The current Environmental Registry is not adequate. Supposedly if you check on it regularly you will find ahead of time upcoming environmental changes, issues, hearings etc. Lovely but still inadequate.
What I would like to see is an Environmental Registry listing past complaints, charges, convictions, investigations, cleanups and or other environmental work performed . This Registry would/should be a geographically based such that for example a citizen of Cambridge can look up all environmental spills, cleanups and investigations etc. within the jurisdiction of Cambridge.
Here in Elmira alone we would find a number of surprises for many people. The extra, ongoing work at Varnicolor Chemical (now Elmira Pump) is but one such example. Their pump & treat system was expanded in order to pump groundwater from Motiveair behind their property for remediation. Also ground contaminated by Varnicolor ,behind Motiveair, was excavated. All this was done on the quiet. Shame to Woolwich Twn. and most especially to the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP). There have also been a number of gas stations remediated locally and more.
Knowledge is power which is exactly why municipal governments and the MECP deny public facts and knowledge to the public. They do not want us to know how severely contaminated our town is and has been. Even our local health units should have and sould share this information if they have it. There is an inadequate registry known as ERIS. Nothing there about Varnicolor or many other local polluters.
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