BELATED BUT NEVERTHELESS APPRECIATED MEDIA ATTENTION TO WOOLWICH ISSUES

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record have again published their Editorial in regards to the toxic environmental legacy in the Canagagigue Creek. The title is "Our waterways need protection". Their Editorial touches on both the oil spill into the Grand River as well as the sediments in the Canagagigue which include Dioxins/Furans and DDT. The production by Uniroyal Chemical of DDT after the Second World War as well as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War is mentioned in the Editorial.

The Record advises that the levels of these compounds in the creek still exceed the Canadian federal guidelines as they have for many decades. Why have they not long ago been cleaned up and removed before causing injury to both humans and wildlife? Mention is made of the Grand River being used as a drinking water source and if that assists in focusing the public's attention on how we treat our waterways, then that is a good thing.

I will probably go out today for the second time to assure myself that the warning signs advising against eating fish from the crrek have indeed been posted. I went out on the opening day of the fishing season (April 23/16) and they had not been posted as yet.

Much needs to be done and unfortunately the word manipulaters and truth avoidance experts are on the job. Both the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Chemtura Canada, the sucessor to Uniroyal, have no interest in doing the right thing. It's all about self-interest for them and always has been.