SO WHAT NEW NONSENSE DOES LANXESS/MECP WISH TO INFLICT UPON ELMIRA RESIDENTS?

 

Again I'm looking at this Thursday's Agenda and there are likely problems such as Item 5.1.2 in which the MECP appear that they are going to comment upon "Lanxess Proposed Off-Site Groundwater Pumping Study". Here let me save the MECP the work and the taxpayers the money:  When the smoke and B/S clears Lanxess will be doing significantly less off-site pumping and treating and saving themselves money all the while the Elmira Aquifers still are not fit to drink.

Item 5.2.4.1 is titled "Targeted Hot Spot Removal Update".  First of all as I've said many times the alleged "hot spots" are merely a form of scoping or reducing the apparent efforts needed in the downstream Canagagigue Creek.  If soil and sediment sampling had been taken in equal numbers throughout the five mile plus length of the downstream Creek I expect that instead of a possible THREE "hot spots" there would likely be closer to THIRTEEN or more.

I have already commented here about Items 6. , 8.1, and 5.1.1 .  I see no good coming from any of them but lets see exactly what the professionals have in mind. As they are all paid by dishonest brokers I hardly see much benefit to the public interest except by accident. 

"TRUMP AS AN AVATAR WHO FITS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF HUGE SWATHS OF ANY POPULATION..."

 

Well that certainly explains a few things such as how could so many U.S. voters be so dumb? The author of this article in today's Record titled "Trump the result of years of waning trust" is Calvin White with a degree in psychology.  

He states that "...we have been betrayed by generations of of leaders in government who have created psychological credibility strain, if not full distrust."  Furthermore he states "The calling card of politicians is to never answer the question, only say what the trainers advise, put on a photo-op face at all times and pretend, pretend, pretend. And all the while, serve their own best electoral interests and the power interests of those they need help from." 

In my opinion this simply reinforces my borrowed motto from Pat Potter namely that "They all lie". In other words they are all crooks of one form or another and I believe that this permeates from the top down throughout our governance.  

For me despite climate change and the bizarre weather we received five days ago, the primary failure of our ruling class (lying politicians) has to be in housing.  By the way last Wednesday's heavy snow followed by heavy rain and damaging winds and then 14 degrees Celsius and sunshine all day on Thursday merely adds to my March 27/25 post about our bizarre weather this year.

Mr. White also suggests that Donald Trump 's time on television as a reality star helped his public persona. "...his appearance as an avatar was grown unconsciously in us over his 14 years as a billionaire TV star accepted for his wisdom and right to fire whomever he chose over and over while all viewers were thus being groomed  to his entitled leadership." 

So does knowing the public rationale for bringing such a first class ass*ole to political prominence ease the pain somewhat? Not really despite at least knowing somewhat how it occurred.  

MORE VIA THE RECENTLY RELEASED TRAC AGENDA

 

There are a couple of interesting topics mentioned in the Agenda for April 10/25. Item 6. is titled "2028 Order Deadline Remediation Frameworks Discussion" and Item 8.1 is titled "MECP Technical memorandum - Dioxins and Furans in Riparian Soil of Agricultural Fields Downstream of Lanxess, Canada, Elmira, Ontario, Canada (2023)".

Gotta give it to the MECP for a long winded title to their very short report consisting of ten sites being sampled for dioxins/furans downstream . This appears to me to be the schizophrenic MECP at their best. Firstly they are willing to rewrite their Control Order simply because the polluter has not complied with most of the conditions required by the earlier ones (Nov. 1991, June 2000 etc.). Then despite lots of data showing creekbank soils, sediments, fish tissue exceedances plus a few floodplain soil samples of  dioxins/furans they've decided to take more samples namely Floodplain  Soils in nine or ten downstream locations. 

Unsurprisingly they found lots of exceedances of various health criteria for dioxins/furans as they always have. So once again we see more health risks whether for human beings or for wild or domesticated New Guinea fowl.

Same old, same old including the world class applications of sample and test forever or until the problem (contaminants) have all moved far enough downstream that you don't have to sample at Uniroyal/Lanxess any longer. This avoids actually ever having to do the real work of remediation, excavation and cleanup.

NEXT THURSDAY'S TRAC AGENDA IS OUT - IS IT 465 PAGES OF UNADULTERATED BULL**IT?

 

Well it's been my experience that even world class liars can't produce 465 pages that have absolutely no social redeeming value. The trick of course is sifting through most of the crap looking for the rare nugget. I've literally spent decades doing that for free and while there are various scars of various natures for my efforts, I don't regret any of the major facts and issues that I have uncovered. 

First of all waiting four months between public meetings is par for the hypocritical course.  Chemtura and the M.O.E. without ever declaring a boycott began missing CPAC meetings in late 2014. Allegedly (according to Sandy & Mark) they were upset with how they were being treated.  Chairman Dr. Dan Holt did an excellent job under difficult circumstances running those meetings properly and professionally. Yes CPAC members including myself took no crap, guff or blatant lying from the M.O.E. and Chemtura without calling them on it. Boiled down that was their biggest whine in that people around the table no longer would compliment the polluter and their regulator about how sweet their horse apples smelled. Hence Chemtura and the M.O.E. knowing a new Council/mayor were on the way simply bailed. Well they got everything they wanted and they still don't seem keen on attending meetings filled with their acolytes, fellow travellors and others in way over their heads.

With the Ministry and Lanxess monopolizing the propaganda, unsuspecting citizens will hear lies about  asymptotic behaviour (again), followed by more lies about new directions in handling the groundwater remediation failures, followed by how the HHERA states that no downstream remediation is required, followed by more nonsense gilded with the patina of independent professional experts merely searching for the truth. 

It will be a highly entertaining, albeit somewhat incomprehensible, dog and pony show that we taxpayers are paying for one way or the other. 

 

HOW CULPABLE IS SUSAN BRYANT?

Was sha a fifth columnist right from the beginning? Or did she sincerely believe that polluting companies including chemical companies had an inherent right to make money and sell their products to willing customers? Did she possibly feel that the rhetoric coming from APTE members and co0ordinators was too much?

For years I thought that Susan and Sylvia's position on DNAPLS was basically the kiss of death regarding ever cleaning up the site. However I did not even begin to fathom the depth and width of their betrayal of Elmira citizens and their fellow APTE members until late in 2007 when I saw the lying and manoeuvering within CPAC to avoid bringing Drs. Cherry and Parker's DNAPL revelations to CPAC by Susan and Pat McLean. Until 2007 I had become aware of more and more contradictions in their behaviour versus their words. I also had long been concerned with Susan's allegiance with Pat Mclean who in my eyes had never shown much knowledge or care for the natural environment. I also had concerns with hydrogeologist Wilf Ruland who while ostensibly working for CPAC was in fact taking all direction from Pat and Susan. He was also way too deferential to CRA literally on all their hydrogeological pronouncements constantly favouring their client Uniroyal/Chemtura etc. . 

Is it conceivable that a master manipulator like Susan was actually so ill informed  that she embraced Uniroyal's often outrageous claims concerning cleaning their site, the Creek and Elmira's groundwater? I find that hard to believe. I also note that she stuck to her guns regarding the lack of shallow aquifer containment plus maintaining proper on-site Municipal Aquifer pumping in the early days. Yes she did give concessions to the polluter far too often for my liking regarding number of monitoring wells and timing of their sampling 

She and Sylvia worked hard to remove Richard, Esther and I from APTE. She did something similar with Dr. Regier  who was heads and shoulders more knowledgeable than Darryl & Susan multiplied by 100. It was that totally unnecessary behaviour combined with her enjoyment of private meetings with Uniroyal that finally got through to me. Susan and Pat led UPAC and CPAC for many years. Even the M.O.E. occasionally bragged about how CPAC was the best citizens committee in the province. I found that pronouncement bizarre as so very little was actually getting done. Frankly none of it made any sense and then the gross DNAPL behaviour after the two world experts (Cherry & Parker) clarified what should be done about it was the final straw.  Keep in mind that McLean, Bryant, myself and Ruland all attended that meeting at the U. of Waterloo and I was the only happy one of the four afterwards. Clearly McLean and Bryant saw the writing on the wall and eliminated me from CPAC as fast as their wagging tongues were able. 

Recently I've said shame on the APTE co-ordinators' 1994 DNAPL failure and now I say shame on CPAC in 2007 and 2008 for their stupidity and willingness to blindly follow Susan and Pat.  Clearly an inappropriate deal was made with two APTE co-ordinators in 1994 and renewed again in 2007 and 2008 at CPAC.  Apparently as long as polluters can convince the local politicians that their plans can save everybody money then honesty and ethics are out the door.   

LESSONS LEARNED FROM DEALING WITH WOOLWICH, RMOW, GRCA, POLLUTING COMPANIES, THEIR CONSULTANTS, MECP, THIRD PARTY CONSULTANTS HIRED BY THE POLLUTER

 

1)  "They all lie."   This is a quote emblazoned on T-shirts/pullovers by environmentalist Pat Potter.

2)  Their promises are wind.  Meaningless doesn't even come close to describing their promises.

