LATE TO THE PARTY HYDROGEOLOGIST NOW DISILLUSIONED WITH GROWTH & BILL 185

 His name is Bill Clarke and he is featured in a story in today's K-W Record titled "Ground water expert warns against development in southwest Kitchener".  Oh my talk about a late to Jesus moment. The article written by Terry Pender advises that Mr. Clarke worked for developers building subdivisions around Maryhill and Erin. He also worked (problematically) for gravel pits and quarries looking to expand. I've got one to add to this. He wrote the groundwater report on behalf of Golder & Associates for Varnicolor Chemical in Elmira. Now I'm going on memory for the following but I believe that he also testified at an Environmental Appeal Board hearing on behalf of Severin Argenton, owner of Varnicolor Chemical.  My recollection is that he stated that in his expert opinion there might have been a small spill or two of solvents, perhaps measured as a couple of cups of solvents! Good Lord I recorded and gave a written document to the Ministry of Environment recording a dozen or so spills over the course of a year with the minimum  spill being a 45 gallon drum of dirty solvents. 

So at this time Mr. Clarke is "...disillusioned by this unchecked growth and expansion." He also states that "...thinking about doing any of this stuff is beyond my comprehension." regarding open season for development in southwest Kitchener. O.K. maybe Mr. Clarke has genuinely seen the light decades after the fact. Perhaps what he thought was both normal and O.K. for the environment and in the public interest in his youth, he now understands is no such thing. I'm going to hope that he has sincerely rethought about the advantages and disadvantages of unchecked growth and come to a new understanding as exemplified by his comments in today's article.   

AS EXPECTED NO RESPONSE FROM TRAC

 Why would there be? Just because it's the right thing to do? Just because the individual critiquing Joe Ricker's (WSP) "asymptotic behaviour" sales job has more direct experience starting in 1989 than all the TRAC members and more combined? Just because my knowledge, insights and comments on the Elmira Water Crisis and non-cleanup are so feared by Sandy and the MECP that I was effectively banned from speaking  at TAG for nearly nine years?

Keep in mind that following this last Delegation to Council (May 14/24 ) I did not send my critique of Joe's junk science attributing pumping failures to "asymptotic behaviour", on to the new/old TRAC. Why bother? Most of them couldn't even be bothered reading any past written Delegations that I submitted to TAG or RAC. This information came from a sitting TAG member. Furthermore none of them ever asked me a question much less discussed or debated publicly any of my suggestions, comments or criticisms.  They displayed both ignorance and contempt of any citizens who dared to contribute any information to them at all.

So hear we are again. Woolwich Council, not I, passed along my written and spoken words to Council members regarding pumping failures being prematurely attributed to "asymptotic behaviour" .  What are the chances actually of either Council or TRAC formally or otherwise responding whether with comments or questions?  Almost zero I expect. My latest comments are accurate and obvious to anyone who takes more than five minutes to actually research the facts that I raised. This is exactly why Lanxess and the MECP will also ignore my input. It shows how pathetically corrupt they are hence discussion will only hurt their illegitimate cause.

AGENDA NOTES FOR LANXESS, MECP & TRAC

 

Continue with lots of confusing junk science at TRAC.

Get some type of formal order for a new cleanup deadline from the Min. of Environment (MECP).

Pretend to embrace some sort of "magic bullet" remediation that will fix the cleanup.

Include some kind of "stick" i.e. consequences for when the next deadline fails.

Ensure there are loopholes in that "stick" so as not to discourage or embarrass Lanxess.

Prepare well in advance new excuses for pumping failures as the old ones really are becoming repetitive.

Work harder to obtain new citizen co-optees/sympathizers as the old one is showing signs of age.

Possibly surreptitiously form a new APTE as the old one has been long gone for decades.  

 Fake some kind /any kind of remediation in an least one or two alleged "hot spots" in the Creek

Deny any past payoffs to downstream users/residents including the Stroh family.

Carry on with whisper campaigns, lies, exaggerations and more used to weaken any opposition.

Find innovative ways to "use" the still contaminated groundwater in order to dispel the notion of "failure" 

TOBACCO'S FUTURE : A PROVINCIAL CASH COW FOREVER OR WILL THEY WIND IT DOWN?

 Both in yesterday's Toronto Star and in today's Waterloo Region Record we have an Editorial written by Cynthia Collard representing Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada and others. She is describing the ongoing discussions and negotiations between Big Tobacco and the various provincial governments. What is unusual is that the Premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, has gone public with his province's expected $500 million payout. 

This is based upon population as well as numbers of smokers hence Ontario could easily receive ten times as much up front as well as follow up payments.  The real issue is whether our governments will extort many more millions over the decades by allowing Big Tobacco to keep on addicting and selling their products to the public. In other words drain them dry now and forever or let them operate in order to generate more revenue for the provinces. 

Hmm and why is it that these negotiations have been kept so quiet for so long? Maybe the provinces are willing to sacrifice millions more to BIG Tobacco as long as it lines their pockets as well?    

April 2024 PROGRESS REPORT CONTINUES THE HORRID TREND

On-Site municipal aquifer pumping has not achieved its' Target Rate in over two years now. Off-Site pumping has not achieved its' monthly published Target Rate in seven of the last twelve months and since the promised Tripling (later reduced to Doubling) of off-site pumping in 2012 it has NEVER occurred nor has the reduced goal of Doubling ever occurred.

