MY PRESENTATION/DELEGATION TO LAST NIGHT'S WOOLWICH COUNCIL MEETING
Following is the verbatim report regarding my take on CPAC's progress/sucess to date. This is based upon attending all six public CPAC meetings starting in early June of this year as well as having attended about twenty years of public meetings of the old CPAC. My purpose last night in praising the new CPAC had nothing to do with making them feel good and everything to do with bracing and preparing our Council for the push back from Chemtura and their partner in pollution, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. By loudly and publicly praising this new CPAC...APPOINTED BY WOOLWICH COUNCIL... I am hoping to dissuade Council from any knee jerk reaction or meddling regarding their CPAC.
Delegation to Woolwich Council November 29, 2011
Mayor Cowan advised CPAC last Thursday that either he or a CPAC member would be updating Council this evening in regards to CPACs’ activities. I believe that that is a very appropriate action and on the theory that if one is good two is even better, I also would like to give Council my take on CPAC’s success to date. There have been six Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC ) meetings so far with the new CPAC membership. They have ranged from merely strong and informative to what occurred last Thursday evening. Honestly if we get a couple more meetings like that one, I expect Council to start selling tickets and using them as a fundraiser to reduce taxes. Last Thursdays meeting was way beyond incredible and that opinion is shared by many of your CPAC appointees as well.
As an example , the Ontario Ministry of the Environment , who have been under pressure from your CPAC, publicly provided the following astounding information. When Varnicolor Chemical was sold to Phillip Environmental in 1993, Phillip received a legal Indemnity from the Province stating that they were not liable for currently undiscovered contamination on the Varnicolor site. The M.O.E. last Thursday then advised us that that very same Indemnity has now expired and they are holding the most recent owners Three Eights Inc., liable . This liability includes twenty years late, deep monitoring wells to be installed and an additional excavation of 200 tonnes of contaminated soil. Am I the only one who finds this both unreasonable to the latest owners and perverse and hypocritical overall?
Your new CPAC and your new Mayor must share the credit for this expose’. Both the old CPAC and the old Council were given the same opportunity to look at the evidence and face the truth. The problem wasn’t the clarity of the evidence either then or now; it was the clarity and vision of certain politicians then versus now.
Your new CPAC are working in an incredibly politicized environment. There are Municipal and Provincial Staff present as well as Regional Staff involved. CPAC are attempting to work with a multinational , multibillion dollar company. This company is also a multinational polluter facing lawsuits over Agent Orange (Dioxins) and Diacetyl (butter flavouring). Both of these products were manufactured here in Elmira.
Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment appear to be very unhappy campers at these public CPAC meetings. I believe that they have seen the future and they don’t like it. Back in 1998, David Ash and Uniroyal picked up their marbles and walked out of the middle of a UPAC meeting, not to return for nearly a year and a half. I recall the Chair of UPAC casually mentioning negotiations months later with Uniroyal, to bring them back. I believe that Chemtura and the M.O.E. are angry because they aren’t getting their own way. They may also be angry because the new CPAC are neither deferential nor intimidated by them. Unlike the old CPAC; this one does not feel bound by past agreements negotiated in private , out of the publics’ view. An example of Chemtura’s frustration is their attempt to conclude a site wide AIR Certificate of Approval, using the old CPAC members , who are much more agreeable to them than the new. The old CPAC do NOT represent Woolwich citizens and again that process is being done in private.
Yes there are problems with Public Consultation being under the purview of a Municipal Council. Despite the past and current model of public consultation being inherently a poor one, this CPAC is succeeding. They are honest, open minded and independent. This success is due to the individuals on CPAC AND because of individuals on our Municipal Council. I repeat , the model/process is poor. The individuals involved however are fantastic.
Alan Marshall Elmira Environmental Hazards Team
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add coke, hookers and under the table cash and like I said before MALFEASANCE / watch the change in the realm and see the shifting paradigm turn to more greed and less knowledge / we have learned one thing from the past / it will repeat / such repeats will possibly involve change that no one can tell / otherwise if we do not we will lose predictive force that can be used to seek further data / data is sparse in our current world but computational abilities are changing that / MALFEASANCE is the risk
ReplyDeleteSounds like a guy shamelessly kicked off the committee two times in a row trying to come grovelling back. Its so pathetic that i feel sorry for him. After all it is this same committee that gave him the book that he is now praising. What gives?
ReplyDelete"...it is the same committee that gave him the book (hook) that he is now praising. What gives?"
ReplyDeleteHere is what gives. The new CPAC did NOT "give me the hook". They were not consulted and were not happy about Councils' decision. Four of the then six committee members including myself were verbally and in writing asking the then Chair (Councillor Herteis) to get the lead out and get CPAC show on the road. I was then and am now fully supportive of this new improved CPAC despite concerns of micromanagement by the Council. The old CPAC had no such concerns as a former longterm Councillor chared CPAC and she and then political ally Mayor Strauss were on the same page. Once again public consultation should be independent and never has been in Elmira, by intentional design.
So if I understand things right, the Mayor is now the Chair. He is a member of CPAC. How can the committee not be happy when the Mayor is on it? You just sound like a person who is embarrased to have been given the heave-ho and are sucking up for what? to get re-appointed?
ReplyDeleteOne I didn't say whether the committee is happy or not. You said it. Secondly I am not embarassed by the bad behaviour of others. The new Council while I believe overall being on the right track, nevertheless without speaking to the new CPAC nor I voted me off the new CPAC. Yes I and the new CPAC had offended one Councillor & Mayor back in April and May and they overeacted. What is the saying... act quickly and repent at your leisure???
ReplyDeleteTo Nov.30 7:48 pm. Yes each of us feel we could do a better job than the last. Trouble is as stated, the devil you know may not be as bad as the devil you don't. lt all falls back to one personal goal and promise. Honesty and being humble. There is a personal price to pay for not doing the right things as often as possible. Polititions have a poor reputation for a reason. Many let their ego and the lure of finer things sway their values. Once turns into twice and so on. l see someone liked my way of saying things, especially the word malfeasance. As was once said; veni,vidi,vici.
ReplyDeleteAs was once said; veni,vidi,vici. SO TRUE!Thanks for sharing that vantage point. I praise the Advocate for its mission é via vi empower local knowledge despite computational norms and chain individual norms with parallel belief in proper elected response. The system can be fixed with gained knowledge of contaminants and finite environmental medial loops such as bugs bird droppings and urine samples. The epidimiology of such trace pathways will assist in the fight agains misfeasance.
ReplyDeleteBill Strauss did a lot of good things for this community and i think you are casting him in a bad light. The current clown we have in the mayor's seat is a McGuinty government lacky
ReplyDeleteO.K. I had to reread my post to find what I had said negative about our former Mayor Strauss. I did mention that the former Council had the same opportunity as this one to examine other sources of contamination in Elmira. My focus has been on Woolwich environmental issues including Safety-Kleen and many others. My criticism of the former Mayor is in that light. If you feel that Bill did other good things for Woolwich, then I won't argue that with you. Regarding our new Mayor I see less than perfection as is with all of us. I would suggest you give him and Council some more time before passing harsh judgement. If I'm wrong we'll both know it down the road and I'll admit it.
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