ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT CONTINUE TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR INCOMPETENCE & OR CORRUPTION

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carried the following story titled "Reserve has waited 8 years for air quality review". A First Nations community near Sarnia is taking the Ontario government to court to demand it complete an air quality review of their neighbourhood which was promised back in 2009. Ada Lockridge secured a promise from the Ontario M.O.E. that they would review how air pollution is regulated where there are multiple chemicals and multiple different sources of the chemicals. This of course describes the area around Sarnia as it is well known as "chemical valley" due to the nearby petrochemical industry.

The Environmental Bill of Rights sets out a legal duty for the M.O.E. to complete such reviews in a reasonable time frame. Members of the local community have long suffered with headaches, asthma, learning disabilities in children and miscarriages. Going from memory I also believe there have been concerns with gender imbalances of newborns with the suggestion that airborne chemicals may be the cause of fewer male children being born in the community.

Clearly the issue of multiple chemicals concurrently in the air, whether from one facility or many has long been ignored or overlooked. Essentially the M.O.E. have legitimized harmful air pollution through their individual Certificates of Approval per process and per company. The Ministry's conflict of interest is also apparent as the Ontario government do not want to alienate either corporate donors or powerful and wealthy interests in the province which the petrochemical industry certainly are.