Province Will Participate in Joint Review of Cleanup

Ron Russell, Minister responsible for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, said today, May 25, that the province has agreed in principle to participate with the government of Canada in a joint panel review of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens cleanup.

Mr. Russell said a joint approach to the cleanup and the environmental impact assessment is in the best interests of the community.

The minister said talks between senior federal and provincial officials on the details of the panel review process "are progressing well."

He cautioned, however, that Nova Scotia will not contribute more than $120 million to the cleanup, nor will the province tolerate long delays in the panel review process.

The government of Canada, which owns 75 per cent of the tar ponds and 40 per cent of the Coke Ovens site, has committed up to $280 million to the joint cleanup.