PUBLIC CPAC MEETING THIS THURSDAY AT 6 PM.

The Chemtura Public Advisory Committee meets this Thursday at 6 pm. in Woolwich Council Chambers on Church St. Elmira, Ontario. The last meeting was on June 27, the evening before I had my hip replaced. On the Agenda will be a couple of presentations/discussions from the SWAT team and CPAC members. There is possibly also a presentation from the Ministry of the Environment in regards to their downstream sampling in the Canagagigue Creek. Apparently they did additional testing last November after their initial results showed issues with rising DDT levels. There were also additional samples taken around a nearby farm pond that is used for swimming purposes. Obviously either DDT or Dioxins (the toxic component of Agent Orange) would be horrific in a swimming pond. As of right now I haven't seen any of this more recent data (including last November) which is par for the course. It's one thing for the M.O.E. to hide behiind experts just like Chemtura, but not producing the data until the meeting is just plain ignorant. What a great way to avoid informed criticism.

Chemtura will be making themselves available for questions in regards to their monthly (July) Progress Report. They hopefully will also feel the sting of my Delegation near the start of the meeting. Chemtura and their behaviour have an awful lot to answer for including their years belated attempt to improve their cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers. I expect there will be also a pretty significant clarification as to the lack of support by Woolwich Township of both CPAC and of the cleanup. To say that local polluters in every municipality in Waterloo Region (and the rest of the country) have always enjoyed municipal council support is a huge understatement. Expectations were lifted with our new municipal council nearly three years ago but things have slowly drifted back to the status quo. Does anyone really think it takes from 1989 until 2028 (39 years) to restore an aquifer to drinking water standards? Even that date is considered unlikely by CPAC, the M.O.E. and the Region of Waterloo. The non cleanup can only be accomplished with the hidden support of the polluter at all levels of government over many decades. Heaven forbid that we embarass or antagonize such a powerful player within our community.