A TOTALLY DIFFERENT (NON-ENVIRONMENTAL) POSTING TODAY

 You mean there's more to life than Uniroyal/Lanxess? There's more to life than the Canagagigue Creek, pollution and corruption? Apparently so.  There's even more to life than the outrageous coverup that's been underway by our politicians and other authorities for the last three decades plus. Family is the obvious choice as well as provincial/federal politics and even current events such as the horrific recent killing of an OPP officer who apparently was going to the assistance of a driver whose car was in the ditch. 

So what is my topic today? Gun control in Canada. We've had it in one form or another at least since 1935. My understanding is that handguns in Canada have all by law been registered here for the last 87 years. Not only registered but some form of firearms license has been mandatory for as long as I've been old enough to own long guns. My recollection is that my very first rifle was purchased from Canadian Tire over fourty years ago. I know during the late 90s the Liberals mandated a long gun registry and that rifle was registered . I also recall that my father bought a used single shot .22 calibre rifle from a fellow employee of Uniroyal Chemical when I was just a kid. So that was likely more than sixty years ago. I inherited that rifle when my father passed and it too was registered courtesy of the Liberal Party of Canada. I even recall the name of the former owner and Uniroyal employee and I'm sure it will ring some bells locally. His name was "Spot" Fulcher. I have no idea where the nickname "Spot" came from. Not bad eh I've actually swung even this post around to Uniroyal Chemical.

So courtesy of federal legislation a couple of very old rifles have presumably both been registered and then later fallen out of any registry when the Conservatives got back in federally.  I can guarantee this : neither of those rifles has ever been used illegally or for any activity other than shooting tin cans or paper targets with an appropriate backstop. Meanwhile we have a 25 year old kid with a substantial history of anti-social behaviour including assaults on police officers who has been facing both firearms charges and assault charges for some time. He was out on bail and failed to attend court last September which further bought him a warrant for his arrest. Over two moths later and he still hadn't been tasken into custody. Oh and all his firearms were in his possession illegally. What the hell! Did our vaunted firearms laws do anybody any good whatsoever? I think not. And that's the rub. Laws are obeyed by most Canadians and ignored by most criminals. So keep on passing laws politicians but ignore the followup. i.e. the enforcement etc.

UNIROYAL & CHEMTURA EACH WALKED AWAY FROM UPAC/CPAC ONCE

 Both times our municipal politicians panicked and threw in the towel. This included private concessions despite denials to UPAC/CPAC members. In other words our municipal politicians went behind citizens' backs (yet again) to make private deals with the dirty polluters. The second time namely in late October 2014 was the most blatant and egregious. It occurred shortly after the municipal election when Chemtura knew that Todd Cowan was out and Sandy Shantz in and they were ecstatic. The first time, poor little Uniroyal had their wee feelings hurt by the air subcommittee of UPAC being mean to them! Ron Ormston, Susan and Pat had the nerve to suggest that Uniroyal really weren't trying hard enough. Can you imagine that? Just because four families were having their lives and health attacked by middle of the night emissions from Uniroyal (1998-2000), UPAC actually criticized Uniroyal Chemical suggesting that they knew full well what they were emitting in the middle of the night and that it needed to stop immediately.

It was occasional actions like this from UPAC, Pat & Susan which had forged my confidence in UPAC and Susan. I never really trusted Pat McLean and it certainly turned out for good reason. She was nothing but Bill Strauss's right hand man whether on or off Woolwich Council. The second walking resulted in Chemtura and the Ontario Ministry of Environment privately insisting upon the removal of CPAC members especially including the Chair Dr. Dan Holt and myself.  It was an outrageous and self-serving demand which only the most corrupt and stupid municipal Council would ever abide by. Of course Sandy and Mark Bauman gussied it up with serious lying about CPAC members which the previous Council had appointed.

THE ELMIRA CLEANUP - A LITANY OF INTENTIONAL COST CUTTING, COST SAVING, NATURAL ATTENUATION, SPREAD IT FAR & WIDE (Dilution & Distribution), PHONEY & SHAM INVESTIGATIONS COMBINED WITH JUNK & PSUDEO SCIENCE LIBERALLY ADDED TO THE MIX

 Where to start. The November 4, 1991 Control Order was never honestly followed.  DNAPLS on site were not removed. Full hydraulic containment in all aquifers was never even close to being achieved. Each and every investigation was inadequate, superficial and or the conclusions did not reasonably flow from the data presented. Junk science included intentional sampling from unlikely areas knowing that the results would be bogus. Sampling routinely suffered from locational biases such that the company and consultants sampled where they wanted to do future work not necessarily where the greatest concentration of contaminants were. Constant, never ending groundwater leakage from all aquifers has helped flush Uniroyal contamination both downstream and downgradient in various aquifers. Shallow aquifer hydraulic containment at best barely covered 1/4 of the site discharge to the Canagagigue Creek. Sediment sampling often consisted of open shovels versus proper closed core samplers. Method Detection Limits often exceeded the health criteria of either provincial or federal regulations thus hiding exceedances by pretending that they were Non-Detect (N.D.).  Initial DNAPL investigations included Brian Beatty using outdated criteria (10% Solubility Rule) by quoting another hydrogeologist out of context (i.e. Stan Feenstra). Fancy names such as Optimization were bandied about to pretend that their cost cutting efforts had something to do with efficiency. They didn't. Distraction, Delay and Obfuscation were employed gratuitously to keep citizens confused and compliant. Other sources were both denied and ignored as long as possible including Nutrite (Yara) and their Ammonia contributions to the Municipal Aquifers (MA). Varnicolor Chemical's various solvent contributions to the MA were also denied and kept hidden. Other sources such as former landfills have been kept very well hidden including refusing to supply UPAC/CPAC with written reports upon request. Thank you Woolwich Township for that. Varnicolor's Lot 91 "cleanup" was a disgrace because it was surrounded on three sides by Landfill Creek and the Canagagigue Creek which washed away the sins of both Varnicolor and the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Other contaminant sources around town including multiple gas stations as well as textile industries, manufacturing industries, trucking industries were all kept on the downlow so as not to further degrade the image of the Ontario MOE. Lastly more trees were killed in order to produce the most ridiculous consultant's reports possible over the decades. Neither municipal nor regional money was made available to UPAC or CPAC (RAC/TAG) to do proper peer reviews on the plethora of junk science reports produced by CRA and GHD over the decades simply because our politicians had their sweetheart deals in place and did not want to rock the boat. These sweetheart deals were never in the public interest. 

Other than that everything was just about O.K.!

WOW AMAZING GOOD FORTUNE FOR CHEMTURA OR WERE PAT & SUSAN WORKING ON THEIR BEHALF?

