AJAs 2017 Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | Medical waste discovery |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | Oct. 22, 2024 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | The Guardian |
| Name of Program: | |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Charlottetown |
| List awards, grants: | none |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | n/a |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: Medical Waste at Englewood School – Series This is a series of three articles, concerning the discovery of medical waste products on a riverbank near Englewood School in Crapaud, P.E.I., and the lack of a response from the provincial government toward addressing the problem. The first story follows a Crapaud resident who found the waste in April 2024 and mentioned it to the school’s principal, who then notified the Department of Environment. By October 2024, the waste still had not been cleaned from the property, and the resident expressed her anger over this, highlighting that its presence poses a risk to community members and school students who walk along the path close to where the waste was found. Other voices add context to the medical waste’s discovery and how they responded to it, including the school’s principal and the MLA for the region. The second story follows the provincial government’s response to surveying and cleaning the waste following the publication of the first story. The MLA serves as the primary voice, expressing concern over the perceived ineffectiveness of the contractor hired to clean the site in October 2024, which was the same one responsible for addressing the site in April 2024. The principal is also interviewed again to explore his interactions with the contractor and add further context to the story. The third story follows the provincial government’s continued lack of response to the problem, and placing responsibility of management of the waste to the school, despite the waste not being located on school property. The MLA serves as the primary voice once again, continuing to express concern over the state of the waste and how it may be handled in the future. The principal of the school is also interviews to challenge the government’s perspective on who is responsible for the waste. A community member is also interviewed about her own experience dealing with a separate waste site in the past, showing how large the problem is and how it could hurt citizens and wildlife if continued to be left unchecked. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: This story was discovered and developed by a student-journalist's own initiative and investigation. It was published in The Guardian newspaper in Charlottetown but completed outside of newsroom resources and submitted as freelance. |
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