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CFB Gagetown - Toxic Chemicals - 1956-1984

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Kenneth H. Young
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« on: April 18, 2009, 10:33:49 am »

Hello Fellow Veterans,

I have been asked to place up the Gagetown Board again as there will be more Vet of that era in this forum and that the information is of importance to any and all Veterans who did any training or were posted to CFB Gagetown during the Toxic Chemical Defoliation testing years of 1956 through 1984. But even this is a bit misleading because in 2005 when soil samples were taken (to only 10 cm depth) many came back a still above the acceptable levels for Dioxin and at least one was at a level of 173 times or 17,300% the acceptable levels for TCDD Dioxin the most toxic substance know to man.

Clones and Murphy's Bivouac areas were also contaminated and the drinking water wells found to contain three yet unregulated Hydro carbonated Benzenes. The surprising part here is that Murphy's Bivouac is at least 19 km from the nearest US test site and is within the 1 km no spray zone of the base parameter line. It was in fact never sprayed and yet still came back contaminated almost 40 years after the last TCDD Dioxin was reported to have been sprayed.

Everyone and their dogs are talking about Agent Orange when it was only 2% of the chemicals used in Gagetown while Agent White which contains Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) yet another member of the POP 12 most deadly substances which has its own long list of medical conditions associated with HCB and was approximately 98% of the chemicals used on Base, has been virtually ignored.

There have been many reasons suggested for this one being that, "Agent Orange," is a generic term which is used to describe all chemicals used in Gagetown but if this is true why isn't there any of the Agent White specific medical conditions listed in the ex-gratia compensation package which was offered for 66 & 67 US spraying? I or in my opinion it may well be because HCB destroys the immune system, leaving soldiers open to any and all adverse medical conditions and Ottawa with something they do not wish to deal with.

I will not try to duplicate all postings that I have already posted at the RCR site, a;though some will be also posted here, but I will try to report and maintain this one from here on out.

Feel free to post comments and personal experience about Gagetown, your medical problems and so forth.
 

Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
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« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2009, 10:40:16 am »

Dear Veterans Today,

Many different groups of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown victims will be holding a Protest Rally on May the 19th.  in New Brunswick, Canada at the town of St. Stephen right against the US Border. Widows on the war path, Agent Orange Alert, Agent Orange Association of Canada, The British Colombia Gagetown Survivors Group and many ex-Military associations to name just a few have joined to demand proper handling of the CFB Gagetown Toxic Chemical defoliation Program issue and to demand a Full Public and Judicial Inquiry into Canadian use of toxic chemicals in Gagetown.

Gagetown is where the Canadian Government ordered and allowed over 3.2 million Litres/Pounds of Agent Orange, Purple and White to be sprayed on their own soldiers or in areas where they were about to train. Many Maine National Guards and British soldiers also trained during the same time of spraying each year. Canada sprayed Chemicals which contained TCDD Dioxin and Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), arsenic and other known dangerous chemicals. Spraying took place almost every year from 1956 through 1984 with little regard for the safety of military personal and the many civilian who worked at the camp or lived around it's borders.

On May the 19th. 2009 we will be holding our first rally protest for the Gagetown Victims. in St Stephen because that is where the office of the Minister of Veteran Affairs Greg Thompson is. We will be gathering on a sports field beside the Royal Canadian Legion Hall in St Stephen around 13:00 Hrs (1 PM) and at 14:00 Hrs (2 PM) we will commence our rally march (more like a slow walk now-a-days) of just over two city blocks to his office, where we will present him with our demands for a Public Inquiry and email letters from those of you who are unable to attend but still wish to participate.

We realize that many people may not be able to join us Gagetown Veterans and Victims at Greg Thompson's Office on the 19th of May to protest their handling of the Gagetown Issue and to demand a, "Full Public and Judicial Inquiry."

If you are unable to join us but would still like to support our effort (and no I am not asking for money) Please email Gary Goode gary1@telus.net with a letter of support and your request that a, "Full Public and Judicial Inquiry take place." Gary will have them printed and will present them along with our petition to call for an Inquiry.

We could use your help in this issue and will be thankful for any support.

Thank you in Advance.



Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
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« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2009, 10:42:25 am »

Although this one is finished there will be more.
***************

Launch: Blowback a Canadian History of Agent Orange and the War at Home | rabble.ca
Start: Apr 14 2009 - 7:00pm
End: Apr 14 2009 - 9:00pm
Location(s)
Dalhousie Student Union Building
6316 University Ave
Halifax, NS

Canada
See map: Google Maps

“a marvelously revealing work of independent, investigative journalism… the book is a virtual catalogue of mistakes and missteps by governments … a convincing example of objective reporting and writing on a profoundly important subject in Atlantic Canada.”

- Alec Bruce, Atlantic Books (an insert in the Globe and Mail)


The village of Enniskillen, a sleepy cluster of a few dozen houses in New Brunswick’s Queens County, has never been invaded by a foreign power. But during the 1950s to 1970s, the village was ground zero for a different kind of offensive, this one launched by the American and Canadian military against its own people with the deadly dioxin Agent Orange. Between 1956 and 1984 the Canadian military and its private subcontractors sprayed more than 1 million litres of rainbow herbicides around New Brunswick. The American military was invited to test Agent Purple and other toxins on Canadian soil after the chemicals had been banned by the U.S. Congress.

This is the story of a war coming home; a story of the military and economic currents that allowed Agent Orange to blow through trees and into rivers in New Brunswick. More than anything, it’s a story of soldiers, civilians and local residents who blew back against the government and companies who poisoned them.

Contact name:
chris arsenault
Contact email:
arsenault_chris@hotmail.com
Launch: Blowback a Canadian History of Agent Orange and the War at Home | rabble.ca.
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« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2009, 10:46:25 am »

Best Mouse trap in town.
 
Many people have praised and just as many have condemned Chris Arsenault's book, "Blowback", "A Canadian History of Agent Orange and the war at home".
 
I look at it this way. We may want and may even need to build a better mouse trap but until we do this is not only the best mouse trap around but it is the only mouse trap in town. So until someone builds a better mouse trap, use the one you have or learn to live with the mice.
 
Every single History book I have ever read has errors and omissions if for no other reason then every person sees history through their own eyes and with their own preconceptions of what actually happened. Look at Louis Real's story or Custard's last stand and you can see that it all depends on your point of view whether they were heroes of villains, whether they were right or wrong and whether History has treated them fairly or not.
 
The problem with the Gagetown story is the scale of it. We now have enough documentation to fill a 22 volume Encyclopedia with boring facts numbers and dates which nobody in their right mind would want or bother to read. There are at least 440,000 personal stories to tell and no one book could possibly do it justice. The scale of Gagetown is almost unbelievable You know, Sometimes I have the feeling that not many people have put this Gagetown thing into perspective 440,000 Victims is like 5 cities the size of Fredericton being wiped out by there own government, almost the population of Newfoundland and more then 3 times the total population of PEI.
 
There is nothing in this book that can not be easily corrected in the next book whoever writes it. But until then it is the only book in town that is getting our story, our sorrow and our tribulations out there to the general public. Because this is a story which needs to be told and told now, not 10 years down the road if any of us live that long to write it, we need to accept it even though some may not want to indorse the book.
 
A sure fire remedy for those of you who do not wish to support this book is to get off of your duffs and write a better book but until then accept the fact that this is the best book available on the CFB Gagetown NB. Toxic Chemical Defoliation Atrocity, today. And after they write their book there will be two best books on the subject.
 
 
Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
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« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2009, 10:50:18 am »

Saskatchewan/Gagetown Class Action Delayed Once More
Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
Nanaimo, B.C.

On January 30, 2009, Justice Zarzeczny' s handed down his written decision thereby dismissing the applications to stay court proceedings in reference to the CFB Gagetown Toxic Chemical Defoliant, class action law suit proceedings in Saskatchewan, sought by Ottawa, Pharmacia and Dow. This would seem to have meant that the court dates would proceed on schedule for Mar 9-13 but alas not so.
Pharmacia  served a notice of constitutional question respecting the class actions act of Saskatchewan, and the government is moving to cross-examine some of our affidavit deponents which without a doubt will be opposed by the Merchant law Group, leaving the court (Justice Zarzeczny) little other choice then to choose alternative dates where there would be more time for the parties in questions to present their submissions and/or arguments. The last week in April and first week in May were set aside to deal with this because it was the first date when all counsel and the court would be available.



