CPAC IS THIS THURSDAY AT 6 PM.

Yes I can be accused of being a booster for public attendance at the monthly Chemtura Public Advisory Committee meetings. They are held on the final Thursday of each month at 6 pm. in the Woolwich Council Chambers in Elmira Ontario. It has long been my opinion that the insistence of 9 am. public meetings for years wasn't just about the personal preference and convenience of those who had so sucessfully gained control of that group. It also was a mechanism to reduce or almost eliminate public attendance and it was sucessful.

The public can expect far more excitement, issues and controversy then has been exhibited even over this past remarkable year. To call CPAC's Resolution groundbreaking is an understatement. Woolwich Council endorsed it unanimously and have sent it on to the Province of Ontario. For two decades the Ontario M.O.E. and their partners in pollution namely Uniroyal/Chemtura have been able to claim that they have cooperated and consulted with the community and the support of the Township has backed that up. The situation has now been totally reversed. The M.O.E. and Chemtura are not remotely operating with the approval, agreement or even mild support of the citizens and their representatives. This is why the long disconnect with the public was vital to the pretend cleanup of Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment. Thank goodness we had one local paper (Independent) regularily reporting on CPAC public meetings. Now I am hopeful that that may expand.

The Agenda has the Ontario M.O.E. updating the public on the DNAPL discovered fourteen years ago behind Varnicolor Chemical, 100 feet below ground surface. The M.O.E. and Chemtura have refused all comment on this matter since I dug it out of 1998 reports and brought it to the old CPAC three or four years ago. The Ministry will also be explaining the lack of downstream Dioxin and DDT testing over the last fourteen years. Lot 91 at the end of Oriole Parkway will be discussed as will the planned excavations for this season on Varnicolor's old Union St. site.

Chemtura meanwhile will be discussing details of 125 old drums they excavated from their south-west corner last summer. They will also be on the hotseat for their public school science and scratch the surface partial cleanup of the known Dioxins and DDT on their site. I think it's also safe to say that we will finally meet Chemtura's new public relations folks. If they succeed with polishing Chemtura's image perhaps they can move on to Syria and help clean up that regieme's image as well. What a noble goal and attainment of communication skills.