3)   They are incestuous.    In other words getting a request turned down by a municipal Council almost                                              guarantees it will be turned down by the Region and the GRCA. Way too much                                            overlap in membership.

4)  Never accept their dates for delays.  Almost always these parties interpret a "delay" as meaning for                                                                       forever.

5)  If you ask a question assume their answer will be a lie.  This prevents disappointment as well as future                                                               expectations of good behaviour on their part.

6)  Make these "lessons" available to the parties listed above.  Let them know that you appropriately have                                                                zero confidence in them. 

7)  Let the parties know that despite these "lessons" you will keep track of future promises, statements,                                                               lies  delays and commitments.

8)  Never apologize for any of these lessons.    Thirty plus years of despicable behaviour can not be                                                                   undone by a future few years of good behaviour.

9)  Laugh at their outlandish claims and junk science regularly.

10)  Never feel the need to prove them wrong.   Yes it is satisfying but it only encourages even more lying                                                           from them.

THE 2024 ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT (AMR) HAS BEEN RELEASED

 

As usual it's a bit of a stinker with lots of back patting at every opportunity combined with professional explanations (excuses) each time hydraulic containment fails. Combined with this is the liberal use of statistics such as those over 90% to describe up times for various pumps and wells. Those with up times however of only 55% seem to get short shrift in the explanation department. 

We are also advised that the Ontario MECP has given  "temporary" relief to Lanxess in regards to their Bio-monitoring program. Apparently bringing in clams etc. from Balsam Lake has been a no-no for a long time that was conveniently ignored. Now it is being enforced hence Lanxess asked and received permission from the MECP for the "temporary" delay.  

I find as usual the Executive Summary to be an exercise in self-serving gratuitous bravado. Everything is good, trust us we are professionals, nothing really exceptional to see here folks kind of nonsense. To date I have seen no honest or legitimate explanations of decreasing on-site pumping while the off-site generally remains around 52 litres per second. When the off-site rises the odd month I see no explanation as to why the on-site pumping is also not rising to ensure hydraulic containment of contaminants so that they are not drawn off site by the higher off-site pumping.

This AMR appears to be the usual bought and paid for good news that Ontario polluters and their captured regulator (MECP) strive for. 

BOTH K-W RECORD & WOOLWICH OBSERVER TAKE A ROUND OUT OF SANDY & WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP

 

Luisa D'Amato (K-W Record) wrote an Opinion piece on February 2, 2018 denouncing Woolwich Council's decision to appoint a replacement for Scott Hahn to Council. Then on February 8/25 the Woolwich Observer followed up with their opinion on Woolwich Council deciding who they'd prefer to work with versus what the public wanted. Funny sometimes how democracy works isn't it? Luisa's piece was titled "In Woolwich, a vacant council seat exposes bitter divisions". The Observer's Editorial was titled "Vacancy gambit means council has to deliver".

As appropriately critical as both newspapers were can you imagine if they knew exactly how perverted Woolwich Council had actually behaved? They offered the seat to former councillor Julie-Ann Herteis behind the scenes and went through the whole rigamarole including speeches and presentations at a public meeting of council .  Wow now that really is a dog and pony show when nine candidates in good faith address a council who in bad faith have already, surreptitiously, made their decision.  I wonder which mayor before Sandy taught her these tricks. Maybe it wasn't mayor Strauss afterall. Maybe it was Sandy's and Woolwich's longtime CAO, David Brenneman. Now that's a difficult question.   

Dr. HENRY REGIER IS AN INCREDIBLE ACADEMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST & GENTLEMAN. PAT POTTER WAS ALSO MAGNIFICENT.

 

I have been unfortunate to meet a few lickspittles, co-optees and ethically non-existent individuals over the last 36 years. I have also been extraordinarily fortunate to meet a large number of dedicated, serious environmentalists over the same decades. These fine people include Barb S., Mary R., Pat Potter, Esthur Thur, Rich Clausi, Linda W., Robert B., Debbie Vitez, Tommy Vann, Tracy Hipel, Ron C.,  Dan H., Sebastian, Graham C., Ken J. and more. All are unique but Dr. Regier is literally one of a kind.

If I could remake myself it would be as a combination somehow of Henry Regier and Pat Potter. Both are/were (Pat is no longer with us) intelligent, clever and dedicated individuals. Henry spent much of his career researching Great Lakes fisheries and advising the IJC (International Joint Commission) on Great Lakes issues. He also spent some quality time in Elmira, Ontario after 1995.  Pat lived in Dunnville and later further north in her and husband Chuck's "tire" home that they built.

Pat often wore T-shirts at public meetings emblazoned front and back with the words "They all lie !".  Oh boy I should have paid more attention decades ago to those words, they are so true. Pat could hold her tongue when she chose but oh boy if she was upset enough she could blister paint off the walls. She and Chuck also padlocked Uniroyal Chemical's front gate closed on one occasion.

Henry had what I view as an almost magical ability to lecture polluters, ineffective bureaucrats, dishonest politicians and when he finished they seriously applauded and thanked him for his words. Somehow no matter how strong his words were; his tone, his volume, his soft spoken voice seemed almost reassuring. Even the guilty parties somehow felt that it was an honour to be criticized by Dr. Regier.  Everyone responded positively when he spoke.

HOW WERE THE APTE COORDINATORS SO GULLIBLE ABOUT DNAPLS CONSIDERING EVERYTHING?

 

After I switched over to the Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee (UPAC) from the Varnicolor Liason Committee (VCL) in 1992 one of the first things I did was expose Brian Beatty's ridiculous 10% concentration rule. He had taken  out of context hydrogeologist Stan Feenstra's research allegedly showing  that DNAPLs could be present in the sub-surface anytime that groundwater concentrations of a chlorinated solvent (DNAPL) equalled or exceeded 10% of the compound's aqueous solubility. In fact Mr. Feenstra's research showed that the actual percentage was only 1% not 10% as Mr. Beatty (Morrison-Beatty) claimed on behalf of Uniroyal Chemical. Mr. Feenstra actually wrote me a letter explaining this and criticizing Mr. Beatty for his behaviour.

Mr. Beatty was shortly thereafter "consolidated" by Dr. David Ash of Uniroyal Chemical . I received a nice little award signed by numerous APTE coordinators for my efforts and discovery.  In hindsight I guess I should have taken that award along with me to remind the APTE coordinators at the January 1994 meeting at Sylvia's house but I guess I thought that might be a little tacky. Almost as if I didn't trust their judgement, memories etc. In hindsight I had no idea of the politics and corruption going on with Sylvia and Uniroyal Chemical.  

She had zero interest in debating DNAPLS at that meeting and turned it into a "Do you trust me as your co-leader meeting."  Susan Bryant was in India at the time with her husband. The APTE coordinators basically didn't have a clue about DNAPLS and sided with Sylvia. Rich Clausi, myself and a few days later Esther Thur all left APTE. All I wanted from that meeting was for APTE to stand up and say publicly that DNAPLS are an issue and just because the Ministry of Environment has rolled over to Uniroyal's interests, APTE has not. 

The APTE coordinators essentially in hindsight right there gave up the fight to Uniroyal and the M.O.E.  I knew it was a major screwup by APTE but only later on understood what was going on behind the scenes and how crucially APTE needed to oppose the DNAPL non cleanup plan.  

FOR THOSE WHO DON"T BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE JUST LOOK AT OUR WEATHER THIS MONTH & THIS COMING WEEK

The high temperature forecast for the next six days varies from 16 C. to 2 C. a difference of 14 C. or   22 degrees Fahrenheit.  Meanwhile the entire month of March has been crazy with nearly zero snow for the first three weeks of March followed by flurries and wet snow in the final week. I've seen motorcycles out this month on the roads and likely snowmobiles a couple of days before or  after.  My wife attended her families annual Maple Syrup celebration up near Gowanstown last Sunday and there wasn't a flake of snow anywhere. This folks is climate change.

Apparently much of the climate change effects are being felt in the far north with longer summers and falls followed by shorter winters. While many of us human beings don't mind that so much apparently the effects for some wildlife and even plant life are not good. Life has adapted everything from migration cycles to breeding cycles designed to coordinate with weather patterns and emerging vegetative foods. These disruptions can be fatal to some species.

Currently about 95% of our huge snowfalls this past winter have melted. Groundwater levels are high which is normal for this time of year. To date there has only been some minor flooding and despite the snow being gone heavy rains in April could trigger floods again. Our summers have mostly been drier the last several years with my sump pump going from bone dry for six to seven months to discharging three to four times a day earlier this month.  Our weather has not been normal for years and perhaps never will be again. 

Think about what we have left our kids.  

JULY 2003 ON-SITE PROPOSED CLEANUP LOCATIONS AND RATIONALE

 

Of interest is the game that Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura/Lanxess have played regarding on-site cleanup.  Generally they made few commitments and cherry picked what they decided to do from the July 2003 document mostly researched by myself but presented by UPAC to Uniroyal Chemical and the M.O.E.. This included what we were repeatedly told was a "voluntary" cleanup of GP-1 and GP-2 in 2013-2014. Of course there was little to no cleanup of GP-2  (gravel pit #2), just some landscaping and cosmetics. Even GP-1 required a second go round the following year (2014) to remove deeper contamination allegedly found from later soil sample analyses. "Voluntary" always seemed self-serving and deceptive as it was.