 I've reviewed the four incredible DNAPL reports by Jaimie Connolly (MOE) and Wilf Ruland (independent-eh sort of). Jaimie's were dated April 3, 2006 and  May 2, 2008 while Wilf's were each a couple of weeks afterwards of each of Jaimie's namely April 21, 2006 and May 15, 2008. In one sense I could take a cheap (but very appropriate) shot at Wilf for the timing of his two reports. Being able to beat the Ministry of Environment to the punch really isn't a big accomplishment but twice in a row following them seems odd. Or... my guess is that Wilf and Jaimie were the lone serious objectors to the never ending and on-going DNAPL coverup.  Wilf has never impressed me with his backbone. In my presence I have seen him bend over backwards, contort himself grotesquely and almost literally kiss his own ass rather than offend Conestoga Rovers, Uniroyal/Chemtura or the Ministry of Environment. However... when the MOE (i.e. Jaimie C.) are strongly criticizing Chemtura/CRA  and Wilf is not alone, then apparently things change. WOW do they ever! 

Both hydrogeologists have spanked Chemtura/CRA regarding their multiple failures pertaining to DNAPLS and LNAPLS. Both have criticized Chemtura for refusing to do some source removal of DNAPLS at specific locations both on the east and west sides of their property. Specific locations and waste pits/ponds are singled out and named including the evidence pointing to both residual and free phase DNAPL presence. Jaimie repeatedly hammers Chemtura for not stopping the flow of contaminants dissolved or otherwise through known "windows" between the Upper Aquifer (UA) and the Municipal Aquifers (MU & ML). He also points out contaminant flow from the MU to both the Municipal Lower (ML) and then into the Bedrock Aquifer (BR).

So exactly how did Chemtura get lucky (i.e. "amazing good fortune")?  These four letters from Jaimie and Wilf were given to CPAC (2011-2015) via Todd Cowan's Woolwich Township council/administration. Apparently Pat McLean as Chair of CPAC back in 2006-2008 didn't feel the need to distribute them to all CPAC members at the time which included me.  Susan Bryant suggested that I did not have e-mail at the time hence they weren't sent to me. Really? No fax, no snail mail, no personal handing them over at a CPAC meeting prior to my Pat & Susan induced boot from CPAC by Woolwich Council in February/March 2008? As for the two very timely May 2008 letters I was attending CPAC public meetings constantly even when not a member. They were NOT on the Agenda nor were they ever publicly discussed. As I said "amazing good fortune" for Chemtura because I would have roasted those lying scum if I had known which makes me ask the obvious question:                                                                               "DID PAT & SUSAN ACT ON THEIR OWN FOUL MOTIVES OR WERE THEY ASKED NICELY ($$ or otherwise) BY CHEMTURA & FRIENDS?

 

THIS IS WHY I POST HERE ABOUT ELMIRA, ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Yesterday I did some looking back as in exactly one year ago to see what I was posting about. My goodness what a trip down memory lane.  It turns out that last Christmas I was posting about multiple DNAPL letters written by Jaimie Connolly and Wilf Ruland. Now there is quite a history around these letters however first let me say this. I have not recently written about either the contemptible Hawkridge Homes approval on Union St. across from both Lanxess Canada and from Sulco (CCC) nor have I posted about the apparently done deal at the former Paleshi Motors/U Pull It recycling/Bolender Park Landfill. 

Hawkridge first: All credit and kudos should go to Ron Koniuch (sp.?) of CCC for his and the company's efforts over not just years but at least a decade and a half or more attempting to stop a residential subdivision from being built literally across the road from heavy chemical industries.  This credit and kudos do not extend to Lanxess who dropped the ball possibly along with Chemtura and bailed on the fight. What the hell. It was Lanxess who have always been the greatest physical threat to nearby residents as well as to incoming families, not Sulco (CCC). Sulco have long ago sincerely embraced the *Responsible Care ethic  whereas Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura/Lanxess will embrace anything to polish their environmental image and possibly save them a nickel in cleanup costs.

After the Woolwich Council initiated departure of a thriving and well run business by Frank Rattasid we now have a much worse situation. Thank you past Woolwich Council for this. Hundreds of tractor trailers will be parking, entering and leaving the property at all hours of the day and night. Diesel exhaust fumes, noise and possibly fuel spills will follow. None of this was necessary. I think Woolwich Observer that you need to update your readers as to both the new reality as well as to the politics behind it.

I do suggest that readers go back via the Archives section of this Blog (right side) and check out some December 2021 postings. My recollection also is that there was an admission by Susan Bryant at TAG back then along the lines of ...no Ramin Ansari's (Lanxess) comments about all parties being satisfied with the DNAPL resolution was not fully accurate. There is also the slight problem about these DNAPL letters disappearing way back when. By disappearing I mean basically the very supportive of my position on Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLS) two letters each from Jaimie C. (MOE) and Wilf R. (private hydrogeologist) were not made readily available to either myself or the public prior to my DNAPL (not Ammonia Treatment System) removal from CPAC in 2008. Very, very convenient Pat and Susan you pair of manipulative back stabbers and worse.

Eventually all the facts will become public knowledge and Uniroyal/Lanxess and fellow travellors will be held in appropriate contempt by all. Even by those who personally benefited along the way.   

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL (Yesterday)

FURTHER YET TO BE CLARIFIED DISGUSTING REVELATIONS ON THE FORMER UNIROYAL CHEMICAL SITE (ELMIRA)

 Some of these revelations literally took decades to come to light. This is primarily due to intentional obtuseness if not outright obfuscation by the guilty parties. Please check out the "anonymous" comment posted on my last Thursday Elmira Advocate posting. The reference to "...oldtimers north-east of town..." talking about the oozing and flowing of liquid wastes onto the Stroh property is both interesting and revealing. There are lots of folks older than I who knew, saw and remember the bad old days. Lanxess may wrongly think that all these "oldtimers" are gone but they are not. 

I particularly found the reference to flowing onto the Stroh property and then flowing into the gravel pit to be interesting. Which gravel pit? Ahh but that is the question. Uniroyal and their hired guns, Conestoga Rovers, seemed to have no problem making a particular gravel pit (GP-1) get up and walk to wherever they wanted it to be. An examination of various maps produced by CRA/Uniroyal over the decades is illuminating. Also illuminating are other maps produced in the 1980's, earlier and later by outside parties that seemed to have a different opinion about various gravel pits on and off the Uniroyal property. Keep in mind that the Stroh property itself has a gravel pit. 

