THE PROCESS STINKS

And I believe that it's intended to stink. It's intended NOT to be user friendly. It's intended to drag out municipal issues and initiatives literally for years to decades simply hoping any opposition will either die or go away. I'm talking issues such as the Jigs Hollow gravel pit expansion to below the water table. I'm talking the past Hunder Pit proposal. I'm talking the expansion of the east side of Elmira to include the contaminated Stroh farm and the adjoining Martin farm. Lest we forget even the Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) hearings in Elmira from decades ago that lasted a couple of years or more before being abruptly stopped by Uniroyal and the Ontario MOE. Besides the time issues we have the monetary issues. OMG but the costs of hiring lawyers and keeping them available for each and every Board, Tribunal, Council meeting spread over years to decades is prohibitive. The process is intended to weed out ordinary citizens with ordinary financial resources and to leave the games to the big boys. The system is a pathetic joke. At one time there was Intervenor Funding for citizens at some of these hearings but those days are long gone to the shame of our provincial governments.

June 16, 2020 I was a virtual Delegate to Waterloo Regional Council in regards to the expansion of Elmira eastwards onto the Stroh and Martin farms etc. Regional councillors at the Planning Committee had ample time to examine the maps and text I provided in advance. Yet not so much as a sniff of a concern or question of me or a request for clarification. It was obviously a long time done deal before it ever got to that stage. Then on July 2, 2020 I received an e-mail with the region's Notice of Adoption of these proposed changes in Elmira. Again in the interim not so much as a call or e-mail requesting information. In fact in the interim I had discovered that a Ministry of Environment Director's Order had been issued to the owner of the Stroh farm three years previously. This Director's Order allegedly had not been given to Woolwich Township and hence neither their municipal environmental committee (TAG). This information was relevant and I sent it along to a number of regional councillors. Again not even an acknowledgement from them. Gosh I hope that that information wasn't embarrassing to them.

July 6, 2020 I sent a request to the Region for clarification and for municipal costs for the east side expansion versus the costs for either north, south or westwards expansion. Nine days later I received a reply from the Region (Mr. Welwood) advising me that it would be advisable for me to contact Woolwich Township for clarification of costs data. Of course Mr. Welwood's slow e-mail response has eaten up more of the very limited time allowed for an appeal of the Region's Notice of Adoption. That appeal period ends next Wednesday, July 22, 2020. I e-mailed Woolwich Township the next day (July 16) and was advised by automatic e-mail response that the appropriate person was out of the office until this coming Monday, July 20, 2020. Fortunately the Township person involved did send me an e-mail late last evening which I read this morning. He is trying to set up a meeting this Monday afternoon with me. And the appeal deadline including a cheque is two days later. As I said "The Process Stinks". Various individuals do not but the process does. It is intentional.