TWO UPCOMING CPAC MEETINGS

In the ongoing spirit of openess and transparency CPAC (Citizens/Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) continue to hold their last Thursday of the month public meeting (28th) at 6 pm. as well as their orientation/education meeting prior to it. This month the public orientation/education meeting is on Tuesday the 19th. To date I don't believe they've firmly set the time although I expect either 8 or 9 am..

One of the items for discussion at the meeting of the 19th includes the Agenda for the meeting on the 28th. Likely items would be the In Situ off-site treatment work plan, Chemtura's ongoing and highly inappropriate attempted verification under *Responsible Care and the proposed name change of CPAC.

Also at the orientation meeting I would expect further discussion around Chemtura's recent bizarre and aggressive behaviour. For over twenty three years while assiduously avoiding doing the right things they've always worked very hard to appear to be doing them. In other words they've smiled in the face of criticism and adversity while carefully preparing a paper trail of psuedo scientific reports including endorsements from their partner in pollution, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. This behaviour has dramatically changed with their attack on the CPAC Chair at a public Council meeting in December as well as their defence of it at the last public CPAC meeting on January 28/13.

It was as expressed here in the Advocate and still is my opinion that Chemtura and fellow travellors are preparing their exit strategy. They are like the schoolyard bully who no longer is constantly winning and therefore decides to pick up his marbles and go home. They've had CPAC, except for the last two years, exactly where they want them. They have sucessfully induced and manipulalated core members of the old in the direction they wanted and most importantly away from areas they'd rather ignore. Chemtura and their public relations professionals however want it both ways. They want to leave CPAC while doing their best to blame CPAC for their leaving. As CPAC members and Chair have always treated Chemtura/CRA/MOE with far more courtesy and respect than they deserve; it's made it difficult for Chemtura. Thus Chemtura have decided to publicly provoke a fight. They will continue to make personal attacks with rumour, innuendo and falsehoods. CPAC are human and at the very least will deny thus giving Chemtura more fuel with which to build their self serving, cowardly goals. My advice to CPAC is straightforward. Deny blatant falsehoods from Chemtura but you can't stop them from leaving if they so wish. In other words my opinion is good riddance to bad rubbish. Let them go but leave the door open in case they come to their senses again. They pulled similar crap back in 1998 and were gone for about a year and a half. I missed them for almost five minutes.