The question period was occasionally raucous at special meeting of Casselman council on August 2 when the municipality’s response to elevated levels of manganese in the water supply was discussed.
Casselman does not normally include a public question period in its meetings but decided to on August 2 due to about 50 people in the audience wanting answers about the situation. Initially, a 15-minute question period was allocated by council, but it was extended at least twice.
“I want to know what the long-term effects of manganese are?” asked Mirelle O’Rourke. She wanted to know how it will affect people in long-term care facilities and how it could react with their medication.
“That’s a question for the (Eastern Ontario) Health Unit,” responded Mayor Geneviève Lajoie, who also suggested residents could submit their questions to the municipality using the form on the municipal website. The audience was not pleased with the suggestion.
Resident Stephanie LaMaina, who with Caroline Thompson, started the Casselman Water Quality Facebook page, began asking Lajoie about her personal Facebook page. Lajoie told LaMaina to sit down. LaMaina later said she was not permitted to ask any further questions. Another audience member began to shout from their chair and Lajoie said she was ending question period.
“This is a government chamber, it’s a place for council, it’s a place for decorum,” Lajoie said.
That answer provoked anger from the audience and several people stormed out of the room and continued exhibiting their displeasure in the corridor or outside.
Most of the individuals who left the meeting did not want to speak with reporters or be photographed. O’Rourke however said she was frustrated with Lajoie.
“She should listen to people’s opinions,” O’Rourke said.
Back inside, Lajoie threatened to eject Councillor Paul Groulx from the meeting for allegedly behaving disrespectfully. Council voted, against Lajoie’s wishes, to continue the question period.
A woman in the audience asked the mayor to give her a rebate on her water bill. Lajoie said she cannot personally authorize rebates.
“Please find a solution to make the water better for the elderly of Casselman,” pleaded another audience member.
Earlier in the meeting, council had defeated a lengthy motion Lajoie introduced calling for council to make resolving the manganese in the water problem a strategic priority for the municipality and to establish a committee to oversee the effort. The motion had been defeated due to objections from some councillors that it would only duplicate the efforts already being made by municipal staff, the Ontario Clean Water Agency, and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU). Lajoie repeatedly told residents during question period that she could not pursue any initiatives because council had defeated her motion.
“I cannot act without policy and procedure,” Lajoie said.
Chief Administrative Officer Yves Morrissette noted measures have already been taken by the municipality to improve chemical treatment of the water, and to find mid-term and long-term solutions, including a different water source. Federal and provincial funding totalling $733,000 is being used to develop the plan.
A new source of water for Casselman, whether from new wells, or a pipeline connection from another municipality has previously been reported to cost about $54 million.
Groulx insisted efforts to resolve the situation will be made, even though the mayor’s motion was defeated.
Resident Kathleen Townsend asked what residents who cannot afford bottled water are supposed to do if they do not want to use the municipal water.
Lajoie again insisted she could not act without a policy because her motion had been defeated.
During the final week of July, the Casselman Water Quality Facebook group began organizing the collection of bottled water at the local food bank.
“How is it safe for adults and not safe for babies?” Townsend asked.
Lajoie suggested Townsend take her question to the (EOHU).
The municipality and the EOHU have issued an advisory that babies do not consume the water in Casselman. Non-binding federal guidelines indicate drinking water that contains high levels of manganese, even for a short time, can be a health risk to infants.
Resident Cheryl-Ann McConnell said she was disappointed council defeated the motion because she believes Lajoie was really trying to push efforts to resolve the situation forward.
“There are steps forward,” insisted resident Michel Laporte. He said the good intentions outlined in the defeated motion could be used to move forward.
Caroline Thompson asked if the municipality could publish the manganese levels daily or bi-daily for residents so they can decide if they want to install additional filtration systems in their homes.
Lajoie again said the defeat of her motion makes doing that difficult without any policies or procedures.
Morrissette then suggested residents contact councillors and request they introduce motions to advance water improvement policies.
“The work is advancing by the experts. We are finding solutions,” insisted Leblanc, referring to the work already in progress.
After the meeting, LaMaina said the outcome of the meeting was what she expected. She said there is no reason the daily manganese levels could not be published.
Lajoie has repeatedly said she is willing to have respectful discussions with citizens but does not want municipal governance to be based on comments on Facebook.
