Residents angry about slow response time to diesel spill near Foleyet
Some people who live near the Town of Foleyet are questioning why a diesel fuel spill from a transport collision wasn't contained before it began leaching into a nearby lake.
The transport landed in the ditch on Sept. 9 and 13 days later, a waste management team from Timmins was dispatched to respond.
Kevin Gagnon lives in Foleyet and travels to Timmins daily for work. He noticed the transport truck had gone into the ditch, next to Boulder Lake, where it remained for five days.
"After the truck was pulled out, I went back to look and you could see puddles of diesel," Gagnon said.
"It was water at first and it was all blue and then there were areas where it was all oil."
Remnants of the collision remain at the scene, where a film of diesel fuel remains on the surface of the water. Gagnon said sending someone to try to contain it now is a little too late.
"My main question is just why there was so many levels of incompetence as far as the truck driver, the tow truck, OPP, MOE," said Gagnon.
"No matter what their roles are, someone should have been worried about it."
The owner of White Pine Lodge in the area called it a "dangerous" situation.
"Like this area, from there to my place, it connects four lakes and it's one of the best fishing grounds around for walleye, pike, perch and whitefish," said Tony Godin.
In an email to CTV News, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment said:
"During a Sept. 16 visit to the site, the ministry observed the ponding of fuel and coolant near the spill site but that it had not migrated to Boulder Lake. On Sept. 21, the ministry received reports from the public that fuel had migrated to the lake with recent rainfall."
The Ministry also wrote that "it takes spills and threats to the environment very seriously."
Gagnon and Godin would beg to differ.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.