I don't believe that I had ever heard of him before or certainly ever met him. His only "sin" may have been what Sebastian referred to as "professional condescension" which of course is hardly a mortal sin or when compared to the ongoing and never ending sins of say the Ministry of Environment (MECP) is pretty small potatoes. So why did I refer to his QPs as Qualified Pe#%&*+. Well certainly I've had a bellyful of asshats and other "professional" jerks categorically dismissing the efforts of citizen scientists and citizen volunteers here in Elmira, Ontario. Also I've had decades of reading the reports produced by alleged "Qualified Persons" and often they are nothing but self-serving garbage served up on a plate of aren't we special. Far too many lies have been told and swallowed by some simply because reports are signed by bought and paid for jerks with credentials.
Phil was trying to defend the fact that it now seems clear that the Region of Waterloo hit contaminated soil under Church St. East along the border of the former Uniroyal Chemical property and they the Region were NOT interested in specifics and details. Specifics and details such as a full analysis of the contaminated soil plus were there any identifying or signature (Uniroyal) chemicals as well as the benzene we were told about. It is important as to whether or not the contamination originated from Uniroyal Chemical or from some alleged coal tar paving (tar macadam). I indicated in an earlier missive that Phil appears to have been handed a can of worms by Boris Lakovic who was the immediate superviser on the job. If that is correct than Phil was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and took the brunt of my appropriate outrage. At the same time my "outrage" was also an attempt to deride and poke fun at the Region in general which under the circumstances is understandable. Do I have anything personal against Phil? Of course not. He may be either a saint or a devil for all I know or more likely somewhere in between.
I apologized straight up without excuses to Ron C. for sending him a copy of my e-mail to Phil but when Sebastian took offence, I did not apologize. Sebastian was out of line and I'm running out of patience. Yes Sebastian is one of the few on TAG who fully understands their failures and weaknesses but still appears to want to bridge both CPAC and TAG. Nice in theory but in practice I believe there is something biblical about trying to please two masters??? TAG are not a total writeoff but are very close. They were appointed NOT to rock the boat and in fact I believe to actually add credibility to each and every incredibly bad decision and position of Chemtura/Lanxess and the MECP. Leadership is not deference and more TAG members need to stand up publicly and be counted. Otherwise resign and make room for those with more courage and backbone to oppose the junk science and psuedo science being used to justify NOT cleaning up the Creek and the aquifers properly.
Mr. Marshal, you have almost always stuck up for Sebastian, but the rest of us may be thinking more and more that he may be just another GREENWASHER "controlled opposition." and most probably another political wannabe. Nobody bureaucratically is more suspect than their chair however! She is directly and legally responsible for their success or failure on locating the sources and the contamination and its removal. It is also certain that everyone on the group will be individually named in either the failure or the success historically.
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