 This is why informed Elmira citizens hold Lanxess, MECP and Woolwich Township in such contempt. You are a pack of unrepentant liars! 

But never fear! Mayor Shantz's wonderfully deferential and supportive of the status quo TRAC committee are on the job. They will as usual look at the latest couple of months pumping only and dutifully report Lanxess's excuses back to themselves and the public. 

Again never fear. Via their latest junk science ("asymptotic behaviour"), Lanxess, GHD and Joe Ricker (WSP) will reassure all that letting their pumping on and off site slide is no longer a problem because they have achieved all they can with pump & treat technology. That is of course yet another lie but who's counting? More importantly who cares? Certainly not the mayor nor Woolwich Township.

  

ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN NON-PUMPING IN ELMIRA & THE 700 ACRE LAND GRAB IN WILMOT TWN.?

 Of course there is! Firstly it's our pathetic Regional government involved in both issues. It is also our pathetic Provincial government as well. Doug Ford can pretend to be hands off regarding Wilmot but who is he kidding? He is so completely in bed with developers and other monied interests and always has been. Think the Greenbelt scandal. The same Waterloo Regional government is behind the expropriation threats in Wilmot and involved in promoting the status quo in Elmira. Our Ontario government  through the Ontario Ministry of Environment are up to their corrupt ass*% trying to hide their immoral and illegal behaviour here in Elmira.

Sweetheart agreements between the MOE and Uniroyal have negatively affected the Elmira cleanup since November 1991. Worse than publicly written sweetheart agreements are the non public but likely written agreements between the two corruptors.  For example DNAPLS will be only given token examination and pretend investigation . Furthermore "new" environmental issues were  neither exempted nor indemnified in the November 1991 Control Order & Sweetheart Agreement. These issues such as the contaminated Stroh and Martin farms as well as the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm would be conveniently ignored, overlooked and or again "pretend" investigated by the polluters client driven consultants while the MOE/MECP closed their eyes and held their noses. Just like the Region of Waterloo.

Our governments at all levels have long ago learned to lie to the public just about everything. Only a tiny percentage of citizens will remember those lies and throw them back in the various government's faces down the road. It's a hell of a way to run a country and both Canada and the world are suffering from it.

TRULY DISASTEROUS RESULTS FROM GOVERNMENT (MECP) INCOMPETENCE

 Our so called Ontario Ministry of Environment, better known as the MECP or Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution, have outdone themselves. Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following story titled "Mill waste affects mercury levels in nearby river: study". Apparently not satisfied with ruining people's health and lives for the last fifty years it turns out that the mercury poisoning originally from dumping by Reed Paper has and continues to be made worse by current discharges of sulphates and organic from a paper mill at Dryden, Ontario.

What the hell! A study commissioned by Grassy Narrows First Nation and conducted by researchers at the University of Western Ontario concluded that the contaminants still being released by the paper mill are contributing to the elevated production of methyl mercury resulting in mercury levels in fish as much as twice as high as they would otherwise be.

Why was it a private study commissioned by the victims' that found this? What has the MECP been doing for over half a century other than running interference for the provincial government and others? Now what will the MECP do? Perhaps take another fifty years and then decide what they've already decided namely that these peoples' lives are not worth the tax dollars needed to help them? People our governments to their shame are not serving our needs . 

NOW THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION STARTS YEARS AFTER LANXESS & MECP HAVE MADE THE CHANGES

 This crap has been pulled by Uniroyal Chemical and the Ministry of Environment before. Basically they make the changes they want first and then they go looking for the O.K. from the public consultation body later. Back in the very early 2000s it was called Optimization. Honest citizens (neither Uniroyal nor MOE) suffered from an Amending Order to the 1991 Control Order. It was signed by Kal Haniff of the MOE and dated June 2000. Then the debate started at UPAC/CPAC without any the public knowing that the Ministry had already completed the Amending Order.  

This crap is going on again. Groundwater pumping both on and off site has been significantly reduced over the last five years yet only now are Lanxess and the MECP seeking approval from TRAC formerly RAC & TAG. Lanxess are trying to sell "asymptotic behaviour" as the alleged scientific excuse behind their greatly reducing pumping and treating of groundwater. It's all about saving Lanxess money at the expense of the public interest based upon lying by the polluter and his fellow travellors including the Ministry of Environment (MECP) and Woolwich Township.

Meanwhile local idiots continue to think that the only course of action is working with TRAC. See how well working with the authorities early on helped the Jewish people in the Second World War. Same stupidity only stronger abuses of authority then. 

"LETS TALK IT OUT." "POLITE, RESPECTFUL DISCOURSE CAN RESOLVE ANYTHING" THE B/S NEVER ENDS

"TRAC is the only game in town."  "What other choice is there?" Here is the other choice. Resistance. If the only option presented is unacceptably bad then DON'T accept it. The magic word is "NO." Absolutely make it clear that either TRAC or whatever other self-serving option the professional liars and fellow travellors offer is totally unacceptable and cringeworthy.

Professional polluters and liars alike in positions of authority (financial, political etc.) abuse that authority at will. If they feel untouchable and unaccountable they are all the worse.  Going along with their self-serving ideas that harm the public interest will never succeed. Reforming them will never succeed. Getting bought and paid for people profiting from the status quo to change and see the light will never succeed. 

