THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN

O.K. I admit I'm borrowing the title. One of our local papers has a little section where they give kudos or criticisms as appropriate. Relevant to yesterday's posting here I wish to give a kudo and a thumbs up to Councillor Mark Bauman. He decided despite "professional" advice to the contrary; to do the right thing recently. Yesterday's posting dealt with the possibility/probability of their being a Dioxin/DDT "sink" south-east off the Chemtura site. Myself and CPAC Chair Dr. Dan Holt advised Council that they should give a warning or caution to an Old Order Mennonite family regarding the possibility (only) that some of these persistent and bioaccumulative and highly toxic compounds could have entered their hand made, in-ground swimming pond. This pond is in the floodplain of the Canagagigue Creek and while I have a map showing it to be completely inundated in a 100 year flood, I do not know if it routinely is submerged in normal spring flooding. Nevertheless Councillor Bauman talked to the family and most appropriately gave them a heads up.

The thumbs down or criticism goes to the Woolwich Township senior staffer who advised against giving a warning to this family. He felt that unless or until the Township had rock solid scientific proof of the presence of Dioxins or DDT in the pond; that a warning should not be given. Here's where I find his reasoning to be shocking. He suggested that either Chemtura or the Ontario Ministry of the Environment would or could sue Woolwich Township for so doing. I'm absolutely speechless. One is our just-us (justice) system that far gone? Talk about no good deed goes unpunished. Secondly are either Chemtura or the M.O.E. that far gone? I know I rarely have much good to say about either one of them (& appropriately so) but that would truly surprise me if they were that perverted. Nevertheless thumbs down to this senior Woolwich staffer and no it wasn't Dan K.