Local residents recently confirmed to me the dump that is under Harbourview Park occupied all the land from the wastewater treatment plant (WTP) on the east, to the Arboretum (Hickory Street) on the west, and all the land north of the rail line (now the Georgian Trail), right to the water’s edge. And that it was never properly decommissioned, merely covered with a thin layer of topsoil.
And, they said, the garbage is right below the surface everywhere you dig. Including, I was again told, dead animals.
So close to the surface the garbage is, I was told, that when the company digging the new water line for the planned “Awen” splash pad this summer crossed the trail and dug into the park, it uncovered a deep well of old trash. So much trash was found that it had to be removed and hauled to the local landfill site in order to finish laying the water pipeline.
The tipping fees for dumping it there allegedly topped $30,000, which also means the cost of the water line itself went considerably over budget. Yet none of this appears to have been made public.
The town continues its plans to build a water playground for children over a dumpsite knowing the trash is lurking below the surface. The town probably knows, too, that uncovering the trash will release methane gas, which can be lethal.
And our lacklustre council must surely be aware that building anything on a dump is not the way to honour or respect indigenous people.
A commenter on Facebook noted:
I think the extra water line cost would fit into the project contingency… there is a contingency isnt there? after all didnt they say we were foolish for doing the arena and pool with out one ???? and besides doesnt 1.5 million really mean 10 million lol
To which I replied:
The park is filled with garbage I was on council when this was done. The town is wasting money. I told the mayor
Chris Potts did a piece on the landfill, with a picture of some of the debris dug up in 2018:
https://grassrootscollingwood.wordpress.com/2021/07/20/collingwood-today-aug-2018/
https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/10440000-trash-bigger-pipes-add-to-collingwood-splash-pad-costs/
Turns out the cost was $68,000, more than double what I was initially told. And look: the media are playing catch-up with me! Wonder when they will start doing the same with our corrupt and deceptive council? Or tackle the many conflicts of interest in council decisions?