What is needed is persons in authority who are not in a conflict of interest position.  Persons who will not suffer personal loss of money, status, authority by doing the right thing. That is woefully unlikely as they are constantly being bombarded with inducements, favours and entitlements of their job. Whatever authority they have is likely based upon them already having convinced their colleagues that they are not radicals and that they will support the status quo and the various established "institutions"  such as police, health  care, education (Boards), municipalities etc.

The only other alternative is to get the public en masse behind you. That is nearly impossible to do and even if briefly it happens such as in Elmira in 1989-1995 it does not last. Citizens have families, careers and other interests which take their time and energy. The professional liars and their friends count on that and just wait them out. That is exactly what the filth have done here in Elmira.     

REBRANDING & "LIPSTICK ON A PIG" ARE JUST A COUPLE OF DESCRIPTIONS OF TRAC

 Here's the thing. Woolwich Township and other fellow travellors of Lanxess Canada believe that they get to do do-overs every few years when their current initiatives have clearly failed.  Worse yet they pretend that it is a clean break with the past and that they are inventing sliced bread all over again and are worthy of another five years of failure simply to see if there new (i.e. rebranded) ideas will succeed. They won't not with the same people, assumptions and pro-polluter biases. 

The proof is in the pudding. As long as TRAC very deferentially keep asking Lanxess "Please Sirs, may we have more porridge." they will get little or nothing. Right now Lanxess, GHD and friends are trying to sell more junk science to TRAC (Asymptotic Behaviour ) so that they can end pumping and treating the Elmira Aquifers. They are also insisting that their purely scientific Risk Assessment of the Canagagigue Creek is honest and not riddled with self-serving assumptions and shady data (shovel vs. core sampling & very high Method Detection Limits(MDL)). 

Yes TAG has criticized ever so politely, respectfully and deferentially the Lanxess/Stantec phony Risk Assessment. To date they've gobbled up the "Asymptotic Behaviour" nonsense spouted by Joe Ricker at the April 25/24 TRAC meeting. Perhaps Eric Hodgins gently and carefully sent a small message with his "What's next?" question. What they need to do is dig in their heels and tell Lanxess/Stantec to piss off and go to hell with their trashy psuedo science and while they are at it to take the Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution (MECP) along with them. Giving known and proven professional liars respect and courtesy merely reinforces their credibility when they deserve absolutely none.  

CANCER TAKES YET ANOTHER VICTIM

 Luekemia this time. Was there an environmental component? Possibly to probably but it may have been more work related than the usual "Air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat" scenario. Maybe. That's the great excuse for our professional polluters and all their enablers. Most of those enablers are politicians but it includes client driven, well credentialed consultants throwing around junk science and worse, not to put food on the table but to buy cottages, toys and send their kids to prestigious universities etc. Their rallying cry is "science can't prove that!" Kind of similar to the bad old days when we all called cigarettes "cancer sticks" despite science at the time having reservations.

So if we get cancer from work exposures does anyone think that the exposures to toxic air, pesticide laden food and alleged treated water that is barely tested for only a tiny fraction of now ubiquitous chemical contaminants is helpful to our recovery? Or are our environmentally weakened immune systems and health easy pickings  for other health issues that arise? 

Here in Elmira, Ontario, likely similar to the rest of the province/country, our governance is not based upon the public interest but solely upon the interests of those in power at the moment and their financial supporters. Their financial supporters are not you and I but those who are already financially blessed merely looking for more regularly at the expense of the public interest. It's often referred to as externalizing of costs. Uniroyal Chemical is a prime example. They moved to rural Elmira during the Second World War and appropriated the Creek (Canagagigue) running through their property as their personal chemical sewer.  At the same time they indulged in toxic waste disposal in open, unlined pits and ponds on their property which were drained by the groundwater beneath them to the town's two wellfields. The company saved millions and millions of dollars in chemical treatment costs and that resulted in slow poisoning of the entire population thank you very much. 

Our authorities of course have always refused any kind of local health study that could apportion blame onto Uniroyal and corporate successors. Poisoning people is illegal only if you don't have governmental agreement either before, during or afterwards. Then it's O.K. obviously.

 

WOOLWICH OBSERVER DOES THEIR TINY THING

 O.K. not to be ungrateful but our local newspaper, the Observer, did report, sort of, on my Delegation to Council last Tuesday evening. Now it possibly could be a timing and deadline matter in that I did not send a copy of my written Delegation to them until very early (9 am.?) Wednesday morning and of course their newspaper comes out on Thursdays.

Regardless on page six (Opinion) at the top of the page under  "Verbatim" they have printed the following:

"Woolwich Township's "public consultation" has been shameful for almost nine years now." 

Underneath that sentence they then printed the following:

"Elmira environmentalist  activist Alan Marshall calls on council to improve watchdog efforts, push for heartier cleanup of aquifers."

That's it right there in a nutshell. Now of course I did publish my entire Delegation contents Wednesday here in the Elmira Advocate.  One little reminder that way back in the summer of 2015 when mayor Shantz was trying to sell her idea of bouncing CPAC members, one of her councillors  (Pat Merlihan) publicly referred to her plan of expanding both bureaucratic and politicians involvement versus citizens as being "cringeworthy". 

