick to buy up
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land from the people of
Aamjiwnaang back when the
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concept of environmental impact
didn't really exist.
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Then, during the '60s and '70s,
Sarnia prospered as the
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industry exploded
with business.
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All of a sudden, the Chemical
Valley was being heralded as a
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wonderfully exciting
development.
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Because of this, no one should
be under any illusion when it
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comes to the existence of
the Chemical Valley.
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We asked for it.
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The operation of our society
relies on petrochemicals.
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This is an issue that all of
us are responsible for.
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I went to speak with Mayor
Mike Bradley, who's been
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running Sarnia for over 25
years, to discuss the history
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of the Chemical Valley, what
can be done to improve its
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emissions, and the industry's
impact on the people of
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Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia
at large.
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MIKE BRADLEY: It doesn't
matter where
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you go in North America.
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You will find toxins
and other things.
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The question always in this
community and anyone that has
00:10:10
an industrial complex is, what
does the cluster do?
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Health Canada came to the
community and said, we're
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willing to do this
health study.
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And it's going to
cost millions.
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And then, within a very short
period of time, they removed
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themselves from the process.
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And so that's been the issue
of how can you fund it?
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Because it is not an inexpensive
process, to make
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it credible.
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I don't believe the
study should have
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any money from industry.
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And yet, it is going to be
funded in part by industry.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: What do you
think the valid reasons, if
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any, are for Aamjiwnaang
to mistrust
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government or industry?
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MIKE BRADLEY: The first
oil company came here
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over 100 years ago.
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What really accelerated the
industry was they needed to be
00:10:49
on the water during the
Second World War.
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So the big plant [INAUDIBLE]
came here, located here, that
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made rubber.
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Then, all the other plants
grew around it.
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Well, the natural place to go
to was where the Aamjiwnaang
00:11:00
reserve was.
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So over the years, it's been
eroded by industry and, I
00:11:04
understand, by the city
just taking it away.
00:11:06
History hasn't been fair
to the Aamjiwnaang.
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There's no question of that.
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But what I've been trying to
do is make sure that this
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generation's life will be better
by doing what we can to
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make sure that that relationship
is more stable
00:11:18
it's been in the past.
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You would not do this today.
00:11:20
You would not locate industry
close to a city.
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You would not locate industry on
reserve lands in the way it
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was done 30, 40, 50,
60 years ago.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE: We heard a lot
about a scientist named
00:11:39
Jim Brophy who used to work very
closely with Aamjiwnaang
00:11:42
and the workplace victims of
Chemical Valley who developed
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serious health conditions from
their jobs in the plants.
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Jim has since been chased
out of Sarnia and
00:11:49
now lives in Windsor.
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We went to visit Jim to discuss
what the Canadian
00:11:53
government and the petrochemical
industry need to
00:11:55
do to protect the people of
Aamjiwnaang and the blue
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collar workforce of the Chemical
Valley itself.
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All right, I'm here with Dr.
Jim Brophy here in Windsor.
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And across the river there,
we've got a three story tall
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one city block long pile
of petroleum coke.
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Can you maybe explain
what that is?
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JIM BROPHY: That's the end stage
of refinery process.
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And in that particular
case, that's
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bitumen tar sands crude.
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PATRICK MCGUIRE:
Yeah, so that's
00:12:24
coming out from Alberta.
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JIM BROPHY: And it's going to
a large refinery, a Marathon
00:12:28
refinery, in southwest
Detroit.
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Southwest Detroit and Sarnia,
Aamjiwnaang, are classic
00:12:35
examples of the environmental
racism.
00:12:38
The whole environmental justice
movement was in
00:12:41
response to these types of
egregious, really criminal,
00:12:47
situations where poor
communities find their
00:12:50
neighbors are these large
industrial complexes.
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And there's little or no
protection from the kinds of
00:12:58
exposures that these
people get.
00:13:00
So let's remember, who's the
highest populations at risk?
00:13:03
It's First Nations communities
on the fence line.
00:13:06
It's blue collar industrial
workers.
00:13:08
It's the poor working class and
poor people who live in
00:13:12
south Sarnia.
00:13:13
Not the CEOs.
00:13:14
And it's the same in
southwest Detroit,
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right across from Marathon.
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It's the poorest people
in the city.
00:13:22
PATRICK MCGUIRE: It's clear that
the energy industry has a
00:13:24
habit of letting the poorest
neighborhoods inhale the
00:13:26
majority of their pollution.