These very convenient and self-serving relocations of gravel pits are the stuff of corporate fantasies. This is yet one more reason why properties that are directly attached to public aquifers and public rivers, creeks and streams (and air) should not be treated by our governments as some sort of sancrosanct, inviolable, a man's home is his castle bullsh.t. Furthermore our "captured" public regulators (MOE/MECP) should also not have a monopoly on attending contaminated sites whether private or public (DND-Dept of National defence) etc. This makes "creative" solutions way to attractive to polluters. We learned early on that Varnicolor Chemical was literally hiding behind the lies of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) in Elmira. They counted on the long culpable MOE not to further damage their own reputation by either pointing fingers or by admitting to their own lack of control of Elmira polluters. 

Uniroyal and fellow travellors have long claimed that overflowing Uniroyal east side liquid wastes flowed directly into their favourite position of GP-1 (gravel pit 1) which was on the west side of the high NW to SE diagonal ridge of land. They simply redrew maps of the gravel pit to where it suited their narrative best. Their narrative was never going to be that they intentionally or otherwise caused/allowed their toxic wastes to flow directly onto their neighbour's property. Especially not in large quantities and over a period of decades (1945- 1970 approx.). 

How utterly convenient when governments are so accommodating to the fantasies, wishes, preferences and desires of industry. Even polluting industry.     

INTERCEPTOR TRENCH REFRESHER COURSE

 Slurry walls, interceptor trenches, the Waterloo Wall etc. are all variations of a type of remediation for contaminated groundwater. Some of these "walls" may have iron filings for example which interact with various chemical contaminants in groundwater. Hence the groundwater is in a sense filtered by the chemical interactions as it works its way through the wall. Some slurry walls may actually be for the purpose of stopping groundwater flow or even funneling or changing its' direction. Interceptor trenches can be for the purpose of redirecting contaminated groundwater possibly for treatment or discharge elsewhere. Interceptor trenches can also have chemically reactive components in them to effect treatment of passing contaminated groundwater.

Google Earth maps, satellite photos as well as simple aerial photographs have exposed some weird sh.t on the surface of the former Uniroyal Chemical site. Basically it is a series of straight lines running from north to south over on the east side of the Uniroyal/Lanxess site.  They then run south-east over to the Stroh property due north of where the steel conduit protrudes from several feet below grade and discharges into the extreme north end of the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm. (SDDB). 

Logically and practically it makes sense for Uniroyal Chemical to have constructed this bypass if you will. Shallow groundwater flowing westwards downhill from the east side waste ponds (RPE 1-5) towards the Canagagigue Creek appears to have been intercepted and via gravity flow redirected south and east to the Stroh property. To date any "explanations" from either the MECP or Chemtura/Lanxess have at best been pathetic and at worse patronizing bullsh.t.   

Further lending credence to the likelihood of this being a form of Interceptor Trench are drawings submitted to the Environmental Appeal Board by Uniroyal Chemical suggesting that the east side waste pits didn't need to be excavated as their contaminated migrating groundwater could be contained via these trenches presumably for later treatment. Hmmm???  

A serious *Responsible Care company would have fully answered these questions eight years ago versus still not yet.

ISSUES TEMPORARILY SET ASIDE RAMIN/LANXESS: NOT FORGOTTEN NOR FORGIVEN

 Do polluters enjoy looking over their shoulders? Do they perhaps relish the chase? Are they so arrogant that they believe that money will ALWAYS protect them from accountability?  Or are they simply hoping that they personally will be retired/dead before the shoe hits the floor?

How about politicians? Surely they must realize that as slim as the odds are of even a tiny bit of their bullsh.t being exposed at least some of it will come back to haunt them. Blatant lies let's see like "free trade" and globalization have reduced the quality of life around the world. Then there's what was described yesterday in the Record as blatant vote getting by federal politicians (Trudeau/Liberals) hidden under the guise of public safety is what new "gun control" legislation is all about. Canadians are at high risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, automobile accidents, respiratory diseases from polluted air with lesser risks such as plane crashes, dementia and falls. Somewhere way down the list is getting shot by either a thief looking to mug you or by a jealous husband.  I suspect that Canadian women may even have a higher risk of sexual assault by a stranger than they do of being victims of gun crime. Of what benefit to Canadians is deceiving them as to the risks around us?     

So what issues have been set aside by Lanxess and Ramin Ansari? One is the likely Interceptor Trench or equivalent on the east side of their property. The other is the phony location of former gravel pit GP-1. Both are related to the intentional, possibly even agreed upon by all parties, bypass of the Uniroyal site with contaminated flow of both surface and groundwater from the former waste pits (RPE 1-5) onto the Stroh property/farm. Even if the long gone, deceased senior Strohs agreed ($$??) why do I suspect that the further downstream/downgradient Martin farm and property had no say in the matter?

Not forgotten, not forgiven. Some of that crap ended up in the Martin swimming pond. Were all the children who swam in it ever financially compensated? Has their health ever been assessed on the basis of exposure to Uniroyal toxins? I doubt it.  Until the day I die I will still be chasing you filth. Oh excuse me that's not a "professional" comment. My bad.

GREENWASHING FOREVER: LANXESS, CAPP?, 3M

 Yesirree I sure do love it when our dirtiest, most recalcitrant polluters put their heads together to produce their world class puffery, horse manure and heavy duty bullsh.t. Hmm is it really bullsh.t if it looks like bullsh.t, smells like bullsh.t, comes from the back end of a bull BUT it's green in colour? I've been watching the recent television ads telling Canadians that the six largest petroleum producers are now working together to research improved "carbon capture" methods. Ooh how exciting is that? Why do I strongly suspect this is just an attempt to circumvent federal carbon capture requirements already in the pipe? Why would any reasonable Canadian be skeptical that the Canadian Assoc. of Petroleum Producers might be even slightly less than enthusiastic to limit the very profitable and self-serving  damage they've done to both the environment and human health for the last one hundred years?

3M according to today's Waterloo Region Record are attempting to phase out polyfluroalkyl substances known as PFAS from their consumer products such as non-stick frying pans, water-repellant sports gear, stain-resistant rugs, and cosmetics within two years. Never mind that the environmental and human damage from these substances has been known for many years we certainly wouldn't want to interrupt any more than necessary 3M's profits now would we. As I recall Dupont is also a big contributer to PFAS and also possibly PFOS and a movie was produced starring Mark Ruffalo a few years ago. Apparently Hollywood are much faster at responding to these human tragedies than corporate America is.

