THE TEN SECOND SYNOPSIS OF 2019

My book titled "ELMIRA WATER WOES: THE TRIUMPH OF CORRUPTION, DECEIT, AND CITIZEN BETRAYAL" was completed in September and is posted on-line in both the Waterloo Region Advocate blog as well as the Cambridge Advocate website.

In April TAG. myself, another CPAC member plus one more all attended a Lanxess site tour of their south-east corner including within ten metres of the Stroh Drain. Two TAG members, Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach and Joe Kelly, distinguished themselves by putting the public interest front and foremost without fear of repercussions from either Lanxess or Woolwich rulers.

TAG members and Chair Tiffany Svensson overall have acquitted themselves better than I expected. The first Chair of TAG, Dr. Richard Jackson, turned out to be extraordinary in his experience, breadth of knowledge and lastly in his take no prisoners attitude towards the parties who he believes have so royally messed up the cleanup and deceived the public over the last thirty years. This includes Conestoga Rovers, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, and various political bodies whether municipal, regional, provincial or federal. Dr. Jackson's larger than life example would be impossible for anyone else to emulate. Ms. Svensson has not attempted to do so but simply calmly, quietly, and effectively she has gone about her business of provoking discussion and debate between TAG members in regards to issues and reports introduced by Lanxess and their consultants GHD.

Despite the above Lanxess, GHD, and the MOE/MECP have done their best to do most of their work behind the scenes and to bolster their vision of a lesser cleanup of the Cangagigue Creek. Lesser of course means less expensive. This has included questionable science, scientific techniques (shovel vs. core sampling), high Method Detection Limits and any and all other methods including eliminating many significant contaminants from the cleanup picture. All the while they have with MOE/MECP cooperation been pretending to be embracing public consultation.

Lastly despite immeasurable excuses, reasons, theories they have failed to enhance their pump and treat system both on and off-site. Pumping was poor and well below their Target Pumping Rates for most of the year. They had installed a number of wells but unfortunately installation itself does not pump a single litre of water. Hydraulic containment has been a bust and clearly they just can't seem to make it work. A skeptic might note that every litre they don't pump and treat saves them money.


P.S. Asbestos fibres in Elmira drinking water. While one councillor (Mr. McMillan) went out of his way to give me a detailed reason why staff (& council) weren't interested (or legally obligated) in proactively getting the remaining asbestos pipe out of circulation yesterday, nevertheless I find staff and council attitudes very disappointing on health and safety issues of this significance despite Health Canada's abandonment of doing right by Canadian citizens.