#9204 - Jun 1992

Digital Archiving Completed by the Ethnography Lab, A University of Toronto Anthropology Initiative
and Produced in Collaboration with David Perlman/Wholenote Media Inc between July-December 2015.
Page Two/June 25 1992 NEWS Kensington Market DRUM
Major motions passed at Board of Health and Council
please opponents of Toronto Hospital incinerator
'14t their June 4 meeting the Toronto Board of Health heard deputations .from AHI(Kensington)
(Action on Hospital Incineration) and from various environmental groups and a
spokesperson .from the Toronto Hospital CounCil. After hearing speakers, the Board of
Health adopted the follmving motions regarding the Toronto Western Hospital incinerator.
The vote at the Board of Health was wzarzimous. ·
BIOMEDICAL WASTE DISPOSAL AND EMISSIONS
FROM HOSPITAL WASTE INCINERATORS
The Board of Health recommends:
1. That the Board of Health ehdorse the following recommendations, as amended, of the
Action on Hospital Incineration- Kensington (AHI):
We urgently request:
* (a) That the Toronto Hospital immediately implement the new Ministry definition of
biomedical waste which will reduce the incineration waste stream from the hospital by
30%.
(b) That a freez~ be placed on the Toronto Hospital's licence to import waste so that no
new contracts can be taken on and quotas -from present customers cannot be
increased. ,
(c) That the Toronto Hospital stop burning for any other inst'itutions, thus placing the
imperative to find acceptable disposal methods back upon the institution which
produces the waste.
* (d) That the incinerator be replaced with a safe, effective, -non-incineration technology for
the disposal of infectious waste with all due haste.
(e) The Medical Officer of Health be asked to work with the Ministry of the Environment
to formulate a feasible timetable for the implementation of the above recommendations.
(t) That the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health be urged tu provide
incentives to all hospitals to act proactively in implementing the above recommendations.
* (g) That the Ministry of Health be urged to provide additional financing for the Toronto
Hospital to implement safe non-incineration technologies for the disposnl of their
biomedical waste.
2. That the Board of Health request a status report from the Toronto Hospital before the
Hospital implements the proposed cosmetic retrofit of the Toronto Western- Hospital
incinerator.
1
* 3. That £he Board of Health demand the Toronto Hospital and other Toronto hospitals
practise waste separation so that they burn only waste for which incineration is the only
option.
4. That the Medical Officer of Health request an inventory of quantity and source of all
waste burned at the Toronto Western Hospital.
5. That the Minister of Health be requested to release funds to the Toronto Hospital and
other hospitals, as quickly as possible, in order that hospitals may implement changes to their
waste management stream. -
6. That the MediCal Ofticer of Health be requested to write to the Hospital ·Council of
Metropolitan Toronto to obtain more information on the Booth Street Laundry pilot program
and any environm~ntal programs the hospital council is currently undertaking.
7. That the Medical Officer of Health be requested to obtain information on the terms of
reference of the Hospital Council of Metropolitan Toronto.
8. That the Medical Ofticer of Health be requested to write to the Ontario Medical Association
and the Canadian Medical Association to request details of any activities designed to
increase p~ysicians' awareness and knowledge of appropriate biomedical waste disposal.
These motions then went to City Council June 15 and 16, because the Board is a committee
of City Council. City Council adopted all of the Board of Health's motions except the
ones with asterisks--i.e. numbers 1 (a), 1 (d), I (g), and 3. These four were referred back to
the Board of Health, at the instigation of Ward' 3 Councillor Tony 0 'Donohue. The Board
will hear further deputations on these either July 16 or August 20. At this second meeting the
remaining AH1 recommendations will be measured head-to-head against the recommendations
of the City's Medical Offic;er of Health (MOH) whose own report on biomedical inci~:~eration
came to the Board June 25 and was held over for deputations. The same time. The MOH is
also sharply critical of existing standards for medical incinerators and specifically critical of
the Western incinerator. But he argues for one state-of-the-art "regional" incinerator at some
Toronto hospital. Members of AHI (Kensington) fear that Western will put itself in the running
for this "regional" facility. .
David Allen of the Toronto Hospital reacted somewhat favourably to the MOHs report,
saying that the hospital is "looking forward to the debate" over that report. But he was
critical of the motions passed by the Board of Health and City Council. "They do not
understand the issue facing all hospitals in Toronto" he said "that we need an alternative to
incineration and there is no alternative. They do not recognize that there needs to be a
solution in place before adopting motions like these. " . .
"There are solutions" responded John Wilbur of AH1. "But can you see the hospital
giving any of them a chance while they can make money burning biomedical waste for other
hospitals? Without political actions like those taken by council and the board of he,alth, the
hospital will drag its heels forever. Even the MOH's report states clearly that there are
effective safe alternatives to incineration. ' ·
Report by David Per.lman!DRUM Staff
DRUM DATES AND DEADLINES
PUBLICATION DATES: PUBLICATION DATES* DEADLINES:
FALL/WINTER 1992 SPRING/SUMMER 1993 Usually 10 days prior to
AUGUST 20 JANUARY 28 - publication.