A few short years later I found evidence of gross misdoings and coverups. There were clear indications that much of Uniroyal Chemical's liquid wastes flowed east and south off their site over onto their neighbours (Stroh) farm. There were also official maps by consultants and the M.O.E. etc which brought the supposed location of GP-1 into disrepute. Apparently someone decided early on that minimizing the extent of liquid toxic wastes that flowed off-site onto neighbours' property was a good scoping method to cut down on cleanup costs as well as embarrassment and shame for decisions made earlier on. 

To this day there has never been a proper, serious explanation or rationale given for these inconsistencies and contradictions. There have been last minute, unannounced "discussions" by GHD staff at TAG (Technical Advisory Group) that were amateurish, frivolous and disrespectful of local citizens hard work and efforts. Stupid comments such as pouring a single pail of water on the ground to determine the slope of the land were given. M.O.E. rep, Steve Martindale, suggested that a livestock fence on the site was a possibility. No backup photos were provided, nor explanation as to why a livestock fence would still be up nearly a hundred years after the site became an industrial one in the early 1920s.    

All in all as with every other issue raised by citizens; the polluter, the regulator (M.O.E.) and  local politicians  worked to stifle, bury and ignore all concerns and dissent. Some of the dissent was weeded out one way or the other such as Susan Rupert and myself. Other citizens more amenable to making deals, not necessarily in the public interest,  were given greater access to private meetings and other "goodies". 

For a few short years (early 2011  to early 2015) Uniroyal/Chemtura were not in charge of CPAC meetings. Dr. Dan Holt and an intrepid group of citizen activists made real headway only to be turfed by the new mayor Sandy Shantz and her sidekick Mark Bauman in September 2015. Cleanup has been downhill ever since.

WERE THEY LYING TO US THEN ABOUT THE INTERACTION BETWEEN ON AND OFF-SITE PUMPING RATES OR ARE THEY LYING NOW?

 

For decades the on-site pumping rates at PW4 and PW5 (originally PW1, PW3 and PW4) were set at 4.9 litres per second while the total off-site pumping was around 53 litres per second. We were advised that increases in off-site pumping required increases in on-site pumping  to prevent the off-site pumping from dragging contaminated groundwater off the Uniroyal/Crompton site and then further contaminating Elmira's municipal aquifers.

Similarly we were advised that decreases in off-site pumping could lessen the requirement of 4.9 litres per second needed to maintain hydraulic containment on site or in other words to prevent contaminated groundwater being pulled off-site by the many pumping wells in the Elmira Municipal Aquifers. 

This is but one of the reasons that Mayor Shantz, Chemtura/Lanxess and the Ministry of Environment cheerfully cleaned house (CPAC) in September 2015. They did not want continuity nor consistency. They had made promises and commitments that they were breaking and knew that they would continue to break. It is amazing how blatant professional liars will manipulate and lie even more to avoid getting caught red handed  in their initial lies when they want to change course. It's even so much easier not to have to explain these 180 degree changes in procedures at all.

The February 2025 Progress Report shows a total on-site pumping of 2.4 litres per second less than half of what has been required for decades. Meanwhile the total off-site pumping is 57.4 litres per second. Perhaps for one month this would not be a crisis but when it's been going on for the last few years it is. I believe that all guilty parties have thrown in the towel and are intentionally simply going through the "cleanup" motions. In fact they are effectively speeding up the "cleanup" only of the former Uniroyal site by assisting contaminated groundwater to migrate off-site.

To answer the question in the title above I would suggest that they were lying when it suited them and have never stopped.

WAS I TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT FRANK ROVERS AND DNAPLS ON THE UNIROYAL SITE?

 

Frank Rovers was one of if not the principal founder of engineering consulting firm Conestoga Rovers & Associates. He passed on several years ago. The company made their name with their hydraulic containment of the Love Canal in New York state. Interestingly decades later after there were some citizens who returned to the abandoned residential site, further ongoing issues arose with migrating sludges and contaminants. Back in the 1970s local resident Lois Gibbs led the charge to have the site cleaned up. Basically the Love Canal was exactly what it was named. It was a failed attempt (by a Mr. Love) to build a Canal whose original purpose was to bypass Niagara Falls apparently. The project was abandoned with a big hole left in the ground which unfortunately was filled with toxic chemicals from nearby Hooker Chemicals. Then of course it was covered with earth and local developers thought that it would be a dandy (and cheap) source of land for a new residential subdivision. Oh the pride, hubris and stupidity of people looking to get rich quick while others took the health risks. 

Adults and children in the new subdivision were plagued with multiple symptoms, rashes and illnesses. Then it was revealed as to what was oozing into basements and near surface sheds, garages and homes. Hooker chemicals produced various chlorinated solvents for commercial sale. To the best of my knowledge this included chlorophenols which they sold to Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira for use in herbicides and pesticides such as 2,4-D,   2,4,5-T ,  brushbane and eventually Agent Orange for use both in Vietnam and in Ontario. 

Way back in the late 1990s Susan Bryant informed me during a private DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) conversation with her that Frank Rovers had appeared at a UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) public meeting that I did not attend due to work commitments. For whatever reason Frank was very blunt and stated that yes the Uniroyal Chemical site to his knowledge was filled with sub-surface DNAPLS whether free phase or residual. I was shocked when Susan told me this. Both Uniroyal and the Ontario Ministry of Environment would have been in attendance. I believed Susan unequivocally at the time.

I can not imagine any reason why Frank Rovers (CRA) would say such a thing if it was not true. Susan said that it was said in the spirit of "Well there's just too much and it's everywhere so really there's no chance to search it all out and remove it.". I do know that at one time that was the attitude regarding DNAPLS in that they should be left alone for fear of further increasing their sub-surface migration if ill advised attempts to remove them took place. That said Drs. John Cherry and Beth Parker in January 2007 at the U. of Waterloo explained to me, Wilf Ruland, Pat McLean and Susan that that position had been reversed and that all possible attempts to remove DNAPLS were the way to go when remediating a site.  Susan, Wilf and Pat refused to take this information back to CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) for open discussion although private conversations may have taken place.

The DNAPLS remain to slowly dissolve and migrate over decades and or centuries. 

P.S. Jeff Merriman (Uniroyal & Chemtura) nearly had a bird one time I suggested that dioxins were DNAPL chemicals. 2,3,7,8 Tetra Chloro Dibenzo-p-Dioxin sure seems to me to be a classic DNAPL chemical. 

OH BOY HAS LUISA D'AMATO (K-W Record) GIVEN IT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE WRDSB AGAIN!

 

You gotta love it when those self-serving, self-entitled sh*heads get called out publicly. When are they going to learn that the more they try to insulate themselves from criticism the more that comes their way?  The answer appears to be never. They have absolute confidence that the Board and all their lawyers will protect them. Well let's see if that works out for Scot Piatkowski the former Board Chair who improperly shut down Caroline Burjowski's Delegation to the Waterloo Region & District School Board over two (3?) years ago. Without referring to that case, Ms. D'Amato slow roasted the Trustees' unfortunate penchant for non-transparency and secrecy. This of course includes not allowing non believers (in the WRDSB) to speak freely to them. 

Once again it appears that the good guys on the Trustees consist of Cindy Watson, Mike Ramsay and Bill Cody. They have long all tried to promote more openness and ability of parents, citizens and stakeholders to speak to the Trustees without facing restrictive and ridiculous legal threats and or threats of being cut off if they don't stay within the Trustees' narrow guidelines as to what is and isn't "appropriate" or O.K. Apparently it's just fine for Trustees and the WRDSB to behave poorly but heaven forbid any stakeholders should criticize them for it.

Ms. D'Amato has long advocated for a more open, honest and transparent WRDSB as have the three Trustees mentioned.  While I don't expect our current provincial government to do their job education wise, nevertheless they do have the legal right to step in when things get too ridiculous. Wouldn't that be just incredible if it was the Doug Ford government that said enough of this crap  and stepped in and took over from the WRDSB. I don't know when or if was the last time that the provincial government did such a thing but if this is a first it couldn't look better than on the WRDSB.  

  

A "SOFT" TAKEOVER IN EUROPE & THE MIDDLE EAST IT IS NOT

Or at least if after three years of murder, mayhem and war Ukraine ends up negotiating away some of their natural resources (rare minerals) I suppose that some would call that a "soft" takeover of another country's resources. My understanding in Africa is that developed nations around the world have swept in and bought up leases and properties in order to gain access and control to other country's natural resources. It appears that in the Ukraine both the U.S. and Russia are so interested.

The Middle East however confuses me. At one point D. Trump was talking about removing 2 million people from the Gaza Strip and redeveloping it as a tourist destination. Good Lord  are they going to have historical plaques every 100 metres stating that so many hundreds (or thousands) of men, women and children died here whether from aerial bombardment, bullets, starvation or disease? The only positive from Donald Trump's hot air so far has been the lack of snow and warm temperatures for the first three weeks of March here in Ontario. We'll see how long that lasts.

