Thursday, June 30, 2016

THE LATEST COVERUP IN ELMIRA



Sometimes I wonder exactly how far guilty parties are willing to go in order to avoid their responsibilities and hence cause more public damage. When politicians ignore the public interest in order to help themselves and private corporate interests, have they crossed the corruption line?

Last Tuesday in Council Chambers was the second Public Meeting to discuss boundary rationalizations which are part of a Proposed Official Plan Amendment. Here in Elmira the idea is to remove lands along Floradale Road as well as at the extreme northern end of the Elmira Settlement Boundary. At the same time an addition to Elmira's Settlement Area is proposed on the east side of town essentially from north of Line 86 (Church St.) due south to Scotch Line Road and then hooking back into Arthur St. South.

This expansion of Elmira's east side boundaries for either "employment development" or future "industrial needs" is really quite brazen. A look at the provided map indicates that these proposed east side lands encompass millions of dollars worth of contaminated properties; contaminated by Chemtura Canada. They also include the contaminated Canagagigue Creek as it leaves the Chemtura property and flows eastwards to discharge into the Grand River.

Seriously is this the best the province, the Region and our Woolwich Council can come up with? This proposed expansion will include a North/South Arterial Road that runs along the Chemtura east side property line and essentially buries all the toxic goodies that have flowed, leaked and been diverted onto the Stroh farm. A professional hydrogeologist has expressed his concerns with Chemtura's contamination having migrated into this area and his demands for honest soil and groundwater testing. To date both Chemtura and the M.O.E. have been resisting, delaying and playing games; all of which they excel at.

Yes I would say that twenty-five feet of gravel on top of these contaminated lands qualifies as a first class Woolwich coverup. Once again Chemtura says thank you Sandy.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

LOCAL TOXIC WASTE DUMPING CASE GETTING MORE BIZARRE




Last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carried this story titled "Man faces charges in dumping of toxic waste". Originally a William Hector, 51, of Kitchener was charged with mischief to property for illegally dumping the waste at a sugar bush property near Conestogo. Mr Hector has since died and those charges were dropped. Now a Ronald Soha with a numbered company , formerly known as Madison Steel, has been charged for illegally dumping the same barrels of waste into the same sugar bush.

O.K. so if Mr. Hector who owned a small, local moving company dropped the barrels off near Conestogo then can we understand that Mr. Soha was allegedly the original source or just a middleman himself? These barrels contained oily wastes, waste oil and P.C.B.s. The P.C.B.s are the main concern here as they are so toxic they are often referred to as "near Dioxins". Structurally and chemically htey both consist of two benzene rings with chlorine atoms attached to the outside of the rings.

It seems obvious that somehow our authorities whether police of Ministry of the Environment have found themselves a trail of breadcrumbs allegedly back to Mr. Soha. I wonder where it goes from there? P.C.B.s have not been manufactured in decades and the intent is to both get them out and keep them out of the natural enviromment.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

UNIROYAL'S OWN CONSULTANTS INDICATED THEIR OFF-SITE CONTAMINATION IN 1983




Reference has occasionally been made over the years about Uniroyal contaminants being found in the Municipal (drinking water ) Aquifer both on and off-site prior to the north and south wellfields being shut down in 1989 and 1990. This of course somewhat diminishes Uniroyal/M.O.E. claims of shock and surprise as to how could this have happened without us seeing it coming. In fact one example is a study done by Conestoga Rovers in 1983. They examined both the Bolender Landfill as well as the First St. Landfill in Elmira.

Keep in mind that Conestoga Rovers (CRA) have since become the preeminent consulting company for Uniroyal/Chemtura. In their 1983 report on the First St. Landfill they found chemicals in the Municipal Upper Aquifer which they attributed to Uniroyal Chemical. The shallow aquifer concentrations of chemicals were negligible.

Well CRA3 is located upgradient of the First St. Landfill and downgradient in the Municipal Upper Aquifer from Uniroyal Chemical. CRA stated in 1983 that CRA3 "is being impacted by a source other than the landfill site" and furthermore that "this groundwater quality degradation does not appear to be the result of the First St. Landfill Site.".

These results found by CRA in 1983 were duplicated in 1989/90 when they tested specifically for NDMA. The upgradient wells around the First St. Landfill showed high NDMA concentrations in the Municipal Aquifer but not in the shallow aquifer. This also included well TW5-65 along with CRA3.

The evidence of the spread of Uniroyal's chemicals off-site in the drinking water aquifers was available ahead of time. What exactly was the strategy of our authorities both provincial and local at the time? Did they put their heads together and decide to do nothing until the crisis was upon them?

Monday, June 27, 2016

IT'S ALL BEEN A LIE RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING




"NDMA is not in our vocabulary". Thus spoke Wally Ruck, General Manager of Uniroyal Chemical in 1990. That whopper was debunked eventually as it turned out that a decade prior a couple of Uniroyal scientists had been expressing concerns with NDMA air emissions in and around the Uniroyal plant in Elmira, Ontario.

As I sometimes do to keep my perspective clear in regards to the big picture, I will go back and reread important reports from one, two or three decades earlier. Often I am able to confirm facts I have long known but have forgotten the report, author and chapter that they are from. Sometimes I will reread an issue or fact in the hindsight of many years, plus much more knowledge and have a eureka moment. One of the four volume CH2M HILL Engineering reports done on behalf of the Region of Waterloo, is the latest such reread.

"In April and May, 1977, MOE collected a number of samples of wastewater from Uniroyal and the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). NDMA was found in very high concentrations in the samples as shown in Table 6.2 (Sakuma et al, 1977).".

This Table has samples taken from eleven different points in the treatment processes at the STP and at Uniroyal. NDMA concentrations are 1,300 parts per billion (ppb) at both the Elmira STP Influent and Effluent. The real shockers are two Uniroyal Holding Lagoons with concentrations of 90,000 and 130,000 ppb of NDMA in 1977, twelve years prior to the shutdown of the Elmira wellfields due to the "discovery" of NDMA in the drinking water.

The prizewinner however is the result from the TUEX (a Uniroyal brand name) Manufacturing Process Waste. NDMA was found at a concentration of 340,000 ppb. in 1977.

So NDMA was not only in Uniroyal Chemical's vocabulary in 1989 it was in their waste waters, their in ground leaking lagoons and throughout their chemical processes likely for decades and they knew about it since at least 1977.

But, but, but didn't the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) tell us that they "discovered" NDMA in Elmira's drinking water in November 1989, the very first time ever that they had tested for it? So in fact did they know about it being throughout Uniroyal's wastewaters as well as having been released to the natural environment both from the STP to the Canagagigue Creek as well as into the groundwater through the leaking ponds and lagoons and NOT TEST THE ELMIRA DRINKING WELLS FOR TWELVE MORE YEARS? Or on the other hand did they actually test the drinking wells between 1977 and 1989 and NOT TELL THE PUBLIC ABOUT HIGHLY CARCINOGENIC NDMA IN THEIR DRINKING WATER?

Their next big lie was that they didn't know Elvis (NDMA) had left the building. In fact they knew several years prior to 1989 that Uniroyal chemicals were off their site moving in the groundwater. We may touch on that tomorrow.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

SANDY's THREE FAVOURITE C's - CORRUPTION, COLLUSION & CONSPIRACY




Yesterday's posting here indicated the two focus areas for cleanup at the moment namely off-site on Chemtura's east side (Stroh farm) as well as the downstream Canagagigue Creek possibly all the way to the mouth of the creek into the Grand River, below West Montrose. What was not mentioned was the deviousness employed by Chemtura most likely with the complicity (oops a fourth C ) of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. During 1985 massive changes were occurring on the Uniroyal Chemical site almost in preparation for the upcoming shutdown of the municipal wellfields. We the public were told by all parties in 1989 that it was such a surprise, such a shock. Who could have forseen NDMA from Uniroyal making it all the way to the south wellfield? Well for one Terreaqua saw offsite contamination clearly and said so in their 1987 Report.

