7U.'17/% POLYGONE ) IEA?6@L?T N i , . 1 ? 8 g g L t lbis 1',''(t tnagr,dy - as rnuch thr budrvorm's donrairr a6thc{fu'and spruce woods - thernore thephrasa 8/arA l*u Bnp's, n'rct came to Eynboliro thc vcry mmd ud face of theNeryBnurswick. cts *.ernselv€s. Thctc urashsrdly r penon i en. cornterd *'bo h8dno!bcen afiected bl' tic br,dwcrrn infpstalion axi che S years''nar of chcmicdSpraylng ::!athas trid to keep the:nsaedown. Icsrenrsihat tl* buowanroutbreak wrverscly perJet\lated rath€i fhail eradicatcd by thesgray, hasfucUed a sinrilar outbreak of sahi dirax, in thehuman populadon Since Confed' eratiori -.rnaybe eatlier - Man:in:- ms haveculuvareri a cyr,rcai nsrdi. irss inthefaccof rhepowen-ftst-be, a skeptical atutruh roruard grluical andcorTcatcendsrhatl'n wcllac. PL-]L'r'EU\E ) 7EE"6LfrLN1 and a teanrof researcherg at Dal- housieUnrverrityin Nova Scdia havc vcrifitd. wrth blood san:plcr fromacn:alReye's palients, t]ratthe sprdromcis rparkedby a ural.er. hancing dfcct whichrheyhadprevi. ously linked to thc pctrochemical emulsificrc ugedin the spray (scc page 50i, The last child to die of Reycb syndrome in Nc*' Bnurswick - th. lastcnedirgl|os€.i andrepon- ed',iilrt is - w:s lirnmy Singteton wno diedon thc Cayaftcr l',istenth birthday, Jrma FJ, 199, I wantto *e hisparentr, Junec and Jcln Singlaon,at tlierr farnhouse rear the nonhcmmiltlorvn ol New' Castle, at fte mouth of theMirunichi River.lt $'aE oncof thoseper(ectly ,ilearlndran sumflrcr daysthatsttnr ovcrbwdened wi& nostalgia - in this i l t . 1 7 E &ome, whir:hprogresgsso raPtdb rhatdroslicactron, irrcludin8 cuniry openFpoiiapso{ theskuU !o reU?vc the swclliirgof thc brain, hes to be uken. The Sirgletans rumamber everysuspcdcd cauee: it mighthrve bccnan aller$c raction to the pre scri['on thcirdoctorhad alady giv' enJimm)'for hisstonrach, lIaCJoan (orgrrtcnto tell thedoctors sornrcru' cra!pan of her sonbrnedical history? Near the end, wre of the Mqncrcn d rtors askcdson:cthing thal tmk tnc singlerons complctelyby sur. prise:'Drdt}teY spnYin Your areal 'l just looked at himendhel6l<ed a! mc,' Joan remembrrs. 'l didn't knowwlut theyweretrlkirgabout ' Shcrnd her husband dirln'l find ou unril three wceks after limmy's lur.eral, whcntheyreadthc causc of hie deathon thc front pr8e of fic Mswon T*16It s hardo believe, considerlng ttrearnount of ink andin' dignrtionltnt has Ocwedover dre spreyfrogramin the ;nst 3il ycars, but tnatwastheliot tirrre Jamcs and JoanSingleton had hearcl of Reye's syndrome, NorlrcrnNar Bruswick, the absolute heartof the prwincc's forestandpr.rlp andpepcrrndusries, is even "blackefthrn thc rcat, Oour**r* *o FRovNctAL pulp arxl paper conrpanies have been spraying !o controtbudwonnin the New Brunsc'ick forestssirce 1952. Thc onlythingthethas changcd frcn yerr.to ycar is ure imecticide.Frorn 1952 rrntil1966 DDTwasthcchcmi' cal used;when its lo:tg'tcrm&lc' teriouseflccts m tie errvironrncnt beclme clearin ttrr mid-i960s, anor' ganopbosPhate comPound crlled phosphanridon wu ptusedin. lt'*as the predonrinatc spnay for Utenext decade, thenit trrcrrasreplaced by a suppogedly saler orgarrophosphate spiiy rnlhd fenitrothion, Fenioo- thionrs now tht chemical of choice although Metacii(a carbamarel was rrsod on a e/idescalein 1979whcn fenitrothionlemporar:,ly fell hon favor.rr while the New Bnnswick govemm€nt ordetedhealtJt icsts oil it, Liks il or not,New Brun$vickers art caughtup rn r ticlce gameaf clre;:rical chaits. 'Ihe namcsbl,.rrand are hard to pronourlce, but onetlringto remen' ber Lq thot bothtypes oi spraytused since 1968 (Orc crgano'phosphetes andrhccarbamatesl aremwotorins. 'l'hey bloct the enryrne cholinestcr' l0u*udnttg!44 I I I Nwrtluend, olu oflittwtty Singhtut b defafi ashpd hisfurmbtlu aitalWation: WdWWay I ! ,l n ! inWrard ryaimcd within ny own comnuniry, just 30 mrht awayfrornthe Ne* Bruruwiclt border. But I found that desfnh, arulety,nrislr:standfcar ct',ta wideswalh tlroughtheNew tsrurswtck tryc}tc.And itwesnot on' ly rnoivUuals whotud ben bruslrd by thewings of thesprEy, butwhoh connlr:nrrics oat cxhibited a deep. $randsetof uoubled emotitrrs. tro*r* A'ou' rHEsPnucE i:ud'*'orn spraypro5anr ucutlly be- gin wirhthcdan0' o( children andrt ts qre is goingo be no cxception, But otitr slories playe<l or thesuspicic,n, te libliW,. therthefatalchildren's disease Reyel synCrome wasllnlreri to tlr aenalsprayint,and askctlif srrch a risk slroukl be conlet]lplatecl. "llris onc ixgins from :i)€ c€rtsinty tlu.t rh€ lirrkexisrs, llr, ltcn l(rrzut: cas€not just rcnrernbrance of past tirr,rsbul of lossstiUsuffcred It had all started witha mildflu that gaveJirnmyt gtre slomachwi0in fB harrshisEymptcnrs hadesshted through ncus(4confuston, delirium, eonwlsions and comauncr) he dieC tlrn lo massiwintncranialpra$sure, Hadhenunage"d to survive ht would 'uve becn sErerell urain-damaged. Tlr Singletons remernber cveryde" tri! of the ilhess.including the last mad rr,sh 140 ktlometrcslo the Moncton liospiul at twoin thernorn- iog,'iheir son'g