MY WRITTEN COUNCIL DELEGATION HAS BEEN PASSED ON TO TRAC

Big deal. That's the equivalent of sending a complaint about Donald Trump's admitted behaviour towards women on to "The Donald" himself. Or even better sending it to the local chapter of INCEL's ANONYMOUS who advocate for most things not in womens' interests. 

I was advised by a polite and nice Woolwich employee that she was sorry to hear that I held either Council or TRAC (totally rotten and corrupt) in low esteem. My response was that she would too if she had thirty-five years of dealing with Lanxess, Woolwich , RAC & TAG etc. rather than only five minutes as she is brand new on the file.

I have watched the Woolwich Council video from their website and been impressed with its' sound and quality. If I had a complaint however it is that on camera I appear old hence I'm complaining that the video is just too damn accurate. Briefly I had been advised that part of the video of my Delegation had been omitted when one went directly to You Tube.  I was outraged until I went to check and dang everything was there as in 100%. It turned out to be that the individual who had watched it was briefy interrupted  when she was watching it and that was the issue. 

Now on-line I read that Rogers Broadcasting supposedly either has shown Tuesday night's Woolwich Council meeting or that they will be. I checked my TV Guide for Tuesday night and it states that Rogers were broadcasting Brantford City Council that evening. Hmm maybe then at a future date my Delegation will be shown on Rogers Cable (Stn. #20).

Overall my Tuesday night Delegation is merely another warning shot across the bows of the entrenched political and otherwise groups who have been convinced that lying to the public is just dandy because there are some jobs and some business taxes involved and the unwashed masses have no rights at all except once every four years when they get to choose between bad and worse at the polls.

I know that Public Inquirys are not the end all and the be all but something along those lines is desperately needed here in Elmira, Ontario. People are literally getting sick and dying decades prematurely due to the toxic compounds in the air, water, and soils including NDMA, Dioxins and DDT. 

LAST NIGHT'S DELEGATION TO WOOLWICH COUNCIL WENT VERY WELL

Everybody behaved including the Chair and there were even some very good questions from two councillors afterwards . Yes I did give Lanxess, Ministry of Environment and Woolwich Council some serious  #$*&^% but Council at least took it like pros. Following is the text of my Delegation. Also the video of the meeting and my Delegation is on the Woolwich Township website under Council & Mayor and then under Calendar of Events. You have to adjust the dates to include May 14/24 and my Delegation is within 5-10 minutes of the start of the Council meeting.

                                                                                                                 May 14, 2024

                                                                  THE LONG CON (3)

Joe Ricker's TRAC presentation on April 25/24 spoke to the impossibility of NDMA and chlorobenzene concentrations ever reaching zero, allegedly based upon “asymptotic behaviour”. So what? The goal is to reach drinking water standards namely 9 parts per trillion for NDMA and 80 parts per billion for chlorobenzene, not zero. Joe's entire premise is wrong.

Joe advises that in 2023 the average concentration for NDMA was 91 ppt. in the Municipal Upper (MU) and 1,600 ppt. in the Municipal Lower (ML). That is between ten and 160 times higher than the drinking water standard of 9 ppt.. The average concentration in 2023 of chlorobenzene was 123 ppb. (MU) and 173 ppb. (ML) versus a drinking water standard of 80 ppb. These concentrations under current conditions are decades away from reaching drinking water standards. Lanxess please stop blustering and bafflegabbing and keep on pumping until you are at least close to the drinking water standards. Then, not now, come to the public, cap in hand, begging for relief.

Citizens, including myself, over the decades have suggested numerous other accepted remediation methods all of which were rejected by Uniroyal and successors.

Lanxess do your job. Pump & Treat has been described as the cheapest, least effective method which is at least partially why it is so popular among polluters. So get back to pumping. Literally you have had decades of never ending excuses as to why both on and off -site wells aren't meeting the TARGET PUMPING RATES that your consultants have set.

I now better understand why Uniroyal and successors desperately covered up the DNAPL situation. Free phase and residual DNAPLS (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids) inhibit the likelihood of Pump & Treat being successful. DNAPLS have been found both on and off the Uniroyal site and explain the admitted excess hundreds of kilograms of chlorobenzene found in the Elmira Aquifers.

Woolwich Township's “public consultation” has been shameful for almost nine years now. One of your own TRAC members (Sebastian) has already told you and the public this in writing.

Having the polluter, his client driven consultants and his “captured” regulator (MECP) in total control of the cleanup is a gross conflict of interest that apparently Woolwich Council are not willing or capable of recognizing.

In conclusion this latest initiative is but one more in a long history of self-serving behaviour by Uniroyal/Lanxess fueled by fancy words and junk science in order to save themselves millions of dollars in cleanup costs.

The lack of pumping described earlier and the paragraph on DNAPLS can be proven factually but neither here nor at TRAC are the appropriate locations.

Alan Marshall Elmira Environmental Hazards Team

WHY IS RAMIN PUSHING HIS SECOND SOURCE OF CHLOROBENZENE IN ELMIRA NOW?

 

Firstly is he telling the truth or is this yet more in the war to reduce Lanxess liabilities?  I've written more than enough here for readers to know what I think about the company's credibility. Right now they are pushing hard between their Mickey Mouse Creek Risk Assessment and their alleged "asymptotic behaviour" of the contaminant plumes in the Elmira Aquifers. It's all about reducing the company's liabilities while dragging reluctant affirmation from all their fellow travellors. 

