No Security Guards Planned for Briefings

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS No Security Guards Planned for Briefings

The province does not plan to hire security guards as it releases information to Sydney residents, contrary to a newspaper article published today in the Chronicle Herald/Mail Star.

Beginning next week, teams of professionals, including public health officials, will brief residents on the results of a soil sampling and health assessment program that was conducted over the summer. The report was commissioned by the federal government's Health Canada.

"We haven't considered hiring security guards and have no plans to do so," said Gary Campbell, operations director of the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency. "Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, we are required to train staff on how to deal with what may be stressful situations.

"We do it across the province on a regular basis. It's the same training that we do for community services officials and for public health nurses."

The Cape Breton Regional Police Department has asked to be informed whenever events or briefings related to the tar ponds are taking place, and the province has done that. However, the province has not considered asking CBRM police for protection as stated in the newspaper article.

"This type of misinformation does a real disservice to a community that has worked closely with us throughout the process," said Bob Fowler, head of the Tar Ponds Agency. "It's raising unnecessary fears and, once again, misrepresenting what government is doing."