A major part of Uniroyal's cleanup prior to the shutdown of the municipal wellfields entailed the disaster on the east side. The Canagagigue had been used as an open sewer for decades and served them pretty well. Part of the collusion had long been that they weren't exactly, directly dumping into the creek. Pits and ponds on both sides of the creek "held" their chemical wastes while natural processes such as evaporation and infiltration reduced the volumes. Also spills, leaks, overflows, bypasses and even intentional breeches were all very helpful to reduce volumes. The trouble over on the east side was that both overland flow and some contaminated groundwater was making an awful mess of their neighbour's low lying, swampy area. Hence around 1985 the Stroh Drain was dug running 175 metres parallel to their property line and then slightly east and south again where it snaked around the Martin swimming pond on its' way to the Canagagigue Creek. They now had a direct drain accepting their wastes while bypassing the likely monitoring from the M.O.E. sure to happen after the upcoming "Elmira crisis" occurred.

The fact that this Stroh Drain was draining chemicals and solvents originally from the Chemtura propertry into the Martin Pond (via a pipe) likely wasn't advertised to them. Nor was advertised that sometime likely between the mid 80s and early 90s some form of manmade subsurface construction took place on the east side. Google Earth as well as Waterloo GIS (Waterloo Region) provides the evidence for this. My best guess is that it is either an Interceptor Trench collecting contaminated eastside groundwater and diverting it over to the Stroh property (and into the Drain) or it's a Barrier Wall as in the "Waterloo Barrier".

The corrugated steel pipe coming out of the ground oriented north to south at the northern end of the Stroh Drain may or may not be directly linked to the proposed Interceptor Trench diverting Chemtura's east side contaminated groundwater. This alleged Trench certainly explains Uniroyal and the M.O.E.'s decision not to install an upper aquifer collection and treatment system on the east side. Afterall why bother when you can directly divert the problem downstream past your routine monitoring points. I believe that this "solution" would be much less expensive than installing the "Waterloo wall" albeit likely illegal and of course kept secret. Google Earth and Waterloo GIS were unheard of in the mid 80s so catching them would seem unlikely.

The evidence that Chemtura/M.O.E. may have faked the true location of GP1 also supports the use of the Stroh Drain to assist in moving Uniroyal/Chemtura liquid wastes downstream. If as is likely GP1 was located on the lowlying east side of the high ridge of land on Chemtura's south-east corner rather than the west side, then its' overflow would directly drain eastwards onto the Stroh property. Possibly some of its' contaminated groundwater did also although I expect groundwater flow direction changed more dramatically after the below grade Stroh Drain was dug.

Corruption, collusion and conspiracy. The Uniroyal saga is filled with it and oh so much more of you know what.

Friday, June 24, 2016

CHEMTURA/M.O.E. CONTINUE TO HIDE FROM THE PUBLIC



Still no answers. Still no discussion. Still no resolution. All is well in the camp of the See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil folks. The original, long departed players are all back sort of, at least when they show up. Most importantly public consultation has once again been aborted albeit for the first time with prejudice. Until now our pigheaded, arrogant yet oddly obsequious "authorities" have done their best to undermine real public consultation using a velvet glove. This past knife in the back, specialty and courtesy of he who speaks out of both sides of his mouth, Councillor Mark Bauman, was blatant, obvious and public. Putting their contempt, disdain and disgust but most importantly their fear in writing and then distributing it to members of the public as well as agencies and three levels of government went too far. As I've recently indicated I continue to try to hold Woolwich Council, two dishonest citizens, Chemtura and the Ontario M.O.E. accountable for their scurrilous April 9, 2015 written lies regarding CPAC and SWAT members.

Make no mistake there are some honest, intelligent citizens on the new TAG (Technical Advisory Group). Obviously the superstar is Dr. Dick Jackson, and the new CPAC including myself, have now publicly endorsed his opinions and position condemning the past decades of psuedo remediation and cleanup by Chemtura, their consultants (CRA) and the M.O.E.. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach is a known positive having served nearly five years on the last CPAC. David Hofbauer took me a while to warm up to as he is very quiet. That said when he speaks it is worth listening to. Bill Barr and Linda Dickson may both eventually be forces to be reckoned with. Joe Kelly appears to have his head on straight and I suspect the more he learns the more shocked and upset he will become.

The problem of course is that with the public pressure on them in late 2014 Chemtura and the M.O.E. ran for cover the instant a new Council with old faces was elected in Woolwich. The likes of Sandy, Mark and Murray was exactly the "solution" to their public relations fiasco. Chemtura and the M.O.E. were indeed being "interrogated" by CPAC and SWAT for their misdeeds and decades of lying and deceit. Kudos to Dr. Jackson and TAG as they are attempting to keep the focus on Chemtura's eastern property border with the Stroh farm as well as with the ongoing disaster in the Canagagigue Creek. Dioxins/Furans, DDT, Mercury and P.C.B.s in the creek sediments are horrible each on their own, much less in combination. Our totally corrupt Ontario M.O.E. continue to undermne themselves as they minimze the extent of the environmental damage. Watch carefully as Sandy and Mark try to stickhandle Council through this mess. The last thing that pair want is either TAG or RAC jumping all over Chemtura and the M.O.E. demanding a real cleanup of Chemtura's east side as well as a real cleanup via removal of grossly contaminated sediments in multiple areas of the creek. My hopes are on TAG to continue to step up. The 'pretend" stakeholders from RAC including the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Region of Waterloo have conflicts of interest as well as too many other issues on their plates. They also have a history with Uniroyal Chemical including accepting the M.O.E./Uniroyal sweetheart deal from October 1991.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

CHEMTURA CANADA PROGRESS REPORT - MAY 2016



Technically Chemtura failed to achieve their targeted pumping rates in May due to pumping well W3. It was a very nominal shortfall and in fact their pumping rates have been as high as they've ever been for some time now. Of course this is all relevant when nearly four years ago under pressure from CPAC they finally admitted that their off-site remediation of the Elmira Aquifers wasn't going to do the job on time. Therefore they promised to both TRIPLE the off-site pumping AND to do source removal of some off-site hot spots with In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO). That tripling has since been reduced to a promise to DOUBLE the off-site pumping. They bungled their pilot tests of ISCO and have been so exposed by Dr. Jackson of TAG. I am currently unaware of any further ISCO testing on their part. Lots of work allegedly being done towards increased pumping but to date it that pumping is not a reality. Is it for real or simply more of their bluster and bullshit?

Table A.1 as usual is woefully uninformative. While there are multiple concentrations at various stages of the groundwater treatment (on & off-site) for Ammonia, there are but one for chlorobenzene, Toluene, Benzothiazole and Carboxin. Nothing at all for NDMA. If you're going to produce this Table then at least fill in the results for us to see how you are doing.

Table A.3 has the results for a number of upper aquifer wells relevant to the containment and treatment system. The results for chlorobenzene, tolune and Base/Nuetral compounds on their site are as horrific as always.

MISA results are still disappointing in that this Municipal/Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA) is more about monitoring pollution than in actually stopping it. Several of the outfalls from Chemtura's on-site storm sewers still discharge low levels of solvents and pesticides such as Lindane, Benzothiazole and Carboxin directly into the Canagagigue Creek.

As far as direct measuring in the creek at the parts per billion level, while the creek is much improved, nevertheless there is still a slightly higher downstream average of tolune (over 37 samples) than upstream. This is hardly surprising. My thought is how many Chemtura chemicals would be detected in the creek at lower method detection limits?

Table D.1 records NAPL or Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids in various wells on site. These include both LNAPLS and DNAPLS otherwise known as Light or Dense NAPLS. THe LNAPLS are still measured floating on the water table in places at nearly half a metre thick. That is disgusting and Chemtura's assurances that they can do nothing about it is bullshit also about half a metre thick. DNAPLS are being found still near their main tank farm and also routinely in the TPW2 area where they've been present for decades. DNAPLs are in numerous areas on their site but are being left there thanks to the October 1991 sweetheart deal between Uniroyal Chemical and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

And so it remains.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

ARE THEY SOCIOPATHS, BULLIES OR JUST NOT TOO BRIGHT?



