CORNER BROOK, N.L. — Richard Dewey believes a mischief charge laid against him was just to keep him away from the cleanup of the Humber Canal in Deer Lake this past June.
That charge was dismissed after the Crown called no evidence at the start of the Deer Lake man’s trial in provincial court in Corner Brook Dec. 4.
It was laid against Dewey after he visited the site three days before Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. began a cleanup that was largely a result of Dewey creating public awareness of the issue.
The 51-year-old man has been concerned for quite some time that debris in the canal has been contaminating the water supply used by both the towns of Deer Lake and Reidville.
He first drew public attention to the presence of materials in the canal in 2017 when he posted a video from the site on social media.
The resulting cleanup earlier this year saw 74 metal drums removed from the canal in early June. An environmental report on the job indicated the levels of pollutants, including hydrocarbons and PCBs in some soil samples exceeded the acceptable levels for the protection of freshwater and marine aquatic life. However, these standards are ecological heath guidelines that are not applicable for human receptors and are used for reference only.
The report concluded the presence of the contaminants detected at low levels in isolated samples has had a negligible impact on water and the surrounding environment.
Dewey was not present for the court appearance and was unavailable for an interview. In an emailed statement to The Western Star, he remained convinced the accusation was just to keep him away from the site.
“Sad to see the company (Corner Brook Pulp and Paper) get what they wanted and that, in my view, was to get me and my camera away from the cleanup of our water supply,” he wrote. “How the RCMP would ever get involved in this is beyond me.”
He questioned the transparency of the process.
“The openness and transparency they promised us on this cleanup didn't happen and that's shameful,” he said. “Clean water should be a human right, not a privilege, here in Canada.”
Dewey said he and his family are now considering legal options.
(This article was edited Dec. 9 to correct information about the results of the environmental report done on soil and water samples taken from the canal)