00:13:29
It was obvious in Windsor, as
we stared at the coke pile.
00:13:32
And it's very obvious in
Aamjiwnaang, where refineries
00:13:34
surround the community.
00:13:37
We went to see Ada Lockridge,
a local hero in Aamjiwnaang,
00:13:40
who has continually battle
against industry, to go for a
00:13:43
toxic tour of the
Chemical Valley.
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00:13:49
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Listen to this.
00:13:51
[TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYS]
00:13:56
ADA LOCKRIDGE: So these guys are
allowed to put out so much
00:13:59
into the air.
00:14:00
And if they don't put it all
out, they can trade those
00:14:03
credits or sell the credits to
another company so they can
00:14:06
pump out more.
00:14:06
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Whoa.
00:14:07
So one clean company is doing
well, and they're staying
00:14:10
under their regulated
emissions.
00:14:12
They can sell that excess to a
really bad company who can
00:14:15
then extend--?
00:14:16
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Yeah.
00:14:17
00:14:21
We used to come back here.
00:14:22
And we would--
00:14:26
Solidarity Day, which is the
national aboriginal day.
00:14:31
So we would come back here,
have canoe races.
00:14:33
Everybody would go canoeing,
and then whatever.
00:14:36
They'd tip, aha ha, it was
all fun and games.
00:14:40
PATRICK MCGUIRE: We're
all wet not.
00:14:40
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Until we found
out what was here.
00:14:41
And we were like, oh my god!
00:14:43
So we had to quit having
those games.
00:14:46
PATRICK MCGUIRE: So it's
mainly mercury in here?
00:14:48
ADA LOCKRIDGE: That was what was
found in the sunfish and
00:14:51
stuff like that.
00:14:54
We got concerned about
the animals, too.
00:14:55
Because they're coming
here and drinking.
00:14:57
They don't know how to read.
00:14:58
PATRICK MCGUIRE: No.
00:14:59
They don't know what
that sign means.
00:15:00
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Mm-hm.
00:15:01
And see our poor geese?
00:15:02
They're all messed up.
00:15:04
They don't know how to fly.
00:15:05
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, that's
not a V at all.
00:15:06
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Do you know
how they're supposed to--
00:15:07
yeah, yeah.
00:15:09
I think they're trying
to tell us something.
00:15:10
00:15:14
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Not only has
Ada been outspoken about
00:15:15
pollution in Aamjiwnaang
throughout her adult life, she
00:15:18
actually does her own air
testing with an apparatus
00:15:20
called the bucket brigade
that she uses to
00:15:21
catch unreported leaks.
00:15:23
Ada was cool enough to show me
how the bucket brigade works.
00:15:25
00:15:30
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Let me stick
this part under there.
00:15:32
So that's kind of like a lung.
00:15:34
Think of it as a lung that,
whatever, so many minutes
00:15:38
worth of breathing.
00:15:39
00:15:43
PATRICK MCGUIRE: So you've
detected quite a few different
00:15:45
leaks here.
00:15:46
The most recent one was the
hydrogen sulfide from Shell.
00:15:49
So can you maybe walk through
that discovery?
00:15:53
ADA LOCKRIDGE: My daughter
showed up--
00:15:55
she lives in Corunna, just south
of the reserve here.
00:15:57
So she came about 10 to 8:00.
00:16:00
I was out here on my porch
having my coffee.
00:16:03
And she showed up.
00:16:04
She says, oh, Mom, it's
terrible out there.
00:16:06
It's really bad.
00:16:07
It smells like rotten eggs.
00:16:09
I said, all right.
00:16:09
So I hurried up and
got on the phone.
00:16:11
I got Spills Action Center,
SAC, on speed call.
00:16:14
So I called them up.
00:16:15
Hey, something's leaking here.
00:16:17
So that was five to 8:00.
00:16:18
By 8 o'clock, it was
on the radio.
00:16:20
Shell's calling a Code 8.
00:16:22
PATRICK MCGUIRE: They already
know that they're leaking.
00:16:23
Why haven't they already
said something?
00:16:24
ADA LOCKRIDGE: A lot of times,
we are the ones who notify the
00:16:27
company somethings--
00:16:28
PATRICK MCGUIRE: You
are the siren?
00:16:28
ADA LOCKRIDGE: Yeah.
