THE REGION OF WATERLOO HAVE ABANDONED THE SINKING SHIP

Last Friday here in the Advocate I wrote about a senior Region of Waterloo manager who stunned the room with his comments concerning the Elmira Aquifers. This took place at the monthly CPAC meeting and was in response to e-mails that had been going back and forth from Ron Campbell of CPAC (& SWAT) in regards to information he'd received from the GRCA. The Grand River Conservation Authority made it clear that the two Elmira wellfields (north & south) absolutely were not being included in the Source Protection Plans that are mandated by the province. We at CPAC had already begun to smell a rat when yours truly pointed out that both a former known polluting business (Voisin's) and a truck repair with fuel depot were located next door and a hundred yards away respectively from the south wellfield.

Eric Hodgins of the Region of Waterloo has always been very careful with his choice of words. Some including me might even refer to his choice of wording as weasel words. Eric knows where his bread is buttered and he said absolutely everything necessary to loudly and clearly get the message across that the Elmira Aquifers will not be supplying drinking water to the Region of Waterloo now or in the future. He did not condemn the ongoing "cleanup". He did not specifically say "2028 is bullshit". He did not say that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Chemtura and their consultants are first class liars. He didn't have to based on everything else he did say. One of our CPAC colleagues has since referred to this public statement by a senior regional spokesperson as a "gamechanger".

This is a huge turnaround by the Region. For twenty years plus they have fully endorsed the collusion and coverup between political bodies at the municipal, regional and provincial level. They have vigorously supported the lie that the Elmira Aquifers were "resting". They have stood behind former Woolwich Councils, the M.O.E., Chemtura and their consultants. After they received their water pipeline from Waterloo to Elmira they only offerred token and occasional mild criticism of the aquifer "cleanup" plans. The Region of Waterloo finally ceased attending years ago, any of the public CPAC meetings. Eric Hodgins attended a private Woolwich Council meeting with yours truly present, three years ago. As my friend and colleague Henry remarked, Eric was there in his role as "designated denier". Indeed Eric vehemently denied any possibilty of other sources of serious groundwater contamination within Elmira.

My interpretation is that the Region see that Woolwich Township through their adoption of CPAC's Resolution condemning the "cleanup" and denying the 2028 deadline have opted out of the two decades plus coverup. The Region have decided that they no longer think that the public deception is viable. The Region have decided that their best chance of survival rests with leaving the sinking ship of lies sooner than later. Two down one to go. The Township and now the Region have jumped ship. They are telling the province (M.O.E.) that they are on their own in defending Chemtura and the non cleanup of the Elmira aquifers.