Deer Lake man bringing attention to concerns with town’s water supply
Richard Dewey has written a song in honour of his mother who died of cancer
DEER LAKE — For 10 years, Richard Dewey has been the voice behind a fight to have someone take responsibility for issues with the Town of Deer Lake’s water supply.
From seeping water damaging homes to widespread incidents of cancer and other health concerns, Dewey is confident it all traces back to the Humber Canal.
He’s spoken out publicly, been arrested for mischief (the charge was later dismissed), was instrumental in getting decades old metal barrels removed from the canal, participated in a CBC documentary and is one of several residents of the town who launched a class-action lawsuit over the property damage caused by the seeping water.
Recently he’s used his voice to bring attention to the issue through song.
With the help of musician and friend Dale Hamel, Dewey has written and recorded “Ghost in the Water.” A video for the song can be viewed on Youtube.
The song is about continuing the fight but it’s also about keeping a promise that he made to his mother, Linda Dewey, who died of cancer in 2014.
“I made a promise to her that I would find out if there was something wrong with the water,” he said.
WATER WOES
Dewey moved back to Deer Lake in 2010.
After talking with his mother, he became concerned about the town’s water supply.
Using a Google map of the Garden Road and Elizabeth Avenue area she pointed out every home where someone had been affected by cancer.
Dewey felt there had to be something to it and wondered if the flooding many of the homes had experienced from seepage at the dam on the canal had something to do with it.
He started pressing for answers on if the mold from the flooding and air quality in the homes were causing health issues.
As he pressed further, Dewey received some information on the number of residents of the town affected by cancer. It was big and they came from all over town.
“I knew it wasn’t the flooded homes in one area of town. I knew we had a wide-open (problem.) I knew then that there was something else that needed to be looked at.”
GETTING INTO IT
His fight started with the town, and he got a lot of pushbacks, even from family members.
“I had to do what I had to do,” said Dewey.
Later the fight would extend to include Corner Brook Pulp and Paper and its parent company, Kruger. When Dewey learned of the old barrels in the canal, he pushed to have them removed.
A report completed on the cleanup in 2019 suggested the barrels had been empty and sediment sampling showed the sediments did not compromise the quality of the town’s drinking water.
Dewey said staff at a cleanup location told him and the CBC documentary crew something different. That the drums contained oil but there was no mention of it in the reports.
The lawsuit against Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, Kruger, Deer Lake Power, the Town of Deer Lake and the province, was launched in 2015 and in 2021 a Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador justice denied the plaintiffs’ application for certification.
That decision is currently under appeal in the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador. A hearing was held in January and Dewey is still waiting for a decision.
When the certification was denied, Dewey said it was suggested the plaintiffs could pursue the matter individually.
“Where does that leave everybody else?” he said.
“I’ve sat in senior citizens’ homes with tears in their eyes about the condition of their homes with the flooding.
“They can’t fight. They can’t go represent themselves or hire a lawyer to fight this big global company, Kruger, one on one.”
THE SONG
Dewey has always been a bit of part-time musician.
“A bit of a dreamer,” he said. “Mom always said I sang too much. I used to sing myself to sleep at night.
“So, this is a song that was for her.”
Writing about what has been happening came up in conversation with Hamel and together they wrote the lyrics for “Ghost in the Water.”
Lyrics that include the lines: “Somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter has been taken too soon by the ghost in the water,” and “there’s a poison in this town and it’s gotten people down, no one makes a sound but the ghost in the water.”
Along with another friend, Mike Doucette, the song was recorded in Hamel’s Cormack studio.
“I couldn’t be happier with the song,” said Dewey. “Because it means something. It’s just another way of saying I’m not going away. Until I get the answers I’m not going away. I know I’m right and I’ve got no reason to let go.
“My mother was a beautiful person. She wouldn’t say anything about anybody. She did so much for people in this town. I’m not going to stop fighting for her. She adopted me at eight months old and I’ve always said this is a special kind of person because I’ve never felt that I belonged anywhere else other than with her.”
HELPING A FRIEND
Hamel and Dewey have been friends for years and played in a band together when they both lived in Labrador.
Hamel has been following what Dewey has been doing for some time. His interest came from similar issues where he used to live in Cartwright with a former U.S. military radar station.
So, Hamel was happy to be a part of the song.
“I only saw this as an awesome opportunity to help a friend out. I felt if I could be a part of it that would it just be an honour,” said Hamel.
And writing the song came easy as Hamel said the words just flowed.
“When we were writing it, he was just pacing constantly. We were coming up with lines and you could tell his mind was just going. You could tell it meant a lot to him,” said Hamel.
Besides sharing the song on Youtube, Dewey plans to put in on an online streaming service. Radio listeners in Ontario will get to hear it on Jiggs and Reels Radio KW debut on Monday, Feb. 26.