Finally we have the Lanxess Canada site in Elmira, Ontario. It was formerly owned by Chemtura, Crompton and finally Uniroyal Chemical. All four companies are masters of greenwashing albeit they long ago learned to capture their regulators first and foremost. This not only includes the dishonourable Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) but also local and regional governments if at all possible. Once you've made your early sweetheart deals it's all easy sailing afterwards. Pay for a new water pipeline, negotiate a cleanup such that the previous culpability of those very same regulators and authorities also put them on the financial hook thus giving them an incentive to always pick the cheapest and least effective cleanup method and you are golden. Really what's a little conflict of interest between friends? Once you've eliminated local governments and bureaucracies as adversaries then all you are left with is the local citizens. Again via manipulation, outright lying, co-opting certain special citizens to your cause and having your partners and fellow travellors publicly elevate and promote your special citizen friends you can sell the public almost any pile of crap.  

NEXT TAG MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 26, 2023

 TAG of course stands for Technical Advisory Group. Yes they have done some good work and yes at times they have rolled over and avoided confrontation or dispute at all costs. The Stroh Drain coverup is but one glaring example of that despite Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach's best efforts to shine a light on that cesspool. TAG have oh so gently, thoughtfully and kindly made comments almost approaching criticisms on other aspects of the Creek investigation as well. Generally I am in agreement with their comments and almost criticisms but am appalled at their temerity and tip toeing around the obvious. 

TAG have actually suggested that maybe, just maybe the sampling on the Stroh property has been inadequate. Other than along the shared property line with Lanxess there have been exactly zero soil samples taken further south anywhere near the Stroh Drain. There have been allegedly four different locations in the Stroh Drain where sediments in the bottom have been sampled. In reality one sample location occurred closer to the northern end of the Drain and the other three are all much further south close to the Canagagigue Creek. These three are also due west of the Martin swimming pond. Yes both DDD and dioxin/furans have been found in excess of federal criteria. One concentration actually exceeded the criteria by thirty times but this smoking gun has been ignored by TAG  (except Sebastian) to TAG's undying shame. 

TAG and their Chair also covered up my written Delegation to them which included topographical maps and more proving that overland flow of wastewaters primarily went south-east onto the Stroh property versus due south into GP-1 (gravel pit 1). This is but one more smoking gun that friends, colleagues, clients and fellow travellors are pretending doesn't exist in order to smooth Lanxess and the MECP's path to walking away from this unremediated environmental disaster. No debates or serious public discussions have occurred at TAG on these matters and full credit goes to TAG Chair Tiffany Svensson as well as Mayor Sandy Shantz. Together they have guaranteed Woolwich Township's future reputation as the Dogpatch of Waterloo Region. 

MAJOR SHOUT OUT TO BOB BURTT: LESS SO TO ONE WHO ALMOST SINGLEHANDEDLY SOLD THE CLEANUP DOWN THE GRAND RIVER

 Today's Waterloo Region Record has an article written by Terry Pender titled "New book calls on citizens to monitor drinking water supplies". This new book is titled "Water Our Sacred Trust" and is authored by Bob Burtt, a former Waterloo Region Record environmental reporter.  Terry Pender's article is absolutely excellent and raises a number of issues that have been either ignored or buried here in Waterloo Region for decades. The sub-title to this Record article says it clearly : "Bob Burtt's new book, "Water: Our Sacred Trust" raises questions about municipal water supplies as the population increases in Waterloo Region." It certainly does raise uncomfortable and long ignored questions.

 Backstabbing, manipulation, politicking, isolating your opponents, you name it, she practiced it. It didn't even matter if her opponents themselves were unaware that their goals or interests somehow conflicted with hers. She had strategic allies along the way including Sylvia Berg, Pat McLean and possibly even Regional Chair Ken Seiling. I too was a strategic ally for exactly as long as she felt that I could assist her goals whatever they were. She sold out a number of APTE members along the way including Rich Clausi, Dr. Henry Regier, Esther Thur, myself and only possibly Susan Rupert. While I have the utmost respect for Susan Rupert, her departure from APTE spelled the beginning of the end for that organization's success despite other wonderful members still being involved.

Bob Burtt refers to climate change as the biggest threat to the Grand River and salt as the biggest issue with our groundwater. I might quibble although Bob himself makes it clear that industrial solvents in groundwater have damaged and closed drinking wells in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Elmira. He correctly advises that ""I think they have come to realize that aquifers will never be cleaned up," said Burtt of the ongoing Elmira contamination."  Bob also promotes the role of Citizen scientists/watchdogs as well as hammering our current Premier Ford for his "...continuous assault on the environment".

So what was her motivation? Personal fame, status, influence? Or was it cleaning up the Canagagigue Creek? Well her methods certainly backfired regarding the Creek. The so called Risk Assessment (HHERA) to date is a total crock with little or no serious cleanup planned. Just when local allies are most important she is somewhat bereft. Yes there are new allies involved with local tree planting (Tweec) as well as one or two APTE members still kicking such as Shannon P. S. and Sandra Bray but I've seen nothing for decades of the former APTE coordinators. I assume they have all backed off and let Susan carry the ball for the last 15 - 20 years. My prediction still stands in that Lanxess and the Ministry (MECP) will throw Susan a bone for her past assistance to them by agreeing to do a token cleanup of at least one "hotspot" likely the one located in the Canagagigue by New Jerusalem Rd. This will be trumpeted as a major victory for citizen participation, for Susan and for the environment. In reality it is no such thing. It is a sham and a facade just as the whole "investigation" of the Creek has been. It barely scratches the surface of an environmental disaster that has been managed and manipulated from the beginning by politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen. 

Irony of ironies. Unless Bob Burtt has recently seen the light he has been one of Susan's biggest supporters for decades.

MORE ON THE NOVEMBER PROGRESS REPORT

 

Apparently Lindane and Aniline groundwater concentrations are slightly decreasing over time on the former Uniroyal Chemical site. Or at least they are somewhat decreasing in the areas tested which consist of the MISA (Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement)  outlets into the Canagagigue Creek. The ongoing and likely forever legacy of this site are all the other toxic chemicals on site which will always leach/dissolve into flowing groundwater and migrate either off-site or into pumping wells (when they are running properly) where some treatment occurs before they are discharged into the Canagagigue Creek.   

SOME of these other chemicals include the following as listed in this Progress Report as groundwater concentrations.

