Elevating Response to Industrial Spill - Crisis Response Team

03/02/2024

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) and Kahnawake Shakotiiatakehnhas Community Services (KSCS) announced today continued escalation of urgency on the response efforts related to the industrial spill that is actively affecting the community.

Initially dispatched as the Fuel Response Working Group, the Kahnawake Environment Protection Office, Public Safety Division, and Environmental Health Services (KSCS) have carried out mitigating efforts since the first reporting of the incident on February 9th. Effective today, the Fuel Response Working Group has elevated response efforts under a new structure, a Crisis Response Team (CRT), which centralizes oversight of all parties to the Public Safety Division (PSD). Moving forward, the PSD will coordinate all areas of response to the Industrial Spill, including environmental, health, communications, resource allocation, and collaboration with the political sector.

"The on-the-ground teams have worked tremendously hard in the last few weeks on ensuring health and safety were of the utmost priority,"said Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips, who is heading the CRT. "Now that we′ve organized more internally, we can focus on ensuring our response efforts can continue with more coordination between the internal and external bodies that need to be involved and better oversight of how we implement resources such as staffing, funds, equipment, and other needs."

The new CRT structure will allow the community access to a centralized team for any concerns related to the industrial spill issue and more consistent updates to the residents who are immediately affected by the industrial spill and the community. Additionally, more platforms for information are being made available, including live broadcasts on the Kahnawake911 Facebook page, a new website (www.KahnawakeResponse.com), an email available for direct questions (questions@mck.ca), and the centralization of contact for all issues surrounding this issue. All questions, concerns, reports of fuel, and requests for water/air testing can now be sent to the PSD by calling 450-632-0635. In case of after-hours needs or emergencies, the Peacekeepers can be reached at 450-632-6505.

Upcoming, the CRT will provide 24/7 operations to ensure the cleanup and mitigation response are immediate, and urgent testing of water/air for residents can be initiated quickly.

"While the Industrial Spill has caused many issues for affected residents, community members, and the internal services of the responding organizations, we are now in a better place to handle the response moving forward," said Ohen:ton Iiente ne Ratitsenhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer. "We could not have done this without the patience and understanding of the community and the hard work of the volunteers and staff who have worked vigilantly since day one, and we look forward to the continued support of Kahnawakehronon as we battle this environmental disaster as a collective."