WEDNESDAY EVENING'S TAG MEETING

The bad news first. Despite the Mayor and Mark Bauman selling out CPAC & SWAT to Chemtura and the Ontario Ministry of the Environmenmt, guess who were nowhere to be found Wednesday evening. Both of them have attended TAG meetings in the fall whether by invite or simply as they are public meetings. Not wednesday night. Good work there Sandy and Mark. Also zero media were present to learn so much and pass it on to the public.

There were four parts to Wednesday's meeting. Firstly was the Aquatox Biomonitoring Report, then Chemtura's BLE Report dealing with their recent spill. Some revisions to the TAG Work Plan were discussed and finally more details were given regarding suspended sediment monitoring.

Regarding the Biomonitoring Dick Jackson indicated that the major lesson is that source removal works. The reductions in toxins being absorbed by the receptors (clam & leeches) in the areas that had creek bank stabilization and or removal are dramatic.Dick however did express concern that downstream cages holding these critters that were washed away were not immediately replaced in order to obtain downstream (on-site) results. Interestingly he also commented on the M.O.E.'s plans to test Young of the Year (YOY) fish. The problem he sees is that they won't have the extra fat required to store DDT and Dioxins.

Dick Jackson also commented briefly on the just released East Side Soil and Groundwater Report. It indicated as expected that the neighbouring (Stroh) property is contaminated. He also stated that one monitoring well along the east side border was highly contaminated.

Mr. Jackson commented that there is longterm on site DNAPL which also is no surprise. He said he was not aware of any off-site DNAPL so at the end of the meeting I advised him of two highly probable off-site areas. I also reminded him of the quantities of liquid wastes pumped over to the east side ponds/pits. They were approximately 173,000 imperial gallons per day of waste liquids.

Dick Jackson (TAG Chair) also repeated his comments that Chemtura/M.O.E. have been measuring the wrong thing for decades. In other words they should have been measuring the suspended sediments not the water itself. He stated "How it could go on for so long he doesn't know". He also stated "which interpretation is worse 1) the ignorance of the situation or 2) knowing and not acting on it.". Finally he stated that the cleanup needs a company that are truly independent of the M.O.E. to peer review it.

Teri Buhlman of the Ontario M.O.E. sent an e-mail response in regards to warning signage for the Canagagigue Creek. Dick found her e-mail "a little underwhelming". TAG then passed a Motion to go to RAC advising that the response from Ms. Buhlman was inadequate and we urge the M.O.E. to put up signs with appropriate wording and imagery.

Swinging back to the revised TAG Work Plan three areas stand out. First of all the belated discovery of the basal gravel layer at the bottom of the Municipal aquifer is incredibly significant. Secondly the issue of back difusion of contaminants out of aquitards and low permeability areas will determine the final cleanup timeframe. Thirdly the poor effort regarding ISCO (In Situ Chemical Oxidation) will be attempted a second time. ISCO a source removal method can vastly improve cleanup times if used appropriately and in the right locations. Interestingly I presented a Delegation to CPAC on ISCO to the previous CPAC in 2008 or 2009. That pair (Susan & Pat) along with Chemtura and the M.O.E. ignored my Delegation. I had even pointed out that ISCO was used with some success in Cambridge at the Northstar Aerospace contamintaed site.

So Sandy and Mark where are you right now when an expert of the stature of Dick Jackson is telling us exactly what we CPAC & SWAT told you and Woolwich Council a year ago? Chemtura and the M.O.E. have been lying, deceiving and misrepresenting the facts to the public for the last twenty-seven years. Myself years ago plus CPAC and SWAT came out and publicly advised in the spring of 2012 that the 2028 cleanup date was nonsense and now everyone is on board. Sandy and Mark your horseshit and drivel about "respectful" dialogue is nothing but a smokescreen for the likes of Chemtura and the M.O.E.. After decades of lying to the public they do not deserve "respectful" dialogue. They deserve public condemnation and a swift kick in the teeth.