Why do politicians think that once they've made a decision, no matter how self-serving, contoversial or just plain wrong that suddenly it's done and over and they can move on to the next attempt to screw over and exploit the public? Woolwich Council in their infinite capacity to rationalize and justify the unjustifiable might just be beginning to understand that there are long term implications to screwing members of the public. Normally Councils and legislatures do most of their dirty work early on in their term and then bribe a few segments of society with goodies just prior to upcoming elections. Isn't democracy grand?

Any long held past misconceptions on my part that somehow the people elected and in authority have some sort of unseen attributes and skills, much less inherent ethics and morals, has been gone for a very long time. Yes like most citizens I was brought up to respect authority figures and to assume, until proven otherwise, that they were inherently honest and decent. Oh my how naive I was. Our psuedo mayor, Sandy Shantz, likes to pretend that informed critics and activists are conspiracy theorists. The reality is that all politics are conspiracies. Partisan and rabid individuals lusting for power and authority over the rest of us unite in self-serving alliances and political parties just for those purposes. Money, power and influence are the motives behind politicians. This is however no excuse to brand all politicians thusly simply because it applies to 95% of them.

Woolwich Council with their usual five minute study and research on a subject allowed themselves to be led by the noses by Sandy and Mark Bauman in regards to throwing out the last CPAC. Manipulating attendance at private meetings, manipulating CPAC Applications and good old fashioned lying ruled the day. This behaviour has been commonplace in Woolwich politics for a very long time with some Councillors routinely massaging facts and opinions to support their own biases and agendas. None of these biases and agendas are remotely in the public interest. In this case they are in the interests of two to three Councillors, Chemtura and the provincial government through the M.O.E.C.C.

Council have and are receiving pushback. This includes pushback via the Ombudsman and perhaps by the Privacy Commissioner. The latter remains to be seen as I have just recently sent him some correspondence regarding Council's vicious, vitriolic attack upon CPAC last year. The two prior Councillors mentioned put their lies and Chemtura/M.O.E.C.C.'s in writing in order to present "evidence" to their Council colleagues and probably others. Staff (CAO etc.) have been advised by myself in writing that this matter is still unresolved.



Tuesday, June 21, 2016

NORMALIZATION OF THE BIZARRE IN WOOLWICH TWN.




Back on April 29 of this year there was a small article in the Waterloo Region Record titled "Woolwich to test emergency sirens in May". For those of us living in Elmira it has become the new normal to expect to hear the town siren every Saturday at noon hour. Of course heaven help us if Chemtura ever have a serious spill or air emission at that weekly testing of the siren. Nobody myself included would take any action such as shelter-in-place as we've come to expect these weekly tests.

The article indicates that the reason for the sirens is chemical and industrial plants. That basically means Chemtura and Sulco (Canada Colours). Overall Sulco are miles ahead of Chemtura in regards to fewer spills and fugitive emissions. There was a time however decades ago when they too were a regular concern.

I wonder if the potential new buyers of homes in the proposed Hawk Ridge Subdivision across Union St. from Chemtura and Sulco will be advised ahead of time regarding the weekly Town Siren? I wonder if any showings of these proposed new homes will ever occur on Saturday's around noon hour? Why do I doubt that? This is Canada the home of subtle corruption enabled at all levels by government. Any attempts to warn buyers such as warnings on deeds will be mitigated by small print, location and reams of other paperwork. While the history of Chemtura (Uniroyal) may be on-line once again busy Canadian parents and workers are unlikely to research who they are acquiring as neighbours.

There have been some very serious fires, explosions spills and emissions over the decades and they are highly unlikely to be at an end. When the Deputy Fire Chief advises cell phone users as well as landline owners to register their numbers with Woolwich Township in order to receive warning calls from the Community Alert Network (CAN), then you know things are serious. Or in the Chief's words "It could save their life someday.".

Monday, June 20, 2016

WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP WANTS YOU !



Well at least they want you if you are compliant, easy going, in awe of authority, submissive, easily intimidated and totally controllable by them. It also helps if you will unequivocally pledge allegiance to the mayor, CAO, and or your Ward Councillor. Otherwise please do not apply to any volunteer positions in Woolwich Township no matter how innocuous or free of controversy they may appear. Everything is politicized and they will brook no criticisn whatsoever no matter how badly they've ...... up.

Last Thursday's Woolwich Observer carried an announcement titled "Citizens Task Force Update". This Task Force is to explore "Fiscal Oppotunities for Recreation & Facilities Services". The first sentence of this announcement claims "Unfortunately we did not receive a sufficient number of applications to move forward with the task force at this time.". That statement very well may be true. On the other hand it may very well be a lie. This is afterall Woolwich Township we are dealing with. The third sentence is also of interest as it says "For those who have already submitted applications, please be advised that you will be given appropriate consideration at that time.". That time refers to this September when they will re-advertise for volunteers. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

This sounds suspiciously exactly like the lies and crap that Woolwich Council and CAO pulled on CPAC over a year ago. In November 2014 after the municipal election Woolwich Township advertised for Applications to CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) in the Woolwich Observer. They received eight Applications and we know exactly who the eight were. Six were current CPAC members and the other two were Pat and Susan. The mayor and others lied afterwards by claiming they did not know who the applicants were. Such utter BS.

CPAC members filled in the Applications in full and in good faith. After the Application period ended it was clear that Woolwich Township had sufficient volunteer citizen applications from experienced CPAC members plus the two additional. What did those filth do? They attempted to throw out the Applications! When CPAC objected they relented and said "Oh well tell you what. You don't need to reapply afterall. We're going to reopen the Applications however in order to get more applicants despite already having enough. If you want your old Applications to stand then just phone us up and specifically ask for your Applications to continue. Honest we'll give you appropriate consideration.". By this point at least two Council members had been harassing, verbally abusing and lying about CPAC for months. Most of CPAC then ignored Council's request for a verbal update to their still submitted and current Applications. Our pretend mayor then sweet talked a bunch of her curling buddies in as "CPAC" applicants.

So Woolwich volunteers this is a heads up. Committee of Council volunteer positions are reserved for friends and like thinkers of Council members. Experienced and honest citizens need not apply.



Saturday, June 18, 2016

THE WATERLOO REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD (WRDSB) - ARE THEY RELEVANT HERE?



My overall answer to the question raised above in the title is no. They (WRDSB) are supposed to be an educational institution, not an institution involved with polluters, Ministry of Environment, Chemtura Canada, contaminated sites in Elmira or elsewhere etc.. This is why here in the Elmira Advocate over the last six years you would have to look long and hard to find any reference to them anywhere. That said our illustrious mayor has on two occasions in the last year actually dragged them and their behaviour into another totally irrelevant issue to the School Board, namely the mayor's election expense scandal. She did it first through her lawyer stupidly sending me threatening e-mails, which I viewed as outright blackmail; attempting to keep me out of the Superior Court hearing into her reinstatement last July. Then she dragged the WRDSB into her speech to MECAC (Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee) last October in Woolwich Council Chambers disparaging me about a twenty year old battle my wife and I had with the WRDSB.

So what has happened now that I am posting here about the WRDSB? Well haleluah the Waterloo Region Record have aired the Board's dirty linen publicly. Impotent and generally over the decades lapdog trustees are beginning to snap at the corrupt system and procedures inherent with this Board. Last Thursday's K-W Record carried this story titled "It's completely divided, dysfunctional" and then yesterday's Record Editorial was titled "School trustees need a time out". The Record even went so far as to suggest that the Ontario Ministry of Education need to seriously consider stepping in and cleaning house. This School Board's corrupt responses to multiple legitmate parental complaints from multiple schools resulted in my wife and I having to defend a civil suit from a Board employee, aided and abetted by the School Board and the employee's union.

