Editor:
We’re told arsenic levels in White Rock drinking water have been at or near maximum acceptable levels for a number of years.
Why did the city not advise citizens of potential risk so we could have reduced intake?
The city and/or provincial health authority who monitors should have made the public aware and/or forced the city or Epcor to reduce.
I suggest the city or province immediately make available tests for citizens to determine arsenic levels.
I lived in White Rock from 1996 through 2015 and would have purchased separate drinking water or, if available, used filters to screen out the arsenic. I believe a class-action lawsuit for lack of bringing this huge health risk to the attention is best way to get action for change and for future disclosure.
Robert Stoneham, Surrey
Editor’s note: B.C.’s Ministry of Health requires providers to notify the public when there is a potential problem. Annual drinking-water quality tests are posted on the city’s website.
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An open letter to White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin.
Your rhetoric and humiliation is difficult to bear. To insult any person doing their civic duty is an insult to democratic process.
As a member of society, one of our responsibilities is to be well-informed and give freely, without thought of gain, real concrete facts that may benefit one’s life and community.
To quote a Province newspaper article on arsenic fears in White Rock, you said: “We have a lot of PhDs in Google. There is a lot of (erroneous) stuff on the Internet about people being poisoned.”
As true as this statement is, the fact remains ‘Google Scholar’ is a world-renowned resource of academic articles and journals.
You have won… to a degree. Councils’ criticisms and the very effective use of closing most avenues to public discourses have effectively created indifference and apathy within the heart of our community. The silence of disappointment is resounding.
Please be informed that contrary to popular belief, I use my intellect with due respect to truth given by imminent people of knowledge.
A learned man said, “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.”
Trust me. You have been heard. It is the reason a few good people will continue to stand apart from discrepancies and be willing to suffer the indignation of disrespect.
Charon Hunniford, White Rock