connr)gions wcr€so slrong thalJamer lud to askfor ltdp ro holdhim;Jarnes rsa big tuan, ov€t sixfrct allad heanly nrulclcd fr'om hislrbouring job at theBoisc Crscaclt 'riillinNewcastlc. Farly diaqnosis iscrucial io tht suc. c!'ssl'r,l lrc'atnlenloI lteyc's syrt' t I b t f r ? , t i , lfu'l?lEE la:3! PCLYCTONE ) t?S,Z?1W)L?t ENEiIY (lrn,Fw3 ase,'vhichls esscntblio thc trans' r,rision of ntrvc impulses iv:all o'- ganisms, lrom irpcctsto mrn, They work on the budumrm b1'kntking rhebreoeolf the rees - cnce on rhc groutdtheyuc unaHe togetbtck to tle b..rds and ncw growth,so they sanre.Tl: sprays also"knock dot'n" bees,wasps,spij€rBand birds anrl other natut"l predatocof the bud' wsnn.Research onhuman beingscx. pasrd to chrpniclow lcvelsof tlece Un& oi insecticiCes shows iharthey srffer r higherthan normallowl of nsvor^Er disordta anda greatcrincl- Cerreof leukopcnb (lowwhitebloul cell co'lrOwhldr mekes thernmorc ersceprrble to in(ectious dlscass No gcrrnl heaithstudyof the provincc has everbeen dongbut tneveryleasi thet can bc saidis that Ncw Bruns' wickrs area poguhtion at risk, In l98l alonc, 1.5 miltion poundrof tcnitrothbn(not countingthe other chemical compofienLq of tlrc spray, the solvengand emulsrrrc,.:\ werc spraytdover 7.0(,10 qrrarc rnile.'of the provir.ce. A one-rnilc setbal\ airne(since modified co t,C00feet) from hurnanhabiution was e.stal> lrshod in 1977, but ichardty provides adequate protecion when a "goorl" sprayis corrsidered onern whichhaU of Urc chcmlcal arriresontarsct,Thc otherhalf dnfts in the wind-and ha.c bear tbundi,r rain,,fatcr 50 miles fiom the nearGtspraybh.rh,The bestavailable tlata,ndicaced thirtas littleasthretpercent a,r:C sometinres rurore than a doubleclose txr:, :and wrthinthe targctarea OpmtiotwUy&e rsc r'l thi pt\t;c1its u (hnafultr thacmmlo.l'srtt*tlnd. uurn trutstlp. dncrilvd u inwitmg brW tor* srd edu&W igq1?anrc, Theaetwt r,lnnttnut pmgram is soatmpb utd el,adictirct.e.tu"vtl nl tirc mtdaslse ie we lnw n.nbtnti. &Ceaf hrru nwh ynay uill acu&lly rmch llv spruft hwluttrn or u;h;rpt lhc taruitkr uill kxlsen,ny giu'n clrmtrm. '- Parrck l'tcTaggart-Cowan, Chrtrr rnon of the1977 envrronmental study cf fenrtrolhion cond.Lctecj by thc Na' ticflalRlsearirh Counci.ol Gnada Crrcnr 1976, tHEuEBAlEolitlu eifkiiinry o: the :udwonnspray pro *'am andits rcssible envi:'onnental nndhaalth eflec:s q'as basrcrlly enin- sldeni' argumcrt between $+'g camps pronroting competing rnterpreta- d3 t:ARROTSMITH trons of ''good" forcstmanflgement. The corporate rnodel,which wa.c spo;rsortd andqtawned bybig busi' ress,lovernment andtheCanad:an ForestryScrvice, belii't'edthal thc forcst was a ;arnr and sliouldbt treated assuclr, L.\rl it in thecheag' cstarrd quickest waypossiblc (dear' cut with brgmachinesl, plantit (us. ing herbicides :o heep oiit theweed rar:eties and pesticides lo kccp in- sectsawsy), let it grow for its 40 y€fft to B:aturi$'and thEn goin and han'est. Startagain 'lte ochermodc!.calledsilrnarl- turc,wastupported by provirrcec that wcrcn't alrcady leked intoyeatsof a sprayprogram Qikcliova Scotiat, or thosefor whonrlorcstrywasn'tblg busines0ikehince Edward lsland) lc callodfor sclective cuttingoI ma- N D .1 ? g DA3 sfter yearof stoJrgap spraying. and ever.irrcrcasin8 arcasof budwonrr infestetion. Until 1976 the lrlew Brurswrck people werefairlyacquiescent aboul spreying; the industryand govem. mentcouldiake careof the industry bccarsc, after all, the Lndustry took care of Nen' Brunwicken. Ever with thefcrestirrdusr'y in its present slump (1982 is s)uping upasa drs.rs' trous yrar fcr New Brr.rnsu'ick wich colsiruction Cown andrccession up). provincial Mirrister of Natun! Re. sgLrrces Bud Bird says;'The:'eare 15.00C jobs qirectly ir.volved, rurd an' olhcr20,0tJt1 indircctly. The fuest ir,- dustrycontriburos alnrost $t billiona yearto our prcrvircial ecorortrlr in a rrcrmal year.lt represenB nore than twuthirds o( oln cxporLiin forergir [wc treQs andplanling to getthe for- estbackintoa healthy semblance of its pre-?Dth cenlw self. lt '.lnsls' bourintensirc - prone to thechain- saw rallEr than the ctrenrica! ap' prm.ch to "conlrol.'ln otherwords. to silviculturists thc forest hadto be trcated like a fu'est(.tec pagc 40) Even the corporatcwoodsmcrr agrcedrhat th€ obiectof spraying wesr:'tto get riri of the sprucebud' worm. Thredidn'tseenr cobea way to wipetheinsect out,sirucc spraying seemed to keepfheinsect at penna- nentscmi.epidemic levels bypreseru- ing lhe maturerees for its fmd np ply. The budwormwould neuer smrve, Butwirhtheanitude thatthc trces werea cropthattheforestry in. dustryhad a righr to harves|, g5q crophadto be protected: thusyerr nrerkets, affcctiuguubalnnc,e of pa1'- ments. lt is a vetl critical foun. dationr€tour;t to the rrellbeirtg of Neq'tsrunsrryick.' But irr 1976severaleveutscoti- spiredtc give binh rc the first enti- sprayprorest rrorJpin New Brun.s' wickandtltc lirstcitizers'irss;rul( orr, lhcstitlu$quo. 