Hamilton council votes to release some documents about sewage leak

Hamilton city council says it will release confidential documents related to the 24-billion litre sewage leak that spilled into Chedoke Creek.

Coun. Maureen Wilson put forward a motion to make the documents public and called on the city for an apology during Wednesday night’s city council meeting.

Councillors voted unanimously to make some of the information public following a closed-door session that lasted roughly four hours.

They agreed to issue a formal apology for not releasing information about the massive sewage leak that poured into the Chedoke Creek, which flows into Cootes Paradise, over a four-year period.

The city will also seek to reconcile with indigenous water walkers to address the concerns raised about waste material in Hamilton Harbour and Cootes Paradise.

Wilson, Counc. Nrinder Nann, and Counc. John-Paul Danko were the only councillors who initially voted to make the information public when council became aware of the spill back in January.

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In a tweet posted early Thursday, Nann said council has an obligation to not only clean water but also to a thriving eco-system. “It is my hope that the motion passed last night & the subsequent actions resulting from it may begin restoring trust & confidence for our residents. I will continue to work consistently towards this. I have learned a lot thru (sic) this & am humbled at how much more I have to learn,” she wrote.

Many residents have been furious since the information came to light after The Hamilton Spectator obtained two reports that stated council voted to keep the information secret.

Some council members, including Mayor Fred Eisenberger, have defended council’s original decision to keep the information private.

For all of the recently released documents, click here.

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