2025 and we think that the world is such a better place than it used to be. Every country in the world has greedy men and women who always want more. They will never be satisfied hence they are always pushing to change the rules to their benefit. More for them could be status, power, prestige, fame, multiple homes, world travel, planes, cars and toys in general plus of course money. These people even within the bounds and rules of civilized societies are dangerous because the world has finite resources and not every greedy piece of crap in the world will ever have enough. Hence whether in Africa or Canada these people learn how to lobby, how to organize and how to get power and authority way beyond what they should considering their moral and ethical considerations.  Generally speaking democracies inhibit their worst behaviour but only somewhat. It is also very possible to have a highly corrupt democracy and perhaps only a marginally corrupt other form of government. 

Democracies need more work but elected politicians are loath to interrupt their personal gravy trains. Even within political parties the infighting can be brutal as ambitious people jockey for position. Just watch what happens every time a party leader loses an election, resigns or gets caught unawares in a crisis . As often or not it is his "friends and colleagues" who plunge the knife into him.

NEXT MOSTLY USELESS TRAC MEETING - THURSDAY APRIL 10/25 AT 6:00 P.M.

 

This date is of course subject to immediate change without notice at the whim of Lanxess and likely even the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP).  As usual recently I have no intentions of wasting my time attending and being muted by lickspittles, incompetents and Lanxess fellow travellors. The meeting is video taped and is put on the Woolwich Township website a few days afterwards. That way I can watch the nonsense without either breaking out in tears or erupting in laughter publicly over their asinine assumptions, comments or self-serving fantasies they call facts. 

 The so called technical folks on TRAC have little or no history of what has come before.  At one point in time Susan Bryant could offer her biased recollections of past events but she's pretty well lost that ability. It really isn't that much of a loss however as her past recollections rarely coincided with the public interest much to Lanxess's benefit. 

My expectations are that TRAC will begin the countdown to shutdown. This April meeting is the first in 2025 and Lanxess and friends (MECP) clearly prefer fewer meetings over regular ones. Mayor Sandy Shantz jumped through their hoops and loops to bring them back to the table in September 2015 yet they have rewarded her with fewer face to face meetings with Elmira citizens ever since. For them having to explain their cleanup failures will not be at the top of their Agenda. I'm sure that their new media savvy consultants will have a path forward emphasizing effort, intention and hope for the future . Actually honestly explaining their multiple cleanup failures will never cross their minds.

MOST RECENT E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS WITH HOPELESS LOCAL POLITICIANS

 

Since Christmas I might guess that I've sent a dozen different e-mails to both Woolwich councillors and Region of Waterloo councillors. It could be more or it could be less. Regardless the subject matter has been about the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis and the failed cleanup(s).  Yesterday I sent both Monday and Tuesday's Blog posting to them. They are titled "  The Human Condition - Lying Has Been Raised To An Art Form By Politicians "  and  " !) The Elmira Groundwater Cleanup  2) The Canagagigue  Cleanup  3) The On-Site (Uniroyal Chemical)  Cleanup As Per March 2025 ". 

As I've stated in the past my purpose has been to ignore the gilded lily interpretation of the failed cleanups by all the guilty parties  in favour of the blunt and indisputable facts.  It has also been an attempt to draw out surely at least the few councillors (municipal or regional)  who do not like drinking the Kool Aid. i.e. those who can think for themselves and no matter how smooth the untruthful road has become want to know which "facts" are truthful and which are simply self-serving fantasies. 

It is even possible that a few of these more honest and intelligent councillors can see what the future is going to bring if they don't step up and demand a real cleanup versus the polluter driven efforts to date.

THE HUMAN CONDITION - LYING HAS BEEN RAISED TO AN ART FORM BY POLITICIANS

 

1) The Wilmot Land Grab  2) The $14 Million AMAZON screw up  3) The Elmira Water Crisis

1) Secrecy and non-disclosure agreements signed by our Regional Chair - seriously all to amass 770 acres for allegedly some unknown future industrial development. Meanwhile destroy productive food producing farmland and threaten our water supply.

2)  So our regional government made an oopsie...a $14 million oopsie by undercharging the new Amazon warehouse in Cambridge (Blair) on their development fees. Oh and one of the alleged reasons for the oopsie is the secrecy whereby the City of Cambridge didn't get around to telling the Region who the new owner of the warehouse was thus the Region undercharged them. (Wholesale versus retail development).

3)  Thirty-five years plus since the Elmira wells were shut down in November 1989.  As per yesterday's post here nothing has been brought to a successful conclusion.  The Elmira Aquifers remain polluted, the Canagagigue Creek remains polluted and the former Uniroyal Chemical site is a toxic time bomb. 

All three of these crises indicate bad governance at both the municipal and regional level. Bad governance specifically includes lying to citizens and electors in order to get your way. Citizens for the love of God throw ALL these bums out in the next election (2026). 

1) ELMIRA GROUNDWATER CLEANUP 2) CANAGAGIGUE CLEANUP 3) ON-SITE (UNIROYAL CHEMICAL) CLEANUP AS PER MARCH 2025

 

Three possible cleanups: 1) Elmira groundwater is an abject failure. Neither NDMA  nor chlorobenzene nor likely benzene, toluene, MBT, chlorophenols etc. have been reduced to drinking water standards much less zero.  2) The downstream Canagagigue Creek cleanup after more than fifty years of study and research hasn't even started.  3)  On-site i.e. the former Uniroyal site remains a toxic pigpen. DNAPLS both free phase and residual remain. Both liquid and solid wastes permeate the soils and groundwater in places fifty to seventy-five feet deep.  Some former waste pits and ponds were removed but not excavated below where the waste sat in unlined pits and ponds .  Even later on lined pits leaked downwards estimated at 3,400 litres per day by CH2MHILL,  the Region's consultants. All of this crap eventually (centuries?) will migrate off site into our aquifers, soils and Creek and Grand River.

Thank you Ontario MECP, Uniroyal/Lanxess, Woolwich Township and Region of Waterloo for your decades of whitewash and greenwash.  

 

SCAM IN THE CREEK JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER "CLEANUP" SCAMS

 

Allegedly there are three or four "hot spots" in the downstream Canagagigue Creek. That is the intentional lie to justify yet one more scoping/minimizing of the severity of the contamination problems in the Creek.  Think about it. When you scope everything possible to allegedly focus on the most serious stuff what you are really doing is trimming most of the rot and corruption away  for your own self-serving purposes. Take likely fifty or more different toxic contaminants in the Creek soils and sediments and pretend that only two count namely dioxins and DDT.  Then only sample the soils and sediments to a certain depth and pretend that just because you haven't sampled deeper that they aren't there. Then do your sampling along access roads such as the New Jerusalem Rd., Northfield Dr., and Jigs Hollow Rd. just outside West Montrose. The fact is that these access roads have nothing to do with where all the contaminants are much less even most of them. They are simply very easy access points to bring equipment and personnel to the Creek via car and truck versus on their backs.

Finally after analyzing your data you proudly tell UPAC, CPAC, TRAC, MECP etc. that the data you have clearly indicates that there are only two or three highly contaminated areas downstream in the Creek. That Creek runs for five miles from Uniroyal/Lanxess all the way to the Grand River just south of West Montrose. Your data meanwhile covers exactly how much of the Creek soils and sediments? Maybe 5%? Maybe 1%. It is all royal bulls*it  disguising the fact that the polluter has via locational sampling biases decided not where the Creek needs the most cleanup but where it is easiest and most convenient for him to dip his toes in the water and remove (maybe) a shovel full of highly contaminated sediments etc. Meanwhile the self-serving idiots at Woolwich Township gobble up this crap because it tastes so much better than admitting the truth and reality of how badly the Creek is still polluted.

SOME PROMISES WERE CLEAR & CONCISE, OTHERS WERE GENERAL INFERENCES

 

Most of the monitoring work on the Canagagigue Creek was done with the expectation that criteria exceedances of toxic contaminants would be removed. As far back as 1966 and 1996 provincial (OWRC & MOE) studies indicated huge problems in the downstream Creek soil and sediments. These included dioxins, DDT, PAHs, mercury, PCBs, lindane and more. Further studies in 2012-2014 initially shocked the MOE/MECP with the extent of health exceedances. I suspect that George Karlos of the MOE suggested the 2012 monitoring with the belief that by then most of the toxins had all flowed down into the Grand. Perhaps he underestimated the never ending discharge from the Uniroyal site.  Further studies ensued in 2017 and 2020 and they too showed significant exceedances of health criteria for dioxins and DDT. The other contaminants were conveniently dropped/ignored or as the "suits" like to say they were "scoped". More bulls*it from those with advanced degrees in the subject.