At this late date does the addition of hundreds of kilograms of free phase DNAPL  (chlorobenzene) genuinely have them worried? After all contaminant "rebound" can occur through back diffusion but far worse would be free phase DNAPL slowly dissolving above drinking water standards for the next 100 years or more.  And no, dissolution of chlorobenzene from free phase into the groundwater is not an "asymptotic behaviour" because it will eventually reach a concentration of zero after all the free phase has dissolved be it in 100 or two hundred years or so.

OH MY GOD IS RAMIN (LANXESS) TELLING US THAT ANOTHER POLLUTER IS STILL ADDING CHLOROBENZENE TO THE ELMIRA AQUIFERS?

 

For at least a few years now both Lanxess (Ramin) and Dr. Neil Thompson (U. of Waterloo) have been advising Elmira folks that there indeed is another source of chlorobenzene to the Elmira Aquifers. That is no surprise to me and in fact I expect eventually for admissions that possibly Sanyo or McKee as well as Borg Textiles and Varnicolor Chemical also added NDMA and or more to the aquifers. 

Ramin's latest public statements includes the following at the TRAC meeting of April 25/24: "The two graphs actually cross where chlorobenzene has been increasing while NDMA has been decreasing and that's not what we see anywhere else in any of the wells on this project." Ramin is referring to a graph presented at 1:25:15 of the meeting which shows NDMA and chlorobenzene concentrations  over time at well CH-75B located just east of pumping well W3R which is just east of Industrial Dr. near the muffler shop. The date was 2017 09 22.

Reread Ramin's words now. It makes absolutely no sense for two mature contaminant plumes under remediation to be going in opposite directions (concentrations up and down) at the same time. Is it possible that the second (or third) source of chlorobenzene is still discharging today into the natural environment? 

Wow that would make the Ministry of Environment look even more incompetent and corrupt than we already know they are.  Woolwich too??  

THEY AREN"T ALL GUTLESS WONDERS, WIMPS, LIARS OR DEGENERATES

 Look at Sebastian. He stood up (I think?) and spoke truth to power last October when he wrote out his concerns about the TAG committee being too "deferential" in their dealings with various credentialed experts and bullsh*t artists (my words - Sebastian doesn't like to hurt the feelings of professional liars). 

Look at Linda Dickson who unswervingly advised TAG from the monthly Progress Reports about pumping failures, both on and off -site for years. She calls a spade a spade. Now it would have been nice if she knew enough to tie all those off-site failures together over time and how it negatively has affected the "cleanup".  Of course she is not a hydrogeologist or a remediation expert. Her expertise is in municipal planning over in Guelph I believe.

Then look at TAG's Chair Tiffany. Amazing how thirty thousand dollars a year for a very part time job will buy loyalty.  Perhaps she might consider that the money actually comes from taxpayers and that she is supposed to be looking out for the public interest versus the interests of the Woolwich mayor, CAO, and Lanxess Canada. 

Silly me. This is Woolwich Township aka "Dogpatch".

MORE WOOLWICH GAMESMANSHIP ABOUT TO BE REVEALED?

So they got me to wait an extra week rather than present my seven minute Delegation two days ago at the Committee of the Whole which by the way is Woolwich's preferred time rather than at formal Council meetings. Oh well. I do appreciate the Clerk's confirming in writing my Delegation to Council for this coming Tuesday May 14/24.  

I have sent an e-mail to CPAC members and friends advising them of this upcoming Delegation as well as some of the issues in Joe Ricker's Presentation to TRAC on April 25 that I disagree with. Yes for the benefit of critics I am more than capable of debating either hydrogeologists or other groundwater experts when they are using junk science to back their clients' self-serving claims. Yes I've been doing it successfully for over three decades now with only a small amount of formal hydroG training but literally decades of first hand discussion and debate despite the likes of our corrupt mayor shutting down CPAC in 2015. 

My expectation is that Woolwich needed the extra week to decide what to do about my Delegation. Do they create another media storm as they did several years ago by shutting down Dr. Holt and myself as Delegates? No they are stupid but not that stupid. Likely they will attempt (for hire) to bring in an expert to speak after me and discredit my Delegation. Obviously that is a huge advantage for the second speaker as they can't be contradicted by the one who is already completed. Delegations are not debates and Councils/Mayors know how to take advantage of the process.

Check today's Council Calendar on the Woolwich Township website. The Agenda is not out yet but should be this afternoon. Let's see if either today or closer to Tuesday another speaker appears behind me on the same or similar topic. If so that is why I was denied my Delegation last Tuesday.

SO IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE ALL OUR PROVINCIAL MINISTRIES HAVE NO PROBLEM LYING TO US

 Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carried the following story titled "Chemical spill likely the cause of Puslinch's stinky water: report". Based on this latest report from Harden Environmental Services it seems as if the Ministry of Transport (MTO) have misled the public regarding a "rotten vegetable odour" in the wells of  local citizens last summer. The MTO had earlier stated that that a chemical spill was unlikely and that it couldn't penetrate the bedrock due to the ground thickness (overburden) above the Bedrock Aquifer. The Harden Report disagrees and suggests that there is indeed a potential migration pathway for surface contaminants to be drawn toward the nearby pumping wells.

There were a number of sulpher compounds found in some water samples.as per the Harden Report. A local property owner (Susan Fielding) was very disappointed and shocked by the dishonesty of the MTO in not informing local residents promptly and truthfully about the chemical spill.  This folks is democracy in action when practiced by bureaucrats and politicians with low ethics and standards. 