'l'hefirststtrdies rrfthc Dalhotxicrcscarch tean:.establish' ing wlrat w?rs tlren only a prolmble hnk betwcen R:ye's s.rrndrorr.€ enc ths spralr, becanupublickno*4cdge in thespring of'76,sparfting thc tirst intensire public scnrtiny of thebuo worm $?r. Nova Ssohahad rcl'er sprayed andhadweethcred t*'o pre' vlots bttds'ormepider:ictir'.thecen' tu'y,butwatunderextr(rlle ptlGstlrc flun the forestindustryto tpray lo control anepidemicthen raging in the 18,":Tiff- 1.: J2 P0L'r€CINE+ 1.?5?76&ti' ! casslrredicted, su yo4rs later NSFI isstr0 able to operate in CatxErctur arclthebtdwomiepidenic hascol- lagsed onitsown. In New Brunswick the ssuewas nruchmorevireral. At rhe same trmeas thc Dalhousie research $"s makirgheadlines, Forcst Protcction Liriuted (FPLI, thegovernmenc- and industry.nrn company lMt handles ihcarurual Jpray campaign, was gear- ingr,rp fordre largest spray ever - 9.5 fiiliiorracres of NcwBninswick for. rsts You ilidnt haveto be in rhc fields or woods thatspring to beat rrsk; plarres seemcd to$pray wi$ irn. punar), fighting tne goodlight over fieids, hkes, hrrseJ anC everr school. .vardsOnesctrootyard wggspreyed dulingreress in tht srnall townof I{nirlDton. Inaf S,rh)t Jclttt in niuth' ern New Brurswick, urd ovcr thc nex! sevenmonthslhree of thc childrcndeveloped mcningo.ence' phalitis.'[Vo of thc threesubae' qusndy died, withsynptorns similar to lhose ol Reye's syndrome, SimPlY and apprognetely, the anti.spray group bom in relponse !o thls inci. dcnrwascalled Concerned Parcng, I dnl tile tosa Wpb dtdW.Thiss oae ofilie thitg;I rwll2 uw6nI Hb a su, Butal thcsaru time, bronittg lhe joresl w it h, nl daasbn willlwe toh ulh thef,n?stand lhcfulure. of Nau Bnr'nsprd. - Roland Boudreau, thcn Ministcr ofNaturalResouces in Richard Hatfield's PC governmcnt, fcecdng to therevelations of 1976 t I lE EYES OFf{Al,IY INTHEFOREST industry, indecd of rnany nrcmbers of thc provrncial legulatwe, glaze wer whenqucries frornConccrncd Par. enli arc put to them, Michael lvfcKee, s Libcral MLA whohas rep- re$ertred Moncton Northsince 1974, is oncof fivenpmbers of theSelcct Cornmirtpc on thc Environrnent (tbree PCs, twoLilxrals), which was rhedulad tor€pcft onitspublic hcar. ingp lo thc provincial legislature whenit re$rnedsitlingin Match. McKee says heiskirdofrnad athirn' selifr theslowncss of thepolrtical mcchsnism to respond !oconcerns of itscmstitucnts - 6ndwents to makE thereport retlect hisownconoerns - but satts thc Conservatire mernben are 'typicalgovcrnment mentbers wbowill ilppon andbach up lheir governnent's progyam. h is toobacl, Uaually, withthecorut:irttc, things are non.pertisarr, ifl:ere$ed ingptting theinfornration, brltas soo\asthe Concerred Parents sarted talking thoir backs were upD Wichout Conccrned Parents it .s rrnlikely thrt McKee's cnhghtenal views, lhe conrmtftee endthe bar€ bcgrnnings of a political opposition to thespray would even exjst, "V/ehave beenquiteh/stericalty accusccl ol ixing irracional,' q\rip3Gatherine Richards, r$earchcrfor the grcrup s;nce irsrncegion andperhaps ntore responsible thnn rn:rr[heruf itsll00 or soaclive trienlbers for its Fubltc creclibility. *we'rcahvayr accu*rlof being ernoticrrul I tbirrk it! because we,.:alled ourselves'Frrcnts' atxt alot of uslne\{omen scthatdlelabel was anessime fo apt)|y." lliclrirnls, & hottxcwi[,: aud truthcr in hcr mid-30s, is withour question themot hnowledgcable ,a) pdson onthcbudworm issue in Ntw Bruns' wick a kind of StenhyKiiowles ot thcbtdworm world. Thcdhingroom of hersuburb$Fredericton houre is trerresaarch centru. An off:ccfiling cabin$holds courc, 3NfieC to over' flcwingwith repri"nls of s;ier:ific pperstouching onalmostany aspGct of thc budwormqucstion - in her che€rful rnd fastidious wty shecan lay herhands onanyoneyoumight wantat a monent's notice. Takethis onefor inctance: In the spring of1980 Riclards 3otlar hanls ona iard-lotomeby tnnrLtionof a Japanese stndy(conducted bY Dr Tikashi Kawrchio[ the Natimal llEsearch Csntre of Gnccr in JaFn) which showed thet fenitrolhlon €uscd bothmutations andchro:no' someaberetions, Of 25 chenicals ranked rccrding to tlrcirsrenph in muration and chromosone abenz- tiontests, fenicroftion rankcd snond and sixrhrcspeclively. lt produced significant r;irromosocre brcakage tn ral bonc manow whcn administered tolivercts,and alsoatfcttdcbrouro sonres in h'oman embryo ,a11e. Con' cemcd hrenls thoug:ri thcsc results prticularly distrubing bccaucthe Suilitomo Chcmical ComPar,Y, a rnanufacturet' of fenitrothion, has claimeri thatieis"complctcly dcvoid" of n'rutagenic activity. Richards also pointed outthatfenitrothion isonesf the 100 susFcct chemicais on L\e Indusmal Biotest (lBT)list.h 197? theU.S. comptny wrsfouncl lo heve fatsifieC tests, and asaresult allof is testrng (whlch thcCsnadian govcm' ment dcDended onin ircdecisions to license chemicals) is currently rnrla reviaw intheU.S. and Gnada. Two thirds of theIBT studies reviewed sc farhave becn found invalid, 'fhis inforrnation disseninatcd by Concerned Parcnis takes on signifi- carce inlightof cancer rates f3rNcw Brunsnick released bvSaNics Can' adain 1Sl bascdonl97daua), Rich- axls publicized the figrrcs, whictt showtlu! New Brunswick's overall rateof newcas6of cancer is greater iban theCanadia,r averags. Andeven tnough for alf intents aul puryces thetwoMaritime provlnces share ilre same clirnate, lands€Fandgensric stock,New Brunswick'.s ral€ was onethird higher than Nova Scotia's. Heatth Minister Erenda Robecsot s reacrion t0[hecanccr ratewas tosay thilt one ean't bc t(n sl{r.tttslit \Yhen t . r n . : ? 