Elections
Do you believe the Federal Government is doing everything it can to complete the cleanup of Randle Reef? Why or why not?
Responses to the question: "Do you believe the Federal Government is doing everything it can to complete the cleanup of Randle Reef? Why or why not?"
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13 Candidate Responses (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Anthony Giles | Yes | I'm not very educated on the matter, but isn't the federal government spending $30 million on it? Also, I understand that the provincial and municipal governments are chipping in too. So really I don't know if that is "enough". I'm surprised that the companies that polluted the area are not responsible for cleaning it up. |
| Dave Braden | No | The government is not committed enough. |
| Nancy MacBain | Yes | The Randle Reef cleanup is a massive undertaking that requires the cooperation and collaboration of all levels of government. Hamilton area NDP MPs have successfully petitioned the federal government to commit $40 million towards the Randle Reef cleanup. Continual pressure will be necessary to make sure that the federal government - and all other levels of government - make good on this commitment going forward. |
| Peter Ormond | No | No, I believe the Federal government is using stalling tactics to avoid participating in the clean up. When an election presents itself, the funding is suddenly on the table again.
At every election, we hear that the Randall Reef toxic hot spot will be addressed this time around. It's an issue that's important to every Hamiltonian who drinks tap water. Imagine if Randall Reef received the same attention as the Pan-Am Games stadium did this past year? The Greens will refocus energy on important issues that affect you. This includes the underlying reasons for a Stadium Debate, and the quiet approval of a massive airport expansion at Hamilton's Airport. With the Green Party, projects such as these that are paid for by the public, yet benefit already wealthy private interests, will be scrutinized thoroughly. We need a future with more Green, and less Greed. |
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Michael James Baldasaro | No | No. Randal Reef is not a clean-up. It's a land grab. Back-filling the Bay to create land on the grounds of past pollution is not a clean-up. It's a Hide-up! |
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Bob Green Innes | No | As noted, I prefer that the federal gummerment not meddle at all in municipal affairs and should not treat serious problems like Randle Reef as a pork barrel project to be trotted out at election time. All this transferring of money back and forth distorts the democratic process, an example of which we saw when, prodded by Provincial and Federal money, we decided to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a stadium that will do nothing to change Hamilton for the better.
That being said, Hamilton should not be shortchanged compared to other communities and if the Feds helped clean up other toxic sites, then they should help Hamilton too. CAP believes that projects like this cost far less than the $57 billion we pay the bankers every year in interest instead of using the Bank of Canada as it was intended by Mackenzie King, our wartime PM. It's not money that is missing, it is patriotic policy. Hamiltonians, in being swayed by dangling carrots, instead of just getting on with the cleanup have shot their bolt poorly, in my opinion, and will come to regret it before their bauble is finished and all the cost overruns tallied up and unions paid off. Many real needs are being swept under the media carpet while everyone bamboozles taxpayers into thinking that developer-centric mega projects are oh-so-essential. Gotta have developer's adverts or the Spec will sink, no? Oh well, in a few years, we should have a raging monetary breakdown hyperinflation to contend with, (not discussed on MSM debates) which will derail many plans, thanks to the inability of Canadians to break their habit of electing the same old parties who only look out for the big multinationals, their trade (& climate) treaties and tax havens. Anytime you're ready voters, you can vote for substantive change. Are you ready? |
| David Hart Dyke | Yes | No. The Tories are only the latest federal government that has failed to appreciate how vital it is that this potential environmental nightmare be remediated. Randle Reef could become a major disaster if things go wrong. |
| Gord Hill | Maybe | Not sure. There seems to be a number of different views on the subject and it would take sometime to make an educated decision. |
| Greg Pattinson | Maybe | I am not currently aware of the situation so it would not be fair for me to comment. |
| Wayne Marston | Yes | The only funds to date that have been provided to the Randle Reef clean-up so far have been due to the successful pressure brought on the current government by the three area NDP MPs. The cleanup is a massive undertaking, and will take a number of years. The NDP will ensure that the now $120 million ($40 million of which is the federal contribution) negotiated to clean up Randle Reef moves forward. The money has been committed and now we will ensure that all levels of government follow through. |
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Marie Bountrogianni | No | The federal government's supposed commitment to cleaning up Randle Reef has yet to be realized in fact. The eight-year estimated time window for the clean-up is supposed to be completed by 2016. However, this process is threatened by the notorious reluctance of the Harper government to follow through with necessary environmental measures. The reef is still a significant problem.
Given the Harper government's violation of the international Kyoto Protocol treaty on global warming and general disregard for environmental policy, there is good reason to think that steady funding for the Randle Reef clean-up will not be forthcoming. It is worth noting here that a 2007 study by York University researchers revealed that the net benefits (environmental, social and economic) of cleaning up Randle Reef are estimated at $126 million over 25 years. This project would further advance the economic competitiveness of the region through expanded port facilities and shoreline redevelopment. The reasons for cleaning up the reef are therefore economic as well as environmental. |
| Stephen E. Brotherston | No | A poorly, possibly deliberately, constructed deal that requires the Fed, Province, Hamilton, Burlington, Halton, & Stelco to all agree to pay for part of the cost before any cleanup will happen. The Fed government did their best to ensure it would take multiple elections before clean up starts, if ever. On a positive note, the province is working very hard to keep this project alive. |
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Stephen Bieda | Yes | More Federal investment is needed to do a proper clean-up of Randle Reef. It has been estimated that over $125 million dollars is needed however only $30-40 million has been raised by various levels of government.The Harper Conservatives have been negligent on many levels concerning the environment and this is one that is vital in the Golden Horseshoe.
This clean-up project would have significant economic and job creation benefit so it is astonishing that Federal involvement has not been taken thus far. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 5 | 38.5% |
| No | 6 | 46.2% |
| Maybe | 2 | 15.4% |
18 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| David Sweet | ||
| Jamile Ghaddar | ||
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Annie Tennier | ||
| David Christopherson | ||
| James W. Byron | ||
| Lisa Nussey | ||
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Bob Mann | ||
| Brad Clark | ||
| Michelle Stockwell | ||
| Wendell Fields | ||
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Chris Charlton | ||
| Henryk Adamiec | ||
| Jim Enos | ||
| Terry Anderson | ||
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Bryan Jongbloed | ||
| David Heatley | ||
| Dean Allison | ||
| Sid Frere | ||
