CUPE is pleased with the overall recommendations in the report of the North Battleford Water Inquiry Commission.
This report clearly exonerates the operators of the water and waste water treatment plants who had to struggle with aging infrastructure and lack of resources at the City of North Battleford, says CUPE Saskatchewan president Tom Graham.
If the front line workers concerns had been heeded long ago, this water crisis might have been averted, Graham adds.
Safe, quality drinking water must be a priority of all levels of government, he says. Water plant operators need the proper resources and support to do their job. This report recognizes this.
Graham was also heartened by the recommendation directed to the City of North Battleford to begin construction of a new sewage treatment plant by the spring of 2003.
This was long overdue and the old plant was putting the health and safety of the operators at risk, he says.
CUPE is also pleased that the provincial government has agreed to improve monitoring and enforce standards for water treatment plants.
We look forward to hearing announcements for infrastructure funding, Graham says. The government needs to invest in publicly funded water infrastructure.