CHEMTURA/ M.O.E. DENUNCIATION IS GATHERING STEAM

For the past five years I've felt like a voice in the wilderness. Dr. Henry Regier retired from CPAC partially due to hearing challenges, Fred Hager was experiencing the begining of serious health challenges (recently told he's left us) and Rich Clausi was intentionally excluded by the old CPAC's insistence on public daytime meetings. A long difficult year and a half later and boy are things changing!

Today's Waterloo Region Record on the front page carrys this story: "Elmira water cleanup faltering, township fears". The old Woolwich Council with the exception of St. Jacobs Councillor Mark Bauman was unceremoniously dumped in late October 2010. Environmental issues were front and center including multiple gravel pits, BIO-EN for Martin's Lane and an air release of chemicals three weeks before the election by Chemtura Canada. Current Mayor Todd Cowan and the new Council made many commitments to environmental progress, some of which are proving challenging. Regarding the Mayor's diplomatic attempt to appropriately bounce the old Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC), he has made numerous mistakes with this new Committee. That being said and as I'm one of the major mistakes he made, dumping me without consulting his new CPAC, nevertheless I will give credit where credit is due. Mayor Todd Cowan picked some really excellent new CPAC members and the proof is in the pudding. Despite everything they've gone through in the last year (1 dismissal, 3 resignations, 3 new members) plus a whole lot more, this CPAC has come through with shining colours. Todd but for your winning the Mayor's seat this would not have happened.

Quoting Dr. Gail Krantzberg in today's Record "They need to change the cleanup strategy if they are going to be able to restore groundwater to safe levels by 2028. It won't happen with pump-and-treat." Quoting Dr Dan Holt CPAC Chair "There is no real responsibility. Which makes it difficult to have any kind of authority in the cleanup process.". Dan is referring specifically to the October 7, 1991 Settlement Agreement a.k.a "sweetheart deal" between Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment. Yours truly is also quoted by the Record namely " "I'm ecstatic," said Alan Marshall, an environmental watchdog who has long criticized Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment over the cleanup. "It is going to, I trust, totally turn around the cleanup." ". It appears as if the days of Chemtura and their friends spouting whatever psuedo science and gibberish they want, and getting it by CPAC, are finished.