LET THE GAMES CONTINUE

I received a letter yesterday dated November 9, 2018, sent to the MOE (MECP) by Luis Almeida of GHD, consultants to Lanxess Canada (Uniroyal). This letter suggests a revised "Characterization and Assessment Process" for the Canagagigue Creek. Years of adverse testing results in creek sediments, soils, Floodplain soils and even fish tissues have mandated a process to determine exactly how much cleanup of the creek is necessary. Besides the fish in the creek there is an entire ecosystem which lives in and around the creek including predators who eat the fish such as foxes, raccoons, herons, hawks, coyotes and more. There are also human beings, adults and children along the length of the creek as it makes its way to the Grand River just downstream of West Montrose, Ontario.

Allegedly the only Contaminants of Concern (COC) are dioxins/furans and DDT. This is odd as the fish are full of mercury and PCBs as well as dioxins/furans and DDT. There is also supposed to be some sort of public consultation involved in this process. That is exactly how I would describe it namely "some sort of public consultation". The process certainly is not open to the public. It is not open to all stakeholders nor is it even open to local, long term proven environmental advocates such as myself or other CPAC members.It is "open" however to handpicked favourites of Chemtura/Lanxess and the mayor apparently.

The four page letter I received is missing the Minutes of a private September 5, 2018 meeting which this letter claims are included. They are not. The fourth page is a flow diagram allegedly of the Assessment Process. It is essentially illegible because it is so small. I have normal vision for a man in his seventieth year. Anyone with vision problems wouldn't be able to read even a single word.

The third bullet down on page two references background concentrations in the creek. Unsurprisingly they are very high. They suggest taking samples in Landfill Creek and Shirt Factory Creek. My guess is that the background upstream of Chemtura/Lanxess beside Bolender Park has elevated concentrations of contaminants. I've only been telling Uniroyal, Crompton and Chemtura that Bolender Park is an inappropriate location for upstream sampling since the 1990s. Afterall Varnicolor and Uniroyal wastes are buried there much less other local industries.