February Road Salt Forum

Riversides Stewardship Alliance and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund are hosting a public forum on road salt use. Here are the details of the event:

A Low-Salt Diet for Ontario's Roads and Rivers

PUBLIC FORUM

Road Salts: the Science and Policy

Thursday, February 23rd

7-9pm

Metro Hall – Room 303

55 John Street, Toronto

RiverSides Stewardship Alliance and Sierra Legal Defence Fund have released an investigative new report documenting the dramatic toll road salts are taking on Ontario's environment and built infrastructure, and are calling for major changes in the way these environmentally toxic substances are dealt with. To view the full report and media release visit www.lowsaltdiet.org.

Despite the December 2001 classification by Environment Canada and Health Canada as an environmentally toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), there are currently no mandatory requirements for managing road salts for winter road maintenance in Ontario. Each winter we use 2 million tonnes in Ontario alone, with devastating impacts on roadside vegetation, surface and ground water quality, and aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.

RiverSides has compiled a panel of leading scientific, legal, policy and safety experts who will lead a public discussion of road salts impacts and help answer the timeless question – what can we do to reduce the worst excessive use of road salts, given the need to balance road safety with ecosystem protection?

This public forum will be moderated by John Wilson, noted Toronto environmentalist and Chair of the City of Toronto Task Force to Bring Back the Don.

Forum panelists include:

- Councillor Shelley Carroll, City of Toronto (to be confirmed) – City of Toronto’s Road Salts Policy
- Bill Snodgrass, Priority Substances List Road Salts Assessment Report Member – The CEPA Road Salts Assessment Process
- Dr. Anastasia Lintner, Sierra Legal Defence Fund – Road Salts Policy
- Paul Allen, inRoads – Road Safety and Road Salts
- Kevin Mercer, RiverSides Stewardship Alliance


Everyone is welcome!

Registration is free and refreshments will be served.

To pre-register or for more information contact:

Jennifer Hounsell
jhounsell@riversides.org
416-868-1983
www.lowsaltdiet.org