NORMAL ECONOMIC & FINANCIAL POLITICAL (Regional) PRIORITIES ALWAYS TRUMP UNSEEN ENVIRONMENTAL ONES

This is why the small village of Heidelberg have been left drinking water from a contaminated (gas & diesel) supply for so many years. This is why tiny West Montrose residents were at risk for decades with their bacteria laden raw water supply. On the other hand the town of Walkerton had better infrastucture but were laden with incompetent employees (2), incompetent local politicians and incompetent, underfunded Ontario Ministry of Environment (thank you Premier M. Harris). Walkerton also had a much larger population than Heidelberg or West Montrose and when the residents suddenly fell sick en masse, it was a crisis. A very public crisis as the depth of the incompetence resulting in E. Coli contamination unfolded. People died - unfortunately nothing unusual and in fact I expect that if the crisis had been about seven sudden, difficult to explain deaths only, I'm sure our authorities would have done exactly that: explain it away. The problem was the 2,000 other people who were violently ill, hospitalized and bed ridden. A coverup was beyond even the capabilities of our biggest professional liars. ................................................................................................................................ E. Coli is a sudden and dramatic killer. Benzene, toluene, xylenes, NDMA and a plethora of other industrial solvents, degeasers and by-products are not. They do their work slowly and inexorably. They cause a multitude of health injuries and sicknesses over a period of years and decades not hours, days and weeks. Cancer is but one of the endpoints for industrial discharges whether in air, groundwater or surface water. Of course our authorities can and do explain those away as sometimes being lifestyle choices i.e.smoking & drinking , bad diet etc. .......................................................................................................................... Politicians prefer to spend taxpayers money where it will do themselves the most good, for example with Arts buildings, arenas, and of course the LRT in Kitchener-Waterloo. Infrastructure such as roads and buildings are visible. Water protection and treatment not so much. Hence unless there is a crisis such as the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis (NDMA) there is little incentive to go whole hog and do the right thing. In fact the Region, the Township and the province (MOE/MECP) didn't even come close to doing the right thing in Elmira. The cleanup within thirty years of the Elmira Aquifers have failed and even the guilty parties admit that. The Uniroyal (Lanxess) site remains a toxic mess although allegedly it is "contained" although the parties saying so are the same ones who promised to clean up both the Aquifers and the Canagagigue Creek. Neither have been accomplished. ...................................................................................................................................... I have to date received one response back regarding the proposed Heidelberg water supply and my e-mails to the Region of Waterloo and their consultants, Stantec. I am advised by the Region that "...your input on the historical aspects of the local area are noted." Hmm "historical aspects". Really? I believe that the treatment of the soils and groundwater is ongoing. Oh well now that my concerns have been "noted" I should be able to rest easy. Right? Our regional politicians would never sell out local Heidelberg residents with an inadequate water supply/treatment would they? Hopefully at the worst they would only lie and minimize the source of the contamination not underfund a new supply or underfund proper treatment. Hopefully.