CBC News recently covered our study on the South Shelburne community. Portion of the article below:

Testing underway

Delisle hopes Amnesty’s campaign will accelerate movement toward redress.

The town is in the early stages of a project to decommission the landfill site, with initial groundwater tests having been conducted.

A 2023 report by Dillon Consulting said electrical conductivity data can “identify areas of potential buried debris or groundwater impacts.” The report identified areas of the dump with “high conductivity values that are usually a sign of potential contaminants or waste.” It also noted that “contaminants may, driven by infiltration, migrate out from the landfill.”

A public notice about the dump said the second phase involves capping the site, a “critical environmental protection measure,” with the eventual goal of turning it into a green space for public use.

Scientists at McMaster and Dalhousie universities have been studying whether the dump has made residents sick. Professors Juliet Daniel and Paola Marignani are analyzing saliva and toenail samples to determine whether there’s a link between the dump and elevated cancer rates in the area.

Read the full article at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/amnesty-international-joins-fight-for-nova-scotia-dump-site-cleanup-and-safe-water-9.7030329