INAUGURAL MEETING OF TAG THIS THURSDAY

In hindsight, UPAC and CPAC were designed for failure. They were so designed by the province (Ministry of Environment), the Region of Waterloo and Woolwich Township. All three political groups have lied like dogs to the public for twenty-five years. They have propped up and promoted co-opted citizens to assist them in their underhanded work. All three groups have also undermined honest and involved citizens. That said the current CPAC (Citizens Public Advisory Committee) will not behave as nastily and viciously as the old disbanded CPAC did back in 2011. The disbanded CPAC (Pat M., Susan B, and Sandra B.) invited three CPAC members to a joint meeting at the library in the summer of 2011 and then verbally attacked Dr. Dan Holt and Vivienne Delaney when they attended the meeting in good faith. Other old CPAC members attending were appropriately embarassed by that behaviour.

That said this new group known as TAG or Technical Advisory Group are a construct of Mayor Shantz once again designed to be nothing more than a facade of public consultation. Their first meeting is this Thursday in Council Chambers at 8 pm. with an in camera meeting in the Councillors' Boardroom at 7 pm.. While there are a couple of co-opted members there will undoubtedly be some who truly believe that this is the real deal and that they can participate fully and contribute to the cleanup. Please ask yourselves why twenty-six years after the shutdown of Elmira's two wellfields are we just now bringing in for the first time a Chairman (Richard Jackson) of known technical expertise and competence. We have had an honest and intelligent Chairman (Dr. Dan Holt) for the past four and a half years plus the likes of Greg Pimento head of Sulco Chemical and Pat McLean, longtime Council member before him.

TAG report to RAC or the Remediation Advisory Committee and essentially are a pack of bureaucrats and politicians. These are the longtime guilty parties and are in control. I mean seriously this group are a Woolwich Township construct and Woolwich Township with my wee assistance have proven their corruption and incompetence in spades this past six months. Whether dealing with the Municipal Act and in camera meetings or the Elections Act they are the gang who couldn't shoot or lie straight.

The Agenda for this Thursday starts with a "Chemtura Briefing on Recent Reports" by Jeff Merriman and undoubtedly Jeff will do what he does best which is obfuscate and misrepresent the truth. The next item deals with written Delegations and I expect there will be an attempt to limit public input and influence as much as possible whether blatantly or more subtly. While I wish most of TAG well they will accomplish nothing more than is already arranged privately between Chemtura, the M.O.E. and the liars on Woolich Council.