Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today as a follow-up to my Member’s statement on my questions surrounding the disconnect to the recent media reports that more than 30 cleanup workers at Giant Mine site were critically exposed to toxic arsenic trioxide. We have received little to no updates on this disaster, and it is important that we hear today from the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission as to what we are doing in the wake of this health and safety issue.
Can the Minister inform the House as to when his office was made aware when these critically arsenic-exposed cleanup workers at Giant Mine site were showing positive test results in their weekly medical monitoring program? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. WSCC was first informed about the exposure on August 10, 2013, and they sent me a briefing note on August 14, 2013. Those are the days that have been identified. Mahsi.
If the Minister and Cabinet were informed August 14, 2013, why were Regular Members and the public at large not informed of such critical health and safety findings? Thank you.
Part of the mandate of the WSCC is to first deal with the workers and the employers. In this instance, the general public were not at risk of exposure but were confined from the contaminated zone on the Giant property. The general public does not have access to the mine site or the contaminated zone. Worker/employer information is confidential and cannot be disclosed, so that’s part of the reason why it was kept confidential to the parties. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe the Minister can elaborate on what activities the cleanup workers were doing to put them at such a high risk of exposure. Thank you.
The workers were in the midst of cleaning out the asbestos and arsenic from the roaster complex at Giant and they were wearing the protective equipment required at that point. In some cases equipment fails, and in all the cases WSCC and company are still trying to find out how the workers were exposed. During that time frame, the WSCC were giving directions to the company on how to eliminate the exposure and WSCC also immediately closed the project down until the company determined what caused the spike. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for that, but can the Minister inform the House as to what exactly is being done now for these exposed NWT workers to this highly toxic arsenic, and when can the House expect a full risk assessment of this arsenic exposure for public review? Thank you.
WSCC is dealing with the workers that were exposed, to ensure that they have all the information that’s required to deal with the exposure.
The low-level arsenic exposure is not a substance to cause any instant illness. It can manifest over long periods of time. That’s the information that we received. WSCC is also ensuring that it is not manifesting to a latent disease of the workers. Those are some of the areas that we are currently monitoring. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