At this point in time the "remediation" has deteriorated to "maybe if we feel like it we will voluntarily do a little cleanup at a "hot spot" or two but gosh our fully under our control Risk Assessment says that we don't have to do anything, really."  That is the "progress" that Woolwich citizens have endured over the last thirty-five years. Bulls*it on top of more bulls*it, thank you very much. This is exactly how professional liars  supported by local self-serving councillors get their way. Time, money, political support and bulls*it carry the day.

Meanwhile promises of increased groundwater pumping  up to TRIPLE the rates in 2012 were very explicit. They have been totally ignored and now Lanxess and the MECP can't even reliably keep pumping at the old rates. No friggen wonder their vaunted hydraulic containment failed to deliver. It was always going to be difficult without more source removal but they guaranteed their own failure and now are scrambling to put lipstick on that pig and make themselves look good. 

SO MANY UNFULFILLED PROMISES. SO MANY LIES. SO LITTLE HONESTY.

 

This applies to all the guilty parties who signed agreements with each other. This applies to the Region, the Township, the Ministry of Environment (MECP) and of course the polluter (Uniroyal, Crompton, Chemtura, Lanxess). In hindsight I am very skeptical that any of them actually believed that they could ever restore Elmira's drinking water to drinking water standards hence they conspired to go through the motions, initiate a controlled public consultation and lie whenever their sincerity or enthusiasm for the job was questioned.

Especially when one puts out a thirty year time span for the cleanup it is difficult to hold them to account throughout the process. That combined with cheerful and optimistic "suits"  originally on a monthly basis producing report after report bragging about their progress, criticism is difficult. However when claims of success were too blatantly optimistic and the difficulties and setbacks always minimized and downplayed, citizens stepped up. Again just more lies and more hydrogeological bullcrap would ensue from the polluter and their friends. . Various truisms and "laws" backing the polluters position were regularly produced and while some hydrogeology is black and white, much is open to interpretation. It is therefore again difficult to argue technically when the polluter and his friends have multiple "experts" on call who all agree with the polluter's position and arguments.

Of course a vibrant, strong, nuetral and honest broker could have overcome these roadblocks. None stepped forward. Our politicians especially sold out before the very first meeting of UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) in January 1992. They all played the game whereas honest citizens thought they were dealing with contrite, proven negligent polluters. No such thing and over time Uniroyal and successor companies have displayed their arrogance and self-entitlement . They now routinely behave as if they are doing we the citizens a favour simply by rarely attending and answering a few softball questions. Again there has been but one Woolwich council and CPAC that took any steps to hold Chemtura and the MECP accountable. Sandy Shantz and cronies ended that in 2015. 

SANDY DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DNAPL AND A HORSE APPLE

 

How could she? Why should she? She's got friendly bought and paid for "suits" telling her everything she needs to know.  Whether its a Joe Ricker, contaminant plume expert, or Allan Deal of GHD, they stick to the company/polluter line and that's fine with her. Afterall Uniroyal initially followed by Crompton, Chemtura and Lanxess have all  signed on to the pat our backs and screw the public interest bandwagon years and decades ago. Other company suits would include Luis Almeida, formerly Ramin Ansari and also Hadley Stamm. Of course for a politician there is also the upper tier of government (Ontario) telling them what to believe and what to do and trust me we have all recently seen in Wilmot Township (770 acre land assembly) how our local and regional councillors toe the provincial line. Here our illustrious mayor takes orders from the polluter (Lanxess) and its' regulator (MECP) with nary a quibble.

 DNAPLS as a pollutant were covered up from the getgo by Uniroyal Chemical and friends. This included Susan Bryant and Sylvia Berg of APTE and made virtually no sense at all, however poorly informed APTE members followed their lead. I, Rich Clausi and Esther Thur did not. Later on Dr. Henry Regier also parted ways with APTE. 

The DNAPL coverup has never ended since. All evidence is either hidden or minimized. All citizen opposition has been muzzled as best as they can. DNAPL presence is but one reason why chlorobenzene concentrations are still so far in excess of drinking water criteria more than 35 years after the start of the Elmira Water Crisis. Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids are no joke and are the bane of remediation experts world wide. They need to be addressed early not denied and covered up as all the guilty parties in Elmira have done.

LANXESS NONSENSE REGARDING ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOUR OF NDMA, CHLOROBENZENE ETC.

 

Asymptotic behaviour like many principles, theorems or scientific positions can be misinterpreted or even blatantly abused to further the positions of self-serving people. Let's see now, who would be in need of some science to back them up after almost thirty years of groundwater hydraulic containment has not done the job? Got it! The Ministry of Environment (MECP), Woolwich Township and as well Lanxess and TRAC for example. I mean really when you have been solely in charge of the cleanup from the very beginning and you have grossly failed to achieve your mandate what else is there to do?  Simple you have to redefine both your goals and your solution. You have to convince the people out there that in fact it was an impossible task due to some esoteric mathematical principle (asymptotic behaviour) that magically makes it impossible to reduce NDMA (N-nitrosodimethylamine) down to drinking water standards which are 9 parts per trillion or .009 parts per billion. Hence your new solution to achieve the impossible is more time combined with a never ending search for the magic bullet that will maybe achieve  your original goals. According to experts such a magic bullet does not exist nor is likely to.

Of course this alleged asymptotic behaviour falls apart even further when we examine chlorobenzene, Lanxess and the MECP's second favourite contaminant. While hiding behind some theory that the NDMA  Concentration over Time curve can never achieve a zero concentration, in fact zero has never been the goal. The goal for NDMA was nine parts per trillion and for chlorobenzene it is eighty parts per billion. Neither are even close to that, much less zero. Who are they kidding?  

Furthermore  while pump and treat was and is the cheapest, least effective cleanup method it does not mean that it could never succeed . Of course the conditions and circumstances of having the polluter in full control of the cleanup would need to change and no the MECP are a pathetically impotent and coopted regulator also incapable of doing the job.  At the same time some well known and respected other technologies could and should be incorporated. Magic bullets are for liars and magicians only.

It appears to me that everybody is tired and wants to cut and run with their dignity intact which they do not deserve. They want to pat each other on the back and claim victory. What a disgusting victory indeed. Elmira's groundwater is still toxic and nothing has been cleaned up in the downstream Canagagigue Creek.

MAJOR DIFFERENCES: SUSAN BRYANT DIDN"T CLAIM TO BE CANADIAN WHERAS BUFFY SAINT MARIE DID

 

Buffy Saint Marie is a very talented singer/songwriter. Her musical talents  are clear and unequivocal. Unfortunately she misrepresented herself as both a Canadian and as a native Canadian. Shockingly to me she has been alleged to have actually threatened to sue her American family members who threatened to spill the beans on her actual family background and upbringing.

Susan Bryant is an American as was her husband. She was brought up in the Rochester, New York State area . I believe that her father was a senior executive at Kodak in Rochester. Her academic background is in English literature and grammar. She has both taught English I believe at the University level locally as well as worked as an editor, professionally improving other people's writing efforts.     

Ms. Marie received numerous musical awards including Juno awards as well as being a member of the Canadian Musical Hall of Fame . Clearly some of these honours were based upon her now disproven Canadian citizenship. It could well be argued that she in fact stole these honours from other artists who were indeed of Canadian background and citizenship.

To the best of my knowledge Susan Bryant has not misrepresented her citizenship or American background.  She too however has received various honours locally from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), the Region of Waterloo, University of Waterloo and others. I am not aware and in fact am doubtful as to whether any of these honours were dependent upon her citizenship. The honours she received were based mostly upon her efforts regarding the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis . I do not believe however that those efforts were either clear or unequivocal. Her position on the upcoming token Creek cleanup (or none at all) as well as the essential ending/reduction of groundwater remediation should solidify that.   

IT'S ALL ABOUT FACE SAVING NOW - PUTTING SPIN ON A FAILED ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP

 Everybody involved wants to end up with roses not crap on their faces. All the guilty parties who went along with Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and Lanxess minimalist remediation methodologies which predictably have failed  now want to get out of Dodge with their reputations intact.

It's one thing to continue to fail to meet your own groundwater pumping criteria month after month but the truly creative thinkers (liars) somehow have to justify that as a benefit. Same thing with the totally unremediated downstream Canagagigue Creek. Sure you can ignore all the soil and sediment samples that greatly exceed provincial and federal health criteria but how do you sell doing nothing as being good? Well for a start they will claim (falsely) that removing contaminated sediments in the bottom of the Creek will stir them up and increase wildlife exposure to their toxins (DDT, dioxin, mercury, PCBs, PAHs etc.) 

They can brag about how many kilograms of those toxins they've removed but be sure not to mention how many more are left still far in excess of our drinking water standards. Yes by focusing on the glass half full you can also pretend that the "magic bullet" is just around the corner and that it will magically fix everything in the coming years.' That too will simply be just more professional bull*hit peddled by Lanxess's bought and paid for experts and suits . 

Elmira's low and failed cleanup will likely set the new standard for pretend cleanups around the province and or throughout Canada. 

WILL TRUMP'S STUPID TARRIFS SEND LANXESS SOUTHBOUND?

 

Well now that certainly is one heck of a thought. Way back when in my youth I got a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (1974). To say that I have not kept up in the field is a huge understatement. Hence let me assure you that my opinions on world trade and tariffs are exactly that : opinions only.

