Region says cleaning up the site will be expensive
The Niagara Region is asking the federal government to help clean up efforts at a former wastewater treatment plant on Lakeshore Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Before the plant was built, it was a Department of National Defense firing range for decades.
Regional Council is asking Ottawa to help foot the bill to clean up unexploded ordnance from the site.
The municipality says it would like to see the land returned to its natural state and to Parks Canada once the decommission is complete.
"From the municipality's point of view, we see it as a really important eco-site", says Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa. "It has heritage and historical significance. It was actually the landing site for the U.S. invasion in 1813."
Zalepa adds without the federal government's help, there will be limitations on what could happen to the site.
According to a Region report, if the site isn't decommissioned, it could be found out of compliance with existing provisions for the site.