While I thought this sorry case was long dead and buried it turns out that apparently certain individuals wishing to impugn my credibility have been keeping it alive behind the scenes. Interestingly shortly after the court case ended in 1999 we the public were treated to an even more disgusting spectacle regarding the WRDSB. That would be the Ron Archer child abuse scandal and the Board's complicity by doing what they did best at the time which was to hide, bury and enable child molesters in their midst. Let me be clearer. What they did with Ron Archer and other employees was to deny all parents' and childrens' complaints against their employees, no matter whether alleged illegal behaviour or in the case involving my wife and I and many more parents, simply inappropriate, nasty behaviour.

With this background in mind including yet another reference to this twenty year old case used to disparage me again from an unlikely source during the last municipal election campaign (no this time it wasn't Sandy), I decided now was a good time to clarify a few things. I dropped this issue a very long time ago but if certain nasty and ill informed individuals in their own right, wish to resurrect it behind my back or otherwise, than I must respond. That said there is a formal court Settlement negotiated between the parties filed in Superior Court in 2004 that restricts what each party can say about the other. This is fine with me but third parties should not be inaccurately or dishonestly raising this twenty year old case either publicly or privately for the purpose of undermining facts and data which I present on environmental or other public interest issues totally irrelevant to the WRDSB and or education matters.

Friday, June 17, 2016

TODD COWAN- A TERRIBLY FLAWED HUMAN BEING



O.K. right up front I don't like liars. I've dealt with too many professional, self-serving liars for far too long here in Elmira, Ontario. That said as I've gotten older I have begun to realize that liars are among us and they are ubiquitous. Some lie as part of their jobs: think of lawyers and politicians. Think of environmental consultants representing their clients. Perhaps even think of the odd doctor explaining to a spouse why their loved one suddenly and inexplicably died after perhaps some minor medication error the doctor would rather not point out.

Then there are the people who lie out of habit. They learned at a young age that they were somehow "inferior". Perhaps it was a learning disability. Maybe it was something as simple as height or weight. Perhaps they were terrible at sports or even just socially awkward. They learned to compensate. They learned how easy it is to gild the lily. A little burnishing of the facts could make themselves look better no matter the situation or the reality. Afterall if they attended a function, a job interview, met a person and the others present had not, well then who was to say what really happened?

I call these people psychological liars. They don't necessarily lie for money, for promotions or even to avoid blame. They lie to make themselves look better. Sometimes they lie to make themselves more convincing in an argument. Afterall if you're trying to get a group to go your way then simply provide your own self-serving facts. I suspect that once on this path it's almost impossible to get off of it.

I think history should recognize that Todd Cowan opened the door for citizens in Elmira to take back control from the politicians who have manipulated, deflected and distracted the issues and facts surrounding the Elmira water crisis. Todd while flawed was not stupid. He informed himself with advice from both a nuetral, uninvolved professional hydrogeologist, an environmental company owner/manager and myself before he was elected as Woolwich mayor. The irony of course is that it took a liar such as Todd to see the ongoing, longterm lies and gamesmanship going on here in Woolwich Township.

The further irony is that Todd did his own creation CPAC no good with his other flaws. He needed to be in control. As mayor he needed constant reassurance that he was smarter and brighter than everybody else. He was not. To get his way he would lie. He lied to and threatened CPAC, he lied to his own Council and I have to guess that he lied to his family. He lied about me to get Woolwich Council to remove me from CPAC and also in Bob Burtt's book. I was told about his lie to Council the day after the 2014 election by a former Councillor. He lied to the Grand River Conservation Authority about Chemtura Canada when they were present at a GRCA meeting and CPAC were not. Part of Todd's lying was in order to make people like him. Therefore he told people what they wanted to hear. Bob Burtt and the Bryant's wanted to hear shit about me from a third person so both Todd Cowan and Bill Bardswick (M.O.E.) provided. Lord knows what other lies he told and to whom.

No he was not fit to be mayor. Very few are.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

"MANAGING CONTAMINATION" IN WATERLOO REGION



Examining and researching the various wellfields in Cambridge, Ontario led me to the discovery a few years back that the Region of Waterloo were more about "managing" industrial contamination than they were about cleaning it up. This "management" consisted of shutting down wells either short term or long term, playing musical chairs with various wells, pumping some wells for use as Interceptor Wells and finally even installing liners in wells in order to block incoming contaminated water from specific layers and depths.

Fast forward to Elmira, Ontario. Recently we have again been treated to the knowledge that we the public were lied to regarding Uniroyal Chemical being the sole contributer to the destruction of the Elmira Aquifers in 1989. Around 2001 it became clear that Nutrite(Yara) had contributed the majority of the Ammonia to the drinking water aquifers. Now we know that Varnicolor Chemical contributed DCE, DCA. TCE, Vinyl Chloride and Petroleum Hydrocarbons to the aquifers.

We were also lied to throughout the 1980s when our authorities stated that no Uniroyal's contaminants had left their property. We were told that there was an impenetrable, impervious clay barrier beneath their site preventing the downward flow into the Municipal, drinking water aquifers.

Lastly we were told that NDMA was the culprit and being the fastest moving had shown up in the south wellfield ahead of any other potential plumes. This was also a lie as various low concentrations of styrene, toluene and more were already in the south wellfield before NDMA was suddenly "discovered" and announced.

Lately I've been reviewing more technical literature from the 1989-91 era. While I knew that massive cleanup of Uniroyal's ponds, lagoons and pits had been completed in 1987-88, coincidentally immediately before the "discovery" of NDMA in the south wellfield, I was not aware of the numerous and ongoing studies looking for other sources of water in the Elmira area. During the 1960s and 70s test drilling was going on throughout Elmira and area looking for potential new well sites. The south wellfield (E7, E9) was one of the results of this testing as E7 came on line in 1970 and E9 in 1977.

I believe that with or without specific testing for organic chemicals (from Uniroyal) in the two wellfields, routine testing of inorganics would have told our water authorities (PUC, OWRC, MOE, RMOW) that Uniroyal's liquid wastes were in our drinking water. Conductivity and chlorides in particular along with perhaps sodium are good indicaters as to what is coming down the pipe. Also there was knowledge by the late 70s and very early 1980s that the aquifer beneath Uniroyal Chemical was the same aquifer beneath both the north and south wellfields.

You may recall Brian Beatty of Morrison-Beatty testified at the Environmental Appeal Board hearings in 1991-92 that Uniroyal's contaminants flowed due west off their site and were "held" if you will in stasis somewhere out there. This seemed odd to most observers in that by that time both wellfields had NDMA in them. In hindsight an examination of the pumping rates of the two wellfields is interesting. Both are west of Uniroyal with one to the north and the other to the south. The north wellfield while closer to Uniroyal is upgradient in the Municipal Aquifer. The south wellfield however while farther away is downgradient in the normal direction of groundwater flow from Uniroyal.

Could those silly buggers have been "managing" Uniroyal's contamination by coordinating the pumping rates between the two wellfields? Were they attempting to influence the contaminant plumes flow direction and if so for how long? Was the initial purpose of the south wellfield development back in the 1970s simply to delay the already known and inevitable spread of Uniroyal's toxic plumes to the north wellfield by changing the groundwater flow directions?

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

ENVIRONMENTAL HYPOCRISY CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP - SAFETY-KLEEN




Last Friday's Waterloo Region Record carried a small article titled "Safety-Kleen honoured for cleaning up waste barrels dumped om farm". Apparently Woolwich Township in their divinely perverse appreciation of all the positives of harbouring world class polluters in their midst have decided that the carrot is a better approach than the stick. This certainly exemplfies their approaches to Uniroyal Chemical, Varnicolor Chemical, Nutrite and even Sulco. Of the lot Sulco have indeed stepped up over the last decade plus and could legitimately be considered to have embraced *Responsibler Care.

Make no mistake, Safety-Kleen did a very good thing by stepping up and removing 24 barrels of toxic waste that had been dumped on a rural property outside Conestogo. That said 24 barrels are literally a drop in the bucket compared to the volumes that predecessors on the Safety-Kleen site dumped into the natural environment and then made their way into the Grand River by Breslau. These predecessors would include Breslube and Forsythe Oil.