WOOLWICH HAVE DELAYED MY DELEGATION UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY

 I expect that they have a good (bad) reason for that. Tonite's Council meeting had zero Delegations and was a short Agenda. I tried to book five and a half days before today and was told that that was too late! Smells to me. Let's see if Woolwich drag in a hotshot or three to speak after me next Tuesday. I've seen Sandy pull all kinds of crap on Delegates to Council including myself.

It's funny but most of the worst offenders regarding free speech and democracy are politicians themselves. They'll do anything when they don't have honest facts on their side, to torpedo those that do. Nothing new in that here in Woolwich Township also derogatively known by a few skeptics as Dogpatch. That said I'm ready for next Tuesday and will as usual speak truth to power and authority. It really can be difficult  some times to explain even simpler hydrogeologic concepts but the learning curve is steep for those who got elected with very little experience or background hence I will keep on trying. Of course there is no teaching possible to those who truly don't want to know the truth and there are more than enough of them. Quoting Saul Bellow: "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."  That is a major factor here.

JUST NEED TO POINT OUT THE OBVIOUS - SANDY SHANTZ, KAREN REDMAN, DOUG CRAIG

 The front page story this morning in the Waterloo Region Record is titled "Rivers hearing underscores need for change, says human rights lawyer".  Angie Rivers is fighting an entrenched Waterloo Region Police Service as well as entrenched regional politicians regarding long standing, discriminatory gender based harassment and worse. Nothing new here folks as the article clearly points out ignorant, self-entitled  behaviour by males in positions of authority. Bluntly put it appears that it is the bullies and cowards who rise to the top in the police force.

But get this: They partially report to a regional Police Service Board. There are a number of regional appointees, provincial appointees and other citizens. The three regional councillors include Chair Karen Redman, Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz and councillor Doug Craig. Good grief. Wouldn't you think that Sandy and Karen would step up for their sisters in blue? To date I have not seen any words or actions of support, encouragement or assistance from either Sandy or Karen. Maybe they're too busy breaking the glass ceiling and getting themselves in good with the Old Boys Club who are firmly in charge.     

LYING WORKS AND IS EMBRACED BY POLITICIANS HENCE WHY IT WILL NEVER BE ILLEGAL

 

Many politicians have reduced moral and ethical capabilities but they aren't all stupid. When was the last time you heard of proposed legislation or municipal by-laws with penalties for proven liars? Yes people can be charged with serious criminal offenses and end up in jail for decades but their lying in court is seldom if ever penalized directly. Now lying in court is one of the few locations where it can be penalized and the offense is known as perjury. Despite that it is rarely invoked by either side, defence or prosecution. 

Can you imagine for example Donald Trump being charged for his lies outside of court? The Judge in Mr. Trump's current trial may eventually charge him with Contempt for ignoring a Gag Order not to speak ill about Court staff or employees . Even though Mr. Trump's current criminal charges of Fraud relate to alleged falsehoods and lies regarding his personal assets and wealth I believe it was specific written documents allegedly filled with lies and filed with financial institutions etc. to obtain preferential interest rates and other concessions which have landed him in legal trouble. Nope Mr. Trump has learned from experience that he can gain more by creative fictionalizing than by sticking strongly to the truth. 

Often the BIG LIE is the one most readily accepted. Just look at what was once a wonderful citizens' movement here in Elmira and where it is now. APT Environment at one time had 150 members including children and families and they stood for a cleaner environment. Today they could barely muster a half dozen  of their original members to attend anything and their "leader" supports a perverted citizens advisory panel that excludes the best, local people. She also supports Lanxess Canada and their process around groundwater remediation and risk assessment of the Canagagigue Creek.  If Lanxess throw the community a bone by agreeing to properly clean up even one of the so called "hot spots" in the Creek will that be enough to get Susan's praises. Beyond disgraceful.

SINCERE APOLOGIES TO ALL MARK'S OUT THERE

 Boy am I glad that I added the words "...although I am not positive" to the title of yesterday's post. The troll who has gone off the deep end this week has a long history of such behaviour. He lives out of town and spent his career in government service. He also sat on some committees and as the saying goes "Familiarity breeds consent." His familiarity was I believe with various staff of both the Ministry of Environment (MECP) and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). Finally this individual (NOT named Mark!) was read the Riot Act by a nearby out of town police force because he had foolishly crossed the line from trollhood into a threatening harasser. Much of his verbal disparagement was ranting and raving about me being evil and picking on MOE, CRA, Chemtura, Lanxess etc .  The weird thing was that I don't think any of those personnel were on the same committees as he was. Maybe I'm wrong and he did know some of them personally??? What finally got the police serious was some vague ? reference he made to firearms in a day and age when that is a no-no.

What is also odd to me is that he has been retired for a decade. Now yes this week I certainly upped the ante with a call for a Public Inquiry into the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Guess as per a different commenter this week (Tuesday)  I may have been over a vulnerable target with that one.  Now my belief that it's the same person I referenced as having been "seriously disturbed" is based upon a couple more very nasty, rude and mostly inaccurate Comments on his part that clarified his identity. I've known him I think since Junior High and most certainly since High School.  

