City of North Bay reaches deal to begin removing chemicals at airport
North Bay city council has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract for engineering consulting services associated with the removal of chemicals at the Jack Garland Airport.
The contract has been awarded to Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc. for up to $4.9 million, will be funded through a $20 million contribution agreement reached earlier this year between the City of North Bay and the Department of National Defence (DND).
Under the agreement, the DND will provide up to $19.4 million over six years toward the airport PFAS cleanup, including study, removal and remediation. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals found in many consumer and industrial products, including firefighting foam.
The airport’s land was used for firefighter training between the early 1970s and mid-1990s and it has been identified as the main source of PFAS on the airport property.
Although firefighting foam containing PFAS was an accepted practice and was in accordance with regulations at that time, its use is very limited today.
The city’s share of costs of the cleanup is three per cent, up to a maximum of $600,000 over the same period. The agreement allows the city to submit a second proposal in the future for additional costs, if required.
“This contract marks the beginning of our PFAS cleanup efforts at the airport and we are extremely pleased that this work will be proceeding,” said Mayor Al McDonald in a news release. “We’ve worked hard over the past few years, always with the health and safety of our residents top of mind, to reach an agreement with DND and to expedite the remediation process.”
The scope of the engineering work will include environmental assessment, site-specific risk assessment, development of remediation objectives, treatability studies and remediation design. The work is scheduled to begin within the next month.
Since 2017, the city has been working with DND, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and the Health Unit to support ongoing testing and monitoring for PFAS in Trout Lake, Lees Creek and residential wells in close proximity to the North Bay Jack Garland Airport lands.
The level of PFAS detected in the city’s municipal water supply remains significantly lower than drinking water screening values set out by Health Canada and the interim guidance level provided by the MECP.
A long-standing drinking water advisory for Lees Creek remains in place, as well as a fish consumption advisory for fish from the creek issued by the MECP.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.