ELMIRA'S TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF "PUBLIC CONSULTATION" HAS BEEN A CHARADE

This charade has included the Region of Waterloo, Grand River Conservation Authority, Woolwich Councils and of course Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment. I expect that this knowledge has been the reason why the Woolwich Observer have ignored CPAC for so long precisely because they recognized the game being played by the authorities. If you find this manipulation of the public both by private industry and our own government unconscionable and anti democratic then unfortunately you are still in the minority.

CPAC over the last four and a half years have been the exception by demanding to be heard and to have real input and consultation. We have seen the result as a Councillor and Mayor, seriously in bed with the polluter and corrupt regulator, have counterattacked by scapegoating CPAC for the manufactured crisis of Chemtura and the M.O.E. boycotting public CPAC meetings. This manufactured crisis was in conjunction with a new Council made up of three old guard Councillors namely Martin, Bauman and S. Shantz. The latter pair led the charge and the blatant deception.

Reasons abound for this now much more publicly apparent longtime public consultation charade. Keep in mind it has taken a local citizen (and still non-Canadian), as the much decorated by the GRCA and Region, face of the public at CPAC meetings to help sell the charade. She and her former Councillor buddy will continue to play nice and pretend that all is well. They both will also continue to personally benefit by their sellout of the public via receiving employment opportunities, travel benefits and increased status and prestige. The mayor's new conflict of interest rules will be ignored now just as they have been in the past.

Back in 1987 the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) was signed between Canada and the United States. Areas of concern were recognized on both sides of the border for cleanup and remediation. Hamilton Harbour as well as Collingwood harbour were included. Elmira's Uniroyal Chemical and their mess of the Grand River valley were bypassed intentionally. It would appear that the same political bodies at the local, regional and provincial level are continuing that coverup as well.

Why above and beyond the millions of dollars in costs that Chemtura Canada would have to spend, has their been so much weeping and gnashing of teeth (and lying) by Chemtura and the M.O.E. over Chemtura's off-property east side? Are they counting on the long awaited for Elmira by-pass on the east side to bury their contamination problems for them? Indeed ten to fifteen feet of gravel topped by asphalt would do just that. Unfortunately their would need to be culverts and bridges to allow for the natural drainage of the contaminated areas to continue into the Canagagigue creek. These would continue the decades long solution to pollution via dilution.

It is a conspiracy of our politicians at all levels and if they live long enough will be exposed. Jail time already is decades overdue.