ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Last Thursday morning I sent a cover letter and four pages of questions concerning the Bolender Park Landfill to Woolwich Council and Staff. Copies also went to the Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) as well as the media. I had previously sent this information to my environmental friends and colleagues on CPAC. Two of them responded with advice and suggestions.

The title above refers to government accountability and transparency. All governments publicly endorse those attributes while at the same time doing their best to hide from them. Woolwich Township are no exception. They believe that democracy should be seen but not heard. Even the seeing should be but once every four years at election time.

In my covering letter I advised Council that I had been a Delegate to them five times this fall on the methane issues in and around the Bolender Park Landfill. Their lack of questions or clarifications on my and other citizens' concerns were shocking. Similarly their refusal to sit down with me and discuss the glaring discrepancies and omissions in their consultant's ten or more reports has also been shocking. Exactly what part of transparency and accountability are they unable to understand? Who exactly do they think they work for? Maybe it's the M.O.E., their consultants (CRA/GHD) or perhaps the local companies who deposited their industrial wastes in the Bolender Landfill?

Oh and despite the very short time to date of only a couple of business days, there has of yet not even been an acknowledgement of my letter and questions having been received by them. These questions are worded as clearly and politely as possible. They are all relevant and need to be answered whether or not they give reassurance to local citizens on the health and safety matters involved. In fact the answering of all these questions might actually assist and clarify the Township in the actions they need to take to protect the health and property of nearby residents and workers.