A mayor in small-town, Newfoundland says armed officers are serving up papers on town clerks and volunteer members of council for breaking the law regarding sewage disposal.

The topic was the subject of an emergency forum in St. John’s last Friday as Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador strives to keep the discussion going, now that the election campaign is officially on.

Buchans Mayor Derm Corbett says the figure being floated to comply with the federal wastewater regulations is $600-million. In his words, this province is in a real mess as all but a handful of municipalities are now breaking the law.

He says they’re getting visits from officers from the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada, dressed in uniform with guns on the hip, and being served papers telling them they are liable for a million dollar fine and two years in jail. He assumes that means all members of council plus the clerk.