As a citizen of the area since 1952 and an employee of mining since 1969, I have experienced the changes of time here in Sudbury.
The changes have come only by the blood, sweat and tears of a community that endured the most destructive carnage of lost lives in the mines, mills, smelters and refinery, all the while living surrounded by an environment of a dead and bleak landscape from years of hideous industrial pollution.
I have been on the front lines of representation of the employees since 1973, as a Steward, Health and Safety member, Executive Board member and the last seven years as the senior officer, the President of Mine Mill 598/CAW.
The changes within the workplace and within the community have always been opposed by the companies as too expensive or not needed. The re-greening of Sudbury, the safety standards within the industry, and the betterment of our community has always had an allied relationship with workers collective strength of their union.
I have a front seat within our community and in using material from the Sudbury Soil Study and other sources, I have prepared this statement. It is not easy to put into a few words the context or my conclusion of the study, which can be found at www.sudburysoilstudy.com.