WATERLOO REGION RECORD ABANDONS ELMIRA RESIDENTS

GROSS NEGLIGENCE BY WOOLWICH COUNCILS, REGIONAL COUNCILS & ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................... As you can see by the double headline we will be discussing two separate (but related) issues today. The second (& smaller) headline refers to yesterday's posting here in the Advocate. Courtesy of Uniroyal former chief chemist Fred Hager, some CPAC members were advised twenty years ago or more that Uniroyal Chemical and the federal government had an emergency meeting in Ottawa back in the early 1960s to discuss recently discovered 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo p dioxin (TCDD) being found as an unwanted by-product of the manufacture of trichlorophenols (TCP) which are used to produce both 2,4,5-T and Agent Orange (2,4-d & 2,4,5-T). Of course both Uniroyal Chemical ownership & management along with the Canadian government were enthusiastically spreading misery and death upon several generations of Vietnamese people as well as upon American servicemen. That no American politicians or senior military persons went to jail for that speaks volumes as to the integrity of the American judicial system. .................................................................................................................. It is my understanding that Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira stopped the production of Agent Orange sometime within a few years of that meeting. I do not know the exact dates. I do know that there have been a number of studies since of the Canagagigue Creek examining sediments, floodplain soils, creekbank soils, fish tissues and possibly the benthic community as well. The years 1966, 1996, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2015 come to mind. Besides dioxins/furans some of these studies also included testing for DDT, PAH's, other pesticides and herbicides, mercury and PCBs. It is fair to say that the results of these studies were generally consistent. Testing for dioxins/furans and DDT in most samples led to horrific results far in exceedance of all criteria examined including fish tissues (i.e. tissue residue guidelines (TRG)). Many other chemicals tested for also led to exceedances of various provincial or federal guidleines and criteria. ...................................................................................................................... I believe it is accurate to state that zero cleanup whatsoever has occurred in the Canagagigue Creek off the Uniroyal/Lanxess property. Thousands of trees have been sacrificed for possibly millions of dollars of consultant reports, government reports etc. Not an ounce of contaminated sediments or soils have been physically removed from the downstream creek. By the way all the studies stopped either at or prior to the confluence of the Canagagigue Creek with the Grand River, approximately a half mile south of the village of West Montrose. Meanwhile fish (carp) many miles downstream in Kitchener have been tested and found to have 2,3,7,8 TCDD in them. Uniroyal Chemical is the only known upriver source. ................................................................................................................... Back to the main headline. Exactly what the hell are the Waterloo Region Record doing? On Sunday their environmental reporter, Leah Gerber, had her story published in the New Hamburg Independent. It was also in the Record's on-line synopsis of upcoming stories to be published and presumably distributed in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira and the Townships. To date it has not seen the light of day in any of our local municipalities including Kitchener, Waterloo or Elmira. The title of the story is as indicated here two days ago: "Experts probe Elmira chemical-manufacturing site for groundwater contamination". This is an Elmira located story and the Record aren't even distributing it to their Elmira readers. By the way I have confirmed with multiple friends in Kitchener and Waterloo that the story did not appear in the hard copy Record either Monday or Tuesday. I expect a phone call from them if it were to appear today although I can confirm that it certainly is NOT in today's Record delivered to Elmira homes. Exactly how large was the DONATION OR ADVERTISING DOLLARS you received Waterloo Region Record to betray Elmira readers and more? I hope it was worth your loss of credibility as allegedly being one of the "local" papers here in town. Bob Verdun, we desperately need you and the Elmira Independent back in town for unintimidated news coverage.