GOVERNMENT (M.O.E.) LYING IS ADDICTIVE

Well, well, well! Do you believe in coincidences? Last Thursday George Karlos Assistant Director of the West Central Region of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment failed to show, with minimal advance notice, at a public CPAC meeting. We were advised a few days later by e-mail that he was on "temporary assignment" for the M.O.E.. The next day Bob Burtt's book was publicly released with all kinds of blatantly stupid and false comments by the recently retired Director WCR, Bill Bardswick. George kept his comments in the book mostly to the company line (ie. Chemtura's) that pump and treat (hydraulic containment) was working and that the current Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) were off base. Lo and behold late yesterday CPAC received an e-mail from George Karlos stating "I have accepted a position outside of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and would ask that you direct future requests to Sue brooks in the WCR Directors Office. George Karlos".

Not only did CPAC unanimously pass a Motion of Censure (including Mark Bauman) against the M.O.E. a week ago they also unanimously passed a Motion requesting immediate data from the M.O.E. regarding soil and groundwater analysis on both the eastern and southern borders of Chemtura next to the Stroh and Martin farm. The M.O.E. are under pressure from CPAC to do their jobs properly and apparently that is too much for them to handle.

I mentioned Mark Bauman in the above paragraph specifically. Mark has come through on a number of important votes during his time on CPAC. While I'm still struggling with his raison d'etre I did receive some interesting and significant news yesterday from a past colleague of his. To the best of my knowledge this colleague does not have an axe to grind. She claims that often Mark plays the devil's advocate on purpose. He doesn't mind being the odd man out on some Council issues. She believes that he is basically honest but simply quirky. Huh! Well maybe Mark has fooled me with his "devil's advocate" positions in the past although they have included improperly keeping me off CPAC thus playing directly into Chemtura's and the M.O.E.'s hands. Oh well as long as he keeps supporting the current CPAC I'll keep struggling with trying to understand where the heck he's coming from on other issues.

I've been predicting major pushback by Chemtura and the M.O.E. for some time now. It is underway. The new Council need to inform themselves quickly and unfortunately they will find that this is not an issue with two groups of honest people allegedly pursuing the same goals. Both Chemtura and the M.O.E. talk out of one side of their mouths while pursuing goals that are self serving and not in the public interest.