8 oa4 CapcBrctonhrghlands, With Oe rdded impcrus d rhereveded health hEzards, a citucrts'protest groupin Cape Bretonsucccssfully counterd erery argument tml the forestin. dusrrybrorght !o bear,e!'en th€ threatby NovaScotiaForcstIn' dustrics (NSFI). orrned bythcSwed. tshmultinrdonai StoraKopparErg, tlnt lt wold frgveto mowrightouto! Nova Scotia in lweyeanif sprayrng 0f its wood supdy wasn't underuken rmrncdirtely. Siocc rhcrc was no legaryof spaying lo counrcr, rhe CapeP.etoncscorrld or5r about economics first and possible hcalth hazards later, sotheywere effectivc at meelirlS bornindustry andGenid Rcgae's Liberalprorinclal govern. meil cnbusinesslike ground. Asthe grcup's cconomic and supplyfort. Riclrurds: Wehawfuen hysterically anusdof fuingirational, I thinhbemtse fr lotof us arewnwwn' i l \ r r r n ? { M l ? l l r ? . l t j . i ? 1 6 L 4 t 3 z FilL'r'GOFfE ) l?5e,nc.WtL1 I evaluating suchsbtistics- perl'aps thc f$ghcr NewBninslick rates wer€ dueto betttr detection on thc pn of the prcnnce's dators. Whenit was pointedotJtto her thet a doctorin New Enrnsrrrck sarres@2 patlents onaverage whib NovaScoda drrtors handle only 560,Robeftson stoodher gror:nd:"lt'g ven, easy to say thal thet/rt rprend morelhinly,but i can'l aSrce that thcir abtnosisis gorng to bc lessaccr.rrar. I wo',rlo snggrstthat ow doc.fors wqk a lot longerhours thenif rre hadmoredrrctors." "lCskind of furuy," RicharCs 38ys, "lr's the *ay politicians work - youi sayson:ething andtheytwist it iusta iiclc bit and they answcrwhet thcy nristedrathcr ihan what yar rea0y said.'Somehow, in sCteof therpcrm Revc's syndmmercs.drch (which slrculd havecracked anystalcrnatct, an impasseras txn reachedoyel che health rssue,wirh a definite ' !.don't. believe-anything-but-our' own.resrarch' attitudcon boti sides ot thel$susIn April,at thcsanre time as Dr Ken Rozcc'sresearch orr thc hunar:i.rnJ< is beingpublbhed in the Canadran lvted icalAssociation's jrur nal, Dr. DonaldFrobictron witl be presentrng hb findings on thehealtl: hararC.s of fcninodrin, a sMy Bren. da Robenson's depanment cofrrmrs. .'loncdfrorn him in hrs roie as pro- vurcbi consultirgtoxicologist, Eco- brchor:, nowa proiessor rn the pMr' rnacolo6X' deprrtrnent ol the McGill Medical Scnol,descrbes himsclf as har.ngbeen oncc 'on thcfringeof the Reye's research team" butsays. "l'rna lot happielnow tlun I wasin 197{ F'rery yetr, back then, they werc ciungingthc fonnuladon of the fenr- trothion spraywith di(ferent emulsi. fiers.&yr:re oI $ese emulsif:ers [the l)rov€4 $r3l enhanffirin Reye's) wou.drot the topr off cans.o In tr,e izst t\ro vess he has conducieC *ree xparcte srudies of tne fenitro. Lhicn mi$ure used "in thefteli.'and ft characrerizee the Fsticidc :tself as"fa.irly $le'sonparcCto other or. gan0phosphat*, Hisexperirn€nB rtr. diiate no pa*,ologicat iesiorsrvhen ir.niuothion up to ll,' tiftes essEong as in thc lield spray *as ied t<r :rnunals by sronaeh tubc.tr'.h.alation tesisdsc failrd to fovidc significant lung ramage, "The higlrst doscs of the'fu -us€' loltn'.rialion didcause liver danrgdle," sei's Ecobichon. 'We oid norkill th€ratsblt therewassjSfrifi can:enough crmagc." Etrrabeth May.the 28.year.old ac- r{ x^stowshlrt?I tivist who succegsfully spearhexled theNova Sc,:tia canrpaigl aFainst clt spray. has advice forthose wl:otacklc thedecision'rnakss:'Wiihouc defus. irrgthc jobsissue, anyamouil of in- fonnetion onthehealrh issue is likely to lall ondeafean.' 0oor^*o PARENT' HAsttAD:t!t victoricg:The aoeage spraycdin 1977wcs reduced by half frorn the reord prevrous year,and ihc group canacc€pt creditfor thatgovernnrenl conce.srion. Tiu now-wavedng sct- back zonenas.also established in !97?,andi:ecause ol Conctrned Pa.r' ents'loud prot$ts thc spraying con- cenLr :ry asbestastheycanto avoid flying their lcedsof pesticidr mist ovor pnYsteland in southernNec' lJrunswick. But rhc grouphas been F t 3 . 