There has been some shallow aquifer pump and treat behind the Safety-Kleen site as well as attempts to remove free phase oil with P.C.B.s floating on the water table. The deeper aquifers flow towards and under the Grand River. The Region of Waterloo had drinking water wells along both sides of the Grand River namely the Forwell, Pompeii and Woolner Wellfields. The closest one to Safety-Kleen (Forwell) has been shut down for probably twenty years and the Woolner Wellfield intermittently for the past decade. It has sufferred from odour and taste problems probably due to algae which are exacerbated by low levels of phenols in the water. The Forwell system as well as intermediate monitoring wells between the river and Safety-Kleen had numerous chemical contaminants in them courtesy of both the free phase oil and the former "Black Lagoon" behind Breslube.

The Region of Waterloo probably along with the Province of Ontario (M.O.E.) gave Safety-Kleen an Indemnity from liability for their predecessors polluting activities. The Region also have never credited Breslube/Safety-Kleen with the destruction of the Forwell Wellfield (wells K70 & K71). It seems that bacteria from river infiltration wells is always a convenient excuse for government bodies intent on honouring polluting, irresponsible industries rather than holding them accountable. It is this unholy government/politicians, scratch my back alliance, which is dooming environmental cleanups here in Waterloo Region and elsewhere in Ontario.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

CHEMTURA'S SCHEMATIC CONCEPTUAL HYDROGEOLOGIC MODEL - THICKER & DEEPER YOU KNOW WHAT?




So what is a Schematic Conceptual Hydrogeologic Model? It is a map or representative picture of the subsurface of a fairly large area of ground. It is a larger version of what is known as a Cross-Section or a Hydrogeological Section of a specific area in which the depths of overburden (soil, gravel, silts and clays) as well as of the Bedrock are clearly shown as if one had cut down through the surface to a depth for example of 40-50 metres and then stood at the face of the excavation and drawn a picture of the various layers down to the 40-50 metre depth. With a Cross-Section the sub-surface layers and their depths are determined from specific depth measurements in boreholes or wells that have been drilled.

Chemtura's consultants have been producing and updating their Conceptual Hydrogeologic Model for many years. It is a good approximation of the stratigraphy of the subsurface from Chemtura Canada in the north to the former south wellfield (E7/E9) in the south end of Elmira. It clearly shows the three main and recognized aquifers known as the Upper Aquifer (shallow) as well as the Municipal Upper and Municipal Lower Aquifers (drinking water aquifers). These aquifers are all coloured blue (appropriately) while the Surficial Aquitard (SAT), Upper Aquitard (UAT) and the Municpal Aquitard (MAT) are a sort of brown colour. These Aquitards are of course lower permeability units which retard or delay the downwards migration (under gravity) of water through their smaller pore spaces. Oddly the Bedrock (Aquifer) is coloured green albeit it is shown as a cross-hatch pattern which could accurately indicate that it is a Fractured Bedrock Aquifer (FBA). Also oddly while former Conceptual Hydrogeologic Models (2005, 2007, 2012, 2014) referred to it as the Bedrock Aquifer the most recent (2016) simply refers to it as Bedrock.

Either a skeptic or a person knowledgable in the wiles of Chemtura and their consultants might believe that this is an intentional deflection/omission of the facts so as not to draw attention to an issue somewhat subtly raised by Dr. Dick Jackson at the RAC meeting last Thursday evening. Dr. Jackson was referring to the F-bomb ie. Fractures in the till or aquitards. These fractures both horizantal and vertical through either denser silts or through clay would allow much faster contaminant migration to depth even through what Uniroyal Chemical and the Ontario M.O.E. long ago liked to refer to as impenetrable clay aquitards. Guess how many of those impenetrable aquitards actually exist beneth Chemtura Canada? Between fractures and multiple windows through the aquitards the answer is ZERO. Alan Deal of GHD did confirm that fractures exist both at the 5-10 metre depth (UAT) and even much deeper in the Municipal Aquitard (approx. 16-30 metres depth). Whether they also exist in the Lower Aquitard (LAT) while likely is also moot due to the number of "windows" through this aquitard both on and off the Chemtura site.

The result is that the Bedrock Aquifer is contaminated at a minimum with NDMA and Ammonia. These two contaminants are admitted by Chemtura and their consultants. To date they have not admitted to Chlorobenzene contamination in the Bedrock aquifer which I find strange. Afterall Chlorobenzene will migrate vertically very fast as a DNAPL chemical as its'density is greater than that of water. It also will migrate vertically in the dissolved phase exactly as NDMA, Ammonia and lots of other chemical contaminants and solvents. Very strange.

There are no pumping wells with their wellscreens into the Bedrock Aquifer. Yes there are three with their wellscreens into the Municipal Lower Aquifer (ML) situated above the Bedrock Aquifer. Even if the aquitard between the Municipal Lower Aquifer and the Bedrock Aquifer (BR) is thin or absent it is still miles beyond wishful thinking to seriously believe that those pumping wells could hydraulically contain the entire Bedrock Aquifer to depth. They very well may capture some of the groundwater in the higher or surface fractures of the BR but that's it. This may well be the issue which Dr. Jackson subtly was implying to Alan Deal (CRA/GHD) last Thursday.

There are many more problems and errors in CRA/GHDs Conceptual Hydrogeologic Model. For example they have given short shrift to both the presence of various aquifers on the east side of their site as well as to "windows" through the aquitards as well as areas where the aquitards thin dramatically. Yes Chemtura have very self-serving reasons for these "errors" and they are in regards to their lack of shallow hydraulic containment and eastwards flow of contaminants onto their neighbour's property.

Monday, June 13, 2016

CITY OF KITCHENER COSTS TO DATE FOR THE SPILL OF OIL INTO GRAND R. REACH $1.3 M



Last Thursday's Waterloo Region Record carried the following story titled "Grand River oil spill cleanup cost city $1.3 M". A total of 748 tonnes of soil and 733,000 litres of contaminated surface water were removed as part of the cleanup. Days after the spill was front page news Code Yellow Towing located on Forwell Rd. notified the Ministry of the Environment in regards to a spill of 300 litres of used oil into a floor drain.

While this is certainly a visually (and probably odourous) significant spill nevertheless in the grand scheme of things the Grand River suffers much more abuse year in and year out. Whether it is fertilizers and pesticides from nearby agricultural fields or heaven help us the far too often sewage bypasses from many of our local Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), euphemistically called Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP), you get the picture. Then of course we have industrial contaminants moving via groundwater on an ongoing basis throughout the year. These occur with Ministry of the Environment knowledge and blind eye and will continue to do so. Examples would include Safety-Kleen in Breslau albeit due to their predecessors as well as Chemtura Canada and Varnicolor Chemical in Elmira. The Ontario M.O.E. have cheerfully ignored the discharge of both petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents into Landfill Creek and the Canagagigue Creek for the past twenty-five years from Varnicolor's former Lot 91 site.

Years ago I took photographs to the M.O.E. showing upturned tanks being drained into the ground beside Schneider's creek in Kitchener. Their response to me was well you should see what we are dealing with in Hamilton Harbour compared to that. Wow. Currently the M.O.E. are making desperate excuses and lies in Elmira as to why they won't do anything about known and measured Dioxins, DDT, Mercury and P.C.B.s in Canagagigue Creek and the fish within. Further lies include claiming that they do not have the legal right to go onto contaminated private property in order to test soils and groundwater. In fact they most certainly do.

The spill of used motor oil was obvious and visual. At one time the nickname for the M.O.E. was the Ministry of Lumps and Colours based upon their priority being to reduce visible water pollution in creeks and rivers. They really aren't much better today.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

WHY I ATTEND SANDY'S PHONY STAKEHOLDERS' MEETINGS



RAC (Remediation Advisory Group) are a croc of hypocrites and phonies. Pat & Susan accompanying the TAG Chair even temporarily are a joke. Pat knows less than nothing and both of them are comprimised sellouts who have both taken money and goods from the guilty parties including Conestoga Rovers (Susan's public admission), Region of Waterloo, the GRCA and Chemtura via the Chemical Industry Assocn. of Canada. Then look at the attendance at last Thursday's meeting outlined here yesterday in the Advocate. Four lousy meetings a year and all the no shows plus early departures is contemptible especially when you understand that Sandy replaced at least partial public consultation (CPAC) with that pack of ineffective, uncaring self-serving groups that make up RAC.

