LETTER FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER

Yesterday I received a letter dated November 09, 2012 from Mr. Peter Lapp, Director of Operations for the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, namely Mr. Gord Miller. I would refer to the letter as a courtesy letter simply advising me that an appeal for a Review that I had requested over a year ago was in the 2011-2012 ECO Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. This appeal for a Review of public consultation in Elmira went to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment where it was summarily rejected. Hardly a surprise considering who the appeal had to go through.

The appeal was at the behest of both myself and a prior member of CPAC, namely Ken Driedger. While Ken and I approached the appeal and request for a review of public consultaion from different perspectives; nevertheless we were both concerned by the obvious politicization of the whole process. Any knowledgable person will quickly understand that a committee of council is wholely under the thumb of that Council. If the Council members are nuetral and unbiased on a particular issue and looking for some form of semi independent involvement of the public; then a public consultative body which is a committee of Council might succeed. While I was much happier with the current Council elected in 2010 than the old one, I don't believe Mr. Driedger was. What principle we shared was that CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) should be more independent both in membership and in operation. My concern was of course with future Councils and Ken's with the current one. I of course did have a concern with a member or two on the current Council but still felt that eventually their best natures would shine through.

My current take on the situation is that finally after more than two decades of toadies and co-opted members of the public running CPAC; we truly have some independent volunteers on board. My concern is still the same; namely what will happen to this excellent CPAC who have properly and politely confronted the status quo. If our current Council either don't all run again or are defeated at the polls in two years; then it could be open season on CPAC. Past Councils have been less than exemplary in putting the public environmental interest at the forefront. That is exactly why the Elmira "cleanup" was spinning its' wheels. Chemtura had far too many friends on Council and the environment far too few.