Now I have never been one of the people who put all that much strength in the old wives tale that if you leave the scene of a crime that it indicates guilt but if a party, in this case the Government of Canada, Pharmacia and Dow, has nothing to hide, if they have done nothing wrong and if the soldiers from CFB Gagetown didn't die needlessly due to Political and the Chemical Industries' neglect and bungling of chemical formulas or the registration process, why are all defendants trying every trick in the book and some that will have to be added to it later, to prevent this case from ever coming to trial? Why is there a gag order on most of the evidence? And why are most of the news media staying away from this both National and International story as if it were the plague?

Seems to me if I were innocent that I would want to get it over with as soon and inexpensively as possible, yet here we are some 4 years with Class actions pending in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador and we the victims (Plaintiffs') still do not even have leave to file a class action law suit with respect to CFB Gagetown. There is little doubt that combined legal fees may be approaching if they haven't already surpassed the amounts paid out in the ex gratia so called compensation package.

But what is so bad, what secret is so awful that none of the defendants wish it to be brought to trial, or brought to the eyes and ears of the Canadian public and dealt with once and for all, before all of the plaintive are dead? I sometimes wonder if there is not more to it then just the Rainbow Chemicals, some dark and dirty secret which the parties in question fear might be brought to light if this did go to trial.


Ken
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« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2009, 10:52:01 am »

Asking the tough questions

Re: Agent Orange compensation


It's somewhat disconcerting that after almost four years of the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown story hitting the airwaves, reporters today are still misquoting, misdating and underestimating the events, the impact on the people and the toxic chemicals sprayed there.

Many reporters seem to be using the issue as an easy space filler which needs neither investigation nor accuracy.

Dates of the spraying, chemicals used, areas sprayed, spraying accidents, the government's inactions and number of possible victims, don't seem to matter as long as you quote some politician who knows even less about Gagetown than the reporter does.

In many cases, facts, which are well documented in the very same papers, are presenting incorrect information to the general public and being ignored.

Apparent facts found in the BGAFFP's task # 1 final report are that more than 7,000 regular military personnel were identified as being stationed at CFB Gagetown during summer training for the years 1966 and 1967 and that 358 civilians were identified as employed by CFB Gagetown during the years 1966 and 1967.

Eight hundred and six family members were identified who may have been associated with the regular military and civilian employees during 1966 and 1967 for a total of 8,164 - not counting one single civilian living within five kilometres of Gagetown in 1966 and 1967.

Some questions that reporters should be asking are: If the government's own BGAFFP reported 8,164 victims, not counting the civilians within the five kilometre limit, present during the summers of '66 and '67, why then was the ex-gratia package designed to compensate only 4,500 victims?

Were the people who died before Feb. 6, 2006 any less dead or any less affected by the chemicals used at CFB Gagetown and why won't Ottawa compensate these widows?

If everything was alright and aboveboard, as Ottawa would like us to believe, why is Ottawa now refusing to call for a full public and judicial inquiry?

Could the answer to all three questions be the same?

Ottawa knew full well that more than half of the Gagetown victims were already dead.

Mr. Thompson, as reported on April 1 in the Montreal Gazette said: "I've stated very clearly the dates will not change."

Just two days before on the 29th of March, it was reported in the Telegraph Journal that "Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson has said that the April 1 deadline for compensation isn't absolute and late applications will be considered."

In Ottawa, our MPs call this a flip-flop, while in the opinions of many less honourable, we would call it bold face lying.

I guess our only choice now is to figure out whether the newspapers are lying or whether the member flip-flopped, yet again, and mispoke to the newspapers.

The only question which remains is did Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson mispeak to the Montreal Gazette or to the Telegraph Journal?

And, more importantly, are there any Canadians left who would believe him even if he told us?

If you are going to write about our story and our lives, please get your facts straight.

Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
Nanaimo, B.C.

