Halton Region Public Health is responding to concerns from residents circulating online about an alleged rise in cancer rates in Oakville’s Joshua Creek neighbourhood.
Addressing residents’ fears, staff from Halton Region emphasized that preliminary data shows cancer incidence in the area is not elevated compared to other parts of the region and the province.
The 2023 Halton Region Cancer Report, which compares cancer rates across the region, including Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville, indicated that Halton’s rates for both lung cancer and overall cancer incidence remain below Ontario’s averages.
Online messages in recent weeks sparked worry over the Joshua Creek neighbourhood, with local organizers saying the area was high in cancer numbers, due to being built in the same spot as a former landfill.
This sparked worries over possible soil or water contaminations - though no reviewed evidence backs up these claims.
Following these public concerns, a preliminary investigation specific to the Joshua Creek area found cancer mortality rates to be lower than those observed across Halton and Ontario, reassuring current and prospective residents about community health standards.
"Halton Region Public Health continues to work with the Province to monitor local trends in cancer incidence and mortality," the full statement added.
"These [online] messages are understandably alarming and raise concerns among residents and we want to assure current and future Joshua Creek residents of their safety," reads Halton's statement.
Concerns led to the creation of Joshua Creek Inquiry, a website dedicated to raising awareness of the alleged issue and calling for additional safety measures.
The site describes their work as "advocating for a comprehensive review that includes site inspections, soil testing, and water quality assessments to address any potential environmental factors affecting residents."
According to the Halton Region, environmental monitoring of the area has been conducted since the mid-1980s.
Monthly subsurface combustible gas monitoring, biennial surface water monitoring and groundwater leachate monitoring that's done every five years have occurred since 2002, as part of Halton's Environmental Management Plan, the Region says.
The Region also says that soil samples are not part of the monitoring process as finding any potential landfill impacts are easier to detect in ground or surface water than soil.
Update, Nov. 14, 10:00 a.m.: A previous version of this story had a headline saying Joshua Creek was cancer-free, though Halton Region has been unable to prove that definitively and is not relective of their published statement.