The only reason I attend is because I know that a) some truths and new facts will slip out and b) even their lies can be revealing. Following are some of them.

Dr. Jackson asked Alan Deal about chlorobenzene rebounding concentrations both off-site near Borg and Varnicolor (CH43 and CH70) and on the east side of Chemtura (OW42-4 and OW41-6). The on-site east side Alan Deal admitted could be slugs or pulses from DNAPL in below ground surface fractures slowly being released whereas despite a history of high Chlorobenzene readings around Varnicolor, Borg and well OW57-32(R) beside pumping well W4; he would not confirm DNAPL (Chlorobenzene) presence. Here he came up with changing well pumping patterns has moved the Chlorobenzene plume. All proven discoveries of free phase DNAPL were downplayed by Alan Deal as being "small puddles" or "could not delineate it" or finally "no receptors are impacted".

Dr. Jackson's self-described F bomb word is "fractures". Subsurface borehole cores reveal fractures in the silty, clay zones with DNAPL in them. Not only did Alan Deal admit to DNAPL in fractures 5-10 metres below ground surface but he even admitted that he fully expects that fractures are in the Municipal Aquitard (MAT) which can be twenty to twenty-five metres below ground surface. These are a major form of contaminant and groundwater flow through aquitards that historically have been construed as a barrier to contaminant migration. Dr. Jackson also suggested that in fact they could be responsible for a lack of on-site hydraulic containment as contaminants flow out the bottom of aquitards via fractures (or "windows") into the Bedrock Aquifer. Keep in mind that the Bedrock Aquifer is a water bearing and transmitting zone due to fractures within the bedrock.

Here is one of the biggies from last Thursday. Alan Deal of CRA/GHD admitted that in regards to back diffusion issues of contaminants into aquitards and cleanup by hydraulic containment (pump & treat); that Conestoga Rovers were in "unchartered territory". It had never been done and nobody knew if it would work. He further added that CRA were hired "...to give it a try". Finally he admitted that over the years since the 1998 startup there were times that he thought they were "never going to make it". Those filthy liars told UPAC and CPAC the exact opposite for decades. They told the media and the public that they had everything under control and hydraulic containment was the only route to go.

Mark Bauman, he of the forked tongue who flip flops on every issue depending on which way the wind is blowing, is at it again (remember Breslau parkland). Now he wants sediment testing done in the Stroh Drain (as does Dr. Jackson) because a beaver has been dam building again in the Drain. Mark feels there will be sediments built up as a result. I expect the sediments are there in the bottom of the drain regardless of any beaver present. Further south near the border between the Stroh and Martin farms there is a narrowed and congested area of the Stroh Drain that has slowed the flow and will have allowed sediments to collect.

Regarding the M.O.E.'s continuing excuses that deeper sediments are immobilized by being covered by less contaminated sediments, Dr. Jackson disagrees. He states that the M.O.E. must demonstrate their hypothesis presumably with technical literature and research on the subject. For what it's worth tomorrow or the next day, Mark currently agrees.

Another biggy was presented to us Thursday night. Do you recall in 1989 and 1990 the public being informed that NDMA moved at the speed of groundwater and it's mobility was not retarded as other chemical contaminants were? Allegedly therefore the M.O.E. had caught the contamination in the Elmira drinking water aquifers early before any health damage could occur. Not so much it seems now. Alan Deal suggested that the various Uniroyal chemical contaminant plumes were moving off-site in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Dr. Dick Jackson suggested that in the 1940s and 50s "high strength plumes were leaving the Uniroyal site". As late as the mid 1980s the Ontario Ministry of the Environment were publicly claiming (even in the Ontario legislature) that they were carefully monitoring and nothing had left the Uniroyal site. Such a pack of incompetent, unrepentant liars.

And lastly but not leastly Dr. Jackson informed the public and the very few interested souls on RAC that the Peritus Environmental Risk Assessment for the former Varnicolor Chemical site was within two weeks of completion. It will then among other locations (Elmira Library) be sent on to RAC for their consideration. Perhaps hydrogeologist Eric Hodgins (RMOW) will read it and understand how carefully NDMA testing has been avoided at depth for so very long. Also he will understand the significance of half a dozen other chemical contaminants (solvents) above the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS) having penetrated the soil, gravel and silt beneath Varnicolor before entering the drinking water aquifer (Municipal Upper). These contaminants include DCE, DCA, Trichlorothylene (TCE), Vinyl Chloride and more.

It is these gems of information that make attending Sandy's grossly bastardized public consultation process worthwhile. The refusal by Woolwich Township to let honest, informed citizens, both professionals and non professionals in the environmental field, to fully participate will eventually condemn the Township and their politicians to a very bad place in history.

Friday, June 10, 2016

RAC MEETING COMBINES GOOD TECHNICAL INFO WITH BIZARRE M.O.E./CHEMTURA POSITIONS



Firstly the no shows and early departures. Remember this is supposed to be an important issue for Woolwich. Despite that RAC (Remediation Advisory Group) only meet four times per year namely September, December, March and June. No Pat McLean as part of the TAG contingent and no excuses given. No Grand River Conservation Authority. No excuses provided. Two M.O.E. present and the senior one buggers off sharp at five o'clock. The meeting ran till 6 pm.. Perhaps a hair appointment Teri? Maybe I should send Sandy Shantz an e-mail advising that her baby, RAC, is dysfunctional because members are already boycotting it.

I presented the CPAC Delegation on CPAC's behalf. Chair Mark Bauman called upon Dr. Dan Holt to make CPAC's presentation but Dr. Dan deferred it to myself. Mark and Sandy while looking like they'd eaten a sour pickle wisely kept their mouths shut. A major improvement. My Delegation restated much of Dr. Dick Jackson's criticisms of Chemtura and the Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) over the last ten months plus added two more significant ones. Of course not a single question or clarification was asked of me from Sandy's "stakeholders". Typical politics. Don't want to embarass the mayor as if that's important in the large scheme of things.

The M.O.E. gave their excuses again as to why they won't order cleanup of the creek. Apparently local residents only allegedly fish for shiners so why clean the creek? Also allegedly there are some type of cattle crossing culverts keeping the cattle from stirring up the sediments. Really? And if the cattle are thirsty then what?

Chemtura's eastern neighbour, Mr. Stroh has allegedly given them permission to test soil and groundwater on his property. After his corn crop at the north end is off. Watch that not occur until November and then Chemtura say the weather is too bad. Typical excuses and delays. There is lots of area south of his corn crop to test right now.

The M.O.E. (Jason Rice) are not planning to test for suspended sediment in the creek this year but may reconsider for next year. How sweet of them.

There is a private Qualified Persons (Q.P.) meeting on June 29. Q.P.s are simply a way for ignorant, ill informed politicians to make an excuse to exclude informed citizens and keep embarassing info under wraps. The hypocrisy is that Pat Mclean, she who doesn't know the difference between a DNAPL and a horse apple, is invited as an "observer". Such political crap and gamesmanship.

Dr. Jackson again has repeated his call for more monitoring wells along Chemtura's south-east border and they (Jeff Merriman) have responded that there are topographical issues and historical results as well making it unecessary. Pure bullshit Jeff.

Dr. Jackson got into NAPL (non aqueous phase liquid) on Chemtura's site as they are the principal sources of contamination still on the site. He asked Alan Deal of CRA (GHD) several questions which Mr. Deal deflected and avoided. Basically Chemtura's consultants (GHD) stated that their goal on-site is containment not removal. Jeff Merriman also repeated their mantra that gosh darned they tried so hard to get the LNAPL floating on top of the water table out but it was just too tough and tricky for them. I might believe even half of their B.S. but for all the lies they've told us since 1989.