Supplementary Sample Analytical Results November 2022 LANXESS Canada Co./Cie Elmira, Ontario 

Page 1 of 1 Sample Location: GCI GCE Sample Date: 11/1/2022 11/1/2022 Parameter [µg/L] Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 

Benzene 10.8 ND(0.20),  Chlorobenzene 3020 ND(0.20),  1,1-Dichloroethane 0.38 ND(0.20) 

Ethylbenzene 3.57 ND(0.20),   Toluene 1.47 ND(0.20),   m/p-Xylenes [1] 0.71 ND(0.40),   

o-Xylene [1] 0.68 ND(0.20),   Aniline 29.2 ND(2.0),   Benzothiazole 21.3 ND(2.0),  

 Carboxin (Oxathiin) 6.69 ND(0.10),   2-Chlorophenol 6.18 ND(0.30),  

 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole 196 ND(20),   2,4-Dichlorophenol 0.38 ND(0.30),  

 2,6-Dichlorophenol 1.91 ND(0.50),   2,4,5-Trichlorophenol ND(0.50) ND(0.50), 

 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol ND(0.50) ND(0.50)

 Notes: GCI Carbon Tower Influent. GCE Carbon Tower Effluent. ND(RDL) Not detected at the associated reporting detection limit. [1] Samples analyzed for m,p-Xylenes and o-Xy

As a sidenote the concentrations plus incredible numbers of different compounds certainly indicate the presence of both LNAPLS and DNAPLS (free phase) whether or not Lanxess/MECP and other fellow travellors will confirm or not. Also [ug/l=ppb] =parts per billion hence all concentrations are parts per billion.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE NOVEMBER (ALLEGED) PROGRESS REPORT

Well Lanxess have denied that failing to achieve the Target pumping rates for the on-site Municipal Aquifers (MU) as set by their own consultants is not a problem. Maybe not for them and their pocketbooks but I disagree otherwise as explained here a few days ago.   I believe their on-site MU pumping was 4.2 litres per second with a Target Rate of 4.7 l/sec and their off-site pumping including ALL off-site pumping wells was over 70 litres per second. Yes that included pumping a mile away in the south end of Elmira at E7 but it also included pumping at 15.3  l/sec at W9 due west of the Lanxess site (near Union St.). Lanxess need to do a better job of defending their claims of no issues or no problems in maintaining hydraulic containment of contaminated groundwater on their Elmira site. 

COP15 ? BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE

 I hope that I've got that title right. Anyhow I read the article in today's Waterloo Region Record and I think I understand what the poorer and less developed countries are saying. Generally the wealthier countries are in the northern half of the globe and the poorer in the southern half eg. Africa and the southern half of South America etc. I also understand that the dramatically reduced biodiversity around the world is very much in the northern, wealthier and more developed parts so exactly why should the southern half of the world be paying as much as the northern part who have caused much of their own loss of biodiversity through either poor planning or thoughtless development at the expense of habitat, clean water, air etc.

On a similar note perhaps...If I am appalled at how power, money and political influence adversely affect environmental cleanups here in Ontario, Canada then what the hell must environmental cleanups look like in Mexico, the Middle East, India and China? Way back in the 1980s our Ontario Ministry of the Environment was nicknamed the Ministry of Lumps & Colours. Their main goal then was to remove liquid industrial discharges from our rivers and streams that either had solids in them or were grossly coloured perhaps like the stories I've heard of the Canagagigue Creek running orange in colour.  I'm guessing that this was courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical but maybe Borg or another textile company contributed. Who knows? Also I expect that the Ministry of Lumps and Colours was tasked to get rid of all the phosphates producing "suds" in our waterways.

Nowadays the Canagagigue Creek may not look like a pristine northern Ontario river but neither does it have the stench of solvents or other obvious chemicals in it. In one sense as the Creek has gotten cleaner it may have gotten more dangerous as local parents can visibly see less pollution. This of course hides the dioxins/furans, PCBs, DDT and mercury in the Creek which are all highly dangerous. Combine that with the puffery and environmental drivel coming from the MECP (Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution) as well as Lanxess about there only being "acceptable" risks in the Creek and citizens are easily fooled. Maybe this is the only difference between our pollution and third world countries' pollution. Ours is much less visible and obvious. Appearances are everything to the professional liars. 

HOW CAN LANXESS SQUARE THE VISIBLY CRINGEWORTHY, ODOUROUS CIRCLE?

 Firstly I'm not even sure that squaring the circle is the proper metaphor. Maybe a better expression would be a reference to an idea or statement failing the smell test. Or even the very old if it quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck and looks like a duck, it probably is a duck. All of this is regarding how on earth above and beyond shameless lying and horse manure are Lanxess ever going to convince the public, much less any authorities, that there has been appropriate and proper public consultation in Elmira/Woolwich's thirty plus years of the "...cheapest, least effective" form of environmental cleanup? 

Oh wait, they and their predecessors are indeed masters of obfuscation with a minor in advanced horse manure. This is combined with inappropriate sweetheart deals between Uniroyal Chemical and Woolwich Township, Uniroyal and the Ministry of Environment, Uniroyal and the Region of Waterloo etc. Do you notice a pattern here? The political manoeuvring long preceded any attempts at cleanup. So to put it simply the guiltiest of all the parties negotiated self-serving deals with the only slightly less guilty political parties absolving themselves, with only modest financial "reparations", of blame, real public consultation and first class restoration of the natural environment which they destroyed. This natural environment included both deep and shallow groundwater, air, soils, surface water (Canagagigue) and the bottom sediments and creekbank soils.

So they've already succeeded with "convincing" our authorities. Now can they convince an increasingly and appropriately skeptical general public that right has been done? They will hire only the best intellectual prostitutes for that job.     

FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATES FROM LAST WEEKS RAC MEETING

 RAC - Remediation Advisory Committee - Yeah right!

You decide if the following is a 1 out of 10 or a 9 out of 10 in significance. Sandy as Chair introduced Agenda Item 5. "HHERA Updates - Lanxess" and she couldn't advise what HHERA stood for. Yes I was offended because 1) I already believe she's ignorant and uninformed  and 2) come on this HHERA (Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment has been on the Agenda constantly for the last two to three years.

Ramin Ansari of Lanxess advised that Lanxess and GHD are still waiting on the commercial laboratory for the soil and earthworm results from the samples taken early in the fall.  These allegedly are to provide clarity as to maybe the extent of dioxin/furans and DDT being uptaken biologically from the site. Seems to me to be "busy" work to help cover up more important data gaps elsewhere.

Regarding the 2028 groundwater cleanup deadline Ramin again advised that it won't be met and that he did not know when it would be. He suggested that the issue wasn't discussed much in 2022 with the focus being on the HHERA. He agreed that options for dealing with the deadline need to be discussed and Tiffany had thrown out the possibility of what she referred to as REDOX. I believe that may be a chemical/heat reaction involving removing oxygen hence breaking down various contaminants. Dioxins/furans come to mind as my understanding is that dioxins have two oxygen molecules and furans one. Tiffany or Ramin also mentioned that Dr Jackson (1st TAG Chair) had discussed In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) as a form of source removal although neither mentioned his serious criticism of the efforts of Chemtura /CRA with that effort..  

