APRIL 30, 2015 PUBLIC REMARKS TO CPAC

The following is a verbatim copy of a Delegation given to the then Woolwich Council appointed Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) now known as the Citizens Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) by citizen and SWAT (soil, water, air, & technical sub-committee) member Richard Clausi.


"Thank You.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank this CPAC for the wonderful work you have done on behalf of Elmira and all water users downstream.

I especially want to thank Dr. Dan Holt for his leadership and guidance as your committee has made significant strides in investigating and initiating work, East and Suth, that heretofore has been ignored....even to the point of obtaining grant money to do studies that the Ministry of Environment should be doing.

Your credentials are impressive:

2 PHD's, Dr. Dan Holt and Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach

1 professional nurse,

2 technical savvy professionals who each have their own environmental consulting companies and a SWAT that includes nationally recognized experts in their field, most notably,

Dr. Henry Regier, yet ANOTHER PHD, and also a recipient of the Order of Canada.

Of course you have engaged professional peer reviews to obtain paid opinions on items that you as volunteers have stated and know to be true. Perhaps, the greatest tribute to your work is that both the Ministry and the Company have boycotted these public meetings because they are unable to answer your specific and informed technical questions.

I point this out because, as you know, at a private meeting on April 9th, many outlandish claims were made by a group of stakeholders, indeed 14 of 17, have had no direct contact with this CPAC. Among the most troubling was the suggestion that you do not have the technical expertise to deal with these complex issues. I am also very concerned with the suggestion that CPAC meet less often, and, worse,that small technical committees meet privately, out of the public eye. It has been to your credit that you have insisted on transparency and the public right to hear all the information regarding the remediation efforts.

I find it amazing that "stakeholders" who have never shown their face at CPAC, and yet contributed to the poisonous, negative comments in the April 9 report/minutes or meeting notes which appeared on township letterhead, again, despite special invitation to attend tonight, are nowhere to be seen. These include folks from the GRCA, the Region, chemtura, ministry and even Council, who were personally invited at the last council meeting. I suggest that, the so called dysfunction is not within the CPAC committee but rather with the stakeholders who seem to be nowhere in sight tonight.

So what is the agenda? Have no fear, the "boycottees" will return when the right conditions are presented to them. It would appear that rather than being unable to understand the subtleties, you CPAC, are too smart, too savvy and, unfortunately, not passive or compliant enough. My fear is that the successful effort to smother real progress on cleanup, will put your work into a weird hibernation, perhaps to wake up in 2028 with a declaration that the water is now "safe". Grand River Users, be afraid...be very, very afraid."

Advocate readers: Please note that Mr. Clausi has not used the word "liar" even once. Nor has he used the inflammatory term "corruption" even once. Nor has he specifically named the pretend mayor Sandy Shantz, who presided over this meeting even once. Nor the names Susan Bryant and Pat McLean who aided and abetted this travesty and attempted smearing of Woolwich Township volunteers. Lastly he did not mention, now thankfully departed, then councillor Mark Bauman who was also part of this disgusting and contemptible meeting orchestrated to undermine public consultation for the benefit of Chemtura Canada and their partners in pollution, the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Yes readers my language is harsher and blunter than many. But many other honest citizens believe the exact same things that I do albeit they are better at choosing gentler words and phrases to describe exactly the same thing as I do.