00:16:30
We usually say, hey,
something's
00:16:31
happening over there.
00:16:33
I called in one time.
00:16:34
And they go, what's the
wind direction?
00:16:35
OK, the wind is coming from--
00:16:37
and they go, what's
the wind speed?
00:16:40
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Oh, let
me go check my--
00:16:42
ADA LOCKRIDGE: I said,
um, hang on.
00:16:43
I'll lick my finger, open up the
window, and we'll count to
00:16:46
see how long it takes to dry.
00:16:49
JIM BROPHY: We live in a
situation now in Canada where
00:16:53
the oil industry has
tremendous power.
00:16:55
I mean, some would say that they
literally have a lock on
00:16:58
the federal government.
00:16:59
It falls, then, to the Ada
Lockridges of the world to
00:17:04
stand up to this.
00:17:05
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah.
00:17:06
JIM BROPHY: And so
what does Ada--
00:17:07
I mean, think about
this for a second.
00:17:09
There's Ada Lockridge.
00:17:11
And in the past, it's been
other members of the
00:17:13
environment community with her,
standing there with this
00:17:17
plastic bucket and a filter in
it, trying to register what's
00:17:22
in the air that you can't see,
sometimes you can smell it.
00:17:25
And then, sending this filter
off to California to get it
00:17:29
analyzed, and then being
given a report.
00:17:32
What is going on here?
00:17:36
ADA LOCKRIDGE: I'm Ada
Lockridge, but they
00:17:38
like to tease me.
00:17:38
They call me Ada Brockovich.
00:17:42
I've been called lots
of names lately.
00:17:45
Well, like the canary in
the coal mine, and all
00:17:47
this kind of stuff.
00:17:50
Normally, there's the clash
between natives and
00:17:52
non-natives.
00:17:53
And there's no reason for it.
00:17:55
PATRICK MCGUIRE: No.
00:17:56
ADA LOCKRIDGE: The chemicals
don't care what color you are
00:17:58
or anything anyway.
00:17:59
So this is a human being
thing, and it's
00:18:02
not a native thing.
00:18:03
00:18:08
PATRICK MCGUIRE: While the
citizens of Aamjiwnaang have
00:18:09
to worry about chemical leaks
on a daily basis, so do the
00:18:14
blue collar workers in the
Chemical Valley itself.
00:18:17
We went up to north Sarnia,
which looks like a pretty nice
00:18:19
place to live, to meet with Jim,
a veteran employee of the
00:18:23
Chemical Valley.
00:18:24
Jim invited us in his garage to
sit in front of his bright
00:18:27
red duster and discuss his
lengthy career in the
00:18:29
petrochemical industry.
00:18:32
A lot of what we've been hearing
is that some of the
00:18:34
major problems from Chemical
Valley are legacy issues.
00:18:37
They're problems that happened
in the '60s or the '50s, and
00:18:40
we're still just
cleaning it up.
00:18:41
But do you find that companies
have been taking ownership of
00:18:44
those issues?
00:18:45
JIM TAYLER: I don't
believe so, no.
00:18:46
I think they take ownership like
it's OK to say, I didn't
00:18:50
take the cookies.
00:18:51
But when you get caught with
your hand right in the jar,
00:18:54
they can't deny it.
00:18:55
So when they get caught with
their hand in the jar, they
00:18:57
take responsibility.
00:18:59
When the cookies are gone,
there's just a couple crumbs
00:19:02
sitting around, it wasn't me.
00:19:05
PATRICK MCGUIRE: I'm outside
the Sarnia Lambton
00:19:07
Environmental Agency.
00:19:09
We're going to go inside and
speak with Dean Edwardson.
00:19:11
Basically, anytime you send an
interview request to an oil
00:19:14
company to talk to them, he's
the guy they refer you to.
00:19:16
So we're going to go in and
speak with him about some of
00:19:18
the concerns the
community has.
00:19:22
DEAN EDWARDSON: We're an
overarching organization that
00:19:26
looks at environmental quality
from an ambient air shed,
00:19:29
watershed perspective.
00:19:31
Companies have their own
environmental people that look
00:19:33
at their sites specifically.
00:19:34
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Well, one of
the problems we've heard about
00:19:36
time and time again is that
these sirens that these plants
00:19:39
have don't go off in time.