Old age is not always kind to everyone equally. Overall, despite some issues, I feel myself lucky. He has not been remotely so. I believe that one's health in old age can be the result of good luck and good management but not always. Sometimes good luck is more important. Some times poor management trumps good luck and sometimes not. Whatever the causes he has been on serious pain meds for years as have others without warping their intellects. Perhaps he has also overenjoyed some perfectly legal beverages. The result is an individual who likely could not physically threaten or harm a twelve year old much less an adult, old or otherwise. I explained that clearly to the police a couple of years back. The problem of course is that anyone driving a vehicle for example don't even need to be awake to do harm to others.   

If he continues his nonsense he will cross the legal line again but now he has a history of so doing. Meanwhile I will continue attacking the credibility of both government and corporate entities who have done and continue to do so much damage here in Elmira both to the public interest and to the environment. Strange isn't it that he seems to think that governments and multi billion dollar corporations are defenceless and need his dubious assistance. They really don't.

I THINK IT IS LIKELY MARK AFTER ALL...although I'm not positive

 

Anonymous blogger.com >                                                                Fri, May 3 at 7:38 p.m.

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To: agmarshall@rogers.com

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I'M A DELEGATE AT WOOLWICH COUNCIL A WEEK FROM TUESDAY".

Hoo boy, this should be fun. An unwashed, unintelligent layman vs a world-renowned expert (who by the way has a number of patents, has helped author government guidance, and trained agency personnel, from what we understand). I can't wait to see how perverted and illogical your reasoning will be. So stupid. For your own sake you ought not to show up; for my sake I hope you do. Be sure to act confident in your knowledge and give no deference to the entire hydrogeologic world. You would think after 3+ decades that at least you'd have a professor from THE foremost hydrogeology program aligned with you. At the very least , maybe you tried to sit down with them and they told you the truth about your idiocy and so you ignored them. UofW, the best there is. Listen to them.

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Posted by Anonymous to Elmira Advocate at May 3, 2024  7:38 p.m. 

This comment above is the politest, least rude and offensive garbage from an individual since last Tuesday who has been abusing the Comment capabilities of this Blog. Only once in fourteen years on this Blog have I had to call the police and they did respond and shut down a seriously disturbed person. 

I am pretty certain I know who this individual is as each and every comment has clues in it. For example the reference to the U. of Waterloo is strange in that I have posted both here and in my book that I have sat down and chatted about DNAPLS primarily, with Drs. John Cherry and Beth Parker both from the U. of W. several years back. Their comments were supportive of my understanding and much less so of Susan's, Pat's and Wilf's.   

I'M A DELEGATE AT WOOLWICH COUNCIL A WEEK FROM TUESDAY

 I actually phoned yesterday morning early (9:40 am.) to get put on as a Delegate for this Tuesday (May 7) but got a call back this morning and again this afternoon. Apparently for issues not already on the Agenda one needs to book as a Delegate six days (Wed noon) in advance of Council meetings. If your topic is on the Agenda then you can actually sometimes get on even the day of the Council meeting. The problem is that Agendas don't come out until Thursday hence you can't get on as a Delegate after the Agenda is out unless your topic is already on. I find that a little weird.

Anyways I will be discussing Joe Ricker's Contaminant Plume Analysis and attempting to show some problems with it. Just like Risk Assessments there appears to be a lot of assumptions being made as well as guesswork and wishful thinking. I believe that Lanxess and the MECP are entering the End Game of this whole perverted and corrupt mess . They have a history of nasty gamesmanship which also pertains to Woolwich Township as well so lets see what is in store for me on Tuesday May 14. 

A PUBLIC INQUIRY REQUIRED INTO MECP'S CORRUPTION IN ELMIRA, ONTARIO

 

CORRUPTION:  corrupt, rotten, decaying...also riddled with errors

Corruption does not have to be brown paper bags full of cash aka Brian Mulroney and Karl Heinz Schreiber and the Airbus scandal  Yes Sandy corruption and collusion are absolutely commonplace in politics including at the municipal level. 

The last two days I have focused on the inaugural TRAC meeting. TRAC stands for Totally Rotten & Corrupt in my opinion despite a few misguided but presumably honest individuals on the committee. There have been many good people up and leave it's predecessor TAG in the past including Joe Kelly, Katarina Richter, Dustin Martin and possibly Bill Barr. 

Ramin's latest flurry of comments regarding excess chlorobenzene in the Elmira Aquifers is very odd.  Perhaps just as his sudden retirement announcement he is laying the groundwork for his "legacy" here in Elmira by deflecting more blame away from Uniroyal/Lanxess Canada.  Regardless our Ontario Ministry of Environment despite whatever it's name is at the moment failed to stop chlorobenzene discharges into the natural environment from multiple sources back in the day. They also failed to properly investigate and give those results to the public in the early stages of the Elmira Water Crisis.  This included them desperately covering up the extent of contamination and dumping going on at Varnicolor Chemical both on Union St. and at Lot 91 on the extreme east end of Oriole Parkway. 

Chlorobenzene in the form of DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids) was found near the Howard St. Elmira Water Tower in approximately 2007 and publicly and uselessly expressed by me to CPAC under the control of Susan B. and Pat Mc. at  that time. Currently we know that BOTH  NDMA at a drinking water standard of .009 parts per billion (ppb.) AND chlorobenzene at a much higher drinking water standard of 80 ppb. will not achieve these standards by either 2028 or likely even 2058 if ever. These data are included in the 2023 Annual Monitoring Report recently "discussed" at the inaugural TRAC meeting a week ago today. 

