Friday,April 14. 1967
arising under the Water Authority have largely to do with pollution. Pollution from domestic sewage and pollution from industrial wastes. Over the years we have been highly negligent and have polluted our streams, our rivers, and our harbours. A few of our Towns and Villages have already installed proper sewage dis sal systems; most of these are known as lagoons. But to the majority the problem sti 1 lies ahead. and to assist with sewage collection and treatment, this Government proposes to offer a new program of 20% assistance from the Provincial Government together to match the 20% assistance which is available at the Federal level for approved sewage collection and treatment plants.
Now, industrial pollution is a still larger roblem, there was ample evidence of this in Charlottetown harbour. Every year, well own in the vicinity of the Harbour or across the Hillsboro Bridge, there was ample evidence of pollution. Last year when the Canada Packers Plant was closed, the very obnoxious smell that was generally there in the summer was absent. 1 am very pleased to say that Canada Packers is among the first of island industries to co-operate in llution abatement, Canada Packers is installing, or about to install, a primary setting tank, mechanical grease removing equipment, and this should take care of a large part of the pollution that has been caused by this particular industry.
There has been serious pollution caused by Seabrook Farms of Kensington, and I understand that this year an effort is being made to get this Company to agree to spray disposal on their own property there until a proper treatment plant can be install- ed.
At the Morell Co-op, I believe, a dryer has been installed by the Company for drying of buttermilk which was formally flushed out into the river, and I believe a further diwosal project to dispose cheese whey is also under consideration.
The Water Authority has investigated pollution of the P.E.I. Frosted Foods at Sherwood, and I believe a report of this has been recently submitted to the Depart- ment of Industry and I hope some action can be taken there to clear up the situation. The Water Authority has worked with the industries of the Province, the Langley Foods of Montague, the Georgetown situation, and others, trying to not only control
ollution but to make sure there will be adequate amount of water available for the industries there.
This year, I hope that the Department of Municipal Affairs may introduce a changed system for fire prevention or fire control in the rural areas. Last year about election time, there was a very hurried program initiated; cheques were mailed out in a hurry. Some areas that had one iece of fire fighting equipment received $2,000.00, others with several pieces received $1,000.00, and one municipality that had no fire fighting equipment at all received $1,000.00.
Honourable Robert E. Campbell: Isn’t that awful.
Honourable Keir Clark: Now, we hope to revamp this program a bit this year and try to get at least value in fire rotection for our rural people for the money that we expand. Now, I think this conclu es, Mr. Speaker, my few remarks on my two De- partments. I would like, perhaps, to refer very briefly to the elections of the last year, and particularly to the time between the little election on May 30th and the big elect- ion in July. There never was in the history of this Province or any other Province such a desperate struggle to hold on to political power. All the road machinery in the prov- ince, with the exception of the snow ploughs was dispatched to the First District, and all the paving equipment that could be readily moved headed in the same direction, and it was necessary then that the Government appoint it's second Minister of Highways so he could control the traffic in the Souris Area.
Some Member: How much did they pay?
. Honourable Keir Clark: $8,000.00. It didn’t matter whether the road was straight or crooked whether it was low or high, built up or anything else, it was paved just the same. Ordinarily a town like Souris would share through the Department of
Municipal Affairs on a 60/40 basis, but there was no sharing last summer in Souris.
The Mayor and Town Councillors were not even asked what roads they wished paved,
they 'ust stood by and the road machines rolled on. As I saw it there, every week of
the e ection, with all the foolish policies which were brought forth to the Government of the day, that the people there saw the funny side of the program. In fact, Mr.
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