00:19:41
There was that leak in January
where a daycare called in,
00:19:45
terrible smell, bunch
of kids went to the
00:19:47
hospital with red eyes.
00:19:48
The hospital didn't know what
to do about it because they
00:19:50
hadn't heard about the leak.
00:19:52
And like four hours later,
Shell admitted to a leak.
00:19:55
So if we're allowing the plants
to do the monitoring,
00:19:58
and this is a real example of
something that happened
00:20:00
earlier this year, do you
think that's a problem?
00:20:02
DEAN EDWARDSON: Emergency
response issues, oftentimes
00:20:06
communication is one of
your biggest problems.
00:20:08
And in that case, I will freely
admit that we had a
00:20:11
communication problem.
00:20:13
And clearly, it was
unacceptable.
00:20:17
And I think if you asked Shell,
they would say it was
00:20:19
unacceptable.
00:20:20
PATRICK MCGUIRE: I'd love to.
00:20:21
They told me to talk to you.
00:20:21
DEAN EDWARDSON: Well, I'm going
to tell you that they
00:20:22
would tell you it was
unacceptable.
00:20:24
Any of our plants will tell you,
impacting the community
00:20:28
is not acceptable.
00:20:29
And we're looking at things
to try and improve that.
00:20:32
PATRICK MCGUIRE: But there were
two more hydrogen sulfide
00:20:34
leaks in the next four
months after it.
00:20:36
And one of them was only
discovered by Ada Lockridge
00:20:39
and her bucket testing.
00:20:41
I mean, if you're saying there
was a communication problem in
00:20:44
January, by May when there was
another hydrogen sulfide leak,
00:20:47
shouldn't they have learned
from their mistake?
00:20:49
DEAN EDWARDSON: Again, I can't
talk to you about that.
00:20:50
It's under legal investigation
right now.
00:20:53
PATRICK MCGUIRE: OK, so
what communication
00:20:54
breakdown was it that--
00:20:55
DEAN EDWARDSON: We had a
communication breakdown
00:20:57
between what occurred at Shell
and the response for sounding
00:21:01
our sirens.
00:21:03
And we're trying to fix that.
00:21:05
00:21:09
PATRICK MCGUIRE: We heard there
were fish with tumors
00:21:10
swimming around the Chemical
Valley which is alarming,
00:21:13
because many scientists see
fish as an early indicator
00:21:15
that something is very wrong
with the environment.
00:21:18
So we went down to Aamjiwnaang's
fishing dock to
00:21:20
speak with a fisherman
who caught one of
00:21:21
these toxic fish himself.
00:21:23
PATRICK MCGUIRE:
Oh, shit, yeah.
00:21:26
KEVIN PLAIN: You can see all the
lumps, the lumps and stuff
00:21:30
that are on it.
00:21:31
And it was all over the tail.
00:21:32
There was a big chunk.
00:21:33
All these here--
00:21:35
you can see them right there.
00:21:37
See them all growing?
00:21:37
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, yeah.
00:21:39
00:21:43
In 2002, as a response to
Suncor's attempts to build the
00:21:47
country's largest ethanol plant
in the Chemical Valley,
00:21:50
an environment committee was
founded in Aamjiwnaang.
00:21:53
We went up to meet with Wilson
Plain, one of the founders in
00:21:56
the environment committee,
to discuss
00:21:58
the community's struggle.
00:22:00
WILSON PLAIN: There was always
some interest in having a body
00:22:04
that monitors what's going
on around here.
00:22:09
Personally, I have a post on
Facebook that puts up wind
00:22:14
direction and temperature
and what's happening.
00:22:18
My interest is ongoing with
respect to the environment.
00:22:22
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Now, we
were in the cemetery.
00:22:24
And it's an alarming
juxtaposition between the
00:22:29
Suncor refinery and
the cemetery.
00:22:32
WILSON PLAIN: Not
a healthy place.
00:22:33
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah.
00:22:34
00:22:36
WILSON PLAIN: We could have a
funeral procession there.
00:22:39
And we would get caught by those
emissions in the air.
00:22:43
PATRICK MCGUIRE: A lot of times
when we hear about a
00:22:44
leak, the plants will maybe be
able to blame each other
00:22:47
because they're both emitting
that pollutant.
00:22:49
And one says, well, it
be the other one.
00:22:51
Does that kind of thing
happen a lot?
00:22:53
WILSON PLAIN: I think the
Ministry of the Environment
00:22:56
needs to monitor the direction
of the wind.
