PUBLIC OPPOSITION TO THE ALLEGED "CLEANUP" & SSRA TO JUSTIFY IT

Last Wednesday I sent a three page e-mail to the TAG Chair (Tiffany) as well as to the Tag Support Specialist (Lisa), and to TAG members Sebastian, David and Joe. Lisa has since confirmed that she has forwarded it along to the rest of the TAG members. My e-mail was a down to earth listing of my basic concerns and criticisms in regards to a recent document from Lanxess's consultants, GHD, titled "Re-evaluation of Canagagigue Creek Contaminants of Potential Concern-Version 2". A day or two later I sent my three page e-mail to CPAC members and this morning I forwarded it along to both Lou Almeida of GHD as well as to Jason Rice of the MOE/MECP.

I also posted the text of this e-mail here in the Advocate last Wednesday. My overall complaint is that fundamentally flawed studies and investigations carry on with a life of their own despite major, fundamental flaws that should halt the process in its tracks. Instead these reports, data, and conclusions carry on to the next step in the process with nothing more than vague promises to take the fundamental flaws into consideration and later address them appropriately. It's like the zombie apocalypse whereby beheading, stabbing, shooting, and burning zombies only upsets them but doesn't stop them from staggering on and creating carnage wherever they stumble.

It also reminds me of certain ice dance competitions whereby four judges out of five assign a 8.3 to a Russian competitor while the fifth assigns a 9.6 grade. Of course the fifth judge is Russian. The only difference regarding the quality of investigations, reports, and purported scientific study of the Canagagigue Creek, the Elmira Aquifers, and the still grossly polluted Uniroyal/Lanxess site is that four of the five judges are Lanxess/GHD employees and the fifth is a Ministry of Environment (MOE/MECP) employee.

Of course the Township, the Region, TAG, RAC, CPAC, and the general public are all allowed to sit in the very chilly stands and applaud. Any stakeholder who boos or jeers will be escorted from the premises for unsportsmanlike conduct. This metaphor sums up the attitudes of those in charge despite occasional, polite criticism from various folks sitting in the stands who do not want to give up their seats no matter how uncomfortable.