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« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2009, 01:10:16 pm »

Great stuff Ken, and i urge all my brothers and sisters to support their brothers and sisters and families , by taking a couple minutes to send to the email above.. just a click , a few words and send.. its done , and will lend a whole lot of impetus...thanks Ken.. rong
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« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2009, 01:37:15 pm »

lawsuit

 

Agent Orange / Agent Purple Class Action




Merchant Law Group LLP has been contacted by numerous veterans and other military personnel and civilians living in and around the base, who wish to pursue Class Action Litigation concerning Agent Orange and Agent Purple. Merchant Law Group LLP has launched an Agent Orange, Agent Purple & Agent White Class Action with the Federal Court of Canada, as of July 12th 2005.



The Federal government has recently admitted spraying Agent Orange and Agent Purple at CFB Gagetown, in New Brunswick, in 1966 and 1967. We have reports of spraying going on during the 1950s and the 1960s, and in far greater amounts then the few drums the government claims to have sprayed.



Agent Orange contained extremely toxic byproducts known as dioxins. Agent Orange was used as a chemical herbicide, or plant killer. It penetrated the waxy covering of leaves to poison the entire plant. It was created from an equal combination of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.



Exposure to dioxins has been associated with severe birth defects, certain rare cancers in humans, respiratory problems; impotence; chloracne; developmental and immune system disorders, and other serious health problems.



If you were diagnosed with one or more of the following five illnesses, please click here and provide your name and phone number:

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Soft-tissue sarcoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's disease
Chloracne
Merchant Law Group LLP has twelve offices across Canada. Tony Merchant and his firm are well known for their involvement in Mass & Class Action cases in Canada, currently including Silicon Breast Implant litigation, Metis Veteran Benefits claims, Cryptosporidium Water proceedings, Residential School litigation, CPR Anhydrous Ammonia action, and cases regarding ISM Information Security damages, Tundra noxious gas emissions, and Canadian Wheat Board Pool transfers. Tony Merchant is known to be one of Canada’s most active litigators with nearly 600 reported cases in leading law journals, and has argued thousands of cases before the Canadian and American Courts, in Trial and Administrative Courts, and the Courts of Appeal of various American and Canadian jurisdictions, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Tony Merchant has a long history in pursuing public policy cases and is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly.



IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THIS CLASS ACTION OR TO SIMPLY GET MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE MERCHANT LAW GROUP AT 1 888 567 7777

 

   
Note: there re more medical conditions being covered.
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« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2009, 01:50:02 pm »

Look Guys and Gals,
I know that it is hard to wrap our minds around suing our own Government, after all we all signed that we could sue for anything which happened to us while in the Military. However VAC was supposed to take care of us and has not even attempted to, and in fact they and DND have been caught destroying files and in the case of Gagetown have re-written the Veterans act to exclude giving the Veteran the benefit of the doubt in all Gagetown cases.

Never the less I am not suing the government for what was done to me in the military. I am suing them in order to have the medical conditions covered by the VAC and I am suing them for the forty years after the Army where they let me suffer in total silence when they knew what the problem was, there by allowing me to become even more ill and without allowing me to inform my doctor.

What happened to us while in Gagetown was Military and we were contaminated while on duty, so VAC is responsible. What has happened to us since we have been out of the military is totally Ottawa's fault.
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« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2009, 02:47:55 pm »

http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/Blog/4045_The-use-of-Agent-Orange-at-CFB-Gagetown

The use of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown

 Published by Senator Joseph Day on 16 April 2009

The struggle for equitable compensation for military and civilian personnel affected by the use of toxic defoliants at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown is long-standing and ongoing.

 

I have been involved with this issue for quite some time, and although the government imposed deadline to apply for ex-gratia payments was April 1st, 2009, I will continue to try to help Canadians seeking justice for their unjust suffering.

 

I recently spoke in the Senate on this issue, and you can read and listen to my speech in its entirety below.

 

http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/In-The-Senate/Statement/3774_Agent-Orange

Hon. Joseph A. Day:

Honourable senators, the term "Agent Orange" became almost a household expression in Canada during the Vietnam War. Honourable senators will know that Agent Orange is a toxic defoliant used by the United States military. However, many of us did not know and do not know that the U.S. military was using Agent Orange at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick during the 1960s.

Agent Orange contains a chemical called dioxin, a known carcinogen that has been linked to various types of cancer. Scientific testing in New Brunswick into this matter has not been consistent.

