FARMERS BARRED FROM USING OTTAWA BIOSOLIDS
Green lobby pours on "bogus"information

OTTAWA — Environmental lobbyists passed the winter pounding Ottawa councillors with "bogus" information that led to blocking farmers from using biosolids from the city’s treatment plant, says Ottawa councillor Dwight Eastman.

Eastman, the only farmer on the expanded city of Ottawa, which now reaches as far south as the Rideau River and includes 1,500 farms, says environmentalists are robbing Ottawa of revenue and farmers of organic nutrients.

City council voted 10-10 Wednesday, April 24 on the biosolids issue, which means farmers can use biosolids but can’t use the biosolids from the city’s treatment centre for their fields.

But that move will cost the city out-of-pocket money estimated at $1.5 million. Eastman says, however, the loss is likely closer to $3 million.

The councillors voted with emotion, Eastman said. Surprisingly, 10 councillors turned their back on conclusions by Dr. Robert Cushman, the city’s medical officer of health, whose report argued there is no scientific evidence showing that the spreading of biosolids on farm fields would be a threat to public health.

"The anti-biosolids lobby and environmental activists worked all winter and loaded councillors with bogus information," Eastman said. " I don’t know where they got it, probably from the National Enquirer."

They used scare tactics by painting pictures of worst-case scenarios, he said. He added that environmentalists find many councillors are "easy pickings because they like to think they are environmentally friendly."

The city of Ottawa could revisit the issue on May 8. "I hope the lights will click on" in minds of some councillors, Eastman said. "This whole thing is retarded."

As it stands, the city will now have to find a new way to get rid of 40,000 tonnes of biosolids, he said, adding that Toronto tried to make pellets out of biosolids but the program failed.

"The city will be forced to put it in their landfill site. I hope the people of Barrhaven are ready for this. There is an odor from this."