Briefly swinging back to Lanxess not meeting the on-site Target groundwater pumping rates my notes indicate that Ramin said that if you "...relax off-site then on-site can be reduced as well." That is different from the conversation he and I had later when he was talking and agreeing that total off-site pumping  was actually a little higher than it had been historically for many years. 

Ramin also made it clear that Lanxess currently believe that on-site pumping will be ongoing "in perpetuity." I guess my concern is how much on-site pumping. For example pumping and treating one or two litres per second from the Municipal Aquifer on site ten years from now will simply end up splitting the otherwise full migration of contaminated groundwater such that a portion moves off-site, downgradient untreated and another portion is contained, treated and discharged into the Canagagigue Creek.  

REAL PUBLIC CONSULTATION REGARDING THE REDUCTIONS IN ON-SITE (UNI/LANXESS) PUMPING WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS

 Real versus pretend public consultation that is. Real versus lip service public consultation. Real public consultation versus set up, hand picked (Sandy/ Lanxess/ MECP), company friendly appointees. Cherry picked citizen appointees are not all co-opted, biased company men and women. They are not all anti-environment, pro development, frothing at the mouth Republicans (sorry U.S.). Maybe a few are but give some credit to world class, multi-national, multi-billion dollar companies for some brains. You appoint a Sebastian from the last CPAC specifically because he has a well deserved reputation for both honesty and a calm demeanour. Yes he has a strong sense of duty and responsibility but he also has a built in adherence to authority and to deferring to professionals in fields that he is not a professional. My understanding is that Sebastian teaches possibly both business classes as well as I believe History. I would call him expert in both and I doubt that he would back up or accept bland assurances from a fellow expert in those fields without very strong evidence being presented. It's a different story however with Hydrogeology, Biology, Hydrology and Chemistry as these are not his areas of expertise. Experts in those fields are bought and paid for by Lanxess Canada and some of them frankly are full of bullshit and rely on their credentials and degrees to bull through utter nonsense. Ministry of Environment (MECP) "experts" are also very careful as to how far they will go disagreeing with either Lanxess or their consultants (GHD), less due to scientific reasons and more due to political reasons. Past sweetheart agreements between the MECP and Uniroyal combined with mutually culpable, embarrassing and even possibly civil liability issues come to mind. 

Other citizen appointees may be less noble than Sebastian and accept appointments after being vetted by their employers who rely on MECP good will and or Lanxess/GHD good will for present and future business. Again others have been brought in with zero knowledge of the history of the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis and are easily led down the garden path of alleged corporate responsibility and good will. 

Besides a vastly different members makeup there are other changes required in this particular issue of on-site groundwater pumping failures both in the Municipal Aquifer (MU) PW4 & 5 but also with the shallow aquifer pumping system (UACTS). Ramin and Lanxess need to back up their sent down from heaven, Moses like Commandments with actual hard data. Yes my apologies to busy professionals (committee members) in that it would require more background reading and time commitment but to put it bluntly either crap or get off the pot and let those of us with both the expertise and the time to step up and do the work. Ramin should have presented written Tables of past pumping rates for wells PW4 & 5 as well as for the shallow aquifer pumping wells or at least the total for them. In other words a basis for comparison for both the deep (MU) and the shallow aquifers. Once everybody agreed that there has been a significant decrease in on-site pumping then further data provided by Ramin (Lanxess) somehow proving that there has been LESS nearby off-site Municipal Aquifer (MU) pumping would add weight to his bold statements that Target Rates (MU) set by HIS consultants are not significant/important. In other words Ramin, put it in writing and prove your claims as well as allowing real debate by informed citizens on the matter versus rubber stamping by busy professionals who do NOT want to raise a ruckus or red flags.

SECOND LOOK AT STRANGE SENSATIONS - THURSDAY'S RAC MEETING

 O.K. I've done my due diligence. Officially I think that Ramin (Lanxess) once again have found yet another shortcut/money saver. Why would I not expect that he's on a corporate bonus system that rewards him for each and every dollar saved on the cleanup? His employers are not saints nor are they a non-profit charity. They sure as hell aren't even in a particularly clean business as proven by them and their colleagues (Dupont, Union Carbide and so many more). Sure you can put lipstick on a pig and just like the CIAC (formerly CCPA)  pretend that *Responsible Care fixes everything. It helps yes but a rogue or irresponsible chemical company are just going through the motions. 

Here's what I found out. As expected the distance of off-site pumping wells from the Uniroyal/Lanxess site varies dramatically. In order of closeness to the site we have W5A/B, W8, W9, W4, W6A/B, W3, E7/9. W5A/B I expect is within 100 yards/metres of the stinking, contaminated pigpen ....(oops don't want to sound biased from three decades plus of being lied to)  so let's just say from the property. The farthest wells however (E7/E9) are approximately a mile away. Keep in mind that despite this distance  pumping at E7/9 does affect (lowers) municipal groundwater levels on the site hence a very direct hydraulic connection. 

So what I did was quite straightforward. I have maintained Tables of pumping results for both on and off-site pumping wells, gleaned from the monthly alleged Progress Reports since 1992. Looking through them many trends are obvious such as the pathetic overall off-site pumping as promised to both the public and to CPAC both twenty-five years ago and specifically in November 2012, a decade ago. No wonder they aren't going to meet their 2028 commitments.  Also pathetic are the recent (last couple of years) incremental decreases in pumping of the UACTS (Upper Aquifer Containment & Treatment System). Anything to save a nickel although I expect that Ramin has an answer for the likely/probable ongoing leakage of Uniroyal contaminants into the Canagagigue Creek as well.  

What I see as the largest volume changes in off-site pumping over the years is the decrease from approx. 13-15 litres/second to 0 l/sec at well W4 located just west of the former Varnicolor Chemical site on Union St. Notice where W4 is located in relative distance from Uni/Lanxess. Then we have the long delayed arrival of pumping well W9 on the scene. It is not only located closer to Uni/Lanxess but it is cross-gradient versus further downgradient as W4 is. W9 didn't really get going until August 2021 other than a few months in mid 2019. Currently W9 is pumping between 13 to 16 l/sec. and I emphasize is CLOSER to the Uni/Lanxess site. Now the relatively recent additions  of wells W8 and W6A/B are mostly irrelevant in regards to affecting on-site containment because of their tiny pumping rates. We are talking .07-.09 l/sec for W8 and W6A/B a total of less than 1.0 l/sec. and it is much further away than W8. Also I've looked carefully at W5A/B which are the very closest off-site pumping wells. Generally their pumping rates have been stable over time (8-9 l/sec) with occasional bouts of melancholia reducing one pump or the other.

