Fault Lines - Unraveling Responsibility and Disappointment in Ministrys Response to Fuel Spill

04/12/2024

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to express its disappointment with the position that Environment Canada and Ministère de l′Environnement de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) have taken, which persist in making unsupported claims regarding the industrial fuel spill in Chateauguay on February 1.

On April 5, a published news report quoted the Ministère de l′Environnement du Québec and Environment Canada as confirming "that the spill in Châteauguay is not linked to the spill reported at the same time in Kahnawà:ke in the Zachary Road area. Furthermore, the news report pushes the narrative that their efforts are effective since there is "no trace of contaminant(s) in the watercourse downstream."

"It′s disappointing that Quebec and Canada are taking this position of a second source even though our team has proven to date that there is no second source within Kahnawà:ke," said Ratsénhaienhs Cody Diabo. "Suppose, indeed, MELCC and Environment Canada have identified a second source. In that case, they are not performing their due diligence by not taking appropriate action to remediate the so-called second spill. Rather than continuing in their investigation to determine the linkage between the spill sites in Chateauguay and Kahnawà:ke, they have jumped to a position that, to us, relinquishes any responsibility on their part to find more conclusive results," Diabo continued.

Kahnawà:ke will continue working to provide answers and information to the public.