PEINine months later and Ray Campbell is back at it, fighting for the ducks and wildlife that call Governor’s Pond in Charlottetown home. ‘It’s full of contaminants. Oil, anti-freeze, the slurry they put on the roads,’ concerned resident saysCody MacKay · CBC News · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.’You got to get it away from the water’s edge,’ Ray Campbell says of the snow and dirt pile. ‘Simple and plain.’ (Rick Gibbs/CBC)Nine months later and Ray Campbell is back at it, fighting for the ducks and wildlife that call Governor’s Pond in Charlottetown home. Looking over the pond, and the pile of snow and dirt up against it, he shakes his head that he, once again, has to be the advocate to “quack for the ducks.””It’s full of contaminants. Oil, anti-freeze, the slurry they put on the roads and stuff like that,” Campbell told CBC News Thursday.”It’s the same thing all over again.”He originally spoke out about this in March because the snow, mixed with garbage and debris from the provincial government parking lot, was at that time plowed together and piled up at the water’s edge beside Governor’s Pond, sometimes called Government Pond.The small body of water is home to a variety of wildlife, with ducks, geese and other birds the most visible.”You got to get it away from the water’s edge,” he said. “Simple and plain.”WATCH | Walkers want Governor’s Pond cleaned up and ducks protected from dirty snow and garbage (March 18, 2025):Walkers want Governor’s Pond cleaned up and ducks protected from dirty snow and garbagePeople who visit and walk around Victoria Park in Charlottetown are worried about the wildlife and water quality in Governor’s Pond. Snow from a provincial government parking lot is piled up near the water’s edge, laced with chunks of pavement, litter and fluids from the cars. CBC’s Cody MacKay reports.Province ‘discussing options’ about what to doP.E.I. got its first significant snowfall of the season this week, starting on Wednesday. Campbell was in the area and noticed that instead of having snow from the parking lot put in trucks and taken out of the city — or plowed to a pile on the other side of the lot — it was piled up by Governor’s Pond.The Ellen’s Creek Watershed Report Card from 2023 had given Governor’s Pond a ‘fairly poor’ rating regarding the number of organisms in the water. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)He said he raised those concerns to a local city councillor, which eventually led to a call from the top floor of the provincial government: Premier Rob Lantz.”We had a bit of a chat,” Campbell said. “At the end of the day, you can’t do this. You have to move it out of here … it’s a total eyesore, and not only that it’s pollution, so get rid of it.”The provincial government did have meetings about the pond this week, a spokesperson told CBC News.”Given the amount of aquatic vegetation growing in the pond, and the number of successful duck broods using it over many years, environment officials note the pond appears to be quite healthy,” the province said in an emailed statement.”However, provincial staff are currently discussing options on snow management going forward.” Historic water quality not greatThe 2023 Ellen’s Creek Watershed Report Card gave Governor’s Pond a “fairly poor” rating regarding the number of organisms in the water. That translates to “significant organic pollution,” the report said. Ray Campbell originally spoke out in March about how concerned he is when snow mixed with dirt and debris is piled up beside the pond. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)Campbell also maintained then, as he does now, that government is breaking its own rules by piling snow and debris in a buffer zone. Waterways like Governor’s Pond are supposed to be protected from dumping within a certain distance, according to provincial environmental regulations.Unless the proper license or permit is obtained, the regulations say no person shall “dump or infill, or deposit soil, water, mud, sand, gravel, stones, rubbish, litter, rocks, aggregate or material or objects of any kind” within 15 metres of a watercourse or wetland boundary.Campbell said if snow and debris continue to be piled up beside the pond this winter, he plans to protest outside the offices.”It’s not the first time I’ve walked on a picket line,” he said. ABOUT THE AUTHORCody MacKay is a writer, editor and producer for CBC News on Prince Edward Island. From Summerside, he’s a UPEI history and Carleton masters of journalism grad who joined CBC P.E.I. in 2017. You can reach him at cody.mackay@cbc.ca
For the love of ducks: P.E.I. man renews call for government to remove dirty snow pile by Governor’s Pond
