DICK JACKSON, CARL ZEHR, JEFF MERRIMAN, CHEMTURA & MECAC

A pleothera of riches yesterday! Paige Desmond of the K-W Record wrote two very good stories about Chemtura and MECAC (Compliance Audit Committee) while TAG's (Technical Advisory Group) 2016 Work Plan, written by Chair Dick Jackson was released. Paiges' stories were titled "Chemtura boosts water cleanup" and "Complaints kept local elections compliance committee occupied". Most interestingly the new on-line headline for the first story is now "Chemtura water cleanup behind schedule.".

Once again Jeff Merriman is bragging about drinking water that only an idiot would drink. The last time was his claim that he would drink water straight from the Canagagigue Creek. This time it's water from the Elmira aquifers after it's allegedly clean. Funny enough but Councillor Mark Bauman without stating CPAC by name has given them credit for first raising "...the issue of Chemtura not meeting its target." Yes CPAC are the ones who produced such a report that went to both Woolwich Council and the M.O.E. in early 2012. That said yours truly had been publicly stating the "cleanup is a sham" and would not succeed for the previous several years.

CPAC were also indirectly given the appropriate credit for raising the alarm regarding off-site flow of contaminants east and south of the Chemtura site. This included CPAC's report last summer (July) regarding higher yet levels of DDT in the Canagagigue Creek just downstream of Chemtura. Graham Chevreau, Ron Campbell and CPAC took the initiative via the MTE Report in October 2014 first and then via their sediment testing funded by the Region of Waterloo. Once again yours truly worked with CPAC members as well as Peter Gray of MTE by providing much of the historical reports to them as well as accompanying, as a guide only, the two professionals from MBN plus Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach on their sampling mission on the Martin property and in the creek.

There is some historical revisionism at work and Chemtura and their partners in pollution, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, would love to take credit for determining on their own that their off-site pump and treat technology required upgrading. Not only isn't it so but Chemtura actually denied and argued CPAC's position for months before suddenly producing (via CRA) their updated plan. At that time they bragged about tripling their off-site pumping rates. Now they are claiming they will double them. After their recently planned shut down of their biggest pumping well at the south end of town (E7), let's see if they actually do double their off-site pumping. Colour me skeptical as their history has always been one of more talk, less action.

Paige Desmond's article about MECAC was fairly nuetral although Carl Zehr and fellow biased political appointees were blaming both forms and the legislation for a lack of clarity. The funniest part of the article occurred when Carl boy stated "But you have to remember that most candidates do not have an accounting background.". Hoo boy that is true but in this case "candidate" mayor Shantz bragged about her 31 years of bookeeping experience during her election campaign. Close enough yet she claims inadvertent errors, good faith and honest mistakes.

The piece de resistance I will leave for tomorrow. TAG Chair Dick Jackson has written TAG's Work Plan for 2016. It will be presented this Thursday in Council Chambers at 6:30 pm.. It covers the off-site cleanup, remediation of Canagagigue Creek sediments and floodplain and finally on-site source removal of LNAPLS and DNAPLS. Just watch the historical revisionism now from Susan Bryant, Pat McLean and their buddies Dwight and Jeff from Chemtura. I led the fight for not just removal of LNAPLS and DNAPLS when I was on CPAC with those pack of obstructionists but also afterwards with the last CPAC (2010-2015). The last CPAC had an open mind and listened unlike prior corrupted and co-opted versions; two of whose members mayor Shantz has appointed to TAG.