Orleans Weekly Journal
Published: Friday, May 30, 2008 

Double-standard evident in sewage scandal

One of the challenges of writing a weekly column arises when you tackle an evolving news story like the 2006 sewage scandal and the closing of Petrie Island. Since this story hit the presses, the answers, information from city staff and then new questions, answers and backtracking clarifications have become an almost daily occurrence.

By now we all know that a stuck sewage treatment gate allowed 960,000 cubic metres of raw sewage to flow into the Ottawa River for a two-week period back in August 2006. As well in 2006, our summer gem – Petrie Island beach – was closed for 40 plus days due to high E. coli counts in the water. We now know that this sewage was the overwhelming contributor to the problem.

A city staffer has been suspended for lying about reporting this to the provincial Ministry of the Environment when he hadn’t. Hmm, scapegoat perhaps? But what is more troubling is the conduct of senior city managers who sat stone-faced and/or provided obfuscatory answers to our elected representatives, including our east-end councillors during two council meetings last month when the 2006 E. coli contamination issue was discussed either directly or tangentially.

Will they be suspended, disciplined or fired?

If this was the private sector, the lying employee in a comparable situation to the sewer scandal would already be sending out his resume after cleaning out his desk, handing in his access pass and being marched out the company doors. Think about Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, Bre-X and other recent corporate scandals … people were fired, people have gone to jail, and justice has been done and has been seen to be done.

Think about an oil tanker spill or pharmaceutical blunders … people get fired, heavy fines are laid and government committees conduct hearings, change laws, and toughen regulations to prevent further abuses and excess.

Now think about bureaucratic scandals. The transitional jobs fund federally, the city’s past credit card scandal … anybody lose their job or pay the price? It seems that there is a double standard in the pursuit of answers and justice between the public and private sectors.

As eastenders and prime users of Petrie Island with our families, I am shocked that their isn’t greater outrage in our community about what happened in 2006 and why we are only hearing about it now, almost two years after the fact. Our councillors need to know, and hear from you, that the actions of city staff who may (I stress may) have covered up a major public health incident and then withheld information (this we know) when our elected representatives – who work for us – asked questions is clearly unacceptable.

The results of the provincial investigation, the city’s internal investigation and hopefully the mayor’s independent outside investigation will be extremely important. Given my past experience at city hall, something stinks here and it’s more than just the lingering stench from two-year old toilet flush. We will follow this scandal with some interest.

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Comments can be sent to Walter Robinson at orleansouttakes@transcontinental.ca.