Supposedly tariffs are bad as they discourage trade between countries by artificially raising the prices to consumers. Allegedly different countries have competitive advantages whether they be favourable climates, cheap labour , highly educated workforces, ample raw materials etc. It is these competitive advantages which can make free trade between countries beneficial to both countries. 

Tariffs do just the opposite and if a country feel that they have to protect a particular domestic industry by artificially raising outside competitors' prices then they usually end up paying a cost for that protection via themselves losing their free market to sell a different product in the other country.

Presumably what Donald Trump is doing is trying to force American subsidiaries out of Canada and back to the U.S. where Americans will get the jobs. He wants these sales of products to solely benefit the U.S. through a higher Gross Domestic Product, more U.S. jobs and more U.S. income taxes etc.

So Lanxess Canada originated in Germany. Would it benefit them to move to the U.S. if they think Donald is going to leave his tariffs on for the long term? I kind of think it would if...if...if.  First off can they sell the property and buildings in Elmira to anybody? Lots of liability there unless our Min. of Environment and Woolwich Twn. increase their environmental contortionism even more. Also how many communities in the U.S. would welcome a new chemical company in their midst? Hmm if the unemployment rates are high enough likely lots would. 

For decades the spectre of Uniroyal/latest owner departing has been used as a reason not to push the company too hard on their environmental cleanup. I think it's fair to say that nobody wanted to lose relatively good paying jobs locally. In fact some have suggested that the worst possible outcome would be total job losses plus no company willing to maintain the pump & treat hydraulic containment system. Frankly the job losses would bother me far more than the company no longer doing the bare minimum pumping & treating of groundwater. That can be done by the Min. of Environment or darn near anybody else. 

If Lanxess were to leave and another chemical company not step forward then I would mourn the local job losses but not the pathetic excuses that pass for environmental cleanup. 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? CONSTRUCTION COMING BESIDE THE BOLENDER LANDFILL?

 

Something is going on. I sat on the end of the road which T intersections with George St. yesterday, north of Church St., eyeballing the former Bolender Landfill. There most certainly appears to be a large pile of dirt on the lot sitting next to the landfill i.e. on the east side. Furthermore there are numerous construction stakes throughout the property. Surely even Woolwich Township aren't going to toss the dice and allow residential construction so close to the former landfill?

I suppose I can see them being between a rock and a hard place. For decades there have been methane monitoring results in and around the former landfill which greatly exceed the safety criteria regarding potential explosions. During these decades, when asked, the Township have always gilded the lily and expressed confidence and optimism regarding safety matters.

So what does the Township do if the property owner sells his property which I believe consists of two lots and which may or may not be zoned residential right next to the former landfill? Well of course a careful and conscientious Township might in the name of due diligence refuse to allow new construction right there. They might advise the new owner of the inherent dangers. On the other hand a Township more attuned to political troubles and criticism may say "Damn the torpedoes Full speed ahead!" 

Woolwich have decades of experience massaging and manipulating public opinion on environmental matters. Presumably none of their loved ones will be at risk if some of the sub-surface methane comes in contact with a furnace, water heater or fireplace pilot light. Keep your eyes on whether or not construction starts this spring although I recommend not getting too close and or wearing ear muffs.

DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY

 

It's also been referred to as rule by the majority of the stupid as well as Democracy is a bad option albeit better than all the alternatives.  I guess what all these are saying is that Democracy is no guarantee of good governance and boy do we know that. Just look around the world. Not long ago Britain was led by partying Boris Johnson. We are now into Donald Trump's second term as U. S. President and he is publicly lecturing the leader of Ukraine (Zelensky) and blaming him for starting the war with Russia. What a total a**ho*e. Of course here in Ontario, not content to wait for the courts and police to do their job regarding the Greenbelt scandal we have re-elected Doug Ford to a third term majority as Premier. Yes this is the same Doug Ford that our newspapers political cartoonists have been assuring us peddled drugs in high school.  Finally we have a three term mayor namely Sandy Shantz. She wanted no part of the spotlight way back in 1996 when she ran against me for school trustee. She didn't want to speak and was visibly relieved when time ran out before we had a chance to speak as trustee candidates for Woolwich Township. I had been told that she was a last minute set up candidate to keep me out of the school board back then and her pro right wing, pro polluter decisions since then have solidified that.. All it takes in Woolwich Twn. is a German/Mennonite last name, one head, four limbs and you are in. Otherwise not. Just ask the unsuccessful mayoralty candidates such as McLean and Merlihan etc..   

 

CORRUPTION OR GAMESMANSHIP IN WOOLWICH POLITICS?

 

I favour the word corruption as in "riddled with errors". Some might view allegedly opening up a sudden council resignation (Scott Hahn) to the general public while council privately decides who they want to appoint as gamesmanship but I do not.  It was simple lying and deception of the ten candidates as well as of the general public.

Dr. Dan Holt had come in second for the council seat but mayor Sandy Shantz sure didn't want him on council. Dr. Dan had shown an uncanny ability as Chair of CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Comm.) to run a tight ship with proper procedure and decorum despite the Ministry of Environment and Chemtyra constant disrespect and obfuscation.

 Luisa D'Amato wrote an Opinion piece about the situation on February 2, 2018.  In it she described the environmental problems that were being inadequately addressed by the major players. Mayor Shantz and council disbanded CPAC only to learn later that what comes around, goes around. Both Dr. Holt and myself were paying attention when Hahn and Shantz decided to play fast and loose with the electoral, financial rules. They got caught and soon found out what bad press and criticism is all about albeit the difference was that they had indeed misbehaved whereas CPAC members had not. In fact Hahn and Shantz had both broken the law which was confirmed by prosecuters' down the road even while they claimed (wrongly) that it wasn't in the public interest to prosecute and convict them. So much for the rule of law in this province.

Long story short a few Woolwich politicians learned the hard and public way that mistreating citizens and volunteers while coddling polluters can come back and bite you. Two of the three politicians got the hell out of politics (Hahn & Bauman) albeit the highest paid (Shantz) has stayed fully at the trough while continuing to coddle Chemtura and now Lanxess Canada. 

 

ONLY A CCOMPLETELY PREVENTABLE CRISIS OR DISASTER CAN TURN THINGS AROUND EVEN BRIEFLY

 

There are two local environmental issues which can blow up in Woolwich's and the Min. Of Environment's face (MECP) . They are the decades long and decades avoided methane issues simmering below the former Bolender Landfill and any number of revelations surrounding the Elmira/Uniroyal Water Crisis. 

The Bolender Landfill could be as simple as methane migrating horizontally sub-surface and beneath the snow to a source of nearby ignition. That source could be a gas furnace pilot light or a gas water heater pilot light.  It could be a spark from almost anything including construction work.

The revelations regarding the Elmira Water Crisis are more varied. It could be health results made public for the downstream Canagagigue Old Order Mennonites farming the land. It could be more discoveries of other highly toxic chemicals in the Elmira Aquifers further making their remediation unlikely. It could be revelations regarding the long covered up free phase and residual DNAPLS on the former Uniroyal site. It could be the amount of leakage still leaving that site and entering either the Creek or the rest of the Elmira Aquifers.  Perhaps we might even find out the source of PCBs and mercury in the downstream Creek although I believe that the mercury may be significantly due to the upstream Woolwich Dam flooding soils and releasing naturally occurring mercury.

Now of course the spin doctors and professional liars will be out in force as they were after the November 1989 Elmira Water Crisis . Guilt, blame and negligence will be buried in the past along with some former politicians.  It will be the media's second kick at the can however I am not optimistic that they will successfully hold the appropriate politicians, polluters and fellow travellors accountable.

LETS BE REALISTIC - ONTARIO AREN'T TURNING GREEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME

 

That said the love in with Premier Doug Ford is nauseating. Singlehandedly he has been sending business and industry signals for years that they can continue to invest in oil and gas, development including in green spaces and on farmland, less and less provincial investment in green industries such as wind and solar, and particularly in road building just about anywhere they want. Ford has also mastered politics via jumping on our southern idiot Trump's threats of 25% tariffs as well as making Canada the U.S.'s  51st state. Truly Trump is a remarkable asshol* and Ford is merely Trump lite.

So did the Liberals do a better job environmentally when they were in power? Of course they did but first of all the Ford/Conservative bar is very low and secondly the Liberals scandals gained a lot more traction than Ford's have to date. Anyone remember the gas plant scandal

Either the NDP or the Greens would be far better for the environment despite Bob Rae's unpopularity thirty plus years ago . I have voted NDP a lot and it never fails to amaze me how many people "remember" allegedly how bad the sole NDP government was. Teachers especially will never forgive so called "Rae days" which when you look at it was minor compared to the hostility that various Conservative governments have shown to education from time to time. Our current PC provincial government perhaps have been too focused on starving our universities and colleges but do you think that they won't get around to our public schools and high schools?

The saying goes that people get the governments that they deserve. If that is the case then Ontario and its' citizens are in very bad shape .