So the net result I see in off-site pumping rates are slightly more pumping from a well closer to the site (W9) combined with the reduction to Zero l/sec at W4. This therefore using Ramin's logic that he discussed at RAC last Thursday should have caused either no change in on-site pumping to maintain hydraulic containment or at most a small increase. Instead there has been a steady decrease for the last thirteen or fourteen months. Hence I'm not buying his explanation and leaning towards mine of saving a nickel on cleanup costs even to the point of going backwards and losing hydraulic containment of higher on-site contaminated groundwater leaking off-site.

STRANGE SENSATIONS - YESTERDAY'S RAC MEETING

 I mean really???  After both Sandy and Ramin seemed interested in provoking feedback, engagement, discussion from RAC members why wouldn't I put up my hand to ask a question? Just because the terms of reference are reprehensible? Just because any politician in an allegedly democratic country should be appalled and ashamed to have gone along with this blasphemy and putrid process? Just because the stench of corruption and rot now permeate the entire alleged cleanup of both the Elmira Aquifers and of the Canagagigue Creek? So up went my hand despite past attempts being stifled. That is especially easy to do when it is a virtual meeting and the corrupt organizers control the mute switches, video switches and on-off switches. 

Sandy paused, briefly looked strained and said "O.K. Alan". What followed was a straightforward question regarding Ramin Ansari's statement that failing to achieve the Target pumping Rates was not an issue at all. Ramin confirmed that indeed my numbers and "mathematics" were correct regarding both on and off site pumping and regarding both past and present Municipal Aquifer pumping. He suggested however that spatial considerations trumped actual pumping rates. In other words greater pumping rates further from the site did not require an increased pumping response from on-site pumping wells. 

So what I'm left with is this. I need to closely examine my decades old Tables with thirty years of pumping data on them. From those it should be relatively clear if Ramin has a point or not. I have long known exactly where each and every pumping well is located and what their pumping values are. From memory I am skeptical of Ramin's latest claim but wish to confirm one way or the other via carefully examined past data whether or not it has credibility.

WERE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ELMIRA WATER CRISIS TOO HOT TO HANDLE FOR LOCAL POLITICIANS?

Were the long term health implications minimized in favour of maximizing the long term survival of both past and present municipal and regional politicians? Never has there been a public release of a health study nor even of population wide health statistics.  Never has there been a formal comparison of say the Elmira population with the rest of Waterloo Region. Never has there been any comparison of downstream Canagagigue Creek Mennonite farm families health with that of other rural farm families in Waterloo Region or elsewhere. Why Not?

Why have I suggested that municipal and regional politicians are very afraid of the truth not to mention provincial ones? Is it because all the facts and data were well known literally two decades prior to the alleged "discovery" of NDMA in Elmira's drinking water in November 1989? These facts included that the aquifers under Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira were directly connected to both the North and South Wellfields. These facts included that NDMA was prevalent, in fact ubiquitous, in and around rubber and chemical manufacturing facilities. These facts included that both on land burial of chemical wastes and river disposal had been known to contaminate drinking water miles away as well as river systems for hundreds of miles downstream in Europe since the 1880s. Other facts included that NDMA which according to Uniroyal's Wally Ruck "was not in our vocabulary" had been found in Uniroyal Chemical's wastewater in the 1970s as well as in the air around their plant for just as long. 

All of this speaks to incompetence or worse approaching the level of gross negligence. This was a multi national, multi billion dollar chemical company. They owned and had the chemical expertise. Their background included knowledge of European chemical manufacturing. They knew the risks and the probabilities of serious environmental and human health damage in Elmira, Ontario. As did any local politicians who did five minutes worth of due diligence. And yet it was full speed ahead with minimal proper safeguards and maximum puffery and obfuscation towards concerns and criticism.   

TELL ME IT ISN"T SO MATILDA!

 Are the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) coming clean as per their comments posted here yesterday? Or as was suggested a couple of decades ago was a certain, obstrepterous old man who greatly reversed his environmental position having a stroke? We hope not.  The Ministry (MECP) are hinting that all the NDMA in the Elmira Aquifers primarily came from the Uniroyal Chemical east and west side pits prior to 1970 but after that they aren't so sure as to how much beneath the pits was contributing to the NDMA in the Elmira Municipal Aquifers. Holy Crap!

Is it possible that Varnicolor Chemical took up the slack otherwise known now as the NDMA "deficit" and were responsible for most of it from 1970 onwards? Up until now the debate was whether Varnicolor Chemical were a significant contributor of NDMA to the Elmira drinking water aquifers. If this proves to be true, and yes there is lots of evidence of NDMA being generated at the Varnicolor site, then this will stand the Elmira Water Crisis on its head.

 There certainly has been a known chlorobenzene "deficit" for a number of years. It was discovered by a U. of Waterloo hydrogeologist and professor who authored the Conceptual Site Model (CSM) document. My recollection (perhaps foggy) was that something like 1200 kg. or more of chlorobenzene was mathematically determined to be present in the Elmira Municipal Aquifers than calculated from purchase orders and production useage. My suspicion has been either Borg Textiles or possibly Varnicolor despite a supposed lack of chlorobenzene found in Varnicolor's shallow groundwater. Borg and Varnicolor are downgradient from Uniroyal Chemical but located upgradient from the south wellfield. Hence they are in the middle of the plume coming from Uniroyal. Or are they? It now looks as if they may be the authors themselves of much of the chlorobenzene and NDMA contamination  first "discovered" in November 1989.

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT (MECP) COMMENTS REGARDING 2021 ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT

 Just to be clear that is indeed review comments by our blessed and beloved MECP not for this year completed (2022) but from the previous year (2021 . The Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) comes out each spring from Lanxess's consultants. It is an annual report and summary of important and ongoing alleged remediation items such as on and off site pumping & treatment plus groundwater elevation contours as well as contaminant concentrations of various plumes on and off site. It used to contain much more but has been trimmed over the decades either due to superior cleanup performance (HA!) or more likely just because.

Hmm the MECP are getting a little pushy here. They actually claim that Lanxess have failed to elucidate the sources of NDMA to the Elmira Aquifers after 1970. They further advise that future reporting (AMR) should include whether or not the decomissioned on-site ponds are still contributing as a residual source of NDMA in groundwater at the site.

On page 4 the MECP bluntly state that the "...timeframe to achieve the existing clean-up objective to restore to drinking water standards for NDMA and chlorobenzene in the off-site MA is uncertain".

