WOOLWICH COUNCIL'S HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITY

It would be dishionest to suggest that this current Woolwich Council has been without controversy and or criticism. Hindsight always being clearer I think that I can state that $11,800 is a ridiculous sum of money to be paying Councillors entrusted to find difficult solutions that are always in the public interest. That said one of our local papers, the Woolwich Observer, has been particularily critical, but I would suggest that while the Council do indeed have feet of clay they have made many excellent decisions including environmental ones. I refer to Victoria Glen, the OMB hearing into the Hunder Pit albeit my huge discomfort with the entire MNR & OMB process, the proposed Capitol Pit in West Montrose, to a certain extent Woolwich Bio-En and the overall Chemtura/M.O.E. file. In particular, excepting the incomprehensible decision to deny me a formal place at the CPAC table, this Council have done excellent work on the Chemtura file. They fully supported and endorsed CPAC's 2012 groundbreaking Resolution requesting a major improvement in the off-site cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers via increased source removal.

This evening at 7 pm. they will again be given an opportunity to step up, necessarily confront both the province and the M.O.E. and demand they do their duty, follow their mandate and comply with the laws of Ontario. Anything less will be a vote for the status quo and the inadequate decades long foot dragging accomplished by Uniroyal/Chemtura with M.O.E. neglgent oversight.

The numerous professional reports including both independent third party consultants as well as two consulting firms on behalf of Uniroyal/Chemtura is staggering. All of these reports are consistent in their determination of decades long toxic waste leakage, spillage and even intentional diversion ending up on Chemtura's eastern and southern neighbours' property. The two consulting firms working on Uniroyal/Chemtura's behalf are Morrison-beatty and Conestoga Rovers. The M.O.E. themselves even have a couple of reports by Bob Hillier and Wayne Jackman which are very helpful. The most recent report (October 2014) by MTE Consultants Inc. puts everything together nicely. Their conclusions incorporate the findings of all these other consultants and are consistent as well with the work of CPAC and SWAT in their research and investigation. There is no wiggle room left for Chemtura and their fellow travellors. Either cleanup or allow the M.O.E. to at long last do their duty and clean up your grotesque off-site damage.