WHY DOES THE WOOLWICH OBSERVER REFUSE TO ATTEND & REPORT ON PUBLIC CPAC MEETINGS?

It is my opinion that the main reason the Woolwich Observer will not attend CPAC meetings is because they fully understand that CPAC was set up not to be an independent citizens committee overseeing the cleanup of Elmira's drinking water aquifers. The Observer perhaps do not wish to give credibility to a volunteer committee of council, without resources, who are and always have been under the direct control of the council of the day. The Observer understands that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the other signatories to a number of private settltments want their cake and eat it too. The framework was set essentially in stone twenty-two years ago with private agreements between Uniroyal, the M.O.E. and the Region of Waterloo. Everything since has simply been Uniroyal/Chemtura and their consultants putting citizens through their paces and running in circles. Some of the citizens on UPAC/CPAC have known this and many including myself did not know for years.

In regards to having their cake and eating it; Chemtura and the M.O.E. want to follow through on their pump and treat plans with Chemtura/Uniroyal having zero liability for "known" contamination while at the same time having the support of the CPAC of the day. This they have accomplished in the past with their professional consultants carefully bafflegabbing any difficult facts and issues which arise. They have also accomplished this with their support of and acknowledgement of particular stakeholders versus others.

At the current time Chemtura and the M.O.E.'s credibility are at all time lows. The new Council two years ago plus decided to clean house at CPAC. Mayor Cowan already had received information from professionals in the environmental field that the Elmira "cleanup" was a sham. He also knew from a number of people including myself that CPAC had been co-opted as intended basically from day one. Truly independent citizens such as myself and Dr. Henry Regier were being "handled and managed" by certain CPAC members whom we trusted. To Henry's credit he figured things out long before I did. I simply didn't want to believe that I'd been led down the garden path by someone I trusted.

The young CPAC as appointed by the new Council had no predisposition towards following the status quo. They were honest and forthright and still are. They have stumbled a couple of times primarily due to attempts at overcontrolling them by a member of council or two. That would be Mayor Cowan's personality shining through. The young CPAC have grabbed the bull by the horns and are not being sidetracked by CRA, Chemtura or the M.O.E.. The young CPAC see the need for source removal and they understand the other parties wish to avoid it. It is this persistence and commonsense which are slowly destroying Chemtura's and the M.O.E.'s credibility. These two parties have spent twenty-three years spinning tales and they no longer have an audience swallowing their nonsense.

I still have concerns regarding our Council. They have done a wonderful service to Woolwich residents by shaking up CPAC. Will they continue on this path by supporting the young CPAC or will they rein them in when it becomes politically expedient? Perhaps that is what the Woolwich Observer expect will happen.