My main focus today is not to dissect this matter from a scientific standpoint but from a human standpoint. The fact is that during the 1960s, soldiers, their families and civilian employees at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, as well as civilians living in the neighbourhood, were all exposed unknowingly to Agent Orange.

On September 12, 2007, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Greg Thompson, announced the government's plan for payments to certain individuals who had been exposed to Agent Orange. An amount of $96.5 million was set aside for payments of $20,000 each to eligible military and civilian personnel. The government has decided that "eligible" means that the applicant must be living, and diagnosed with, at least one of 12 diseases identified by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Furthermore, the applicant must have been living on the base or within a five-kilometre radius during the summers of 1966 and 1967. If the person died from cancer, the spouse or caregiver would be entitled to claim in their stead.

However, Minister Thompson announced that the program would be effective only after February 6, 2006 — the day that the Harper government took office. Honourable senators, to be eligible, veterans or civilians would have to be living on or after February 6, 2006. If they died before the Harper government took office, the caregiver would not be eligible for payment.

Military Widows on a War Path is a group founded in New Brunswick that is fighting to correct the inequities of the Harper government. The members are widows whose husbands were confirmed to have been living at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown during the time of spraying, and have the medical documentation proving that they were negatively affected by the dioxins in Agent Orange. Most of the members of Military Widows on a War Path have applied for the ex gratia payments but have been denied on the grounds that their husbands died before the cut-off date of February 6, 2006. They argue that the surviving spouse of a serviceman who died before February 6, 2006, is as entitled to payment as a surviving spouse of a serviceman who died after February 6, 2006, all else being equal.

Another qualifying date looms, honourable senators. The deadline for the application process under this program expires on April 1, 2009, which is next week. As of the end of February, Veterans Affairs Canada had approved $41 million in payments. That figure is less than one half of the allotted amount. Once the program has ended, the unused money will return to general revenue, and not to Veterans Affairs Canada. If there are funds left in the program, why not relax the restrictions? Why are the only eligible years 1966 and 1967 when the spraying of Agent Orange took place at other times as well? Why is it only a five-kilometre radius from the base? Why are only 12 diseases addressed, as outlined by the U.S. Institute of Medicine? Why must a soldier who was serving in 1966-67 have been alive on February 6, 2006, when the Harper government was elected?

In a pre-election speech in Woodstock, New Brunswick, on January 11, 2006, Mr. Harper made a promise. He said:

A Conservative government will stand up for full and fair compensation for persons exposed to defoliant spraying during the period from 1956 to 1984.

Honourable senators, this promise has not been kept. We have seen the Main Estimates for this fiscal year and there is no provision to continue this program. I can assure honourable senators that despite these artificial deadlines set by the Harper government, the damage done to civilians and to military personnel in New Brunswick by Agent Orange is an issue that will not disappear.
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« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2009, 08:04:06 pm »

Dear Fellow Veterans,
 
We realize that many people may not be able to join us Gagetown Veterans and Victims at Greg Thompson's Office on the 19th of May to protest their handling of the Gagetown Issue and to demand a, "Full Public and Judicial Inquiry."
 
If you are unable to join us but would still like to support our effort (and no I am not asking for money) Please email Gary Goode gary1@telus.net with a letter of support and your request that a, "Full Public and Judicial Inquiry take place." Gary will have them printed and will present them along with our petition to call for an Inquiry.
 
We could use your help in this issue and will be thankful for any support.
 
Thank you in Advance.
 
 
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« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2009, 11:44:14 pm »

SOON AFTER Chris Arsenault started researching the Canadian saga of Agent Orange he stumbled upon an eerie scene in a New Brunswick village that highlighted the story’s significance.

The toxic defoliant used by the American military during the Vietnam War had been tested around CFB Gagetown during the 1960s and some of the people with whom he’d spoken suggested he visit Enniskillen, where they’d lived at the time.

"The place was virtually a ghost town," the 25-year-old former Haligonian says in a recent email interview.

"It was clear people had literally fled in the middle of the night. Some didn’t even bother to bring their possessions and old family photographs and furniture were strewn about some of the abandoned houses."

