LOCAL MEDIA COMMENT ON REGIONAL COUNCIL'S DECISION TO HIRE OUTSIDE EXPERTS TO STUDY REPORTING & COMMUNICATIONS ON WATER ISSUES

 

Overall Luisa D'Amato seems pleased with the direction that the Region are taking by hiring an outside consulting firm.  While she does state that "This is a good start." she has a number of suggestions to make it even better. That said what I noticed was her very first sentence in which she suggested  "Finally we may get some answers to the question of why the water supply crisis we are in was allowed to happen, and how the news came as such a complete shock." Hence I was a little taken aback to read that the final report is due within a year. A year !  I'm sorry but that for me does not jive with "Finally we may get some answers...". Citizens deserved honest and confirmed answers a couple of months ago not hypothetically a year down the line. Is this simply more bureaucratic and political gamesmanship to delay and deflect our attention?

Ms. D'Amato raises good points and suggestions. She would like to know why both the Mannheim treatment plant for Grand River water and the Greenbrook pumping station are still in disrepair. Why weren't both of them repaired promptly? Somewhat oddly to me she hasn't repeated her comments about the possible rehabilitation of the Parkway Wellfield or the Woolwner/Pompeii wells along the Grand River . Could she herself have signed some sort of NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) with the Region? Perish the thought! She is a professional reporter.

Ms. D'Amato also advises that here in Ontario we had a public inquiry after the following major public system failures namely the Walkerton water crisis, the light rail debacle in Ottawa and the fatal mall collapse in Elliot Lake. Oddly enough somehow the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis with its' now failed remediation never was subject to a public inquiry. That was ridiculous then and even more so now when we realize how much more desperately Elmira's water is needed.

WATERLOO REGION COUNCIL DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST: DEFERRING DECISIONS, DELAYING & HIRING FRIENDLY CONSULTANTS

 

I am curious as to how many citizens don't know that the main purpose of so called third party consultants is to do almost the same thing as public consultation does. That is to give a veneer of credibility and respectability to Council decisions that are more likely to be politically motivated than factually motivated. Indeed it is possible sometimes to have an overlap between good politics and good governance.  Just not often enough.

Today's K-W Record has an article by reporter Bill Jackson titled "Council orders water capacity review".  In fact that's a bit of a misnomer. The review being ordered is a review of water capacity reporting and communicating processes. That's a whole different beast.  Councillor Doug Craig suggests that it won't be about assigning blame. Well darn what's the fun in that? We the citizens and paying taxpayers want names. We want to hang people in effigy. We want accountability and let the chips fall where they may whether it be politicians or staff. We want guilty, incompetent or negligent people turfed whether from regional council or regional staff. Hmm it makes me suspect that this review may be no more than a glad handing exercise. Put some obvious reporting triggers onto paper as well as even more frequent sending of memos upstairs to staff supervisors to continue being ignored while publicly praising the consultants and everybody else involved. Isn't that generally how politicians work?    

The request to the province to put a pause on new or expanded water taking permits has been deferred to March 25/26 ostensibly. There was also discussion around a Lake Erie pipeline. You know that that water will most likely be treated at least enough not to cause immediate, debilitating pain or disease.  I mean right now our water, food and air have already been horribly contaminated and compromised albeit within carefully selected parameters. Did you know that Health Canada and Ontario Health are routinely lobbied for reduced health criteria by business and industrialists? To clarify, by reduced health criteria I don't mean lower concentrations of contaminants, I mean less stringent standards allowing higher concentrations of toxic chemicals in our food and water and air.

Along with the Lake Erie discussion there was also concern expressed by some regional staffers (Kenneth Brothers) who suggested that "We have to be very cautious in that we're vulnerable in terms of the aquifer restrictions.".  I believe that this information is the most important to have as soon as possible. Until the Region know absolutely the water levels of the various aquifers in and around the Waterloo Moraine ( & others) it is impossible to know what long term sustainable pumping amounts really are.   

FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THE FAILURE TO REMEDIATE THE ELMIRA AQUIFERS

 

I did mention yesterday that there were both LNAPLS (light non aqueous phase liquids) as well as DNAPLS  (dense non aqueous phase liquids) on the 62 Union St. Varnicolor Chemical site. Those alone could have destroyed any chances of cleaning up the Elmira Aquifers either solely or mostly with pump & treat technology.  This is because both LNAPLS and DNAPLS have a low solubility in water and tend to either float on the surface of ground and surface water (LNAPLS) or at the bottom of aquifers (DNAPLS) and only slowly dissolve into the water  over a period of decades or even centuries. Hence they are an ongoing almost never ending source of contamination in the subsurface.

Add to that the recent statements (yesterday's Blog posting)  in which Jesse Wrighte of Arcadis Inc. advised TRAC, the MECP, the Region and the Township of multiple nearby Varnicolor Chemical companies who used chlorobenzene in their processes. How extraordinarily strange that that little tidbit took 35 years to be released publicly. Also extraordinarily strange that a solvent recycler like Varnicolor Chemical allegedly never used and abused chlorobenzene on their site as they did virtually every other solvent they dealt with. That is strange because chlorobenzene is a very common solvent both used as an intermediary in production processes (i.e. Uniroyal Chemical) as well as with paint manufacturers and auto body shops as well as car manufacturers all of whom were clients of Varnicolor Chemical. Does anyone really wonder why I have been calling out those in charge of our failed cleanup as dishonest swine or worse?

Then there is the incredible attempts by the Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E./MECP) to cover up the illegal activities of Varnicolor Chemical. Their efforts stopped at nothing. They lied about everything. But for two things they might have gotten away with it. Firstly despite being ordered years previously to erect fences around Lot 91 they never did. Good fences make good neighbours but I and others had no qualms about gathering evidence including video and photographs which constantly refuted the Ministry's lies. Then there was my inside person at Varnicolor. I did hear at one point that Severin suspected his office manager Jeanette. I hope that wasn't so because she was a loyal and dedicated employee unlike myself who found more than a couple of employers over the decades to be absolute a**holes with Severin Argenton being front and centre.  My inside person tipped me off constantly as to what was happening or going to happen at Varnicolor next. This even included the Glen McDonald fiasco in which he was fired by the Ministry of Environment and charged by the Crown for tipping off Mr. Argenton about an upcoming police and Ministry raid of his property (62 Union & Howard Ave. property). 

Lastly of course is the problem of low concentrations of dioxins dissolved in Elmira's groundwater despite all howls and protests by our favourite polluter to the contrary.  I mean seriously after 36 years of delay, deception, manipulation and lying only fanatical, pro business, left hating, anti communist, anti socialist ideologues would put weight on any gross polluters' opinions. Until PROVEN otherwise I have to ask exactly how keen are pro NDMA drinkers going to be about including even low concentrations of incredibly toxic  2,3,7,8 TCDD (dioxin) to their morning coffee. 

So go ahead and mix Elmira water with the low level solvents and stuff already in our Integrated Urban System (IUS) and watch another social problem of too few workers supporting too many seniors also disappear, me included.

  

IS VARNICOLOR CHEMICAL THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM REMEDIATION WISE?

 

Has something new occurred? Have our authorities (Woolwich, Waterloo Region, MECP) in their infinite and never ending thirst to share knowledge with the public, released something? Well no, not exactly. Here's what we have however. About a year and a half ago (Sept. 2024) after a TRAC meeting in which Alan Deal of GHD, on behalf of Lanxess Canada, mostly falsely denied a relationship between Varnicolor Chemical and DNAPLS (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids); the Minutes of the meeting were finally released. Lo and behold in writing was the decades late, astounding revelation that the 84 Howard Ave. site was responsible for six different chlorinated solvents (not chlorobenzene) in the Elmira drinking water aquifers. Now 84 Howard Ave. is simply the newer address of the former Varnicolor Chemical site which encompassed both the Union St. properties and the Howard Ave. property. Hallelujah !

Skipping to the third revelation also from a TRAC meeting back in September 2025 we have admissions from a consultant (Jesse Wrighte/Arcadis)  that there were multiple companies and locations using chlorobenzene (chlorinated solvent) near the corner of Union St. and First Ave. Again this revelation was approximately 35 years after the fact which included an alleged Five man team from the Ministry of Environment which toured Elmira looking for industries which could have contributed to the shutdown of the south wellfield in Elmira. 

