By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
The push to find out if metals found in North Kent’s water wells are toxic to humans continues to grind forward.
To that end, a 1,400-signature petition asking the Ministry of Health (MOH) to test the bio-accessibility of metals discovered in the fine sediment of fouled wells was submitted to the Ontario Legislature earlier this month.
It was brought to the floor of the legislature by Independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady rather than Lambton-Kent-Middlesex PC MPP Steve Pinsonneault.
According to Wallaceburg Area Wind Concerns (WAWC) board member Denise Shephard, the group advocating for residents with dirty well water, the group opted to ask Brady, rather than Pinsonneault, to make sure the document was presented to the entire legislature. As it stands, the government must provide an answer to the petition within 21 sitting days of when the legislature returns Oct. 20 following summer break.
“We wanted it read out on the floor,” Shephard told The Voice, adding the group was worried Pinsonneault would have simply tabled the petition.
“We’re very thankful to MPP Brady for doing that,” Shephard stated. “Now we need the Ministry of Health to do their job.”
When contacted by The Voice, Pinsonneault’s assistant Michelle Dwyer, said the MPP was unavailable at the time due to a health concern, noting Brady “kindly offered to present the petition” on his behalf.
“MPP Pinsonneault wanted to ensure the petition was tabled without delay, and we’re grateful to MPP Brady for her assistance,” Dwyer said.
“We look forward to hearing back from the Ministry of Health on this important issue.”
The petition is part of a quest to address the issue of black water found in private wells in the former townships of Chatham and Dover.
Mitchell’s Bay area resident Christine Burke is one of the affected property owners. She said she has grown weary of the inaction of government to fix the problem, noting her health and quality of life continue to suffer.
“I wake up with headaches, and some mornings I feel like I’ve just gone up in a plane where you’ve got to unblock your ears,” Burke said.
Burke simply wants the MOH to find out if what’s contained in the sediment – including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and nickel – negatively impacts human health.
Studies show some of the turbines have been built on the Kettle Point black shale aquifer. Pile driving during construction is said to have disturbed the aquifer, and ongoing operation of the turbines continues to have an impact.
As part of a campaign promise in 2018, not-yet-Premier Doug Ford vowed to undertake a health hazard study on the wells, but that was changed to an all-hazard study.
Critics say the government probe didn’t go far enough.
Local geologist Keith Benn, who has been working hand in hand with property owners and WAWC, sat on the expert panel for the Ministry of Health’s well water probe. Benn stressed the study fell short by not testing the fine sediment in the wells, which he considers to be the investigation’s key piece.
That led Burke, with the help of WAWC in 2023, to crowdfund to raise money to have wells tested independently by a Michigan laboratory. They raised more than $12,000 – enough money to test sediment in nine wells, documenting the presence of heavy metals.
“We’ve proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that heavy metals exist in the fine sediment,” Benn said. “Now it’s time for government to finish what they started.”
The geologist said residents must continue to fight.
“The next step is just for us to raise public awareness about the action that we’ve taken and let people know that this ball is now in the court of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,” Benn said. “We’re like flyover country here in Southwestern Ontario. It’s hard for us to fight back because we have a relatively small population.”
In 2023, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent also asked the province to test the sediment for bio-accessibility. But municipal officials said they have never received an answer to the request.
More wind turbine farms may be in Chatham-Kent’s future as Capstone Infrastructure is currently exploring the possibility in South and East Kent.
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