BOTH CHILDREN & ADULTS IN ELMIRA ARE BEING POISONED WHILE OUR AUTHORITIES PASS THE BUCK

IT'S NO WONDER THAT WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP ARE IGNORING THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF ASBESTOS FIBRES IN OUR TAP WATER WHEN THEY STILL HAVE LEAD WATER PIPES IN TOWN HURTING RESIDENTS.


Of all the incredibly shortsighted actions and non-actions of our authorities including the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), Woolwich Township, Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE/MECP) and lastly Health Canada; the absolute worst is leaving lead waterlines in the ground that run from underneath the streets to private residences, schools and daycares. Let me be clear here. I do not know all the stupid, self-serving, quasi legal actions that our authorities have done or are doing. I am referring at this moment to their actions/non-actions in regards to drinking water distribution.

The lead service lines have likely been in the ground at least for seventy years and the asbestos cement waterpipe for sixty years or more. This crisis did not happen overnite. It has been carefully kept out of the public spotlight for decades although now it is beginning to finally get the attention it deserves. It is no wonder that fourty percent of our population will get cancer in their lifetimes.

The news from the WRDSB that schools throughout Waterloo Region have lead exceedances in their drinking water is shocking. Experts have advised that there is absolutely no safe level of lead in drinking water when it comes to young children. It damages them neurologically. It permanently reduces their intellectual capacity. These lead exceedances are above 10 ppb (parts per billion) which is the provincial standard. The federal standard (Health Canada) is 5 ppb. Any lead whatsoever has no place in our drinking water and successive generations of politicians have known this and generally kept their mouths shut allowing this mass poisoning to continue. Keep also in mind that just like asbestos cement waterpipes, that lead was used at least partly because it was cheaper.

The WRDSB clearly haven't removed at their expense all the lead pipe going into their schools because they aren't legally obligated to do so. My guess is that they'd rather use the money to buy labour peace with all their employees rather than on non-mandated health upgrades. Maybe the various unions in the schools might just decide that they too really don't need daily doses of lead and or asbestos fibres and begin to push for pipe replacements.

You know I've recently mentioned that I understand Woolwich employees not looking for additional problems to fix that they aren't mandated to do. In light of my recent knowledge as to how far from best practices or from the Precautionary Principle that our authorities have strayed, it is clear that they can't handle the lead problem properly so why would I ever expect them to handle things like explosive methane (Bolender Park Landfill) or asbestos fibres leaching from asbestos cement waterpipe into our tap water. Councillors, staff and school boards are in over their heads and neither the province nor the federal government are helping. All these authorities continue to pray that their citizens do not wake up and demand immediate action.