1 7 g purpconrpanies, includrng BudBrd, BrerdaRobertssn arrd Gordon Bask. erville. tha nerr AssrstanlDcputy Ministerof NaturalResourccs. H.i. (Bud)trving, tire formerforestfire- fighterandpilot rvhcis nowmanag' rngdirector of FPL,setsout tlrerlow cha[: .Althorrgh it hasa slnrr sb'ruc- h,ue,the shges are ow;redover 90 prr cenrb1'thegovcnnent tkough theDapartment of Natual Rccources andlesstlun l0 percmt by thef oresc undustry. We opergeas a non-profit orgurization,... "Approxinatelyt:wothhdsoI the Iundirrg cqmes fromtht prouince and one-thirdlronr the nine pulp and paper companier Thegoveruirnt at all timesappoint$ the majoriry oI thc bmrd of direr"tors. Sofor all pact:cal pu,?os€swe ere controUed by &e I t ; I t l i ' nowhercneat as successlul as ils courter?art in Nona$oria" and this isdirectlt, egibutsbletc thelacrtnat the pro-spraying torces in New Bnrnswickare an instituthnalizcd p4rtof thepovince's lifc, Thc dcpart. ment.q of Naturd Rcsorrccs, Errvi' ronmentand Health,the Canadbn Forestry&rvict's Maritinrcbranch based in Frcdcricton, ForcstProtec- tior; Limitedandthe pulpandprpcr companies, the Hatfield Corserva- [i.,re governrnent *hich haeheldof- fice I I yean - all arewrapped up in tJ'ic wffT,ard weft ol a Prosprayfor- cstrypoiicy. Fertupea look rt FPL is the bcsr wa-vto cxdrin how it ell worFs. Fonr,cd in t9$2bythegowrnment ia eoopcratior with t\a industry, FPLI boardis still dominatcd by ministcrs of the Crownand exco.rtives of the grovhcid goverr:menl.' The actual arcasto bc sprayed, hving says,are ftB,rrcd outby theDepanment oI Na- nual Resources. in ccnsultation with theCanadian Forestry Senrice (which does theegg.nusscorJrts onthebud' worm) andindu$try. Thestatus quois vcry interceperdent. arrdin csscrce controlled by thc clccted repr€senta- tivesof thep€opls. lasl yearthcmt of lhc spray prc. Sran - twothirtlspaidlcr by tar dol. lars,one-tltird by privare industry - was$12.5 rnillion. Theproposed .arca for 1982is slightlybiggerthan last ycar,about 6vcmillim actes, anC lr. vbU says thcy will spay with or wilhoutdte conbowniai omujsifier: 'lf lhe regulalory bodi€s dcctdc that we should not $e an ernulsiJier thls wouldnot rnetna cancdleinon o{ the sprayprogFsm.'He nlks ol reer{a- 3 t lW'la,rfr i4rJ2 P:rLYGOr.lE ) tE@76W1?t N O , 1 ? B ry andrnspitcof thecrvare/s wishes. It dso advocatcdrcmoral o[ the iardowne/sright rc lay claimto dam' a8er Thc mcuureFpvedtooDraco niancvenfor thc Ncw Erunswick Pe litical clirnue,and thc govemmcnt was forced to introduceu amcnd' mentwhichaiktq,ed actions agrinrt FPL for trespals- bur onlY wlen damapsto propcrv could befowt. That is sonrthirlgwhidr,ClarkPhil' lipspointsout, isveryhard todo''We rcceived e New Brunswick kind of juslice,'says AbeFticcn. f,*t NBwt*titswcxgns AsE not in a pcition to speak out for othen, Many do not cr'cn havelhe option of dafcnding themselws'A clnractcr in a bookby New Bnys' wick writer AtdenNowhn, himsclf the sonof a pulpcuFer,uttered the survivor'screed of tltc loyer{lass Maritimer,'You kceP )our moutx shut and your a3t close lo ihe grnund,'Ancl lmk wh.,thefrpenc wlren you trespes agatrsttbat creed, even in southcmNew Brunsrrrick where public activism hasrtradc inror&' Don Monis has livcd all his ?7 yearsin Nerr Brunswick andrPr:ng isn'tspringro him withoutsPraytng. He rtmembcrs as a childthe Planai flvinclow overthefannYard andhis fa*re-r wiprngDD'f from thc wind- shieldof lhe cnr. lle inherited his fathtr's 125-acre farm, much ol whichis $,oodlot. in Fod Mills,Kcnt Cbunty,an economically &Presed arca in the southeastern parr of the province. Dondocsas his frther did belorenim, cuts PulPin the winer anclkerlx a few aninuls,ll he tivec! elsewhere heraighc becalled a hon+ steader but herethatis cicfinitcly an oulslder's term, Donl orva woodlotis brudwrnn- darnaged f It doesn'g marter whrt size lir lcut, the|rtartis r.rttenJ, bulheis nc comptacent about the thought oi bcing sprayed."l've heard of vroodswilrkers h tle Salmon River area gening sprzycdbut :}|eYdont seemto mind,likc theyte tig tough lumbcrrnen u sorlething. Theynlc the governments word- thcy ttusl these freople.'ffiratheppcncd to his 2$year'old wifePamcla hst sumnar as she workedPlantinE treesfor thc govemmenl is pnrf emughfor llon thatanyguch inrst is misplaetd' Mostof $r nceplantets ittthearca arewofien,'lhoughslugging tnYsof lS0seedlings whrlc pu Can t ishaavy work, competition for the jobs rs tory bodiee asof hutdlcsto bc lcapt' ard docsntgetintodiscttssions about health issucs. Concerrred Prrenu has tricd ttr litiation routeaiBrtlstFPL enddis' covered tiuoughe prolrrctcd andex- pensive courl xtion that the iawsof lre lanc aecmconstttuirdto provide becrerprctectim to aumals end f;shcs rhanto pcoglc, ln March197? tireylaid3l scp.rate charget againss FPL arburgfromthe i976:PraY sca' sou r,uderlorh rir Fedatl Fisharies Acr urd the ftst Csrtrol Products Act (PCF).FPL nopondcd by arSu' lqgbeforuthr SupremtCourtof New Brunsuci that it wasan agentof the Cronn trd thus irnnrrncfrom wch charges, TheSugrcme Courtruiedthat FPL \i/asro, an agentof the crosn artd funandParn Monis: Alat ofWhlnw toput ttpwith beiWWyed,' Tluntutime tlwtPwndidn't, she fuidforit ilroed thecatebackto thelocalrnag' istrores ior trial. FPL appealed arui wonhalfits poiot - thc AppcalCoun r.dedin .Vry 1979 lhal the Fbheries A:r eloes bincFPL butthattlre&st Corrtrol I'rocucts Act does not,Both FPL andConccrnad Parenls sotght leit'e (o appcal lant decision to tre Suprene Courtol Canada, but lcave wasdenred bothof therD, FPL hasqtte nore manoeuwe uP iN clecve.lt sowlrt a stay of Pro. ceedings with resp€rt to thecFarges ir si,ll :acetl under theFishcries Act. 