A member of P.E.I.’s legislative assembly is not convinced the government has properly handled the cleanup of medical waste near a Crapaud school.

            

            Matt MacFarlane had been waiting for the Department of Environment to act following the discovery of a dump site near Englewood School.

            

            He said he was initially encouraged after learning ServiceMaster of P.E.I. was the contractor hired to clean it.

            

            “I would hope that if they agreed to take on this contract from the province that they would have the ability, skills and resources to do the job appropriately.”

            

            The waste consists of exposed syringes, broken bottles and vials of unknown medications.

            

            It was brought to the government’s attention in April, but there was no response for six months.

            

            On Oct. 18, the Department of Environment said ServiceMaster of P.E.I. had been contracted to clean the site the following week and its delay was due to “scheduling challenges.”

            

            As of Oct. 31, much of the waste is still there.

            

            ServiceMaster of P.E.I. was contacted about their role in the cleanup.

            

            An official said the company never worked on it and was not aware of any cooperation with the government about it.

            

            The Department of Environment was also contacted.

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            In an emailed response on Oct. 29, a spokesperson said “the waste has been cleaned up.”

            

            MacFarlane said the responses are unacceptable.

            

            “The province should’ve made sure that they got a contractor who was going to attend promptly to assess and remediate the site.”

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​            While ServiceMaster did not confirm their involvement with the waste cleanup, someone else did.

            

            Randy Reardon, the principal of Englewood School, was encouraged when ServiceMaster contacted him.

            

            Last week, he went to examine the site with a staff member from the company.

            

            The worker could not find any syringes, which were the main concern.

            

            Megan Fletcher, a local citizen who had discovered the site, had removed several syringes from the site a few weeks prior.

            

            Reardon said more waste will likely be revealed over time.

            

            “That’s just something that’s going to continue to be unearthed as the ground erodes,” the principal said.

            

            He added he does not know if there are more biohazards left in the site but will check it every spring.

            

            “We’ll just have to monitor it.”

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            MacFarlane is upset about the lack of effort put into addressing the problem.

            

            The Green Party MLA said he questions the extent the government and ServiceMaster went into cleaning the waste in the span of a week.

            

            “I’m a little concerned about how thorough of a site assessment may have been done by either one of these entities.”

            

            While many waste products have been removed from the area by Fletcher, more remain. The possibility of needles in the ground also continues to be a risk.

            

            MacFarlane said he plans to bring up the issue with the Department of Environment himself after having waited for it to act.

            

            “I might take this opportunity to return to the government and ask for confirmation as to what its intentions are.”

            

            He wants to hear from officials who have the skills and experience needed to determine what needs to be done about the medical waste.

            

            “I’d like to have someone take responsibility once and for all.”

            

            With the legislature starting soon, it is possible the issue will be brought up when the house resumes sitting.

            

            MacFarlane hopes it will be addressed soon to ensure the safety of Englewood’s students and Crapaud’s community members.

            

            “It shouldn’t be a political issue. It should be a safety issue that government takes responsibility for and takes seriously.”