ERO 019-5203 I am very much…

ERO 019-5203

I am very much opposed to the proposed amendments.
There are operators who have complied, and to delay this, for an
entire year, in favour of those who have not would be unjust.
Excess soil should never be allowed to be dumped into groundwater
sites since these are critical for groundwater recharge and
maintaining wetlands, preventing future flooding and drought,
well-water quality and quantity thus having an adverse effect on
health and safety.
Fines are a means to deter people from breaking regulations and
ensuring that everyone understands the importance of those
regulations. To set low fines is not in the least punitive, and in
fact is encouraging individuals or corporations to break laws. This
completely nullifies the point of having legislation and sends a very
bad message regarding the importance to adherence to those rules.
I would also like to draw your attention to this article related to
disturbed soils, and their impact on human health, and potential
creation of new pandemics. I quote from the article: “This often
occurs in disturbed soil ecosystems where pathogens directly or
indirectly (i.e., through animals or another vector) enter the human
host and cause disease. Therefore, in light of worldwide land use
change and degradation, changing climate, weather extremes [7, 8, 9],
and the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
(SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, one may ponder the origin of the next pandemic
and what role, if any, soil may play.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7836926/