MONEY, HORSE MANURE, GRAVEL PITS & DEVELOPMENT ALL GO TOGETHER LIKE A HORSE AND CARRIAGE

Today's Woolwich Observer reminds us that really bad ideas being pushed by self-serving entrepreneurs are always about the money. Putting a residential subdivision across from CCC (Sulco) and Lanxess well within the "Kill Zone" of an air borne release of their "Worst Case Scenario", in my opinion is criminal behaviour. I don't give a rat's butkiss that our laws are so perverted that they give precedence to money and power over human life and wildlife.

Then we have the gravel pit located between Jigs Hollow Road and the village of Winterbourne. It is also located just north of the Golf Course subdivision in Conestogo. I believe it was the idiots on the lame duck Woolwich Council, immediately after the 2010 election tossed them out, who gave their approval in November 2010 for this pit to go ahead. Some may recall that Councillor Martin got the heave ho to be replaced by Bonnie Bryant who was clear in her opposition to the pit. Councillor Martin voted, possibly very strategically, against the pit (after the election) for which he was rewarded in the next municipal election as Ms. Bryant ran for mayor.

Kuntz Sand & Gravel were involved with this pit at one point. We then had the dizzying revelation that Councillor Mark Bauman lived on the same street as Ray Kuntz and may also have been involved with him perhaps in minor hockey(?). My guess was that Mr. Bauman was looking over his shoulder in regards to the incoming changes to the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (MCIA) and wanted to get ahead of potential allegations down the road. Hmm. Preston Sand & Gravel (PSG) are now involved and apparently not happy with the mediated deal they made a while back. That deal, in line with the Region of Waterloo's stated opposition to below water table gravel pits, was to keep their extraction at least 1.5 metres above the water table. Now PSG want to extract below the water table. Way below it to the tune of ten to fourteen metres or more.

For a substantial fee PSG or any other monied interest can hire intellectual prostitutes with credentials to write them a glowing "scientific" report. Those of us battling air, ground and surface water contamination here in Elmira have dealt with them for three decades. The nice term is "client driven." Quoting Gail Martin from the Elmira Independent many years ago, "sometimes niceness is over rated." She was referring to the "Duke St. rowdies" and their comments towards Uniroyal Chemical in the very late 1990s.

Allegedly PSG have approvals from the MOE, MNR and Region of Waterloo to move forward. The only one of the three which surprises me is the Region. Shame on them if they've made a private deal behind closed doors, not in the public interest. The first two have well deserved reputations among well informed citizens. They are not "nice" reputations.