I’ve been talking with the NCC about the problem they had last fall with glass in the trails. Although the official word back then was that less than 1% foreign debris in the soil mix was acceptable, it turns out that actually no one really thinks this is true, including the NCC. So they are inspecting the trails and plan to take whatever action is needed, whether that means raking and picking or wholesale removal of the aggregate. They are also taking measures aimed at preventing a recurrence of the problem.
Although the course of events last fall did them no credit I think their doing the right thing now should be acknowledged.
The cards that GuideGatineau has begun distributing to promote the website are considered to be highly environmentally responsible due to the fact that the paper used is 100% recycled and is produced using energy from biofuels plus the ink is vegetable based.
I would be inclined to think that the only choice is to remove the soil. Short of that, you would have to sample test the soil for contaminants like heavy metals and mount a PR campaign to convince the public that everything is fine. This may be quite hard to achieve. Then bits of glass will resurface every year and the show repeats itself and the Park’s reputation suffers small cuts each time.
Might as well take it all out and replace it. Acknowledge that a mistake was made and reaffirm your commitment to protect the park. I think that this would go a long way towards restoring a somewhat battered reputation.
Maple Leaf foods with its listeriosis problem and Manulife with its Portus funds might be models on how to deal with misfortune.