To be putting million tonnes of garbage in a fractured rock pit is absolutely
ludicrous. It's a bad idea and it should never be allowed to happen. If you don't let local
people have a say on that, there will be widespread civil disobedience throughout
Temiskaming and I will be there on the front line as part of it.
-Temiskaming MPP David Ramsay, June 1996
THE ADAMS MINE SITE IS LOCATED IN BOSTON TOWNSHIP, IN TIMISKAMING DISTRICT, APPROXIMATELY HALF
WAY FROM LAKE ONTARIO TO HUDSON'S BAY. OVER SIX HUNDER KILOMETRES NORTH OF TORONTO, THE AREA IS PART OF
TRADITIONAL ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, AND RESEARCH IS NOW BEING COMPLETED BY THE ALGONQUIN NATIONS OF LAC TIMISKAMING,
BARRIER LAKE AND WOLFE LAKE TO PROVIDE THE RECORD OF LAND USE FOR THE FEDERAL COMPREHENSIVE LAND CLAIMS PROCESS.
LOCATED JUST A FEW KILOMETRES SOUTH OF THE HEIGHT OF LAND WHICH DIVIDES THE GREAT LAKES WATERSHED FROM THE
ARCTIC WATERSHED. WATER FROM THE SITE MIGRATES VIA THE MISIMA AND THEN THE BLANCHE RIVER INTO LAKE TIMISKAMING AND THEN
DOWN THE OTTAWA RIVER.
IN 1990, METROPOLITAN TORONTO SIGNED A WILLING HOST AGREEMENT WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES OF KIRKLAND LAKE,
LARDER LAKE AND ENGLEHART. THE AGREEMENT SET OUT THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS FOR THOSE THREE MUNICIPALITIES,
IE THE PAYMENTS FROM METRO TO THE MUNICIPALITIES IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR WILLNGNESS.
BUT, IN ADDITION TO THE DEAL BEING BASED ON A FAULT SITE, IT WAS ALSO BUILT ON A FALSE PARTNERSHIP. THE
THREE SIGNING MUNICIPALITIES ARE ALL AT VARIOUS DISTANCES FROM BOSTON TOWNSHIP (WHERE ADAMS MINE SITE IS LOCATED).
BOSTON TOWNSHIP IS OUTSIDE THEIR BOUNDARIES, AND OUTSIDE THEIR JURISDICTION.
BOSTON TOWNSHIP IS AN UNORGANIZED TOWNSHIP IN TEMISKAMING DISTRICT. NOT ONLY IS IT OUTSIDE OF KIRKLAND LAKE'S
BOUNDARIES, (THE CLOSEST OF THE THREE SIGNING MUNICIPALITIES) BUT BOSTON TOWNSHIP AND KIRKLAND LAKE DON'T EVEN
SHARE A BOUNDARY.
BOSTON TOWNSHIP IS AN UNORGANIZED TOWNSHIP, WHICH MEANS IT DOES NOT HAVE AN ELECTED MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, BUT IT
DOES HAVE A SERVICE BOARD, AND IT DOES HAVE A RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION, AND THOSE BODIES HAVE SENT A CLEAR
MESSAGE FOR METRO. BOSTON TOWNSHIP IS NO WILLING HOST
IN AUGUST 1995, 60 PERCENT OF THE RESIDENTS OF BOSTON TOWNSHIP TURNED OUT TO VOTE IN A POLL SET UP AT THE
ROUND LAKE FIRE HALL. 95 PERCENT OF THE BALLOTS CAST WERE AGAINST METRO CONVERTING
THE ABANDONED MINE IN THEIR TOWNSHIP INTO A MEGA-LANDFILL.
IN SEPTEMBER, A POLL OF RESIDENTS OF LARDER LAKE, ONE OF THE SO CALLED WILLING HOSTS SHOWED 74 PERCENT
OPPOSED. CHAMBERLAND TOWNSHIP, ANOTHER SO-CALLED WILLING HOST HAS COME OUT 92 PERCENT OPPOSED. WHEN
ELECTED COUNCILLORS FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF DACK WENT DOOR-TO-DOOR, THEY FOUND THEIR CITIZENS 94 PERCENT OPPOSED.
IN FEBRUARY, 2000 TIMISKAMING MPP DAVID RAMSAY RELEASED THE RESULTS OF A PROFESSIONAL POLL CONDUCTED BY ORACLE
RESEARCH OF ATTITUDES IN TIMISKAMING DISTRICT TOWARDS THE ADAMS MINE PROPOSAL.
THE RESULTS--85 PERCENT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HARM TO SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER, AND
TWO-THIRDS ARE AGAINST THE PROJECT.