A supposed isolated detection of toluene in September 2021 in the Creek and how this detection of toluene was corrected is not provided in the AMR. Similarly the rationale for believing that a temporary loss of containment in the Upper Aquifer allegedly did not cause any adverse affects in the Creek has not been provided. In other words yet again the Conclusions of GHD (always helpful to Lanxess) are not squared with the data and information presented.

Rebound refers to contaminated soils discharging contaminants into the surrounding groundwater and hence raising the concentrations of themselves in the groundwater. Apparently this phenomenon is being proven at the South Wellfield as pumping well E7 is being shut down intermittently and indeed NDMA concentrations begin to rise again in the groundwater. There is also much discussion of residual sources of NDMA  and chlorobenzene in groundwater. 

Further discussion of the pros and cons of the Ricker Method plume stability analysis concludes that Ricker can not predict a time frame to achieve a remediation goal at sites where there is a residual source in the aquifer/aquitard. Apparently in the Municipal Aquifers under Elmira residual phase LNAPL & DNAPL? are considered a continuous source of dissolved plume NDMA and chlorobenzene.No surprise there folks. Yet where was the fuc.ing MECP during all the DNAPL investigations and first class coverup?

Other MECP concerns are how much cleanup of the Elmira Municipal Aquifers are due to natural attenuation processes versus from the On and Off-Site Containment & Treatment System. Apparently the effect of the pump & treat systems on residual sources is unknown. Unsurprisingly the MECP would like future AMRs to provide information about the status and distribution of residual sources of NDMA and Chlorobenzene in both the saturated and unsaturated soil zones at the Site and off-site.

There are a few new interesting admissions here by the MECP. Good for them. Doubtless  Lanxess will ignore them and there will be no consequences. 

ONGOING HANDWASHING REQUIRED WHILE READING RAC MINUTES

 I'm not complaining. This is a good thing especially during an ongoing pandemic or two. I've just looked over the recently released RAC Agenda for this Thursday as well as the Minutes for the last RAC meeting of September 29, 2022. I believe that our less technically competent and informed attendees and participants are as equally effusive in their praise of RAC and TAG as are Ramin Ansari and Chair Svensson. This speaks well of the indoctrination and training provided by those most interested in having their way.

I would prefer of course, being a meat and potatoes sort of person, to see much more stimulating and aggressive questioning of numerous environmental issues before both committees. To my longterm consternation it appears that serious discussion or criticism is not really on the Agenda at all. Far more important, surprisingly at first blush to me, is the back patting, butt patting team comraderie on display. Oh aren't we all just wonderful folks getting along, going with the flow, always assuming that things will work out in the end simply based upon the humanitarianism, morals and ethics of corporate Lanxess Canada. 

This folks is the longterm devolution of public consultation. No disagreement, no strong criticism, no detailed responses or explanations of what are clearly unresolved contradictions. Also the reference in the title above is in regards to what gets smeared on one's hands while reading this horse manure. 

GOOD NEWS & BAD NEWS

 The good news is the criticism being laid upon our premier Doug Ford. What an incredible doufus and why in the name of common sense are his Cabinet not moderating his stupidity somewhat? Bill 124 and Bill 23 if I've got the numbers right are the latest outrages. Opening up the Greenbelt allegedly to both lower prices for developed land and homes while increasing the stock of new home construction seems nuts. Clearly infrastructure whether hydro, water, sewers, gas lines, roads etc. is much less expensive closer to where it's already established. Am I the only one who thinks that starting from scratch and building all new infrastructure whether in the middle of the woods or on the edges is a little bit nuts?

Then we have the bad news. Dear Lord folks where have you been over the last ten, twenty, thirty or fourty years? Doug Ford is doing exactly what Conservative governments have always done in Ontario which is to pander to the privileged and wealthy to make them more privileged and wealthy whether at the expense of the rest of us or not. How could anybody who's read a newspaper in the last number of decades be surprised at Doug Ford's behaviour? Why did you twits elect him if you don't like the crap he is pulling? News flash we've got exactly the stupid government that we the stupid people elected. Whether caps on working peoples' wages, new unneeded highways, Notwithstanding Clause threats or opening up the Greenbelt  are all in a day's work for him.

AROUND & AROUND WE GO???

Well we have a RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee) virtual meeting next Thursday at 5:30 pm. Agenda Item #5 will be an update on the HHERA (Human Health & Environmental Risk Assessment) and it would be harsh to suggest that it will all be blatant and disgusting lies. It will however be a pack of puffery, B/S, and self-serving drivel intended to "prove" that they are going the extra mile. For themselves they are indeed doing that. I also expect that there will be earthworm and other sampling which will be interpreted exactly as Lanxess/GHD and the MECP want it to be. remember the object here is not truth it is appearances and if they can sell it to both newbie Woolwich councillors as well as experienced co-opted mayors and other bureaucrats then all is accomplished. To attend this virtual meeting contact lschaefer@woolwich.ca

Agenda Item #6 is Status Update on CTS - Lanxess. This is an update on the status of the Containment & Treatment System which likely is the hydraulic containment of multiple pumping wells throughout Elmira. The theory has always been to pump contaminated groundwater , treat it and then dump it back into the Canagagigue Creek versus back into the aquifers. Unfortunately we have had decades of underperforming pumping of the aquifers literally for a myriad of never ending reasons and excuses. Literally sometimes full pages of excuses per month. Hence the volumes promised to be pumped and treated aren't even close to the pumping rates we were promised. Doubtless this will all be sugarcoated, fluffed up and more excuses made next Thursday. 

The last item is apparently some interest being shown by Member of Parliament Tim Louis. He is looking for some data both about the Canagagigue Creek and about the Elmira Aquifers to see if any of it falls within their federal jurisdiction. The fact is that it does although the Feds have run for the hills over the last three plus decades so why would they do their jobs now?

TIME TO RALLY THE TROOPS!

 Lanxess and the Ontario Ministry of Environment are on the cusp of declaring victory and pretending to have cleaned up Elmira's aquifers, Creek (Canagagigue) and even a significant part of the site itself. It's all puffery and horse manure aided and abetted by some of our local politicians who know better but prefer to bury their heads in the sand and declare the view just fine. Well the view is not fine and all the obfuscation, deceit and manipulation have done exactly nothing to clean up the mess that Uniroyal Chemical in conjunction with the Min. Of Environment (MECP)  have left succeeding generations of both human beings and of wildlife in and around the Canagagigue Creek. Truth certainly is the first casualty of war  but it's also the first casualty of money and power who feel that their influence should exempt them from the laws of the land including environmental laws.