Cowichan Tribes say they tried to stop illegal dumpsite but want federal gov’t to take action

A community advocate in Cowichan, B.C.,  says the province should have known about an illegal dumping site near Duncan at least a decade ago.

A newspaper story by Peter Rusland in 2013 reports on a fire that happened at the landfill.

“The whole of Duncan… the city and all around were covered in mystery smoke,” Rusland told Global News.

“On a Friday night, this whole dump that we had seen before the piles of garbage… I saw that all on fire.”

Rusland’s front page story suggests that the governments either did or should have known about the dump at least 12 years ago.

This week, the Cowichan Tribes said that while they tried to stop the dumping, it was ultimately up to the federal government to take action.

The federal government told Global News that it also sent cease-and-desist letters but is following the province’s lead.

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Global News reached out to the Ministry of Environment, which is investigating, but did not hear back by the deadline.

2:40 Member of Cowichan Tribes ordered to clean up illegal dump

BC Conservative Leader John Rustad says he, too, is in the dark about how the problem was allowed to fester for so long.

“This should not have been allowed to take place,” Rustad told Global News.

The cleanup costs for the site are estimated to be between one and five million dollars.

“The cleanup, quite frankly, should be on those that are responsible for accepting this material in the first place,” Rustad said. “Which is the Cowichan… I don’t believe this should be put on the shoulders of the taxpayers of British Columbia or Canada, for that matter.”

A technical report, ordered by the provincial government, confirmed that the waste pile has asbestos in it and that pollutants are leaching into the groundwater and migrating downstream.

The City of Duncan confirmed on Thursday that its drinking water wells are downstream from the dump and while they are concerned about the situation, they believe there is no current risk to the water.