A Facebook post in a Pincourt community group prompted a flurry of controversy and discussion after it suggested traces of Agent Orange, a powerful mixture of chemical defoliants used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, was buried below them.
Decades ago, an outer strip of Pointe-aux-Renards was a full-fledged waste dump.
In 2004, resident Robert Batten opposed efforts to build in the area, claiming there was Agent Orange underground and development would release the chemicals.
Batten insisted he saw cans of Agent Orange at the dump site and his sister, Debbie Batten, claims her blood has been contaminated by the herbicide.
Batten alleges she knows many children in the community who were born with birth defects.
The family’s complaint prompted the Ministry of Environment to check out the site in 2004.
Pincourt Town Manager Michel Perrier told Global News the file was closed that same year.
He claims there are no merits to the Agent Orange allegations.
The waste dump in Pointe-aux-Renards has been a battleground between developers and the community for quite some time.
Previous attempts to build retirement homes have been opposed by residents, citing health concerns.
Others feared that building a retirement home would depreciate the value of their properties.
Town officials insisted concerns that there is Agent Orange buried in the area are nothing but a myth.