By Jon Thompson

Residential buildings at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) site have been gutted, their doors, windows, furniture and some appliances removed.

The Coalition to Save ELA expressed shock on behalf of scientists who say they weren’t notified over what they charge is a plan to demolish the buildings, weeks before the March 31st deadline, when the federal government will cease funding the whole-ecosystem science station.

Coalition spokesperson Carol Kelly said a scientist contacted her on Mar. 14, saying belongings had been removed from the aging cabins at ELA without notification.

“These old cabins, they’re not worth anything. They’ve certainly been there for decades. There have been issues but until last fall, families were still living in them. They’ve always been vacated in the fall. There was no message from DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) at that time that those cabins are not habitable,” she said, questioning the sincerity of the federal government’s stated wishes to transfer the facility, considering demolition would mean a significant reduction of residential living space for on-site scientists.

“I think it’s the secrecy of the whole thing that we find disturbing. It says to us that they can start tearing down the cabins people have been living in without telling them, what will do next without telling us?”

The flooring in the cabins contains asbestos and the aging structures have undergone a federal observation that found them to be vulnerable to mice.

DFO communications officer Melanie Carkner flatly denied demolition is underway in a statement released on Friday.

“It is untrue that any buildings are being demolished today. Minor work is however being carried out on some cabins as they near the end of their life-cycle and are prepared for eventual removal,” Carkner stated.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford couldn’t confirm or deny whether his government deems the buildings to be a liability for a potential new operator but expressed the actions were part of the ongoing procedure that will remove the federal government from the world-renowned open-air laboratory.

“This is a process of transferring or decommissioning the facility in pending negotiations with the stakeholder,” he said.

Rickford confirmed the federal government has conducted a decommissioning study on ELA. Depending on the outcome of negotiations between DFO, Ontario and a third party partner (reported to be the International Institute for Sustainable Development), costs could range from $1 million to $8 million. That figure is in stark contrast to the $50 million decommission price tag stated in the House of Commons by Thunder Bay Superior MP Bruce Hyer last month. Rickford cited the range as evidence of the federal government’s willingness to be flexible regarding distributing responsibility, should any future decommission be necessary.

“These are serious negotiations and the reason that range has been given is it depends on what the negotiation process comes up with as to what that will be.”