'fhe stay rvasgranfcdh May lS0 and remainsin effcct. Concerned Parentsnright haveprcsseC ahead agrinst thEtlastdccision, butdecidcd r! w6n't worth the cffon or the Inoney.Instead they aru iobbying hud ior ananrendnent thathat been gven firscrcrdrlg ilt the Hou* ct Commons thet wouldnnkc the PCP Act bindirrg on thc Crown It is natve of Conceraed Paentsto bc indignrnt about Ns ',!uec'Year' wcrr'ytu'down lcgal battle- that's howthes€ kindsof thingratelought. But Oark Phillipr,a woodlot omer ondor&nic frrmerwhochaired Con' ccmedParents'lcgal cornminec. is binerabout theoutcome andworried aboutits conlsguences: 'This is the 20thccntury, We aresupgo*ed to be a iocrctyof lrw, with demccradc in' pul into llt structure o[ law. Wben oncpiee of saioty, thiscon$rtiutrt of pulpuompani€s heldtogetlurwith the8ov€mncnt gtuecalled FPL,de- velops for itsclla pcition of abeolule power, il canprompt r kindof despz' alr individual action.'' Reasonabie hdtvidual action is cer' tainlyhard to ta|G,and confintdto thc {ew Ncw Bmrswickers whocan affordrt. In 1976. AbrarnFriesen, a Univa'sity of NewBnrnswick Profes- sorwhoiivesona farrn13kilonretres frorn Fredcricton, did wh a short' livednrral victorywhenhesu(:oess' ruUy sucd8'PLfor trcrpess, nui$nce andnegllgence. Heandhisfamilvhad oemcnjoying oneol thelrew Bruns' wick rites of spriaS,picking fid' dlelrcads on lhrir property,when anotherof thoeeriles Prssod ovcr rhcir headsand dous€dlhcrn with fenirorhicn Abeandluswife, Mario' Luix, developcd acutespnptorns oi pesncide poisoning and tht nex!day l\eir ll.year.old 3o0 suffcreda 3€' vere asthrnaattaek, Alt thrce rc. quirednredical atlention.'Ihe Frie' s€m were outragpd, erpeoallyb+ cr.rse they hrd requesFda|ld re' ccivedwri$cn asuranct frorr FPL thartheirpropefiywouldbeexenlpt fromthesprly area. After a yeal. ol headngs '"\e Frie' senswereawardcd $1'328 in dant' acer lt hadcostthem?5 tinres that mucho provetlair case - $32Ofr Eveflwith thc councosls arvarded to them they are still out S10,000, a firuncial bur&n *rat thc avcr€ge NcwBrunspicker couldnotccnstder incurring, And what'rworscis that theirsuccrssful day in com hadche long-term cflec of funherdiminish' ing-rhc rights ol the individualto chailenge FPL'spractices 'i'he New Bruruwicltgovernment rerponded rc thc Fricsen Precedert by immcrliaelyProposi:rg a rFec:al bill whicb wortldhavc givo FPL powersto sPaY anpvherc in thc ',ntrvince - inctudhtg !>rivate proper' tURAOwTtatT'l tS l @ . ' : t , % ' - 4 1 3 ? PILYGC|NE ) |;5,BTSWL'4 kecn, Pam, whoharlhcldthc1ob tltc surnmcr bcforc,feit Fetty ltrckyto bcrehircl for l98l onthc basis of htr good repulation - even though hcr crewwastoldby DistrictRanger Ed hrthil! that therewase possibilit.v they wonldbc sprayrdbccau*e the planting area, almgtheSalmon River Rosd, waswithinthe rprcy area.lf theywetr worricd. said Parkhill, the y couldcallfte Zcnithnumbcr of FPL forJre daily spnying *heduh rnd stayhone for a daywithoutpay. Parndll stay horncon June3rd to beouto( harm's way*'lrentheplanes wentover.Or June4th sncfinislnd her da/s work b' llrSJ a.m. and wasgrairrnS for othersin thc craw, ir,cluding hcr$.ster Johamc Amydte, to walk backalongchewoodsroad with herto thc cars. She lookeci upal the soundof en8inetand saw two planes 0ying low ovcr rlre treelirlc towardtbe open planting areas. One of thern strll had its slxry noezlcs open.Pbnter Debbic Agnew,work. ing right rrnderthe flighrlbre. was drenched in thecheniical rnist.'Tlrev shcujdt'.ave !r!n u$."admitted duty ranger DavrClark."Thercwerefour can rlongthelreehne andmyservice trck - they shouldhavesesr thar at leas(.' PanrMo'niscas soupset thst slte hcaded fin thecan in tcatr.rnd Clarl (old her [het to rcassure hcrrclf she should giw hisbws&l Parkhllncalf , Prrh{rillwas wpriscd by thc ecci- dent.urd told Pun tg scca dctor rf thc wirheC. Pamalsocallcda friend for rdvict, and perhaps now wishes slrefradn't. Thefriard wreconnecled to theantr*pny nttwork,andgot in touchirnmediuclywrth Conccrncd Parcnts. The accident wasreport€d onradiorhat aftcrnmn andPamMor' ris unintentlonally bccanrc tha lead. ing figurr in thebreakintstry, Officbt naaicn wasswUt. A direc- iive camelrom theregional officcof theDepnrtrnent ofNarural Raources reouiring thatall those on lhc planta. tion thrt rnorninggo tw a specific h:rdof blood tcst(plasma treudochc. lincstcrasc tcstint) considcr€d reli- ableu detecting tcnitrothion exp:- sure.Pamandfiveco.wckcrswcnt ta thc RextoitMcdicrt Cengre thar cvening lo have sampicr takcnby the publichcahh nwse,The nune could notgetenoughof asamplcfrom Deb. bre Agnew,the one who had been dous€d, so shcwcnt to a doctorin !