INTENTIONAL MINISTRY DELAYS

CPAC found out a year and a half ago that the Ministry of Environment were witholding reports and technical information to suit their own timing rather than due to lab delays. CPAC hired MBN Environmental to take samples near the local creek and had no difficulty in getting them analysed promptly by a professional lab. Lo and behold the 2015 creek sampling done by the Ministry has just been released within the last week. It should certainly be interesting to see if the delay was to allow the M.O.E. to remove samples that would even further comprimise their untenable position based upon the 2012, 2013 and 2014 sampling results. Their untenable position is that all that is required is a human health risk assessment thus ignoring many exceedances of criteria for sediments, fish tissue residues and floodplain soils. These criteria are for both aquatic life in the creek as well as for human beings.

Meanwhile we hope that on Thursday November 17 6:30 pm. at the TAG meeting there will be some kind of update as to whether the increased off-site pumping has started or not. It would also be nice to know whether or not Chemtura are going to use In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) on various off-site hot spots or not. I'm not counting on finding out as we have no idea whether Chemtura or the M.O.E. will grace us with their presence. Funny thing Sandy and Mark but as TAG have turned the accountability screws on them they have up and disappeared just like they did with CPAC two years ago. Exactly what kind of technical advisory group (TAG) are able to do their best work when Chemtura and the M.O.E. usually aren't present to answer questions? This will be Dr. Jackson's last TAG meeting and that is a huge loss.

The last RAC (remediation advisory committee) meeting of the year is scheduled for December 8 at 4 pm. in Council Chambers. Dr. Jackson presumably will be there as Chair of TAG. To date we do not know who will replace him although I know approaches have been made to other professionals. Will Sandy and Mark make the same mistake twice by hiring a professional with backbone (as per Dr. Jackson) or will they bring in one of the plethora of ...kissers and toadies who don't want to offend Conestoga Rovers (GHD) or the M.O.E.? Finally who from TAG will replace Susan and Pat as TAG representatives at RAC? Dr. Jackson clearly indicated that he wished to rotate TAG members in and out on an annual basis.