GREENPEACE OFFERS OTTAWA A TOXIC TASTE OF THE GREAT LAKES

Ottawa July 17, 1991 (GP) Today, Greenpeace activists
opened up an old-fashioned "Toxicade" stand in Ottawa's
By Ward Market and invited federal politicians and the
public to join in the refreshments -- glasses of pulp
mill effluent discharged by a Lake Superior mill.

The "refreshments", offered free of charge to Canadians
and Americans alike, were served by two individuals who
bore a remarkable resemblance to Brian Mulroney and
George Bush.

"We wanted to give politicians the opportunity to get a
taste of the results of their inaction in cleaning up the
Great Lakes," said Christine Houghton, Great Lakes
Campaigner for Greenpeace Canada. "If it's good enough
for the people of Lake Superior, it should be good enough
for the politicians."

In 1989 the International Joint Commission (IJC) on the
Great Lakes recommended that Lake Superior become a test
zone for zero discharge of persistent toxic chemicals.
On Lake Superior this would require eliminating the use
of chlorine and chlorine compounds in the pulp and paper
industry.  When chlorine compounds are used in the
pulping process, organochlorines, the most infamous being
dioxin, are formed.

Pulp and paper mills are only one in a long list of
polluters in the Great Lakes basin. The Greenpeace boat
and bus, the Moby Dick and the Terrapin, will be visiting
communities throughout the basin with three demands of
the Canadian and American governments:

     * Phase out chlorine or chlorine compounds in
     the pulp and paper industry;

     * Ban all new incinerators in or around the
     Great Lakes basin;

     * Establish sunset permits for industries that
     produce or use persistent toxic chemicals.

"By refusing to phase out processes that produce
persistent toxic chemicals, our government isn't taking
the problems of the Great Lakes seriously," said
Houghton. "If our government cannot meet these demands,
Canadians can't take the government seriously."

The Ottawa stop is part of Greenpeace's Zero Discharge
Tour which will culminate at the end of September at the
International Joint Commission biennial meeting in
Traverse City, Michigan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

     Andrea Imada or Marc Beauchesne in Ottawa at
     562-1004 or 562-1005.

     To reach the Greenpeace bus, dial the Ottawa ROAM
     number (613)769-7626, wait for a dial tone, then
     dial (202)215-3939.

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