If the chlorobenzene in the form of DNAPL is not from Uniroyal Chemical, and based upon their credibility that is a big IF , then it is most likely from either or both Borg Textiles and Varnicolor Chemical.  I do not believe that an honest MOE/MECP could possibly have unintentionally not discovered this in the early stages of the investigation here. Jim Bradley, Minister of the Environment , allegedly sent a five man team to Elmira shortly after the November 1989 well field shutdown to find  the source(s).  That Mickey Mouse investigation couldn't even find Varnicolor as gross as their contamination was.  Furthermore shallow groundwater sampling later on at Varnicolor turned up zero chlorobenzene which was bizarre for a "recycler" of solvents. Is it possible that the MOE/MECP fudged those lab results intentionally to put Uniroyal Chemical solely on the hook for the Elmira mess?

This is why an honest public inquiry  is required.

MORE ON LAST THURSDAY'S TRAC MEETING & MUCH MORE ON MOE/MECP CORRUPTION & LYING

I attend either in person or virtually these window dressing highly contrived public  meetings because little tidbits of truth sometimes are revealed. Regarding the first TRAC meeting of former RAC & TAG members last Thursday there were a couple of big tidbits of truth making it worthwhile. On to them later.

Lanxess and friends including Joe Ricker of WSP are all bought and paid for. Do you think these "independent" consultants work for free? Especially do you think all their praise heaped upon Lanxess is honest admiration? Then we have retired RMOW hydrogeologist Eric Hodgins. Good Lord what a toady he is. His praise of an individual, less hired  for his hydrogeological experience than his public relations skills, was embarrassing. Eric made Ramin Ansari look like a saint which he is not.

The "Ricker" analysis of the contaminant plumes in the Elmira Aquifers is grossly deceiving. First of all he is closely examining TWO contaminants only, namely NDMA and chlorobenzene. Thirty years ago we had plume maps of over a dozen different contaminants in the aquifers courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical (& others).  Benzene, phenols, toluene, chlorophenols, MBT, BT, Carboxin, Aniline, dichlorobenzene were all examined and for good reason. There is a witch's brew of hundreds of chemicals in the aquifers and they react and interact with each other. They also make human health criteria for individual chemicals an absolute joke.  Chlorobenzene by itself has an Ontario Drinking Water Standard (ODWS) of 80 parts per billion (ppb).  What however is the drinking water standard for chlorobenzene in the presence of NDMA in exceedance of it's  ODWS?  The very same because science has yet been unable to determine the drinking water standards for multiple contaminants in water simultaneously. What is the real drinking water health standard for chlorobenzene in the presence of dozens of other toxic chemicals? Nobody knows. Same with NDMA. Same with all of the different chemicals.

A number of TRAC members are more worried about the negatives of a public meeting to explain the 2028 cleanup failure etc. than in properly informing the public. Words like "eliciting fear" and even the suggestion that if TRAC aren't careful they could make a "laughing stock" of themselves were made. There were also references to the Elmira Environmental Awareness Event held at Rural Roots in February and the excellent turnout it had. Basically many TRAC members are far more worried about being seen as what they are which is generally useless, deferential, out of their depth  possibly well meaning citizens. Hence their public meeting will be all about CYA (Cover Your A**). 

The biggest "tidbits" occurred during the discussions of a large excess mass of chlorobenzene found in the aquifers. This was found by Dr. Neil Thompson  (U.of W.) as well as by Lanxess as they did isotope testing of chlorobenzene as I explained in Monday's (two days ago) posting here in the Elmira Advocate. This is but one of a number of huge incidents of deception and deflection by Uniroyal right through to Lanxess Canada that have forever marred their credibility, honesty and integrity. It has done the same for the MOE/MECP as they staunchly looked the other way and allowed the polluting companies to deceive and lie to the public. Ramin (Lanxess) and Joe Ricker talked about and showed a graph of chlorobenzene concentrations over time for well CH-75B in the Municipal Upper Aquifer near pumping well W3(R) which is just off of Industrial Dr. in Elmira near the Midas(?) Muffler Shop. Around September 2017  Well W3 began pumping and very shortly afterwards pumping well W4 located near the Howard St. water tower stopped pumping (permanently). NDMA concentrations immediately plummeted whereas chlorobenzene concentrations soared.

No logical or serious explanations were offerred partly because it has been the MECP's policy in conjunction with Uniroyal/Lanxess to deny the presence both on-site and off-site of free phase DNAPL.  Chlorobenzene is a major DNAPL chemical in the Elmira Aquifers. It has been found literally in the free phase form both on -site (Bob Hillier MOE 1994 ) and off-site and was described in a monthly Progress Report which I brought to CPAC's attention approximately in 2007. They along with the MOE/MECP and Chemtura ignored, dismissed and deflected their own discovery of free phase DNAPL (chlorobenzene) in observation well OW57-32 beside the Howard St. water tower.

Only committed and desperate professional liars with the assistance of their fellow travellors, Woolwich Twn., CPAC at the time, and various bought and paid for consultants along with the two Conflict of Interest Queens could have been so brazen. This DNAPL coverup has been gross for decades despite solid evidence that it exists both on and off site and Ramin Ansari's latest words reinforce that. Thank You Ramin!