DO OUR AUTHORITIES KNOWINGLY & INTENTIONALLY GAMBLE WITH THE PUBLIC'S LIVES?

 

The older I get the more it seems that way. What do the following have in common:  Grassy Narrows, Uniroyal Chemical & Elmira, Ontario, the major collapse of the bridge in Baltimore, Md., Northstar Aerospace in Cambridge, Ont., Boeing jets crashing repeatedly, the recent crash of a military helicopter and  a civilian jet over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.?

Who actually makes safety decisions affecting the public?  How big a factor is cost and convenience when our authorities make decisions affecting public safety? Is there a pre-determined dollar value put on each citizen's life that determines the response or lack thereof  when a safety issue is determined? If a particular ethnic or religious group are primarily affected does the dollar value of their lives vary from other citizens?

Did you know that there had been a previous ship that lost power that damaged the very same bridge in Baltimore albeit as it was a much smaller ship, less damage was done. Did you know that the sudden loss of power that caused the accident one year ago had been preceded the day before by two sudden losses of power to that same ship? Six lives were lost.

The crash between a military helicopter and a civilian airliner had to do with an airspace violation allegedly by the helicopter? It seems that our authorities permitted two individual flights to fly within approximately one hundred feet of each other at the same time?

Boeing jets have been having mid air serious incidents for the last few years including parts falling off and allegations are that there is a safety culture deficit at Boeing.

Most of the civilians whose health and lives have been damaged at Grassy Narrows are native Canadians who relied on eating fish for sustenance. The fish were full of mercury courtesy of a local, dumping paper mill.

Most of the downstream Canagagigue Creek residents and farmers outside Elmira, Ontario are Old Order Mennonites who do not believe in using the courts to settle grievances.  That's mighty convenient for the upstream polluters don't you think?

Many accidents can be avoided perhaps unless the cost is higher than the perceived values of certain human lives.

NEVERENDING GAMESMANSHIP ON THE FORMER UNIROYAL CHEMICAL PROPERTY

 

Ahh science! You can't fool it. You can't use words to stickhandle around it. Plain, old everyday lies get caught up in the data and facts don't they?  Well not nearly so much as you might hope. Afterall do you think these decades long contracts and associations with professional consultants, hydrogeologists, chemists etc. are for the public's benefit or for the shareholders' benefit?

I would like to think that after thirty-five years that I've seen all the tricks of the trade. Not a chance. There are likely ones of such breathtaking arrogance and brazen chutzpah that I haven't even dreamed of their existence. So what have I seen over the decades?

DNAPL soil sampling intentionally done in the least likely elevation and location to find DNAPLS. Upstream "Background" Creek monitoring results allegedly clear of Uniroyal contaminants that are actually downstream of past Uniroyal disposal areas such as Bolender Park. Sediment sampling done with open shovels versus closed sampling tubes pushed into the sediment which retain all the sediments they extract versus the shovel method which allows fines to flow off the shovel as it is extracted from the water. Method Detection Limits from commercial labs which far exceed the health criteria for specific chemicals thus producing false or sketchy Non-Detect (N.D.) results. "Investigations" of large areas of contamination that consist of all of two samples such as on the Stroh property. Also numerous soil samples on the Stroh property just inside their property line with Uniroyal that however are taken at a depth of 15 cm. or 5.9 inches. Considering most of these soils have been tilled, aerated and rained upon for decades it is a wonder that any positive results are available at those shallow depths. A refusal, over and over again, to take deeper soil samples both on and off the Uniroyal site which would indicate that solvent contaminated liquids can mobilize hydrophobic compounds such as DDT and dioxins and carry them further bith laterally and vertically.

So are we seeing science or more likely junk science and psuedo science throughout the so called "cleanup" of the aquifers, the Creek (Canagagigue) and the site itself?

HOW MANY MORE TRAC MEMBERS ARE FROM OUT OF TOWN?

 

TRAC - totally rotten & corrupt  or    to rally around corruption  or  totally reprehensible and co-opted.  At one point I was aware of at least two from out of town namely Pat McLean and Susan Bryant. That has got me to wondering about all the rest. Yes Sebastian lives in Elmira but as for the rest of them who knows. At one point in time literally anybody with an interest was welcome as a UPAC or CPAC member. Boy did that change when Pat McLean became the Chair (99-2000) and then when Sandy Shantz became mayor (2015). All downhill and far less democratic.

Now it's all about credentials and loyalty. I view Sebastian as the sole visual activist on TRAC and Susan as the sole visual co-optee on TRAC.  If it weren't for her and Sylvia selling out on DNAPLS to Uniroyal Chemical back in 1993 then I would suggest that she started as a legitimate activist before going over to the dark side. Yes there are still possibly a couple of TRAC members that think that the group overall have honest intentions . Whatever the group's intentions they have been long nuetered as a serious pro public interest group. Lanxess and the Ministry of Environment are in love with them which speaks volumes. 

THANKFULLY SPRING IS ON THE WAY

 

Despite the humourous arrest warrant that the O.P.P. issued recently for Wiarton Willie for giving poor advice about an early spring, in fact the next few days should let us know that March, the month of spring, is just a few days away. Poor old Wiarton Willie, the northern Ontario groundhog, can't seem to catch a break. If he predicts a late spring people are mad at him and if he predicts an early one and it doesn't happen almost immediately then people are also mad at him.

My prediction is a long, slow spring based upon the quantity of snow that needs to melt. The only way around that would be chinook type of winds that apparently visit the prairies some years . 

Do harsh winter conditions affect our environment? I expect that they do.  Looking back on the pandemic, one of the few good news stories was how it slowed down the economy (generally not good news) while at the same time also slowed down air pollution significantly as the quantity of vehicles on our highways plummeted. Many people stopped commuting to work either through sickness or through being advised to work from home.  As the pandemic eased many drivers also returned to commuting to and from work thus putting air pollution levels back to where they had been (too high). I know here in Elmira there have been many days this winter when the traffic levels in and out of town have been greatly diminished. This helps the quality of our air as well as reduces hospital admissions due to respiratory distress.

Could permanent improvements in both health and the environment be possible if more people worked from home? I expect that that would and should be a goal of our governments. Perhaps modest incentives to both employers and employees, in certain jobs and industries, to work from home could benefit us all. 

HOW MUCH MORE IS THERE THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YET?

 

This is one of the big reasons that Chemtura and the MOE/MECP wanted me off of CPAC. It wasn't just what I knew and was willing to share with the public it was what I continued to learn the more data and information that I got. Things like NDMA 100 or 200 metres cross-gradient from Uniroyal Chemical being found in a deep aquifer below the Stroh property. Things like both dioxins and DDD being found in the sediments of the Stroh Drain where they absolutely should not be found especially many decades after Uniroyal stopped discharging their liquid wastes to the natural environment. Things like the extent of DDT, its' metabolytes, dioxins, PAHs, mercury and PCBs being found in soils and sediments miles downstream in the Canagagigue Creek also many decades after the dumping allegedly stopped. There has also never been an intelligent explanation as to where the PCBs came from. Things like a direct discharge of the Stroh Drain to the Martin swimming pond. OMG. 

I wish I knew more about the pit that was mentioned in a Comment to one of my Blogs recently. I have seen a colour picture or two which seems to show something between the old Stroh barn and the Uniroyal/Chemtura property line . It actually seems to cross the gravel road that runs from the old house and barn westerly towards the gravel pit area. Besides that possibility I am aware of two other low lying areas nearby, one on the Uniroyal property and one on the Stroh property but I don't think either of these are what the commenter is referring to.  

I expect that it is anyone's guess as to what other "surprises" have been covered up, lied about and or hidden. The commenter also wondered about exactly who and how the decisions were made in the late 50s and early 60s to provide the U.S. military with Agent Orange. Did the authority and permission only come from the Canadian Federal government or was the province (Ontario) involved . Wouldn't it also be nice to know if the Town of Elmira were ever asked beforehand about this?

HOW MUCH MORE EVIDENCE IS THERE REGARDING UNIROYAL CONTAMINATION ON THE STROH PROPERTY?

 

Hmm let's see: besides word of mouth first hand testimony there are maps, reports and other documentation. These include CRA, GHD, CH2MHILL, Terraqua, Dames & Moore and other professional reports. There are the early (1991) Environmental Audit Reports done by CRA as well. There are topographical maps indicating ground surface elevations produced by CRA, Region of Waterloo, Min. of Environment etc. Indeed some work is required to put it all together and determine the most likely outcomes of various bad decisions made over the years. One of the more potentially shocking ones is whether or not the Martin family were ever advised when the upstream source of "water" on the Stroh property to their swimming pond was enhanced in 1983 by the man made extension of Martin Creek. This man made extension has since been known as the Stroh Drain or the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB).

There are other interesting variations between official maps other than the true location of GP-1. Questions arise as to what percentage of liquid toxic wastes actually flowed directly or indirectly into the favoured GP-1 location.  Or is it just as likely that Uniroyal used pumps to get some of the offending liquid toxic wastes into the favoured GP-1 location? 

