Resident Questions City's Role in PFAS Leak at Jack Garland Airport
A North Bay resident criticizes the city and DND for their roles in a PFAS contamination lawsuit linked to firefighting exercises at Jack Garland Airport. The chemicals have affected the water supply for decades, and the resident questions why the issue is only now being addressed and whether city officials ignored or concealed the problem.
The article features a letter from Granville Arseneault, a North Bay resident, responding to news of a $105 million class action lawsuit against the City of North Bay and the Department of National Defence (DND) over the use of PFAS, or 'forever chemicals,' during firefighting exercises at Jack Garland Airport. Arseneault highlights that these chemicals have seeped into the local water supply over many years, raising concerns about public health and environmental safety. He questions why the issue has only recently come to light and expresses skepticism about the city's management, suggesting that long-standing city staff and council members may have ignored or concealed the problem. Arseneault criticizes the city's tendency to shift responsibility to the federal government, despite the city's long-term oversight of the airport, and calls into question the competence and transparency of local officials regarding the contamination and its ongoing cleanup.