00:23:02
If we started off with a bag of
pollutants, just from one,
00:23:09
what would it be like if we had
five different sources?
00:23:14
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, if you
had a bag, and I had a bag,
00:23:15
and we both opened our bags--
00:23:18
it's a bigger bag up there.
00:23:21
And who's watching
the big bag?
00:23:23
Nobody.
00:23:25
WILSON PLAIN: The cumulative
issue is the main issue in
00:23:31
Aamjiwnaang.
00:23:32
But there needs to be an ongoing
monitoring of the
00:23:37
worst offenders of
those pollutants.
00:23:42
And benzene being the
top one, I think.
00:23:46
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Even though
the Ministry of the
00:23:47
Environment didn't return our
phone calls, they can and will
00:23:50
step in to prosecute industry.
00:23:52
In 2005, the Nova chemical plant
had a serious benzene
00:23:56
leak that lasted more
than 15 hours.
00:23:58
It was so severe that
Aamjiwnaang was completely
00:24:00
evacuated, and Nova was fined
over half a million dollars.
00:24:04
JIM BROPHY: The health effects
of benzene are well documented
00:24:07
in the scientific literature.
00:24:08
The International Agency on the
Research of Cancer, IARC,
00:24:11
designates it as a definitive
human carcinogen.
00:24:14
It's connected with leukemia,
all kinds of
00:24:16
blood related cancers.
00:24:18
And what we have are thousands
of tons of this very toxic
00:24:24
chemical being released
in Sarnia every year.
00:24:27
Nobody is really tracking the
communities that are getting
00:24:29
the biggest exposure.
00:24:31
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Would you say
that the amount of benzene is
00:24:33
higher in Sarnia than
most other places?
00:24:35
DEAN EDWARDSON: No,
I would not.
00:24:36
PATRICK MCGUIRE: So despite
having plants in Sarnia that
00:24:39
emit benzene, there's no higher
emissions quality here?
00:24:42
DEAN EDWARDSON: We
are consistent.
00:24:44
The level of benzene that we
saw on our ambient monitors
00:24:46
are consistent with what you'll
find in other urban
00:24:49
centers in Canad and
the United States.
00:24:51
00:24:54
WILSON PLAIN: My grandson, he
used to live about one and a
00:24:58
half have kilometers basically
west from here, died as a
00:25:05
result of leukemia.
00:25:07
00:25:10
He's not with us anymore.
00:25:13
He was 13.
00:25:16
So I don't know where my
grandson took a deep breath or
00:25:24
took several deep breaths.
00:25:26
But benzene would be the
cause of that leukemia.
00:25:29
00:25:40
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Why should
these industries be trusted?
00:25:42
DEAN EDWARDSON: I don't think
anybody's asking anybody to
00:25:44
trust industry.
00:25:45
Trust has to be earned.
00:25:47
And I think that our companies
are trying to earn that trust.
00:25:50
Obviously, trust oftentimes
is predicated on your
00:25:53
performance.
00:25:54
You can be a great guy, but
you go murder somebody.
00:25:57
All of a sudden, you're
a murderer.
00:25:58
PATRICK MCGUIRE: You're
probably not
00:25:59
a great guy, then.
00:26:01
DEAN EDWARDSON: Pardon me?
00:26:01
PATRICK MCGUIRE: You're probably
not a great guy in
00:26:02
that circumstance.
00:26:03
DEAN EDWARDSON: Well obviously,
but it's like
00:26:04
everything else.
00:26:06
You do the best you
can to operate.
00:26:08
But as soon as you have
an incident, it
00:26:12
causes people to maybe--
00:26:14
PATRICK MCGUIRE: Think
you're a murderer?
00:26:16
DEAN EDWARDSON: Well, yeah.
00:26:17
00:26:25
PATRICK MCGUIRE: We're walking
through a park that's
00:26:26
completely fenced off because
of all the asbestos
00:26:28
contamination.
00:26:29
So this only happened
a few weeks ago.
00:26:32
The park's basically abandoned
as a result, which is a bummer
00:26:35
because it's right in the
center of the city.
00:26:37
And it's definitely
a beautiful spot
00:26:38
to spend some time.
00:26:40
It's really serene and peaceful
if it weren't for the
00:26:42
mass amounts of pollution,
contamination, and fencing.
