In Question Period today, I raised concerns about the health impact of contamination by lead and other heavy metals in Winnipeg at sites in St. Boniface, Point Douglas and Weston. I also table information which shows that more children and youth are receiving prescriptions for drugs used to treat brain health conditions like ADHD in areas adjacent to the St. Boniface site than in other areas of Winnipeg and Manitoba.
You can see my question and the government's response on video at this link -
https://youtu.be/r2afJHdu6Ko
The full text of my questions and the government's responses is below:
Lead Contamination in Soil - Health Effects on Children
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River
Heights): Madam Speaker, successive NDP and PC
governments have known for decades of dangerous levels of lead in
neighbourhoods across Winnipeg, including St. Boniface, Point Douglas and
Weston.
We know where the contamination is. We
know there can be serious health impacts from lead as well as other medals. The
Minister of Sustainable Development has dropped the ball on this issue. It now
falls to the Minister of Health.
We know there's been lead contamination.
The question is whether this government has asked for any assessment of the
health of children and youth in the contaminated areas.
Hon. Rochelle Squires (Minister of Sustainable
Development): I'd like to correct the member's
preamble where he stated that the Minister of Health is taking action now on
matters of health. And, well, that's exactly what he is doing. We are putting back public health in terms of
the Health Minister is now responsible for matters of public health.
My department is responsible for matters
of environment, and we work together as a team. That is exactly the way it
should be. The NDP reversed direction. They pulled public health away from the
environmental process so that the environmentalists were offering public
health. It never should have been that way, and we're setting it right. We're
working as a team and getting action for Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: The
honourable member for River Heights, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Gerrard: Madam
Speaker, the Manitoba Liberal caucus submitted a request to determine if areas
of St. Boniface impacted by contamination were showing different levels of
illness. Children and youth living in postal zones around the St. Boniface
contaminated area show higher levels of prescriptions for drugs related to
mental health than in the rest of Winnipeg and in Manitoba. I table that
report.
These findings are of concern. They could
indicate that children and youth in that area may be more likely to have ADHD,
which can be treated with such medications.Will the minister and his department investigate these findings and study whether the health of children and youth in St. Boniface, Point Douglas and Weston and other neighbourhoods have been adversely affected by years of government inaction?
Ms. Squires: Speaking of
years of inaction by the government, that was under the NDP. They hid the
report. In 2007, they had a report. In fact, they had a draft press release.
In fact, they had that press release ready
to go, and their minister said, no, we don't want to put this out. It might
affect the election that we're going into. So they buried the results from 2011
all the way until 2017. That information was concealed.Our government is taking action. I'd also like to table the results from the most recent analysis that my department undertook, and that is exactly what we're going to do. We're going to continue to work on this issue so that we can ensure Manitobans have a safe, clean environment for all.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for River Heights, on a final supplementary.
Request
to Release Reports
Mr. Gerrard: Madam
Speaker, we've heard from people in affected neighbourhoods. They don't want
finger pointing. They want action to make them save, and to clean up. We
can't continue to have a culture of inaction when tests showing lead
contamination were known and withheld from the public.
There needs
to be a full investigation of why the information remained hidden for so long.
This is a matter of serious public concern, and the answers are available but
out of reach because they're available only in the advice to ministers and
Cabinet confidences.
Will the Premier and the Leader of the
Official Opposition (Mr. Kinew) give consent to release the relevant documents
from Cabinet confidence so a proper investigation can happen?
Hon.
Brian Pallister (Premier): So let's be clear: the member doesn't want finger pointing, but he
wants a full investigation and points the finger at the previous government,
Madam Speaker, and the current government.
This is the typical Liberal approach:
blame everybody and don't take responsibility. Madam Speaker, this government
takes responsibility. The reality is soil tests were conducted 10 years ago. The reality is the results were covered up by the previous administration. The reality is the results were released; they were made public. The reality is retesting was ordered by the minister. The reality is the minister went the extra mile to get the information to the people of the area.
The fact is the people of Wolseley, Logan, Minto, St. B and Point Douglas were not protected by the previous government, but they are by this one.
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