City of St. Catharines admits it has no clue if system to keep residents safe from cancer-causing toxins on former GM site is working

At the former GM site in the middle of St. Catharines, where contaminants have been discovered at more than 1,000 times the safe limits established by the province, the question that hangs heavy in the fall air isn’t just who will clean up the cancer-causing toxins — residents want to know if anyone is even monitoring the potential danger. 

The City of St. Catharines admits it has absolutely no clue. 

Following the revelation that Peter’s Environmental has not been paid and has placed a lien against the property, there remains no assurance that the monitoring system that was in place is still working. Peters has not responded to requests for comment from The Pointer.

Hired in July 2020, the contractor was tasked with building and maintaining a toxic runoff-control system at the former GM site under the supervision of an environmental engineer. The company’s work included maintaining the filtration network designed to prevent toxic materials from leaching into nearby soil and waterways, including Twelve Mile Creek, which runs directly adjacent to the Ontario Street site. But with the contractor apparently having taken a step back after not being paid — and continued silence from Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks, which oversaw the installation — concerns over who is actually monitoring the system have mounted.

Officials with the City of St. Catharines previously acknowledged they were not aware of the lien filed by Peter’s Environmental (when The Pointer first reported it after obtaining property records and court documents) or of any issues with the system. 

On Friday, October 17, City officials indicated to The Pointer that they do not know if the system designed to keep the public safe is still operating, claiming it is not the municipality’s responsibility. 

“Given the lien is a private matter and the filtration system remains under the jurisdiction of the MECP, the City has not heard from these parties regarding these issues and has not had any discussions regarding this time (sic),” the statement details. “We remain committed to addressing what is within the scope of our authority as the City.”

This follows a familiar pattern for the City’s leaders, who have taken a hands-off approach to the former GM property, refusing to act on municipal bylaws and provincial legislation that could force a comprehensive monitoring and clean-up of the site, which for more than a decade has posed a public health risk. Along with the potential hazards from toxins lingering in the soil, the properties pose numerous dangers from the partially demolished structures and open pits. 

The crumbling buildings on the former GM site pose many risks to those who wander onto the property.

(Joel Wittnebel/The Pointer files)

Despite repeated requests for comment, the provincial environment ministry has not responded to The Pointer’s inquiries about whether anyone is inspecting or maintaining the system. This could have serious consequences for nearby residents and the environment.

The runoff-control infrastructure was required after the Ministry discovered a significant and continuous leak of PCBs from the site in 2020. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are a group of synthetic, toxic chemicals that were widely used in industrial applications until they were banned in the late 1970s. Exposures to the toxins are associated with a large number of negative health outcomes including cancer, liver damage and various birth defects. The system was designed to intercept contaminated stormwater and leachate from the former GM property, direct it to a collection pond and pump it through a series of filters before discharging clean water into the storm sewers.

Peter’s Environmental was contracted to do the required work on the site in July 2021. According to documents filed in St. Catharines court, the company was hired to provide services, labour and/or materials relating to cleanup and demolishing onsite mechanical pits, perform remediation activities such as debris and sediment removal, general maintenance of the “treatment system” at the direction of an environmental engineer and other duties including continual maintenance and security on site. But with payments withheld, the company filed a lien earlier this year, citing over $1.7 million in unpaid work. Now, with the contractor apparently out of the picture, residents can only wonder who — if anyone — is ensuring the system continues to function as intended.

Both municipal and provincial authorities have responsibility for the former GM site, but residents and environmental advocates are left with little assurance that the filtration system is being monitored. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has remained silent despite repeated inquiries, leaving unanswered questions about inspections, maintenance, and potential environmental risks. In May of 2024 Ministry spokesperson stated: "The ministry continues to monitor the site to ensure regulated activities comply with environmental legislation”. However the Ministry has not responded to questions about these latest revelations, questions which sought to understand whether or not any monitoring actually took place and whether or not they were aware of the issues with Peter’s Environmental.

For residents this leaves the operation of the toxic runoff control system, and the safety of nearby soil and waterways, uncertain.

This isn’t the first time the municipal and provincial government have failed to be transparent around issues with the GM lands. It took a two year battle through the Freedom of Information process to uncover the disturbing level of contamination detailed in environmental reports, and that these health and environmental concerns were minimized in public presentations, while key data was withheld from residents. Even today, basic oversight information, such as inspection schedules or water-quality reports, remains inaccessible.

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