BBS gets the boot

Baffin Building Systems is being given a big boot by the City of Iqaluit, and a hefty bill to pay for spilled oil.

Council passed a motion on Tuesday evening that orders BBS to close its asphalt plant and move it out of the North 40 by July 1, 2006.

The city plans to bill the company for the cost of managing, monitoring and cleaning up the mess. That will amount to at least $100,000, according to Geoff Baker, the city’s engineer.

That includes work done by Nunatta Environmental, which the city hired to place berms around the site and conduct water tests, as well as Trow, who the city hired to conduct further water tests.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 cubic metres of soil has been contaminated with petroleum around the immediate area, according to a motion passed earlier by council after an in-camera sitting on Nov. 22.

City staff consulted with their lawyer before council’s public works committee recommended a motion to council boot BBS out of the area

BBS built the asphalt plant several years ago after winning a contract to pave the city’s streets.