MINISTRY (MOECC) TAKES A SECOND THUMPING AT WOOLWICH COUNCIL LAST NIGHT

Be still my thumping heart. I never thought that I would witness the day when responsible, intelligent and informed citizens would do that which has been necessary for the last 25 years. Briefly for perhaps two or three years citizens through APT Environment from about 1989 to 1992 would appropriately publicly blast the Ontario Ministry of the Environment as well as Uniroyal. Since then with only a couple of notable exceptions such as in 1999 when CPAC's air subcommittee took Crompton (Uniroyal) to task for their air emissions; CPAC have always played "nice" with Uniroyal (Chemtura).

Last evening at a Rogers cable televised sitting of Woolwich Council, Chair Dr. Dan Holt told Council and the public about the MOECC's abject failures in Elmira. He stated that CPAC believe that there is "...overwhelming evidence that significant sources of pollution still remain under and around the site..." . Furthermore these sources "...continue to pose potentially serious risks to human health and the environment...".

Dr. Dan listed three specific failures of the MOECC; one since the 1991 Control Order dealing with DNAPLS plus two more this year alone. The one failure this year deals with the MOECC's inability and unwillingness to pursue investigation of Dioxins and DDTs on and over their eastern property line. Similar to SWAT's (Soil, Water, Air & Technical) presentation at the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday; Dr. Dan advised Council on CPAC's behalf that the MOECC were ineffective, inadequate and their behaviour unacceptable. To this he added last night that CPAC felt that the term "inadequate" was the best case scenario "...and at the worst (they were) willfully negligent".

All of this is true and has needed public stating for well over two decades. No doubt both Chemtura and the MOECC will have their public relations folks into overdrive but the harm to their credibility is profound. No longer are one or two individuals sounding the alarms. Now it is a formally appointed committee of council who are challenging the status quo of denial and falsehoods.