WE HAVE A NEW TAG MEETING DATE

I was advised by e-mail from Lisa Schaefer, Support Specialist for RAC and TAG that the new meeting date is two weeks from tomorrow (i.e. Thursday June 24, 2021, 6:30 pm.). The meeting unfortunately will still be a virtual one although with the low attendance, high vaccination rates, masks and some additional spacing between participants I think that by June 24 in person meetings are due. Overall I would say that Lisa has been extremely helpful towards my attendance (virtual or otherwise) with timely e-mails to me advising me of the time and dates. ..................................................................................................................... For new readers RAC stands for Remediation Advisory Committee and is composed of bureaucrats, agencies, government employees plus a couple of rotating TAG members. It has the authority to directly advise Lanxess and the Ministry of Environment ( MOE/MECP). On a scale of 1-10 for effectiveness it might on a good day be a 2. TAG (Technical Advisory Group) on the other hand is more of a citizens' group which has evolved into generally quite a technically competent group of individuals. These citizens consist of professional educaters, biologists, risk assessors, hydrogeologists, soil experts, one polluter co-opted individual and more. On the face of it these citizens through education, experience and integrity deserve a 9 out of 10 for effectiveness. The problem is that they are intentionally nuetered via Uniroyal/Lanxess, MOE/MECP and Woolwich Township. Their authority is nil and all they can do is recommend actions to RAC who know little, care less but are experts at playing the game. Therefore TAG's effectiveness is at best a 4 out of 10. That said their first Chair, Dr. Richard Jackson did try to push them into going as a group to the media to out the MOE/MECP plus Uniroyal/Chemtura/Lanxess and their consultants CRA (now GHD). This was in mid to late 2016 but was way out of the new TAG members comfort level. ......................................................................................................................... It was out of their comfort level because these new members did not have even 1% of Dr. Jackson's experience dealing with professional liars, deceivers and manipulators. The bulk of TAG's predecessor namely CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) had been removed by Sandy Shantz (pretend mayor) and councillor Mark Bauman through reversing their own application process to throw out all the CPAC members who had properly applied in November 2014 to the upcoming newly appointed public advisory committee dealing with Uniroyal/Chemtura (later Lanxess). Hence the old CPAC probably would have followed Dr. Jackson's direction and suggestions whereas the new TAG simply didn't know what they were up against with an entrenched, embedded, corrupt system that among other nastiness picked and chose inexperienced (to the Elmira water crisis) albeit intelligent citizens while throwing out formal and properly submitted applications to remain on the public advisory committee from CPAC members. .............................................................................................................................. As of this date the vast majority of CPAC members will not attend TAG or RAC meetings. They did early on and were appalled at the rules and regulations refusing any questions or comments whatsoever from the public in attendance. The TAG/RAC Chairs were absolutely forbidden to permit even a single question from the public and or CPAC members in attendance. CPAC were also appalled that questions and confusion over the most agreed upon facts and knowledge over 2 1/2 decades could not be assisted or clarified by CPAC members present early on. Also of course Uniroyal/Chemtura/Lanxess and the MOE/MECP did not routinely attend TAG meetings hence even formal TAG members often could not ask either the polluter or their alleged regulator (MOE/MECP) questions and get prompt responses. Frankly I don't remotely blame CPAC members for not attending because it is intentionally an exercise in futility and frustration. What an abomination masquerading as "public consultation".