00:26:46
So even though this park is
totally contaminated with
00:26:48
asbestos, there's no actual
signage from the city anywhere
00:26:51
indicating that.
00:26:52
But there are these two little
handwritten notes.
00:26:55
It says, this is a memorial
for those that died and
00:26:58
suffered because of
Chemical Valley.
00:27:00
It's behind a fence because the
government found out that
00:27:03
this park is also polluted
by toxic chemicals.
00:27:07
So that says it all.
00:27:09
00:27:14
After worrying about whether or
not we inhaled any airborne
00:27:16
asbestos in Centennial Park, we
met up with Sandy Kinart,
00:27:20
one of the founders of the
Victims of Chemical Valley
00:27:22
Foundation to discuss how the
Chemical Valley continues to
00:27:25
negatively impact Sarnia, and
how the workers of the
00:27:28
industry who fall fatally
ill are treated.
00:27:31
SANDY KINART: People
liked Blaine.
00:27:33
He just had a way with people.
00:27:36
I feel that I am truly blessed
to have married this man.
00:27:38
I fell in love with this man
when I was in grade five.
00:27:42
And I got to marry him.
00:27:44
And that doesn't always
happen in life.
00:27:48
He was always good natured.
00:27:52
He came home from work one day
and said, I can't breathe.
00:27:55
It was a hot, humid day.
00:27:56
And I just though, OK.
00:27:59
But realizing he was having
a hard time breathing.
00:28:02
Got him to the doctors.
00:28:04
So they admitted him, drained
seven liters of fluid from his
00:28:07
lung, with his heart and trach
pushed to the side.
00:28:10
And they didn't know why
he was still alive.
00:28:13
They finally diagnosed him
with mesothelioma.
00:28:16
You have four months to live.
00:28:17
Get your life in order.
00:28:19
This was the feature section in
"The Globe and Mail" called
00:28:25
"Dying for a Living." If it
takes one man to use his
00:28:28
picture to change what's
happening, then
00:28:31
that's a good thing.
00:28:33
And that's what he wanted.
00:28:34
He wanted to take
his shirt off.
00:28:35
He wanted to show people what
asbestos will do to you.
00:28:41
And he said, I want
people to know.
00:28:45
I didn't go to work to die.
00:28:46
00:28:51
He died in 2004.
00:28:53
When he got sick in 2002, my
brother-in-law came to the
00:28:59
house to say, as a man would,
don't you worry.
00:29:03
We'll make sure everything's
OK for her.
00:29:05
00:29:08
November that year, my
brother-in-law who came to the
00:29:11
house was diagnosed with stomach
and bowel cancer.
00:29:14
So in total, we've lost five
people in my family to
00:29:17
mesothelioma, and that does
not include all the other
00:29:20
types of cancers that have
come into the family.
00:29:21
00:29:25
I think people don't talk about
it because that's where
00:29:28
dad worked.
00:29:29
That's where grandpa worked.
00:29:31
And you'll hear this from
a lot of the men.
00:29:33
Well, I had a good life.
00:29:35
I made great money.
00:29:37
And I guess it's my time.
00:29:40
Well, you shouldn't be dying
at 57 years old.
00:29:44
I don't know if you've been
down to the Chemical
00:29:47
Valley in the night.
00:29:49
Take the drive down Vidal
Street and how all
00:29:52
the lights are there.
00:29:53
Well, as a child, that
was part of a
00:29:56
Sunday evening, go down.
00:29:58
The lights are all there.
00:29:59
They're all on.
00:30:00
And boy, that just looked
like fairyland to us.
00:30:03
All the sparkly lights, and
wasn't that pretty?
00:30:05
My father was an electrician.
00:30:08
And back in the day,
those tanks were
00:30:10
kept pristine looking.
00:30:12
The gardens were beautiful.
00:30:14
It was lovely to see.
00:30:16
And we were proud that we lived
in the Chemical Valley.
00:30:20
And it wasn't until, gosh,
after my husband died,
00:30:22
it was like, duh!
00:30:24
We don't see that anymore.
00:30:25
the flowers are dead.
00:30:27
The trees are all dying.
00:30:28
The drums are all scungy
down there.
00:30:31
It looks derelict down there
because they don't have to
00:30:33
keep up the pretense anymore.
00:30:35
The gig is up, and
the word is out.
00:30:39
And it is what it is now.
00:30:41
It's a chemical valley.
00:30:42