\toncton the nextmorningwherea sample waslaken.PamMorrisard 16 Heltowgltt?tf he r rister.iustto beon tlrcsa[c. tlidc be':.ruc a(terall yogDelercart tell, go! a second set of bloodsemples t€rk€n at R€rton thcnextmorning, [n all, thr€c$ls of bloods$nples *'€re tdcn - two donein Rexton andone in Moacton, where ll.e Regional lab oratcraic locrted. Threeweeks passed before a htter deted June23rrdved frornDr.Albert Fraser ot the regional labto saythat the samples lad been'discarded by mistrkepriorto urdpis. lf required, pieasc rendanoti.er sample.' Debbic funew rancmbcts, ?arn calJccl nre and seid hcn was lost, The next maning I 8pt r phone cell that the sarnplc I had donein Moncton had been misplaced, WhenI tound outall thc ones tnln Rexton werelosttooI thonght t waskindof funny,n Srrokesrnen for thc Depanment of lkslth andMurrcton I tcrspital, which houses thc regionallab, chorrght it kindof funnytoo,but rhconlyexpla. nation t got from lhem wnen ie $archW this story rvas'fur enor wasmadc'- until t madeit clearco Red Rayv,otth, publicrelations offi cer for the hospital, lhat tlot justonc set of urnples but three separete batch€s hadbeen lct, Hegotrntouch widt Albcrt Fracr of the lab, tvho nuicklygocin touchwith ma. Ftascr said thet atl thc samples lud been batclndandplaced in thetablre*er (a common pndice tor infreqrrntly donetests) sothatthcycouid beau- bsedrt thegame timewhen thclab's 3eniortcchnobgistgot back ftotn vacation. Prarcr di&r't kno,v how they carncto be dtscarded, just that whenthetechlrologist gutbackon the job ttry wercnowhertto bc rond. The teb processes approxinmtely 100.000 t€lts a month and tmder- standabl)'a few are lostor broken. But it onl:rpro€sscs 40 to 50cholin- eslerase !cs!s| )rcar, andthiswasthe first timethelabhad)osr any,l'raser rcld me that at leastlwo o*rcr sam' ples, from 3reenhouse workers in Hilleborough, had beentoss€doot with.t[eRe:con batch: "Thisprovos thattherewasnocorspiracy to delib' erately discard tbeRexton samples.' For Pamelr Morris, who did or <lidn'r dowhatandwhen*s11"c pure. ly acrdemic no',v. Shyancl thin,wifi a reChcad's paic complexior,. shcwas obt'rouely degresred dre last time I talltcd withher,rpeaking ineven 8hy' er heltirgtones. lt eeems thattheDe' partm€nt of NaturalResources had fired her a monthatler the incident N 0 . 1 ? B O e ? torfailing wo t egular clepartrrterrt irr' spcclions o( herwok in thecale-gory oi'firmnear.' (ForananDorisScott told me: 'lm up and downbetsten the rowsall checinre. Anytime I in' spected herwork it wasall riglrt.She wesa r€al Eooddanter. I uas sur' prisedwhtn str faileC,:eatly sr.rr. prised, e-qpecially the s*ond timc') Two strikesaudslreu'asout, btt a thirdwassentherway.Shehediust founcoutthatshewaspragnant witl: hcr sccordch0d.Cue in Febnrary o( 1982 - the baby nrighr have rcen conceivcd bcforcshcwrs sprayecl. Thingsin general arenoteasy witl: the Momscs,The le of Pamis job jcopardizes rheir financialsccttr' ity - it lus bcen nerrll' trvo yetrs sinceDonhetdn pnying job of( the farrrr. 'l'nere is ,,nn n*,::ler being rehircd ns a planteron ha 'guod" reputation this year,andshr hnsrs signed hersell to ii: ''llnt's theritua. tion wc'rcin, A lot of pcoplc lave to pul up with bcing sprayed."'lte un. spoken thrrught is th,rtif theydon!, they suffernror€$an just the con. sequcnc€s of thc sgray. t IONN LAUXSIERE. A NSIGHSOUR of P;urt ard Don Monis,lives a (ew n$lss arnyin Brss River rvhee heis ayingtogetarerm gorng, and subrti- rutctcrches in Rexton to nrake ends rrcet,ln 1960, LaBossiere steppecl downrfter fouryears as hadero( theprovincial NDPXr'ty, ihernost Unnkhss jobinNew Brunswickpoli. tjcs, since theNDPhas yettosecure a single seat, Butit Snve LrBossiere a podirun fromwlrichto broadcast hisoppositicr to thespray. I l i ii ii li li,. l.'' .'fh ia; f,; POLYGOF]E ) I:?€,E76WJT7T N 0 , 1 7 8 ciprtcthattheywould nctCr rraat all 0rcrtes $rt rhey d,d. "lt wm probabty a violation,' Browne adrnitr. 'Thcy*Lnowlaigc it butthere isnowayofekjru tltsn !ocourt becausc wedi&tt witness it.' Browne sayt thet thesinntionhas been concacd. In future themmpa- ny sim1r$ wi0 'ovcrestlmtc'the nunber o{asesicwantc roncar. So it'smore or less all uPto J'D.lntry - whichbardryreflectsa €udous apFroach un;hepartof r\c goverrr- m€ntto theus€cf ach€miraf lhathas tcar banncd in a numbcr of Esrope' anconules(Nonray, SwcdesL ItaJY, thc Nethcrlands) aadhasbeensp uerely restddcd intheU.S. fdlowW an 0regor'studywhichconrecred cdscamages tq its lsc as a for€st rpray. In fecl,sorne of the2,4,5'T in question 'ras purchascd by Inrrg frgmOntario Hydro attarthcdteml' calhrdbeen banned inthalprovince. The Deparonent of Environmen: did ruci-ssfullyprogecuie Foresl Pauol Linured in Mayl98l for'lb- grantly'disregarding Sectiou t6 of rhe prouincrrl Pcticideefut. ty spraying Routtdup - 8 n€ward reta- tively uncsrcd herbkide * vidoura permit, In fining thccomFny$200 (ma:<imum scntcrrc wouH hrvcbeen $1.000 or 100 drvsinjail),Provincial CcurtJurlgtDonald .