VIDEO: More than 100 attend CIP meeting in Hawkesbury

More than 100 people, including a few Hawkesbury councillors, attended a public meeting on September 14 hosted by the Corporation de la Bordure Riveraine de Hawkesbury. (CBRH)

CBRH Chair René Berthiaume was joined by environmentalist Meredith Brown of the Ottawa River Keepers as well as John Keyuk from the LMMK company.

The group reiterated its claims that the Ontario government's plans for the cleanup of Hawkesbury's waterfront are inadequate — claims which were met with applause from the audience.

Keyuk maintained his company's position that a "full restoration" is possible for $20 million using environmentally-friendly technology. He clamed the methods would mean quicker results and no need for long-term monitoring; a scenario also described by the company Northwern Watertek.

"We've looked very closely at the site, and we can go for a full remediation for  $20 million and still make a profit," he said.

Environmental issues lawyer David Donnelly was also on hand to encourage citizens to lobby their government and their municipal council.

Donnelly charged that the government's plans for the lagoon would defy Ontario environmental law, and said citizens should pursue legal action against the government to force it to consider a complete cleanup if it can be achieved for $20 million.

Berthiaume and Donnelly also announced that the Corporation de la Bordure Riveraine would not itself be pursuing legal action against the government.

Instead they he suggested that citizens of Hawkesbury convince their council to re-open the case and pursue this option.

On September 9, Hawkesbury councillors Gilles Roch Greffe, Michel Beaulne and Sylvain Dubé tried to pass a motion to re-open the CIP case and allow further discussion.

However, the motion was voted down. The vote means the topic can no longer be raised at council; the only option for revival would be another motion with more votes.

At the end of the meeting on September 14, Berthiaume asked those in the audience supported the CBRH.

"Am I right to assume that everyone here supports our position and wants to see the government agree to review alternative options?" he said. The response was applause.

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean Marc Lalonde has said he is completely opposed to any reconsideration of the government's cleanup plans.

Hawkesbury Mayor Jeanne Charlebois has also said she has complete faith in the government's cleanup plans.

Lalonde has prepared a televised address to defend his position, which will be aired shortly in Hawkesbury.

This week, the Review invites you to join our online discussion. Vote on our poll on the main page and leave a comment below. What do you think of the CIP lagoons? Do you trust the Corporation de la Bordure Riveraine and its chair René Berthiaume? Do you agree with Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde and his support and the Ministry of Natural Resources' plan?