The Oshawa Harbour sits desolate after boaters are locked out.

“You don’t need to take that tone, ma’am.”

So said one Transport Canada staffer to one Lake Ontario Waterkeeper staffer over the telephone late last week.

We had contacted the federal government asking for a copy of the new agreement between Transport Canada and the City of Oshawa. It spells out the future of the Oshawa Harbour and – we hope – settles decades of dispute over who will clean up contaminated lands and who will restore public access to Lake Ontario.

The Government of Canada hosted a public event to announce the deal on July 16 … only trouble was, they forgot to share the deal with the public. Day after day we, the media, Oshawa-residents and community organizations kept requesting copies of the agreement. Then, finally, late Tuesday night it was posted on the City’s website.

We want to share our thoughts on the agreement with you. And the media. And our friends and family from Oshawa. We want to, but we can’t right now.

For one thing, the late-release of the documents means we haven’t had time to actually read and analyze the fine print. For another, we think it’s more important to first explain to you, to Transport Canada, and to everyone who wonders …

Yes, we do need to take this tone.

We need to be firm when a harbour sits, polluted and off-limits, with no restoration or law enforcement action for years on end. The gaping hole in the waterfront landfill carved by the Harbour Commission in 1976 has been leaking contaminants into the harbour for thirty-four years. We have known about the pollution problems there for at least twenty-seven years. The Commission promised action in 2002. To date, not a single significant remedial step has been taken.

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