Released today in Vancouver, the second National Sewage Report Card notes that over one trillion litres of untreated or only partially treated sewage is dumped into Canada's rivers, lakes and oceans each year by some of the 21 cities surveyed. Eleven other cities dump an average of 437 million litres of untreated sewage per day through by-passes and combined sewer overflows. Sewage containing high fecal coliform counts has made the Red River downstream of Winnipeg one of the most degraded water courses in Canada. In Quebec, almost a fifth of the soft clam and blue mussel harvesting zones are closed due to municipal sewage pollution. The report notes that legal remedies are there to stop the damage caused by this preventable pollution source.
Many municipalities are chronic offenders.
Of the 21 cities we investigated, only three have ever been charged by provincial authorities. I cannot think of any other law that is violated daily by so many, with nothing being done. The issue is not merely one of law enforcement. As a society, we must stop our tolerance for destroying our salmon-bearing rivers with deadly toxins. Improving sewage treatment will also create green jobs.