A PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT IS LONG OVERDUE

The revelations and discoveries in 2014 will go down in environmental history as a watershed in understanding the collusion between polluting industries and their ostensible regulator, the M.O.E.C.C.. Currently three discoveries stand out and each one alone is devastating to the credibilty of the Ontario M.O.E.(C.C.). The Stroh Drain discovered in May 2014, the Peter Gray (MTE) Report detailing evidence of east side ground and surface water discharge and finally the possible on-site Interceptor/Collector Trench. The first two are proven matters, the third while unproven as yet, appears plausible on many levels, but is not required to buttress the first two.

One CPAC member used the word "coverup" three times last Monday evening in regards to the east side non examination. Another CPAC member in the Working Session has expressed his opinion that the line, scar, trench readily apparent in satellite and aerial photos over many years is indeed some form of manmade plumbing works, most likely a groundwater collector trench.

Last evening another peculiar discovery was made. Occasionally technical reports will indicate that there may well be undocumented waste disposal areas on the Chemtura site. Other reports will suggest that perhaps pits and ponds over the years were expanded and contracted in size as the demands required. Self serving rewriting of history occurs in all human endeavours and apparently pollution history is no exception. We have been advised that two gravel pits (GP1 & 2) were the lucky recipients of toxic liquid waste flowing overland in "furrows" or swales via allegedly controlled discharges from RPE 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5.

Chemtura allegedly voluntarily spent somewhere in the vicinity of $3 million scraping a foot of dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD) and DDT contaminated soil out of GP1 while not scraping GP2 in the summer of 2013. Also importantly they did extensive recontouring of the land surface in their south-east corner. Now it appears that the $3 million "cleanup" was smoke and mirrors. Over the years GP1 has been relocated on maps from its' position when it was indeed the location of choice and by design for east side liquid toxic wastes. A map from 1983 and one later indicates that GP1 is further east closer to the south end of the east side retention pits. Chemtura's consultants over the last twenty plus years have been slowly moving its' location westwards and even southwards on their maps until they actually have the one end of it a few metres away from GP2.

Why spend $3 million dollars to clean up the wrong location? Why would the Ministry of the Environment who published one of the mentioned maps permit this subterfuge? What are both parties covering up? What is the environmental significance of the original location? Uniroyal Chemical obtained an Indemnity from the M.O.E. on October 7, 1991 for known contamination on their site. What had the M.O.E. done contrary to the public interest and or the law that made them vulnerable to Uniroyal arm twisting? These questions are only the beginning of what a public inquiry could answer.