EIGHT AND A HALF MORE WASTED YEARS

 In November 1989 Elmira citizens and residents were lied to on many fronts regarding the "discovery" of NDMA in our drinking water. Most of these lies are in my book at www.waterlooregionadvocate.blogspot.com  . The lying by our authorities and favourite polluter has never ended. One of the biggest lies was that the groundwater would be and could be remediated to drinking water standards by 2028. Dr. Richard Jackson (1st TAG Chair) expressed shock when he realized that the drinking water standard for NDMA was 9 parts per trillion which is approximately a one thousand times smaller concentration than most solvent drinking water standards such as benzene, trichloroethylene which are measured in the parts per billion (1,000 times higher).

Certainly while RAC and TAG set new lows for pretend public consultation, their 8 1/2 year reign of public consultation was grotesque. No questions could ever be asked and no comments made by the public. Verbal Delegations could be given to RAC approximately four times per year. Chemtura/Lanxess and the MECP usually didn't attend the more regular TAG meetings unless especially invited.   

I have long known that there was a price that Chemtua/Lanxess were going to eventually have to pay for their absurd two committees. The last six or seven years has been all about the Risk Assessment (HHERA) of the Canagagigue Creek. Their extremely successful muzzling of knowledgeable voices was going to bite them in the a..  . Selling a controversial "...no unacceptable risks..." in the Creek is hard enough but doing it while muzzling EVERYBODY accept the anointed few to TAG by Sandy and friends is a step too far.    

Citizen stakeholders have zero authority and power. Uninformed municipal councillors have lots of moral authority but only a little real authority. Regional councillors have more influence and provincial politicians and the MECP actually have the only real power. For locals to actually be in charge of cleaning up Elmira's groundwater and Creek they need solid support from local municipal councillors, the majority of local citizens and a strong media presence behind them. None of that has ever happened while from 1989 to 1995 it was two out of three with municipal councillors never being strongly behind the interests of their citizens .