This third revelation likely was to explain again a decades late proven fact that there was free phase DNAPL at OW57-32 (R) beside the Howard St. Water Tower. I had long suggested that this chorobenzene came from one of three sources namely Varnicolor, Borg Textiles or all the way from Uniroyal Chemical. None of my suggested sources however were politically correct for the liars and stakeholders in charge of the cleanup.   Nevertheless again in the Minutes of the Alan Deal TRAC meeting of September 2024  which he attended is the second revelation that the DNAPL near pumping well W4 and the Howard Ave. Water Tower was finally dissipated/dissolved and allegedly thus reducing it's contamination of nearby groundwater.

Since then I have reviewed both newspaper articles and most importantly photos of the extent of the contamination from Varnicolor Chemical at both their 62 Union St./Howard Ave. location as well as from Lot 91 at the east end of Oriole Parkway. The photographs of the remediation of the 62 Union St. / Howard Ave. property are interesting especially in hindsight.  These photos plus the 2016 Risk Assessment of the site by Peritus Environmental further combined with the now long admitted failure of the Elmira groundwater cleanup spell out an interesting hypothesis. 

There were both LNAPLS (Light Non Aqueous Phase Liquids) and DNAPLS on the Varnicolor site. There was a calculated and concerted illegal dumping operation underway at both the Union St. site AND at Lot 91. Initially the Min. of Environment only laid paperwork pollution charges against Varnicolor. It took the local media's clamoring to get those upgraded to actual pollution of the natural environment charges and later convictions. I suggest that Varnicolor Chemical whose cleanup has not been followed by citizens or activists or the media may well be the elephant in the room which has exacerbated the difficulties in cleaning the Elmira Aquifers, especially by pump & treat technology mostly on it's own. In fact the remediation tidbits that we do have (i.e. a shallow aquifer pump & treat system only) actually point to a grossly inadequate cleanup considering the volume, the depth and the characteristics and components of the liquid wastes dumped at the site over decades. 

In order to protect the Min. of Environment (M.O.E./MECP) from further embarrassment, humiliation and public contempt the province of Ontario denied and covered up the extent of gross contamination at Varnicolor Chemical, the second largest polluter in Elmira, with Nutrite/Yara the third (ammonia).      

AND THERE IT FINALLY IS... THE MONSTER FROM THE GREEN LAGOON

 

Of course I'm referring to the long proposed Pipeline from the Green Lagoon otherwise known as Lake Erie. Is there anybody who doesn't know about the prevalence of toxic blue-green algae on the surface of our smallest and shallowest Great Lake? Today's K-W Record has an article by Bill Jackson titled "Waterloo Region's pipeline possibility". For me having lived for almost a decade in West Montrose it's almost emblematic of the long threatened West Montrose Dam. At one time that was the bogeyman that hung over local residents wondering how badly their beautiful valley, covered bridge and lush farm fields would be destroyed.

Darn but you know the old saying that for a carpenter all problems can be solved with a hammer and for an engineer if it's not broken then you simply haven't built it yet. Build it and when it breaks fix it sort of attitude. Today's Record interviews both a former public works director as well as Kevin Thomason, vise-chair of the Grand River Environmental Network (GREN). Both are smart individuals but with totally different approaches to Waterloo Region's Water Crisis. Mr. Anderson with a  public works background is very big on class environmental assessments. It almost seems to me that he views the Class EA process as somewhat magical and without bias. Being from Elmira I've lived through a few Environmental Assessments now and I can tell you that depending on many factors they can and are manipulated beyond belief. He who is paying the shot calls the tune and that's exactly what has happened here with two very local Environmental Assessments.

Mr. Thomason of GREN however does not believe that blasting right of ways and cutting through forests and farm fields is the best way to solve our alleged water problems. He lists numerous less invasive and less expensive options in this article that can be done right here in Waterloo Region versus taking water from Lake Erie.

Alleged water problems is an interesting turn of phrase. We the public are still waiting for documentation that either proves or disproves the alleged low water levels in our major aquifers such as the Waterloo Moraine. Also it is rather convenient how often dishonest politicians such as our Woolwich Township mayor invent a crisis in order to implement a totally asinine solution as was done in 2015 . Chemtura and the Ministry of Environment (MOE/MECP) were crying about the new vigorous and informed Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) holding them to account and failing to treat them with the deference and reverence that they were used to. 