Tomorrow's posting will cover the rest of yesterday's meeting including Dr. Jackson's use of his self-described F bomb as well as Alan Deal's (CRA/GHD) blatant admissions that Conestoga Rovers were flying blind for years regarding the Chemtura site (while confidently assurring everyone that they knew what they were doing).

Thursday, June 9, 2016

FULL BLOWN M.O.E. CORRUPTION ON DISPLAY THIS AFTERNOON 4 PM. IN WOOLWICH COUNCIL CHAMBERS




It is my belief that Chemtura Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Environment are in desperate straits. CPAC have painted them both into a corner and that corner is the south-east corner of their site in Elmira. Being full partners they are still having a difficult sell even to complacent bureaucrats and government workers who have seen it all. Uniroyal's Indemnity is for known contamination as of 1991. It just plain doesn't cover unknown contamination at the time such as the eastwards flow of both surface and groundwater onto the Stroh property and then into the Canagagigue Creek. The Stroh Drain may have been built around 1985 but the M.O.E. claimed they didn't know about it until 2014 and they sure as hell aren't ever going to come clean on that one.

The second issue which is killing them is the downstream Canagagigue with both sediments and floodplain soils in excess of all known standards and criteria for Dioxins/Furans and DDT. Then just to tip the M.O.E. past the point of insanity let's start talking about the mercury and P.C.B.s in the creek sediments. Even if you know where they came from they must be included in any pending Mickey Mouse Risk Assessments planned by the M.O.E. and Chemtura.

Here are a couple of Big Lies that Chemtura and the M.O.E. are currently trying to sell. Firstly that it's O.K. not to test either soil or groundwater along a 175 metre stretch of their south-east corner because allegedly it's all high ground and surface toxic liquids couldn't have flowed off-site eastwards in that area. The problem is twofold in that it isn't remotely all high ground there and secondly that still leaves shallow groundwater flow into the below ground surface Stroh Drain.

The second Big Lie is that there are but two hot spots in the downstream Canagagigue Creek. When you only test two sites near Chemtura and only two more over the five mile stretch of creek down to the Grand River then you don't nearly have enough different locations to accurately know the overall state of the creek's sediments. Secondly when you can't even be bothered to test all four of these locations on an ongoing basis over time then you cannot make any valid conclusions regarding "hot spots' or much else. These deficiencies and much more were pointed out to the M.O.E. by myself and the last CPAC when the 2012-2014 reports were handed out.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

PERUSING THE MAY 12/16 TAG MINUTES




My general impression of these Minutes is positive. They have captured most of the comments criticizing Chemtura and the M.O.E.C.C. quite accurately. It is quite pleasing to myself and CPAC members watching and hearing the undercurrent of disappointment and disillusionment with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment already. Imagine if you can if you'd had to deal with those professional liars for over twenty-five years.

Saloni Clerk of the M.O.E. admitted that the effects of mixtures of toxic chemicals in fish is unclear hence advisories do not reflect combined mixture analysis. This is the same fatal weakness in drinking water and air analyses.

TAG (Technical Advisory Group) believe that if the fat in fish is not tested then it is not possible to accurately know what the dioxin load in the fish really is. Similarily Hatfield Consultants (B.C.?) have advised TAG (Dr. Jackson) that
the entire fish should be examined not just the leaner fillet. Saloni's colleague (Dr. Bhavsar) acknowledged that contaminants tend to be higher in the internal organs such as the liver.

In Vietnam sediment concentrations greater than 150 parts per trillion (Dioxin TEQ) result in removal of the sediments. Even this number far exceeds various criteria and effect levels in Ontario and Canada yet to date has not resulted in removal of highly contaminated sediments in the Canagagigue Creek.

Terri Buhlman of the M.O.E. is hung up on proving adverse effects or at least hung up on talking about it. Dioxins and DDT (and so much more) are in the natural environment. Life both human and other exists in and around the creek and are exposed to these highly toxic contaminants. Stuff the neverending debates and verbal B.S. and start cleaning up. Ms. Buhlman's suggestions for assessing the adverse effects are utter rubbish and a waste of time which is exactly what she, the M.O.E.
and Chemtura want.

The M.O.E. are allegedly more concerned about "consistency" across Ontario than about safety here in the Canagagigue Creek. Ms. Buhlman hence opposes the warning signs now along the creek. Indeed it would look bad on the M.O.E. if all polluted creeks and rivers in Ontario were properly signed as such.

The debate on whether it is new versus historic contamination is ridiculous. Both old and new Dioxins or DDT are hazardous. Get rid of them!

TAG still insist upon suspended sediment sampling and the M.O.E. are resisting. The M.O.E.'s arguments seem defensive.

Dr. Jackson has requested that falsehoods (my term) in the bulletin sent to Woolwich Township be removed. These include statements that the sediment contamination concentrations are being reduced as well that this contamination is not moving downstream.

There were other items discussed such as Hawkridge Homes proposed subdivision on Union St. as well as the Chemtura spill at the former south wellfield (E7). Also TAG has recommended to RAC that shallow wells and soil samples be taken along the south-east border of Chemtura with the neighbouring Stroh farm. These wells and soil samples should be no more than 40 metres apart and thus cover the intentional 175 metre gap left by the CRA(GHD) sampling done to date in the low lying area that drains off-site into the Stroh Drain area.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

GRASSY NARROWS & ELMIRA - NON ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUPS




The Ontario Ministry of Environment(& Climate Change) are fundamentally corrupt. Their mandate is simply to reassure the public that our authorities (Provincial government) care and that our environmental problems are under control. Neither one is true. Sucessive provincial governments have placed environmental cleanups at the very bottom of a very long list of priorities. What they care about are appearances. The people at the top of the M.O.E. are not scientists or even technocrats. They are crisis managers. They are professional liars willing to go into communities and lie through their teeth in people's faces.

Most of us thought that Grassy Narrows mercury contamination had been cleaned up twenty-five years ago. No such luck. Just like here in Elmira it's all about talking, stalling and lying. There the English-Wabigoon river system had been contaminated with mercury from pulp and paper mills. Here our drinking water aquifers and the Canagagigue Creek were contaminated both by Uniroyal Chemical while Nutrite and Varnicolor Chemical (at the minimum) contributed to our drinking water aquifers' destruction.

Our authorities have stood back and enabled corporate polluters to escape full responsibility for both immoral and illegal actions. They have handed out free passes known as Indemnities to numerous local polluters including Safety-Kleen (Breslube), Varnicolor Chemical and Uniroyal Chemical. These polluters and so many others are permitted to hire consultants who prostitute their minds instead of their bodies. These consultants range from engineering firms to experts in Risk Assessments and Risk Management. Their goal is not environmental enhancement, public protection or honest research. It is to save their corporate clients money for their own self-serving ends.

This system is in full flower here in Elmira, Ontario. It is and has been enabled by all levels of government from municipal, regional, provincial and federal for decades. This Thursday come on out and watch the first three of those four levels of government do their very best to do the very least possible. They have stickhandled, lied, misdirected and deflected since the 1980s when it became obvious that Elmira's drinking water was in big trouble.

Monday, June 6, 2016

CPAC MEMBER (S) TO SPEAK AT THIS THURSDAY'S RAC MEETING




CPAC members have attended every single meeting of RAC and TAG since their inception last September. Members including myself have been impressed with Dr. Dick Jackson's knowledge, experience and straight shooting. To date while we have approached Dr. Jackson privately on a few occasions with data and information, we have not formally through the amazingly stilted and awkward process and procedure implemented by Sandy and Mark Bauman, registered as a Delegation to the only body of the two that accepts Delegations namely RAC. While Councillor Merlihan possibly doesn't appreciate being quoted so often on this matter, nevertheless his referring to the process and procedures of RAC and TAG especially in relation to "public consultation", as being "cringeworthy" are just too delicious and accurate.

