MIKE BRADLEY
MAYOR
CITY of SARNIA
255 N. Christina Street P.O. Box 3018
Sarnia, ON Canada N7T 7N2
519 – 332-0330 Ext. 312 519 – 332-3995 (fax)
519 – 332-2664 (TTY) www.sarnia.ca mayor@sarnia.ca
September 2, 2011
Sarnia City Council
City Hall
Sarnia, ON
Dear Members of Council:
RE: Canadian Export of Asbestos
On September 10th, 2001, Sarnia City Council endorsed a resolution requesting the Federal and Quebec Governments to stop the exports of asbestos outside of Canada. Sarnia was the first city to officially make this plea to the Federal Government, which at that time was led by Prime Minister Jean Chretien. On September 29th, 2008, another resolution was passed by Council re-affirming their position to once again call upon the Federal Government and the Government of Quebec to stop the export of asbestos out of Canada.
While there has been great progress made on this issue raising its profile and many Canadians have spoken out against the export of asbestos, including hundreds of physicians, the Canadian Cancer Society, among others, the Federal and Quebec Governments continue to promote and actively support the export of asbestos.
Winston Churchill once said, “Never, never, never, never, give up”. That has become the motto of many Sarnia-Lambton residents whose family, friends and community have suffered greatly because of exposure to asbestos and are determined not to allow families outside of Canada to experience the same suffering.
To honour those who have lost their lives in the past and advocate for others around the world who should not be exposed to asbestos in the workplace, there will be a Candlelight Vigil on September 30th, 2011, in Centennial Park and a Walk at 10:00 a.m. the following morning, October 1st, 2011, to bring the community together to demand the Federal and Quebec Governments stop the export of asbestos.
I am respectfully requesting Sarnia City Council to re-affirm their previous positions on the 10th Anniversary of our original resolution, and to support both the Candlelight Vigil and Walk by once again asking the Prime Minister of Canada, MP’s Pat Davidson and Bev Shipley, and the Premier of Quebec to stop the export of asbestos immediately. And that this resolution be copied to the Premier of Ontario, the Association of the Municipalities of Ontario, the Canadian Federation of Municipalities, and the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers asking for their support of this resolution.
Thank you in advance.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Bradley, Mayor of Sarnia
BLOG: Mike Bradley’s Invitation to the Sarnia Weekend of Awareness and Remembrance