COUNCILLOR MARK BAUMAN RIDES TO CHEMTURA'S DEFENCE AGAIN

A consistent pattern emerges when one looks at Councillor Bauman's historic words and voting patterns on issues regarding Chemtura Canada in Elmira. Their position is his position and he appears to see his job as protecting and defending their interests. This is especially pathetic as he has been Woolwich Council's rep on the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) for the last year and a half. He has seen and heard with his own ears the deviousness and lack of transparency with which Chemtura routinely treat CPAC and the public. Yours truly helped put him on CPAC and get Mayor Todd Cowan off. Cowan had been violating the Woolwich Code of Conduct in his rude and disrespectful dealings with CPAC. This is one reason why this past Monday at a CPAC Orientation/Education public meeting I criticized this Code of Conduct as being hypocritical. It is trotted out by the likes of CAO Dave Brenneman when I use the word "crap" but not one word of criticism when Councillors, Mayor or staff are rude and disrespectful to volunteer citizens. A pox on the hypocritical lot of them.

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Woolwich councillor says rail worries just fear-mongering". Perhaps Mark would like to go to Quebec in person and tell that to the survivors of Lac-Megantic. Somehow I don't think he'll do that. Mark states in the article that Elmira chemical industries are transparent. That is a damn lie and Mark knows it. One company, Sulco/CCC have a well earned reputation as honest. Their neighbour Chemtura (Uniroyal) have a well earned reputation amongst CPAC and SWAT members otherwise. Even in his short time on CPAC, Mark Bauman has seen the gamesmanship involved in Chemtura's recent *Responsible Care verification. They gamed the system and even then the Chair of the current CPAC produced a minority report in opposition to Chemtura receiving verification.

Chemtura deal with hundreds of different toxic chemicals. Apparently they've listed two which they transport by rail. Are all the rest going by truck or are Chemtura being dishonest or disingenuous with us? This is a company with a history of ongoing spills, leaks, environmental convictions and bogus public consultation. Currently they are doing a pretend cleanup of Dioxins (Agent Orange) on the south-east corner of their site. This "cleanup" has been condemned by two local environmental groups as well as by CPAC in a Media Release a year ago. This is the kind of company which Councillor Mark Bauman regularily defends. I see some future campaign donations in the works here Mark. Have there been any in the past; especially when Mark's constituents are from St. Jacobs? Now that would be interesting to find out.