Is it possible that this water crisis has been invented to push the multi billion dollar engineering solution of a Lake Erie Pipeline? Or is the crisis real? Maybe it could be part of each? Maybe we are currently in trouble but the fixes are right here within the Region's boundaries as suggested by Mr. Thomason. 

TIME DOES NOT ERASE LYING & DECEPTION

 

It is far too easy in an uneven power relationship for the weaker party to tend to forget past wrongs especially if the present is tolerable. To a great extent I wonder if that is one of the reasons that we have had three sales of Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira since around 2000.  It is very difficult to saddle the new company/new owners with the sins of the past including the almost never ending blatant delays, deceptions and lying.  This is especially so when the allegedly neutral citizens are also repeatedly turning over on the various advisory committees whether UPAC, CPAC, RAC, TAG, or TRAC.   Some of these new "citizens" are also no longer from Elmira which again makes it less likely that they would have personal memories of past promises and commitments. Finally too many have connections with the environmental community as consultants for private companies who tend to deal with the Ministry of Environment as well as municipal and regional governments. This includes engineering companies who have done engineering work for both Woolwich Township and the Region of Waterloo.

I have recently been reviewing old newspaper clippings both of the Esther Thur collection at the Wilfred Laurier University Archives as well as others. It is truly shocking as well as outrageous how many times Uniroyal or successor companies begged for time claiming that they were already addressing a problem or just getting ready to start to do so.  We at UPAC or CPAC would give them that time simply never to see the item ever on the Agenda again or in some watered down version. This of course was aided by local politicians arbitrarily removing members and appointing their own uninformed buddies, sycophants and deferential "experts" with skin in the game who did not want to rock the boat.

Elmira has become the poster child for public consultation abuse. It is also the poster child for corporate abuse of citizens aided and abetted by local politicians whether municipal, regional or provincial. It's also funny how polluting industries seem to have support from both Liberals and Conservatives. Gee I wonder which two parties are the biggest benefactors of corporate donations ? 

THE HUMAN CONDITION: DOES STATUS & AUTHORITY ENGENDER STUPIDITY ?

 

Oh boy but that title above is a strong statement. Can I back it up? Well first American politics. How about George W. Bush and the non-existent "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq if I've named the correct President Bush for that idiocy. Or how about President Trump in all his glory? Nine months ago he bragged that Iran's nuclear ambitions were obliterated after bombing the country. Now he's trying to obliterate the rest of the country with claims that their nuclear program is alive and well and they are a threat to the U.S. and Israel. 

Recently our Waterloo Region councillors (& staff) have put their amazing intelligence and common sense up for debate by somehow forgetting to include infill development into their calculations of water demand. They have also been secretly  pumping water from Wilmot Township to the three big cities despite an agreement not to do so without discussion and agreement by Wilmot Township.

Now even closer to home we have the idjits on the Waterloo Region District School Board  (WRDSB) who attacked teacher Carolyn Burjowski for her comments and opinions on age inappropriate books for very young students. These comments were made as a properly registered Delegate to the WRDSB and as the courts have made clear since were done so in accordance with all rules and procedures. 

Today's K-W Record carries an Opinion piece by Luisa D'Amato referring to a "witch hunt" by Waterloo Catholic trustees. Thank God our Catholic Board has stepped up to share the limelight and glory with our public board. This dispute went right to the Ontario Superior Court who determined that the Catholic Board's decision was "unreasonable and must be set aside." I mean maybe this is a sign that our courts  prefer to make decisions based upon law and reasonableness themselves. Who knows about that for sure but the facts as exposed by Luisa D'Amato certainly indicate that the trustee Kathy Doherty-Masters absolutely did not violate the trustee's Code of Conduct as alleged. 

What then have we learned? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely? Nah we already knew that. Maybe it's that mostly dishonest and or self-serving people are attracted to getting elected to positions of authority? Possibly. Or maybe it's that voting citizens are far too easily swayed by appearances (looks), names and other trivial characteristics. That's a big one and doesn't make Democracy look so hot sometimes.