Arsenault was so intrigued he wrote about it in a magazine article, his honours thesis at Dalhousie University and a recently published book entitled Blowback: A Canadian history of Agent Orange and the War at Home. Arsenault interviewed people who once lived in Enniskillen, including Doreen Thomas. This is what she told Arsenault about some of the former villagers:

"Kelly was forty-one years old; she died full of cancer. A nurse with all kinds of degrees, she knew how to take care of herself. Mom just died in October. She had diabetes, congenital heart failure; you name it, she had it. My father died with cancer when he was sixty-six. My uncle dropped dead. Aunt Mar died of cancer, two of my uncles died with cancer. My grandfather and grandmother died with cancer. It involved everybody’s household. Everybody’s household was full of cancer. The people who didn’t have internal cancer, we had outside cancer. I’ve had eleven (tumours) removed. My sister died with spina bifida."

Blowback delves into why the Canadian military and its private subcontractors sprayed more than a million litres of herbicides in New Brunswick between 1956 and 1984 — the U.S. Congress had banned their use on American soil.

Arsenault’s extensive research involved using the Access to Information Act to ferret out damning documents and produce a scathing indictment of a Canadian government in denial of its responsibility for exposing its citizens to a deadly substance.

"Senior Canadian officials did know that dangerous, unregistered chemicals were being sprayed, yet did nothing to stop it," Arsenault says, contradicting Dennis Furlong’s 2005 fact-finding mission for the Liberal government.

"The Canadian government sprayed chemicals against its own people at a higher concentration than the U.S. sprayed in Vietnam."

It’s long been accepted as common fact that many of the Americans who served in Vietnam became sick with cancer after the war because of their exposure to Agent Orange. That is the same for the Vietnamese, many of whom suffered birth defects and other illnesses from the dioxin.

But Canadians have only recently realized the extent of their country’s involvement.

Arsenault explains that the Americans were concerned about using the chemicals for their counter-insurgency campaign. The Canadians were curious about how well the substances would control brush.

"The Canadian spraying represents the worst aspects of environmental management under a market system," says Arsenault, who has been arrested for his anti-capitalist activism. He was acquitted of unlawful assembly in January 2004. "The chemicals were simply a cheaper way of clearing brush than other non-dangerous methods. This was about saving money, while destroying lives.

"The legacy has been aborted fetuses, deformities, shattered lives, and cancer. I think a lot of soldiers, the people who are forced to do the dirty work of empire, are now questioning the super structure they once faithfully served."

A class-action lawsuit was launched in 2007 by civilian and military people affected by the spray program. It is still before the courts. Also in 2007, the federal government announced an Agent Orange compensation package, which has been criticized for its funding and its limits on those who can apply.

Staff reporter Jeffrey Simpson freelanced this story.
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« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2009, 12:16:59 am »

Gagetown Chemicals to be spread by fire once again. Stay out of the smoke lads.

http://country94news.blogspot.com/2009/04/annual-spring-burn-in-gagetown-underway.html


Sunday, April 19, 2009
Annual Spring Burn in Gagetown Underway
2009-04-19

13:39:54


Fire will be blazing in the base Gagetown area beginning today as the annual Spring Grass Burn Program gets underway. It's carried out every year to reduce the build-up of patches of dead grass in the training area's.

Burning will be carried out during normal working hours and only when weather conditions are favourable. It is scheduled to be finished by May 15th.



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« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2009, 12:28:37 am »

April 19, 2009
 
Ms. Christiane Young
Box 355 Emo, Ontario
P0W 1E0
 
 I like to find out how the Royal Canadian Legions across Canada are supporting the fight of veterans to seek a public inquiry about the toxic sprayings in Gagetown.
As you know, many veterans were exposed to Agent Orange and other chemicals while training or stationed in Gagetown from 1956 to 1984. Many soldiers are now sick or dying and are left to fight alone against a vast buroeucracy of denial, ignorance and cover-ups.
I like to think that the Royal Canadian Legion exists to supports their own, especially when help can be offered to those still living. In that spirit, please explain why the Royal Canadian Legion of St. Stephen Branch # 9, not only refused to support our veterans, but refused our veterans the opportunity to muster on legion property for a peaceful protest/rally to raise awareness of the Gagetown issues, scheduled for May 19, 2009.
 
