INDEMNITIES, SWEETHEART DEALS AND FIXES ALL CONTRARY TO THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Incestuous political relations between levels of government are a must for pro corporate, pro business deals contrary to the public interest to be sucessful. Past Indemnities such as Uniroyal, Varnicolor and Safety-Kleen have been joint measures between Regional and Provincial governments or at least provincial ministries (M.O.E.). Not one of these has been in either the public's or the environment's best interests. Fortunately for the guilty parties involved neither the public nor the environment had a vote in those decisions. Also fortunately for the guilty parties knowledge of these Indemnities only came about well after the fact.

The past Indemnity to Phillips Environmental allowed them to ignore the initial, jointly discussed Control Order laid upon Varnicolor Chemical. It was discussed with the involved public who dragged the corrupt Ministry of the Environment along by the scruff of their necks until they accepted their environmental obligations. Then surrepticiously the M.O.E. backstabbed that very same public by selling out deep investigation of the Varnicolor grossly contaminated property. How bad was Varnicolor's contamination? Quoting Jim Germann of Elmira Pump, the current owners; the concentrations of contaminants in the water table weren't in parts per billion or million they were in ounces per gallon. Do the math and you will understand what Mr. Germann was saying.

The Uniroyal site was and still is horribly contaminated but the M.O.E. gave them an Indemnity only making them responsible for new, unknown contamination as of October 1991. All that was known was forgiven provided they "cleaned up" the Elmira Aquifers and removed the wastes from two east side pits (RPE 4 & 5). Oddly when thousands of gallons of free phase LNAPLS (toluene) were found floating on the water table in 1995 only initial efforts were required and when they were unsucessful the M.O.E. turned a blind eye. Similarily the "newly" discovered likelihood of contamination on the Stroh farm east of Chemtura has caused "investigations" by Chemtura and the M.O.E. but excuses, doubletalk and stickhandling are the order of the day. With CPAC muted by Sandy Shantz only Dr. Dick Jackson has been able to speak with authority on the matter. The same thing goes for the recently discovered ongoing deposition of Dioxins/Furans and DDT in the Canagagigue Creek.

While politicians refuse to acknowledge the truth, dilution remains as their favoutite "cleanup" methodology. This is true between Safety-Kleen and the Grand River, 750 metres downgradient from Safety-Kleen's forerunner (Breslube) as well as on Lot 91 in Elmira. Lot 91 was grossly contaminated with solvents and as well P.C.B.s were found buried in a drum(s).

The latest proposal regarding development on the east side is essentially going to do the same thing. The contaminated Martin and Stroh farms will be buried under a north-south Arterial road, the "Gig" will be at least partially in a culvert and dilution as it always has will slowly over decades or centuries continue to take Uniroyal/Chemtura contaminants downstrem into the Grand River and eventually into Lake Erie.

All of these actions are intended to divert financial responsibility for cleanup from corporations and inflict the consequences of non cleanup upon the public and the environment. And our municipal, regional and provincial authorities are all aware of it and a big part of it.