The Verdict

So how does Newfoundland and Labrador compare?



​Tailings



​As of 2008, 16 proposals had been submitted to reclassify lakes and ponds across Canada as tailing impoundment areas (TIAs); 4 of these being Newfoundland and Labrador lakes. (12)



Of these 16, the 4 Newfoundland and Labrador ponds were the first to be approved for reclassification, including 2 ponds that were already being used as TIAs and were reclassified retroactively. (12)



Today, 29 proposals have been submitted to reclassify lakes as TIAs across Canada. Of these, 14 have been approved (13):

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• 4 in NL
• 4 in BC
• 2 in Nunavut
• 1 in each of Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and Ontario

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Only 3 proposals have been declined: 2 in BC and 1 in Ontario – none in NL.



Of all of the Canadian provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador was the first to have water bodies listed under Schedule 2, and 100% of proposals for reclassification have been approved. BC also has a large number of reclassified lakes, though 2 BC proposals were denied as a result of environmental assessment and public pressure.



Newfoundland and Labradoris NOT doing well compared to the rest of Canada for allowing the contamination of pristine lakes by mine tailings.



Municipal Solid Waste

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Newfoundland is the only province that still uses conical incinerators (10). According to Statistics Canada, less than 5% of municipal solid waste is burned, making the 7 Newfoundland communities that still use incinerators the minority with respect to the rest of Canada. (11)

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The facilities themselves produce dangerous and carcinogenic toxic substances into the air, including dioxins and furans. The amount of MSW burned is not tracked, nor are the levels of emissions produced produced by the incinerators. No timeline is in place for the decommission of the remaining incinerators, and in Burgeo, open pit burning will be adopted for the forseeable future. (11)

 

​Newfoundland and Labrador has had a lousy history of air pollution via incineration of MSW, though we've come a long way. There's still a lot of work to do if we're going to catch up, and it's doubtful that we're going to be able to keep it up.

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​In terms of MSW production, Canada is doing very poorly internationally. The Conference Board of Canada ranked the country last out of 17 countries in terms of municipal waste generation and notes that Canada's waste production has been on the rise since the 1990's. However, increasing waste production is a trend that is seen in many countries. (14)









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Comparison of municipal waste output of 17 countries.

Note Canada on the far right. (source)

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According to their ranking system, Canada's grade decreased from a C in the 1990's to a D in the 2000's. In 2008 nearly 2/3 of Canadian municipal waste was disposed in landfills or incinerated (the majority being disposed in landfills), while the remaining ~1/3 was either recycled, reused, or composted. The Conference Board recommended that Canada focus on reducing the amount of MSW produced while increasing the amount that is recycled. (14)



Management of Some Other Contamination Sources 

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Despite our failings, over the last few years Newfoundland and Labrador has made progress in some other areas besides the two we explored in depth. Some things to celebrate (click the underlined links for more info):



In August 2011, a province-wide ban on cosmetic pesticides was introduced!

In October 2010, St. John's finally initiated a curb-side recycling program!​

In 2009, St. John's completed a wastewater processing plant for the St. John's harbour!



There's hope for our province yet!!