Thank you for your reply,
 
Christiane Young
 
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« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2009, 01:58:07 pm »

Good reports Ken, and may i thank Sen Day for his attempts to get this tragedy to the fore in Ottawa... there will be some buzzing going on on the Hill, for sure, and my thanks for you , ken keeping all informed , and your steadfast dedication to getting this made right...do you notice, that slowly , but gaining speed , more and more are joining in the fight, that snowball is growing..ahem, Mr Prime Minister, you might want to join in here , before you go down in diasgrace , and disdain, in the eyes of the Cdn people...and for ure Ken, that warning about the burning at Gagetown is important.. tho the toxic ability of the Agents used will have diminished somewhat , it is not gone, and indeed there will be pockets all over the place where it is a strong as the original spray.. we are dealing with lethal matter here, and it does not just go away.. it is almost as bad as radio active material...make no mistake about that....beware people, just be wary and keep yourselves well bathed after being any where near those areas.. really , the general public should be advised so by local health authorities..even today.. where are they?? Oh ya, they are Gov employees.. so likely they are "shut up".. shame , shame....  rong
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« Reply #15 on: April 20, 2009, 09:43:18 pm »

Ms. Christiane Young
Box 355
Emo, Ontario
P0W 1E0
I do not represent any organization.
 
Mr. Clement,
As our Minister of Health you must be aware of the toxic chemicals sprayed on our soldiers and the training grounds in CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick,  from 1956 to 1984. It goes without saying that the spraying of the so called 'rainbow' chemicals left many veterans sick and dying. You must also be aware of our Government's denial of these facts, as well as leaving our veterans fighting a vast burocracy for any form of recognition, compensation and truth.
Why exactly, can our Government not just own up, clean up, and compensate those effected?
Gagetown could be cleaned up, leaving it safe for our sons and daughters to attend combat arms school without fears or doughts about the credibility of our Government, our Army and each other.
You, Mr. Clement have the obligation to deal with health concerns, health risks and the potential for our young soldiers to be exposed to residue chemicals in the training fields of Gagetown.
Have we not learned from the issues of Nitro, West Verginia: Vietnam: Seveso, Italy: or Love Canal?Huh
 
I do understand that it is not the current administration who polluted base Gagetown, I also understand that it will cost a lot of money to clean up, and compensate victims.
But you, Mr. Clement, are in the enviable position to speak up, to do the right thing at the right time, while assuring the heath of future solders.
Thank you,
 
Sincerely
 
Christiane Young
 
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« Reply #16 on: April 21, 2009, 01:45:12 pm »

Nice , important letter here Christianne.. i am awaiting Mr Clements reply that he will indeed do the reposible thing, for the better of all concerned ..rong
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« Reply #17 on: April 21, 2009, 02:27:05 pm »

Well written. Thank you.
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1977-1RCR  Italy PL, B Coy, Mortars
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1979-3RCR  M Coy 12C,  Sigs, Pipes&Drums
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                   Mortars, WO-Sgts Mess,
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« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2009, 06:20:50 pm »

A Protest Rally will begin in St. Stephen N.B. at the St Croix Public Library parking lot at 2 Budd Ave. on May 19, 2009 beginning at 1:30 PM.


The rally will then march to Greg Thompson’s, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Constituency office to demonstrate and  present our demands between 2:15 PM. and 2:30 PM.


This protest rally is to advise the Harper government that Canadian veterans and the victims of the CFB Gagetown Agent Orange spraying program, as well as the general public, are unhappy with the government's coverup regarding chemical spraying at CFB Gagetown.


Taking part in this protest rally will be participants from across N.S., N.B.,  Ont., B.C., U.S.A. and other parts of the world.
 

In attendance will be guest speakers from:


The Military Widows on the Warpath.


Agent Orange Association of Canada ( AOAC).
 

Agent Orange Alert ( AOA ).


Politicians, Health and Environmental experts.


Full measurable accountability and justice is our motivation and a Full Judicial Public Inquiry into the Gagetown Atrocity is our mission.


We will not be denied.

