MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT CONSPIRACY TO SUBVERT PUBLIC CONSULTATION

They say hindsight is 20/20 and it sure does clarify a lot of past strange going ons that have occurred. Most recently we have the spectacle of a recently retired Director of the West Central Region of the M.O.E. badmouthing not only an individual private citizen intrinsically involved with CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) but also the entire volunteer committee itself appointed by Woolwich Township Council. This Director, one Bill Bardswick, has a past history in Cambridge where he had been the ineffective head of the Cambridge abatement office. This was in the early 90's when contaminated sites such as Ciba-Geigy and Candian General Tower were popping up. Just before he retired last summer he did attend all of two CPAC public meetings where he spent most of his time at the back of the room muttering out loud and interrupting speakers. Real classy guy. It kind of begs the question why he would badmouth and insult the current CPAC and SWAT from the safety of a book written by an author who hasn't remotely been involved with Uniroyal/Chemtura in a decade.

Then we have the most recently late (of the Ministry) and not so great George Karlos. I believe he had the position of Assistant Director of the West Central Region. Georgeous George embarked upon a serious backdoor campaign to remove myself from SWAT which is a sub-committee of CPAC. George apparently did not approve of my very informed criticism of the M.O.E.'s efforts in Elmira, Ontario. I had been known to actually have the nerve to suggest on occasion that Chemtura and the M.O.E. were "partners in pollution". Did George approach Woolwich Council as a Delegate at a public meeting? He did not. Did George approach CPAC as a Delegate at a public meeting. He did not. George did however repeatedly privately approach the Chair of CPAC demanding that I be removed from CPAC/SWAT. The Chair, to his credit, exercised his authority and commonsense and understood that George's demands on behalf of the M.O.E. were totally inappropriate as well as being against the public interest. Even if I had not been a major player in the issues it still was not appropriate for the M.O.E. to be interfering in the makeup of a citizens' committee whose purpose included oversight of the M.O.E.'s efforts.

And now finally this behaviour of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment raises some interesting questions. Back in the fall of 2007 the CPAC Chair Pat Mclean and her sidekick Susan attempted to force me into resigning. Unknown to me at the time that was their second attempt. The first was much more subtle and disgusting and I did not recognize what the goal was. When both attempts failed Pat went to CPAC members, many who had been appointed via either herself or Susan (neighbours etc.), and spoke to them first without my knowledge. They acquiesced and then Pat and Susan went to Council and lobbied equally hard for my removal. While I have had no doubts over the years that Chemtura have lobbied Mayors and others to keep me off CPAC, considering the source, that was to be expected. The Ontario M.O.E. is a completely different kettle of fish. They are the ones who twenty-three years ago decided that they needed public consultation in Elmira as an intrinsic part of the cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers. For them to then surrepticiously subvert that very same public consultation is beyond dispicable. So did Pat and Susan on their own for personal reasons decide to eliminate me? Were they sucking up to Chemtura? Did they view me somehow as a rival for public attention? Or was the Ontario M.O.E. again pushing hard, possibly in regards to my DNAPL pressure on them and Chemtura, to have me bounced from the group? Or is it a combination of all the above? Based upon the now proven interference by senior Ministry officers I expect they were involved. Like all good manipulaters they do their best work behind the scenes. As do cowards.