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YOUR Independent Community Newspaper THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019
Vol. 7 Edition 30
FREE!
Fine spitting form at CherryFest
This young man lets fly at the pit spitting competitions Saturday as part of Blenheim’s annual CherryFest. For the story, please turn to page 2.
Mary Beth Corcoran/The Chatham Voice
Province makes good on its well-water promise
By Mary Beth Corcoran mary@chathamvoice.com
A year after making a campaign-trail promise to contaminated water well owners in north Chatham-Kent, the Ontario PC government announced a health hazard investigation into the black water
and its potential health impact. Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP and Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton made the announcement from Countryview Golf Course Friday afternoon to a few invited families whose wells were filled with black sediment
after wind turbine construction began in Dover and Chatham townships. The black particles have been identified as Kettle Point Black Shale and are known to contain toxic heavy metals. “This is a comprehensive investigation into the water well situation here in
Chatham-Kent. This is an independent expert panel assembled that is going to operate outside of government. These are five scientists who have the background to do that, including a local voice with local geologist Keith Benn and four toxicologists,” McNaughton said at the
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press conference. “This will be an in-depth investigation that will lead to real results that people can trust.” The MPP said the panel will take a fresh look at water samples collected from the wells of families who have complained of black water and “samples
from up to 189 private wells will be taken by a third-party business and tested by a commercial laboratory.” “We’ve heard concerns raised by families for years and years. The former government completely ignored this situation.”
Continued on page 3
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