OCTOBER 1 MARCH 11 lrtquire to
NOVEMBER 5 APRIL 29, JUNE 3 363-DRUM
I
DECEMBER 10
*projected
phone or fax
'
'
25 Augusta Avenue, site of
rezoning application to put
housing in the rear. See
notice of J1leeting, next page.
NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS~~SNEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS
ROUNDUPROUNDUPROUNDUPROUNDUPROUNDU
I
SIX WEEK SHUTDOWN
PLANNED FOR OLD SMOKEY,
IF PROVINCE COMES
THROUGH WITH CASH
THE TORONTO HOSPITAL IS SEEKING
ABOUT $100,000 TO REPAIR THE
WESTERN HOSPITAL INCINERATOR. IF
THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH GIVES
THEM THE MONEY, THE INCINER­
ATOR WOULD CLOSE FOR ABOUT SIX
WEEKS.
BUT THE REPAIR Is CONTROVER­
SIAL.
THE CONSULTANT WHO WROTE
THE REPORT RECOMMENDING THE
REPAIR SAYS IT WILL RESULT IN A
"DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN POLLU­
TION AS WELL AS VISUAL POLLU­
TION" FROM THE STACK. THE CON­
SULTANT DESCRIBED THE WORK AS
BEING SIMILAR TO GIVING A CAR A
TUNE-UP.
CITY COUNCIL AND THE BOARD
OF HEALTH HAVE BOTH PASSED
MOTIONS DESCRIBING THE PROPOSED
REPAIR AS "COSMETIC" A VIEW
- SHARED BY MEMBERS OF AHI (KEN­
SINGTON) WHO POINT OUT THAT
EVEN WITH THESE REPAIRS, THE
INCINERATOR WILL NOT MEET STAN­
DARDS FOR AN INCINERATOR BUILT .
AFTER 1986.
LEONARD AVENUE GARAGE
CLOSED FOR REPAIRS
PEOPLE USED TO WEEKEND PARKING
IN THE HOSPITAL GARAGE AT
LEONARD AND NASSAU WILL HAVE
TO GO ONE BLOCK FURTHER WEST.
!HE GARAGE IS CLOSED FOR
REPAiRS. SEE AD, NEXT PAGE.
THE GARAGE SITE. THIS REPAIR, HE
SAID, HAD TO BE DONE NOW
BECAUSE THE GARAGE - IS BADLY
CORRODED BY SALT AND" IS STKUC­
.TURALL Y UNSAFE.
87 BELLEVUE: "SLIMY" REAL
ESTATE RUMOUR
SCARING UP SALES
SOME PEOPLE LIVING IN KENSING­
TON NEAR 87 BELLEVUE AVENUE
(SEE ARTICLE NEXT PAGE) ARE
BEING PANICKED INTO PUTTING
THEIR HOMES UP FOR SALE.
AGENTS FOR AT LEAST ONE
LOCAL REAL ESTATE COMf'ANY
HAVE BEEN KNOCKING ON DOORS
GIVING FALSE INFbRMATION ABOUT
THE PLAN FOR 87 BELLEVUE. ONE
VERSION OF THE RUMOUR IS THAT
THE BUILDING WILL BE A "GOVERN­
MENT HOUSING PROJECT WITH 42
APARTMENTS, WHICH WILL ADD A
LOT OF TRAFFIC TO THE STREET."
IN FACT THE PROJECT WILL BE PRI­
VATE NONPROFIT HOUSING, SUPER­
VISED BY THE HOMES FIRST
SOCIETY. THERE WILL BE 28 APART­
MENTS. HALF OF THESE WILL BE
FOR PEOPLE REFERRED BY SiSTER/NO
AT 181 BATHURST (SEE ARTICLE
PAGE 8-9). THE 9THER HALF WILL
BE PEOPLE RECOMMENDED AND
SUPPORTED BY THE CORNER DROP­
IN, THE ST. STEPHEN'S-UNJTED
WAY AGENCY AT 203 AUGUSTA
AVENUE.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF RESI­
DENTS WILL NOT OWN MOTOR
VEHICLES.
NEIGHBOURHOOD PEOPLE WANT­
ING ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT
THE PROJECT CAN CONTACT GRACE
OLLERHEAD, HOMES FIRST SOCIETY
AT 362-2827.
ST ANDREW WIDENING STILL
STIRRING UP FEELINGS
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS
PROCEEDING WITH TENDERS FOR
THE WIDENING OF ST ANDREW
STREET WHILE RESIDENTS AND
BUSAINESSES ON THE SOUTH SIDE
TRY TO GET SUPPORT FOR WIDENING
A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE HOSPI- LESS ON BOTH SIDES. THE WIDENING
TAL SAID THE REPAIR HAS NOTHING HAS BEEN DECLARED NECESSARY BY
TO DO WITH EARLIER PLANS TO THE PARKING AUTHORITY AS A
EXPAND THE GARAGE. HE REFUSED PRECONDITION FOR EXPANDING THE
TO COMMENT ON THE "HYPOTHETI- KENSINGTON GARAGE, AND WAS
CAL QUESTION" WHETHER THE ALSO IDENTIFIED AS NECESSARY
WORK BEING DONE NOW WOULD DURING SPADINA LRT ENGINEERING
HELP OR HINDER FUTURE PLANS FOR STUDIES.