UNIROYAL CONTINUES TO BAFFLEGAB

On August 18, 1998 Dr. Henry Regier, at a public UPAC meeting, was quoted by the K-W Record. Henry stated that the entire Canagagigue watershed needs to be cleaned up. Furthermore he stated that the company and the community have a moral and ethical responsibility to clean up DDT and Dioxins in the creek. Ten days earlier Uniroyal had placed an Ad in the Woolwich Observer in which they stated "In the 1980s we stopped using ponds to store wastewater because chemical contaminants from these ponds had been getting into the groundwater below our site.'. This was in reference to their west side ponds RPW5-8. In 1991 consulting company CH2MHILL, whose client was the Region of Waterloo, estimated that 3,400 litres of wastewater per day were going into the shallow aquifer beneath these ponds. This figure was AFTER they had been clay lined in 1970. Before that it was considerably more.

On August 31, 1998 Gail Gardiner in an Editor's column wrote "It's not hard to imagine UPAC meeting 40 years from now debating how best to decontaminate this site.". Well UPAC changed to CPAC, was disbanded in a disgusting fashion by our current Council, and then was replaced by TAG and RAC. So we are nearly half way towards Gail's 40 year prediction. I believe her basic point was that UPAC and the public were being taken for a ride courtesy of both the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Uniroyal Chemical.

By August 28/98 the Woolwich Observer published an article titled "Residents raise stink about Uniroyal". Further they wrote that residents were complaining about sore throats, constricted breathing, burning eyes and headaches. Susan Bryant stated "They (Uniroyal) try to make out like it's some great mystery. Of course they know what they're producing, they know what they're using."

The Elmira Independent on August 31/98 quoted Councillor Bram Hollman who stated "It's not just an odour. It's an irritant to people's noses, throat and eyes.".

In the September 5/98 Observer I was quoted as telling residents at a public meeting the following: "Folks the bottom line is you are being poisoned. Don't look to Uniroyal, the M.O.E., CRA or the Township. If you want something done, you have to do it yourselves.".

Esther Thur of the Elmira Environmental Hazards Team stated at a UPAC meeting "Lindane is far more dangerous than DDT. It is one of the most dangerous chemicals in the world.". Esther had suffered from cancer which she felt was directly related to decades of Uniroyal air and water pollution. In the September 14/98 Editor's Column of the Elmira Independent, Gail Gardiner (Martin) stated that regarding the Duke St. citiens group RAM that considering what they were suffering "Niceness is highly overated.".

This was another blast from the past. Enjoy!