CPAC has decided that perhaps now is the time to once again publicly express our opinions on certain serious environmental issues affecting Woolwich township. These of course would include the cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers, the off-site East Side Investigation of Chemtura, the hazards and risks of persistent organic pollutants downstream in the Canagagigue Creek and more. CPAC members such as myself and others also would like to thank Woolwich Council for their far sighted and environmentally conscious decision recently to publicly state their support for both the public and CPAC members to address Council on these matters without inappropriate interference or harassment. Dragging Woolwich Township, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century is why we elected them in the first place and occasionally it is thrilling to see them step up and do the right things.

Friday, June 3, 2016

THE HIJACKING OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION BY WOOLWICH POLITICIANS




Appropriately the Ontario Ministry of the Environment had little or no credibility after two Environmenatl Appeal Board hearings exposed their incompetence and deceit. This deceit included the EAB Chairman questioning the M.O.E.'s claim that Varnicolor Chemical had not contributed to the contamination of the Elmira Aquifers. The M.O.E. therefore asked Woolwich Council to organize some form of independent public consultation. This occurred as volunteers from the business community, local service groups and citizens from APT Environment stepped forward. The Grand River Conservation Authority also attended in the early days. No one wishing membership was turned away albeit Chemtura and the M.O.E. were given full participatory status without voting priveleges.

Fast forward to today and Woolwich Council are the sole arbiters as to who has membership. These six woefully uninformed and in some cases biased individuals totally and arbitrarily decide which volunteer citizens may attend, speak, ask questions and have voting priveleges. These same six Councillors, especially multiple term councillors, have a plethora of conflicts of interest in that the corporate polluter, Chemtura, affects taxes, employment, corporate donations (charitable)and corporate/personal campaign donations. When Chemtura threaten to leave Woolwich (as they will), unless they receive environmental concessions, these same self-serving repeat politicians don't want to be the ones left holding the bag at that moment.

Members of TAG with conflicts of interest, both personal and financial, are encouraged by some Woolwich councillors. The personal conflicts are the lesser of the evils. This would include Sandy Shantz appointing her curling buddies to TAG. To date I have not seen any signs of bias or corruption in favour of Chemtura from them; only the expected and fully understandable lack of broad understanding, both technical and historical. The real issue is Sandy and Council having appointed two members with financial conflicts of interest. Their continued false denial of same, shames Woolwich Council, their fellow TAG members and the Township each and every time they repeat their denials. Sandy and Council received detailed written accounts from myself over a year ago listing the financial dealings between Chemtura, Conestoga Rovers (their consultants), the Chemical Industry Assoc. of Canada (CIAC), the Region of Waterloo and Susan Bryant and Pat Mclean. While councillor Pat Merlihan publicly used the word "cringeworthy" in describing Sandy's process and set up of RAC and TAG in regards to it's lack of real public consultation; I would suggest that it should also apply to the aforementioned conflicts of interest as well as membership appointing process.

The process as described in the Terms of Reference for RAC and TAG are frankly abominable and disgusting. Clearly Sandy and Mark Bauman are firmly in Chemtura's back pocket as indicated by the blatant lack of public input allowed. Informed, experienced and prior appointed citizens to CPAC by earlier Councils have been blatantly discriminated against by this cowardly pack of fellow travellors on Woolwich Council. Even citizens without prior experience at former CPAC meetings are not allowed to ask questions or participate. They can sit there but may not comment, question or in any way actively particiapte. Verbal Delegations are allowed at RAC exactly four times per year allegedly but TAG insist on pre-submitted one page documents that must be vetted by their Chair prior to other members even seeing them.

Really should any of this process be a surprise when we realize that these clowns in charge (Council) are the same ones who recently banned any Delegations to Council from citizens wishing to discuss Chemtura Canada pollution issues? We all know that Woolwich Council again proved themselves the most regressive, incompetent and undemocratic Council in Waterloo Region, perhaps even in Ontario.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

LOCAL NEWS DISAPPOINTING COMBINED WITH A "I TOLD YOU SO"




First off today's Woolwich Observer carrys a Public Notice for next Thursday's 4 pm. in Council Chambers Remediation Advisory Committee (RAC). To date, unlike TAG which has been shockingly forthright, RAC has preformed exactly as expected. In other words Chemtura and the M.O.E. lie and deceive and the rest of the bureaucrats (GRCA) and politicos (RMOW) do not confront them for it. That said I am ever hopeful and if anybody brings up the multitude of elephants in the room it will be the Chair of TAG (Technical Advisory Group), Dr. Richard (Dick) Jackson.

Secondly we are advised in today's Woolwich Observer that there will be a community open house June 8 "making use of a training railcar that will be onsite for a three day period.". This railcar will be open for the public to enter and see various valves, fittings and safety features. Local chemical producers and transporters are involved with this Open House. To date I've not decided whether I will attend or not. One issue is whether Chemtura will be having a good air day or not as they are hosting the event. In the past on-site odours during visits have been unpleasant while most of their employees have been oblivious to the chemical odours.

Last Tuesday's council meeting also included discussion and acceptance of a "Staff" Report dealing with the "Municipal Elections Modernization Act" currently under debate in the provincial legislature. I enclosed "Staff" in quotes because I don't believe that either Julie or Val authored that report as so indicated. These are the types of issues for which Dave Brenneman is paid the big bucks (Sunshine List). This report is against the use of Ranked Ballots in the next municipal election but otherwise supports a basically ineffective and superficial "modernization" of the MEA (Municipal Elections Act). I spoke as a Delegate and indicated the significant amendments to enforcement that Mr. Richard Clausi had formally submitted to the legislature last summer. The Observer failed at least in this week's edition to include any of that discussion or Council acceptance of the "Staff" report.

Similarily I submitted a Letter to the Editor regarding the final confirmation that indeed Varnicolor Chemical did contribute to the contamination of the Elmira drinking water aquifers. I suggested that further deep testing and remediation would likely assist in cleaning up the Municipal Aquifer below the Varnicolor (Elmira Pump) site and in the long run help achieve the unlikely 2028 cleanup goal of the entire Municipal Aquifers. This of course is where my "I told you so" comes in. This is especially directed at the CPACs prior to 2010-2015 who pretended along with Chemtura and the M.O.E. that Uniroyal (Chemtura) were the only source in town. The Observer did not publish my Letter to the Editor this week despite my making changes to it that they suggested.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

WOOLWICH COUNCIL EMBRACE MOST OF THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS MODERNIZATION ACT



I am a little surprised that to date I've seen no articles or comments about this legislation in the local media. Considering the travails of half of Woolwich Council with their election expense scandals that is odd. I was also disappointed in Woolwich once again burying an item of obvious local interest on the second page of their Council meeting Agenda and at the same time not advising the three local citizens who led the charge for Election Act (MEA) enforcement that it was coming up. Almost as if once again they prefer to fly under the radar on issues of which they've been burned. Politics yes, democracy no.

One interesting item in the "Modernization Act" is the apparently new permission for candidates who file early to make changes to their filed Financial Statements. Really this is new? Did I miss something in the old Municipal Elections Act which prohibited that action? If I did then that adds even more shame to our judicial system as I had asked them to determine if indeed our mayor had done exactly that in the spring of 2015, as I'd been so advised by a reputable source.

Last evening Council sat in stony silence while I read my Delegation to them concerning this so called Modernization Act. They had no questions or comments. I referenced the ten recommendations sent in to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs early last summer by Mr. Richard Clausi. Sandy Shantz made a couple of ill informed comments regarding Ranked Ballots. Perhaps this is the bottom line for our local councillors. They've won at the first past the post system and don't want to test their support in a system that more closely mirrors citizens concensus on candidates.ie. fear of change.

I see virtually no recognition or admission in this Draft Bill 181 that acknowledges that the curent legislation is badly flawed in that enforcement of the MEA is dependent upon citizen complaints followed by the knowledge, integrity and nuetrality of local political appointees (MECAC). The Municipal Elections Audit Committee presented to Woolwich was grossly flawed including conflicts of interest with two members including the Chair Carl Zehr. His political and Board connections through Metrolinx and Regional Councillors in a contract position with Metrolinx were unacceptable. His alleged nuetral position judging mayor and regional councillor Sandy Shantz gave every appearance of an unacceptable conflict of interest.