{ilen*i'll'To thgnr'tly disrefard theeesion ofthe Pasticidcs Act would bc to usedre chemical withoutkno*ledge of its effecls. Ttreyknewwhet;iry warc doing buril wastoolateto obaina permiL" I: secms tlnt thepublic in' terest in there mattcrs is being r.'un' sbnllyeDlruet?d to thediscreticn of J.D,IwingLtd.tuid J.D,lrvi:rg is cenainly arrarcthat io needs to ro' spirc this',rust. t f H E I L L E O A L S F R A Y I N GO D Roundup took placein Dubee Sctde- menL 3r'uth€rnNew Bngrswiclqa milcfrornthehead of Millsbern. lt is hdrd!o ery whcfiE Millsucrm bcgins andcrds,just tharfor *vera!miles from rhe heado a placecaUed Ber wick Crner house a,rcstrrug like bcadr along the rivar. hsnreland rlopesup to wooded hills ard ccwE grazs: this is the cenn-a of Sus*x farrnlard wellknownthloughout thc lvllririmes for its deiryproducts, lt is appen lingtyp$toml, h€auji1u1, crt" bul lylillstrerm ir botha rspositoq'uf all thecommon jearsof Ncw Bruns' widrerraboutthechemieel m8naga menc of their l0r6t3 andthe scur.r Ofthetlree major Ncw&urswick polrtical partrs, theNDPundcr [a. Eossier€ war ahnein iu offrcial op- pcition to thc spray. Thc Ubcrds hsve uken potsbots il theFoglanr, using i"",ddents suciar thcac4idcnul jettisonrng of loadsof spay ncar hrbitatioetc enrbrrrass theHarfield govenuncn!, bu theyhave novcr en- do'rscd a no.sgny fognm. (Selccr Conmirtce rncnbcr andLlbcrat Mi. cMe!McKeesa}nt\e spny is \n- likett'to bt a nujorbrrn tt theup coninE Lib.ral lcaderrhip conven. tion,)Ia8osicre admi-o thar har pao/s eadoreem€nt of al antl.spray pa;iom washard to winagauut re. eisnnctfromtoplard pcoptc i: the Paperr'orkers' Unlon. Hemaintaing, horcver, thathr bac widcspread sup portanong thepertyra* urdfile, LaEhssiete: 'Wlhatam yetactrrt of Wleina Wprwine whase unllfuing iscontrolld by afewr ia8osrierethu*r rharhis lormcr pciitical colieeguer don't rhrre his vinrrn simpjybecauoc theyaremi$n. fornrcd:"My impressimot politr. cians in New&unswickisthatthere a:e onty a few who dc their swA research sndthat a llBlr nurnbcr ot :hemrcly on exlsting sourcca to tell Aernebout thc fore$ induuy,'!{e iisrs thosesoutca as tbe chemical manrdact'.rere, d^eDulpand paper industry itseU, and eveil the five Englioh-language darly papcrs, some radiostations andtirc CBC-TVaffil. iatr in St John.whicharoo'*rncd by the powerfui K.C, Irving ernpirc, *hose forcstry holdingsare the large*!n theprovincr. All, he1xint.r c.Jr.leve a considalrble r,ested ilt terestirr tht sprayprograot Sc LaB*rierc canundersEntthe avercgc NewBruriwicl,er'u quietac' ccptaxcofthca[aNs guo: nVhat can youe,eect of poplein a poor prov- ince whose econornic wllbcing is controlJcd bya srnrilnu,nber of peo plelOhiloudy you arcgoirlg tobcrc luctant to speak art inpubiic bccausc yourcntire ruturE can bcieopardieed by what you$ay.' Any cruix cf the power grid in lriow Bnrns*rck would beincomplcte without astop toconsider c.hc inscrut- able and reclugive lrnng femily, Therc ls K.C.hlnscU. whocauscd a cenain amount oIprovincial indigna- tionbyrchrinS righc o'.rt of theprov- ince nrdintoa lifein ha &lnmas:n 19?1, Andlhere ishistriooi middle. agad erecutivc sons, JSrn$, Arthur and John, who befiieer, them,ccntrol vas!irrterests in cvery s€ct6of thc grovincial economy, !.lobody has yet succeeded in cmrplinge corporet€ flowchuu it is srnply tru?theiin !(cwBruruwick K.C,lrringfs inter. cstt mtitef m05c. J,D, hwing Ltd.b thelorestry sec. tor,reFute4l:/ thc lNrge$ suclr com. pany irrthcwerld, withlxrldings cov- erirg an esrimded millionaqcs of NewBrrmswick. They rre sobrgthat rlrhough thc"r ue prrt of theindus- trialg:r'cup contributing to FPLthey alsorun Oreir om $pray opetallon, Forest FaaolLimitcd, ea$'b con- tuse witb che government operacior becausa it shares the sairn:nitials. Forxt Parol Lirnited rprayseach year forbudworm - aiter it finlsout whatFPL plansto covcr - but it Msn't us€d theviral-mhancing ernui. sifki'swith in feiltrorhion for sh ycars. Darod Oxtey, woodlands marr- agcr torJ,D.lwingL!d,,sa)rs, "We tpalun srcrr.oving in therighr direc' tionbeing able todroplhecmulsifier componenr, which was bccoming conlroversial,n &rt 10per c€$ of theirsFay pro gram involvesapplying broadleal herbrcidcs toJ,D.Irvingl tl0mi llion annual rcforegBtion gognm -and ccnlrovercy is whcretheyare head. ed. In 1960Foresthtrot Lirnited sDrNy€d 17,E66 acrcsof Ncw Bruns. 'rick wilh 23&T whcnit hada pcr. nrittromtheDcpartmart of Environ- m?ntto tr6etonly12,35? a'ret, "lVe werc definicel,v concerned,"rayg Kcnmth Brornte,headot Environ- ment's Toxt Subatrnces Branch. 'We found orl where thme al'res were and checked lo seethat thcy metconditions of serback fruurhabi. ration orxlwrter courses, But,ss the ccrrqrany expishred, theydiCn't anti- H^qowwt?ll t7 ; , i I i ; 1 1 3 . , 1 ' 7 . [ E i 4 r 3 : PIL'/60NE ) tEA',6@L"t of sone of the mostoutspoken antr. spraygotrrt. Pauland MrdelineTrylor rnoved to Millstreemin t9?5 afler Plul, a Unitcd Church minirter, :ccepted cturgcol thaciratit ol lel churrhes, Their lirst rprhg, spey planel llew clole to thcir hourc.The rflanse wrs notflastced with ftnitrothionaswcre some of tlp rcighhring honns,hrt insjdc thc mansewere the 'lhykns' fivc children.'l thought, I cant be a g@d mothcr if I dont figtrt this thing," says Mad€line. She soon joincd tlrc llcdgbngConccmcd PEr' anlsGraup, Cqnnifinentto herchil- dtq