Ontario to examine road salt use
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 | 11:01 AM ET
The Canadian Press
Ontario will look at putting the brakes on the widespread use of road salt, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday.
McGuinty said there are computerized systems that can use salt — which can be toxic to plants and animals — much more efficiently, but they aren't being used on 80 per cent of Ontario roads.
The province will look at how much it would cost for municipalities to adopt those systems, McGuinty said.
But a hefty price tag won't stand in the way of doing what's best for the environment, he said.
The province currently exempts road salt from its environmental protection laws even though it has been called toxic to plants and animals.
In an annual report released Tuesday, Ontario's environmental commissioner called on McGuinty's Liberals to curb road salt use on the province's roads.
