PUBLIC BUT VIRTUAL TAG MEETING THIS THURSDAY

The TAG (Technical Advisory Group) meeting is set for this Thursday July 30 at 6:30 pm. Contacting Lisa Schaefer, TAG Support Person, through Woolwich Township is the way to get included (as a spectator only) in the meeting. It is not anyone from TAG's fault that the public are refused the ability to either ask questions or make comments despite this being a matter of public interest involving the Elmira Aquifers and the Canagagigue Creek. That dishonour goes primarily to Sandy Shantz as she and former councillor Mark Bauman decided to bail out the floundering Ministry of Environment and Chemtura Canada from their monthly public embarrassment that occurred at CPAC meetings when those two parties were completely unable to honestly or directly address legitimate and relevant questions and concerns from CPAC and the public. At the current time it is also relevant to indicate that virtual (i.e. on-line) meetings make sense as we are still in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.

The package of data received includes Minutes from the February 27, 2020 live TAG meeting held in Council Chambers as well as from two Webinars (July 9 & 16/20) dealing with Risk Assessments. Also included in the package was a written submission from myself dealing with the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB) which included an excellent electronic version of my well known 2 1/2' x 3' map of the east side of Uniroyal/Lanxess Canada as well as two more pages (one included a Conestoga Rovers ground surface elevation contour map and the second was an explanation of my east side Uniroyal/Lanxess map. Two TAG members, Joe Kelly and Dustin Martin also had written comments prepared after the February meeting dealing with the Conceptual Site Model (CSM) and the Contaminants of Potential Concern (COPC) document. Both of their comments were excellent.

This Thursday's meeting will include an update from Lanxess regarding the Canagagigue Creek investigation and Risk Assessment process as well as more excuses for their off-site groundwater pumping failures including the W9 ongoing pumping fiasco. There may also be a review of recent TAG submissions hopefully including mine. The problem of course in excluding either long term stakeholders from speaking, such as myself and the general public, is that knowledge and relevant information are not the sole purview of either credentialed individuals or of appointed by council members of TAG. There are subtleties and nuances involved with the SDDB that frankly 99% of even the better informed folks are missing. This of course is all music to the self-serving ears of both Lanxess, GHD and the MOE/MECP.