     

 Anyone who would like to support CFB Gagetown's Toxic Chemical Victims are encouraged to participate in this historic protest rally,
 either by joining with us in St Stephen N.B. or by e-mailing a letter of support to gary1@telus.net demanding a Full Judicial Public Inquiry.
 
 

For media inquires please contact.


Gary Goode
gary1@telus.net
Box 301
Fernie B.C.
V0B1M0
250-423-4245
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« Reply #19 on: April 24, 2009, 09:03:43 am »


April 19, 2009

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Books/1117392.html


Writer brings scandal to light
Agent Orange spraying in 1960s N.B. an outrage, activist says
By JEFFREY SIMPSON
Sun. Apr 19 - 7:09 AM


SOON AFTER Chris Arsenault started researching the Canadian
saga of Agent Orange he stumbled upon an eerie scene in a New
Brunswick village that highlighted the story’s significance.



The toxic defoliant used by the American military during the Vietnam
War had been tested around CFB Gagetown during the 1960s and some
of the people with whom he’d spoken suggested he visit Enniskillen,
where they’d lived at the time.



"The place was virtually a ghost town," the 25-year-old former
Haligonian says in a recent email interview.



"It was clear people had literally fled in the middle of the night.
Some didn’t even bother to bring their possessions and old family
photographs and furniture were strewn about some of the
abandoned houses."



Arsenault was so intrigued he wrote about it in a magazine article,
his honours thesis at Dalhousie University and a recently
published book entitled Blowback: A Canadian history of Agent
Orange and the War at Home. Arsenault interviewed people who
once lived in Enniskillen, including Doreen Thomas. This is what
she told Arsenault about some of the former villagers:



"Kelly was forty-one years old; she died full of cancer. A nurse
with all kinds of degrees, she knew how to take care of herself. Mom
just died in October. She had diabetes, congenital heart failure; you
name it, she had it. My father died with cancer when he was sixty-six.
My uncle dropped dead. Aunt Mar died of cancer, two of my uncles
died with cancer. My grandfather and grandmother died with cancer.
It involved everybody’s household. Everybody’s household was full
of cancer. The people who didn’t have internal cancer, we had outside
cancer. I’ve had eleven (tumours) removed. My sister died with
spina bifida."

Blowback delves into why the Canadian military and its private
subcontractors sprayed more than a million litres of herbicides in
New Brunswick between 1956 and 1984 — the U.S. Congress had
banned their use on American soil.
 

Arsenault’s extensive research involved using the Access to
Information Act to ferret out damning documents and produce a
scathing indictment of a Canadian government in denial of its
responsibility for exposing its citizens to a deadly substance.



"Senior Canadian officials did know that dangerous, unregistered
chemicals were being sprayed, yet did nothing to stop it," Arsenault
says, contradicting Dennis Furlong’s 2005 fact-finding mission for t
he Liberal government.



"The Canadian government sprayed chemicals against its own people
at a higher concentration than the U.S. sprayed in Vietnam."



It’s long been accepted as common fact that many of the Americans
who served in Vietnam became sick with cancer after the war because
of their exposure to Agent Orange. That is the same for the Vietnamese,
many of whom suffered birth defects and other illnesses from the dioxin.

But Canadians have only recently realized the extent of their country’s
involvement.



Arsenault explains that the Americans were concerned about using the
chemicals for their counter-insurgency campaign. The Canadians were
curious about how well the substances would control brush.
   

"The Canadian spraying represents the worst aspects of environmental
management under a market system," says Arsenault, who has been
arrested for his anti-capitalist activism. He was acquitted of unlawful
assembly in January 2004. "The chemicals were simply a cheaper
way of clearing brush than other non-dangerous methods. This was
about saving money, while destroying lives.



"The legacy has been aborted fetuses, deformities, shattered lives,
and cancer. I think a lot of soldiers, the people who are forced to do
the dirty work of empire, are now questioning the super structure
they once faithfully served."

A class-action lawsuit was launched in 2007 by civilian and military
people affected by the spray program. It is still before the courts.
 
Also in 2007, the federal government announced an Agent Orange
compensation package, which has been criticized for its funding and
 its limits on those who can apply.



Staff reporter Jeffrey Simpson freelanced this story.


 
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