LOCAL NEWS DISAPPOINTING COMBINED WITH A "I TOLD YOU SO"

First off today's Woolwich Observer carrys a Public Notice for next Thursday's 4 pm. in Council Chambers Remediation Advisory Committee (RAC). To date, unlike TAG which has been shockingly forthright, RAC has preformed exactly as expected. In other words Chemtura and the M.O.E. lie and deceive and the rest of the bureaucrats (GRCA) and politicos (RMOW) do not confront them for it. That said I am ever hopeful and if anybody brings up the multitude of elephants in the room it will be the Chair of TAG (Technical Advisory Group), Dr. Richard (Dick) Jackson.

Secondly we are advised in today's Woolwich Observer that there will be a community open house June 8 "making use of a training railcar that will be onsite for a three day period.". This railcar will be open for the public to enter and see various valves, fittings and safety features. Local chemical producers and transporters are involved with this Open House. To date I've not decided whether I will attend or not. One issue is whether Chemtura will be having a good air day or not as they are hosting the event. In the past on-site odours during visits have been unpleasant while most of their employees have been oblivious to the chemical odours.

Last Tuesday's council meeting also included discussion and acceptance of a "Staff" Report dealing with the "Municipal Elections Modernization Act" currently under debate in the provincial legislature. I enclosed "Staff" in quotes because I don't believe that either Julie or Val authored that report as so indicated. These are the types of issues for which Dave Brenneman is paid the big bucks (Sunshine List). This report is against the use of Ranked Ballots in the next municipal election but otherwise supports a basically ineffective and superficial "modernization" of the MEA (Municipal Elections Act). I spoke as a Delegate and indicated the significant amendments to enforcement that Mr. Richard Clausi had formally submitted to the legislature last summer. The Observer failed at least in this week's edition to include any of that discussion or Council acceptance of the "Staff" report.

Similarily I submitted a Letter to the Editor regarding the final confirmation that indeed Varnicolor Chemical did contribute to the contamination of the Elmira drinking water aquifers. I suggested that further deep testing and remediation would likely assist in cleaning up the Municipal Aquifer below the Varnicolor (Elmira Pump) site and in the long run help achieve the unlikely 2028 cleanup goal of the entire Municipal Aquifers. This of course is where my "I told you so" comes in. This is especially directed at the CPACs prior to 2010-2015 who pretended along with Chemtura and the M.O.E. that Uniroyal (Chemtura) were the only source in town. The Observer did not publish my Letter to the Editor this week despite my making changes to it that they suggested.