MORE ON THURSDAY EVENING'S PUBLIC CPAC MEETING

While it's been admitted and stated by both Mark Bauman and Mayor Shantz even before the January 2015 CPAC meeting; nevertheless their ongoing private discussions with Chemtura Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment regarding reforming/mellowing/emasculating CPAC are a public travesty and abomination. CPAC represent the public and were appointed by the last Council to do exactly that. That this Council would speak privately about CPAC and CPAC public issues behind their backs is an act of cowardice and public treachery. That the rest of Council have not stopped this filthy, dispicable behaviour reflects on their lack of intelligence and ethics.

Both Dr. Dan Holt and Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach discused Council's abuse of process in neither reappointing the old CPAC yet nor appointing a new one. This CPAC are being intentionally kept in limbo and treated shabbily by Council. Ron Campbell pointed out that the so called "technical" meetings with Chemtura/CRA/MOE absolutely do not solely require hydrogeologist credentials in order to effectively participate. In fact that is the point. Chemtura do not want CPAC to effectively participate in any fashion whatsoever.

The M.O.E. had requested $1,628 from CPAC in exchange for them providing financial data regarding the off-site cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers. Their Freedom of Information response demanding money in exchange for informing CPAC and the public as to how much of the public's money is being spent on the cleanup is disgusting and yet so typical of M.O.E. behaviour.

George Karlos of the M.O.E. had informed CPAC that they would wait up to two years for lab results from soil or sediment samples in and around Canagagigue Creek. Graham Chevreau of CPAC indicates that the Chemtura site is probably the worst contaminated site in Ontario and should be an M.O.E. priority. He will be getting samples taken professionally and analysed by an accredited lab within a week. His opinion is that the Onatrio M.O.E. are showing a reckless and wanton disregard for public health and safety.

Ron Campbell of CPAC was on a committee years ago that was looking at the possibility of Ontario adopting American principles concerning remediation of contaminated sites. This was of course referencing CERCLA & SARA? better known as "Superfund" sites. He also indicated that Conestoga Rovers (CRA), Chemtura's consultants are fully knowledgable regarding the U.S. cleanup principles. Afterall they made their reputation based at the first Superfund site namely the Love Canal.

Viveienne Delaney of CPAC spoke to CPAC regarding citizens' task forces at the Pine River site in St. Louis Michigan. The task force was given equal status and standing with the experts and other parties. Vivienne also discussed IPEN an organization assisting giving a voice to citizens with environmental problems around the world. A major part of IPEN's public education deals with Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs. Apparently it is NGOs or Non Governmental Organizations which lead the way demanding both environmental and health studies where required.

Sebastian had quite a discussion/speech to the public and CPAC regarding the culture and climate around public consultation here in Canada. He indicated that it was clear that UPAC/CPAC were set up 24 years ago to fail the public interest. They were set up to be strictly a cosmetic body cheerleading the professionals at Chemtura, CRA and the M.O.E.. He personally has seen over the last four years how those three bodies have been building a resentment to CPAC's impertinence in actually believing that they had some right or even authority to question pronouncements from on high. Sebastian went on to say that in Canada versus the U.S. the populous movement is resented by the authorities and the elites. They simply do not want any power or influence whatsoever to flow to the people as a whole except every four years or so for five minutes when they are voting. In my words, citizens please vote and then f... off until the next election.

Richard Clausi (EH-Team) spoke at the Public Forum section of the Agenda. He expressed his skepticism that there would be any kind of an honest process regarding the private by invitation only alleged "technical" meetings. He also suggested that if Peter Gray (MTE) were to attend he should be permitted to hire a person with a historical background to accompany him such as one Alan Marshall BA (U. of Waterloo 1974) to assist him with overall perspective and analysis.

Lisa MacDonald also spoke at the Public Forum section of the Agenda. She indicated how well committees functioned and were respected during the tenure of the last Council versus the current one. She questioned Woolwich Townships commitment to following written Rules and Procedures such as committee Terms of Reference and even the Townships own Procedural By-laws.

Ken Jensen also spoke at the Public Forum section of the Agenda. Overall CPAC attendance by the public is definitely higher over the last four years versus any other time period. He has personal professional experience with Superfund sites in the U.S. and advised how they are driven by local residents. He indicated that Canada and the U.S. are poles apart and that the U.S. are in a completely different and superior league than Canada in cleaning up industrially contaminated sites. Obvious conflicts of interest as we have here in Elmira are stopped cold via the Superfund process. Client driven consultants and or their friends and colleagues do not drive the cleanups. My words are that here our Councils have embraced both professional and amateur conflicts of interest. According to Ken in the U.S. there are intentionally two adversarial sides of approximate equal strength involved and the truth eventually wins out. The system here in Ontario with the polluter, his consultants and a tame M.O.E. all on the same side is a farce. Here the best citizens can do is to attempt to win the Public Relations battle.