POINTE-CLAIRE – It may have been a small crowd of protesters outside Pointe-Claire city hall, but passions flared at the council meeting on Tuesday.
Pointe-Claire Mayor Morris Trudeau and Quebec Green party leader Alex Tyrrell got into a heated exchange during question period over the Reliance building on Hymus Boulevard that was found to be contaminated with PCBs nearly three years ago.
“I will ask you to sit down or leave,” Trudeau said to Tyrrell.
“Don’t tell me to sit down,” Tyrrell replied.
READ MORE: Environment ministry calls for PCB decontamination plan from Pointe-Claire companies
Area residents and environmentalists have waited three years for the site to be cleaned up and for soil testing to determine if the PCB contamination had spread.
Rean Sayegn, who lives near the contaminated site, was hoping to get some answers, but instead was told to refer to the provincial government.
READ MORE: PCB problem in Pointe-Claire more extensive than originally thought
“How long do we have to wait for testing?” Sayegn asked at the council meeting.
“That’s a question that you should be addressing to a higher level than the city of Pointe-Claire,” Trudeau replied.
The answer did not surprise Tyrrell.
READ MORE: PCB seepage in Pointe-Claire has environmental group concerned
“Unfortunately, our expectation for the Pointe-Claire municipal council are not very high because these people have not made adequate effort to date,” Tyrrell said.
Trudeau told Pointe-Claire residents that the PCB contamination does not pose a threat to area residents, but that is little comfort for Sayegn.
“I am not waiting three years for the mayor to allow this to go under the rug.”