MORE TAXPAYERS MONEY TO BE USED ENVIRONMENTALLY INAPPROPRIATELY?

Today's Kitchener-Waterloo Record carrys this story on the front of their Local Section (B) : "UW to lead clean-water venture". Keep in mind that research and knowledge per se is a good thing. Keep in mind I have a son entering third year sciences at University. My daughter is nearing the end of her PHD in Biology. Clearly I can appreciate research being used for the benefit of mankind. What infuriates me is taxpayer and corporate funded research being used to lessen Business environmental responsibility. The last thing we need are more ways to stickhandle around pollution after the fact. What we really need is a no nonsense government attitude towards moitoring and enforcing current laws; not more ways to cheaply "fix" industry's penchant for externalizing their waste disposal costs upon the public.

This article states that seven universities including Guelph, Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier are involved with municipal governments and private companies. Let me guess who some of these private companies will be. How about consulting firms, major chemical manufacturers and the like. As far as Municipalities go they are amongst the worst offenders with their penchant for protecting local industrial polluters. "Ontario can become "a leading global player in the development of innovative water technologies," he said." Innovative water technologies which are used to sucessfully clean up past pollution is one thing; these technologies used to excuse or mitigate responsibility are entirely different. Similarily new technolgies for after the fact, end of the pipe remediation are a very bad thing. Stop the immoral and illegal disposal into our air and water in the first place. This is both the strength and weakness of human beings. We are extremely resourceful but for money and power our political leaders usually misuse and abuse this technological resourcefulness.