Quoting a famous saying "When one is up to one's as* in crocodiles it is difficult to remind oneself that the initial objective was to drain the swamp."  The swamp on both Uniroyal's eastern border and Stroh's western border was finally drained with the construction of the 1983 SDDB. The SDDB drained both surface water as well as contaminated groundwater from both sides of the property line. To this day the SDDB has 2,3,7,8 TCDD (dioxins) in its' sediments at least thirty times greater than the federal health criteria and quite frankly with more sampling likely far in excess of that.

Despite all this our authorities have all chosen to bury their heads in the sand and govern via the ostrich method..  

DECADES AGO WE WERE ADVISED THAT AN ENVELOPE WAS DELIVERED EVERY CHRISTMAS TO MR. EARL STROH BY UNIROYAL CHEMICAL

 

This was very early in the 1990s as community members began to meet regularly at public UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) meetings. Gad I was so naive then. I even believed that the sitting Woolwich councillors were there at UPAC out of concern for the public health. Ha! They were there to insulate and assist Uniroyal Chemical as well as to divert any discussion or evidence pointing to Township negligence or inappropriate behaviour regarding Uniroyal.

The alleged envelope mentioned in the title above was supposedly filled with cash and actually was for what I thought at the time was a legitimate reason.  We were told that it was compensation for crop damage that occurred from Uniroyal's most northern pits overflowing and damaging Stroh crops close to the property line. In fact literally for many years one could see that whether corn or soybeans, crops next to RPE-1 & 2 did not do well at all.  They were either stunted, shorter or simply did not grow all of which is hardly surprising as we knew that Uniroyal products included herbicides and pesticides.

Meanwhile the anonymous commenter has added more information suggesting that the Stroh gravel pit operation may have been somewhat for show or for less than appropriate purposes. I really can not confirm or deny that although I suppose the argument could be made that for at least a certain time period gravel may have been used for construction purposes (driveways etc.?) as I believe that one of the sons was involved in home construction possibly in Wellesley Township. How closely the pile(s) of gravel on site matched the home construction period I do not know.   

I do know that when a new home was built on the Stroh property it was moved several hundred metres to the east away from the Canagagigue Creek. I also am aware of serious health problems that afflicted a number of the Stroh family that might or might not be attributed to chemical contamination. I expect that running a small family farm back in the 1940s and 50s was financially difficult and it would be unlikely that the head of the family would turn down financial offerings from the next door neighbour, a huge multi-national, multi billion dollar enterprise.

So much has been covered up by friends and fellow travellors of Uniroyal Chemical. So much self-serving, public interests be damned attitudes flourished. Money truly is the root of all evil. 

MORE KNOWLEDGE IS OUT THERE. CERTAIN FOLKS AROUND TOWN STILL KNOW WHERE THE SKELETONS ARE BURIED

 

I found yesterday's 10:48 am. comment on yesterday's post very interesting.  The anonymous person suggested that the long term gravel pile(s) on the Stroh property west of their old barn may have been hiding chemical discharges from Uniroyal onto the Stroh (or even Martin?) property . I doublechecked some colour maps I have and indeed the gravel piles were almost due west of the old Stroh barn and would visually have hidden surface liquid discharges leaving the Uniroyal property and moving south or south-east towards the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm not far from the Martin swimming pond. 

The utter failure of our authorities (MOE/MECP) to ever seriously and publicly investigate these allegations is beyond bizarre. In fact I would suggest that the lack of interest and the refusal to even publicly discuss citizens' concerns constitutes negligence by our authorities; municipal, regional and provincial. It also may signify guilty hands or minds as the best way to avoid being ensnared in an investigation is by being in charge of whether or not there ever is an investigation.

We know that liquid discharges left the Uniroyal site all the way down (north to south) their east side property line with the Stroh farm. Soil testing has proven that. We also have a couple of high concentration samples of 2,3,7,8 TCDD (dioxin) in the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm sediments. There would not be any contaminated discharge from the high north-west to south-east ridge which crosses the Stroh property line very close to Uniroyal's southern property line. 

Uniroyal's entire length of their southern property line is next to the Martin property. It is likely that GP-2  (gravel pit #2) overflowed occasionally and sent some of it's chemicals onto the Martin property. There is also a small gap between the bottom (south end) of GP-1 and the east end of GP-2 which discharged water and chemicals south and south-east albeit hidden from the Stroh side by the conveniently located gravel pile(s).

The question is not whether, it is when these likely criminal, environmental acts will be properly investigated and by whom.

UNIROYAL TRIED TO SELL INTERCEPTOR TRENCHES TO THE ENV. APPEAL BOARD THIRTY-FOUR YEARS AGO

 

Seriously! That was part of their "plan" to avoid having to extend their shallow hydraulic containment to the east side contaminated groundwater. They actually had formal drawings of the east side pits with  downgradient,  sub-surface Interceptor Trenches installed to intercept the grossly contaminated groundwater migrating westwards towards the on-site Canagagigue Creek. These drawings were notarized and part of the actual evidence submitted by Uniroyal Chemical. I discovered these drawings years later and recall being shocked that they had never been made public by any of the media present at the hearings or by APT Environment who supposedly attended all the Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) meetings.  Alas perhaps just one more keep it between us secret shared by Uniroyal and Ms. Bryant.

There were two somewhat parallel Interceptor Trenches which could have been for the Surficial Aquifer and the Upper Aquifer whether UA1 or UA3. Hard to say. They ran for hundreds of metres from north to south down the west side of the east side pits namely RPE 1-5. They then crossed over onto the Stroh property and likely hooked into the sub-surface pipe that discharges into the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm at its' north end. These Interceptor Trenches were also far enough west of the pits that they did not interfere with overflowing surface water and toxins gravity flowing southeards via the large surface swale on the immediate west side of the pits and ponds. 

The totally unacceptable, feeble and pathetic excuses and nonsense we were told by Uniroyal/Chemtura should have set the media ablaze as well as the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Literally nothing, allowing both guilty parties to ignore these explosive issues to be covered up. To this day this apparent use of a neighbour's property to surrepticiously bypass the discharge of gross toxins into the on-site Creek in favour of more out of sight, further downstream discharge should have led to serious investigation along with likely charges being laid.  Sandy and Woolwich councillors your time is running out due to your intentional avoidance of these and other gross environmental behaviours that you have condoned.  

IS THE JANUARY 2025 PROGRESS REPORT A NEW LOW EVEN FOR LANXESS & THE MECP?

 

Give credit where credit is due. Month after month Lanxess have to make up excuses why they are failing to make their own consultants (GHD) recommended Target Rates (pumping). They are failing with both on-site pumping which is to prevent loss of former Uniroyal Chemical contaminants to the off-site Elmira Aquifers and with off-site pumping which was supposed to pump and treat already contaminated off-site groundwater under Elmira, Ontario.

The January Progress Report is stunningly bad. GHD has recommend for decades that Lanxess pump AT LEAST 4.7 litres per second in order to maintain hydraulic containment on the Uniroyal/Lanxess site . They pumped all of 1.6 litres per second during the month of January 2025. The company and their pathetic regulator, the Ontario MECP,  also are recommended by GHD to pump  65 litres per second of groundwater under the off-site Elmira Aquifers and they only managed a tiny 41.1 l/second. 

These reduced pumping rates have been going on for years although the pumping deficits have been increasing over the last few years almost coincidentally as Lanxess and the MECP have thrown in the towel regarding achieving drinking water standards in the Elmira Aquifers by 2028. Who the hell gave them permission to do that? They should be getting off their fat behinds and working harder to achieve thier decades long commitments to Elmira citizens, not less .

ELMIRA WATER CRISIS AND UNEXPLAINED ANOMOLIES ON OR BESIDE THE STROH PRPERTY

 

Three, yes three different locations marked on maps for GP-1 which stands for Gravel Pit 1. This is significant because we were told that GP-1 was the resting place for toxic liquid wastes that had overflowed the east side pits and ponds and gravity flowed southwards.

The thee locations were just north of the diagonal, high ridge of  land that runs north-east from the former Uniroyal Chemical's extreme south-east corner. The second location is right on top of the high ridge of land at the northern end of it. The third is the favoured one by all the dirty polluters which is on the southern side of the diagonal, ridge of high land. 

Then of course there is the actual sub-surface pipe running north to south on the Stroh property parallel to and perhaps ten metres from the Uniroyal/Stroh property line. Was that simply to drain groundwater from the very high ground to the north or was it to drain pesticides and herbicides from the overflowing  RPE 1-5  toxic waste pits over there? 

The actual depth of the Stroh Drain actually intercepts surface groundwater in the former swampy area  on the Uniroyal/Lanxess property. In other words the SDDB (Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm) isn't just to assist liquid flow from north to south but also contaminated groundwater from west to east and then further south into the Canagagigue Creek. 

We haven't even mentioned the Interceptor Trenches yet. There are excellent satellite and aerial photos showing their locations on the Uniroyal property also in a south-east direction and likely hooking into the SDDB. As long as Lanxess and the MECP refuse to investigate, the truth can somewhat remain hidden. As long as Woolwich Township agree we citizens will never learn the full extent of Ontario's overall culpability  in this environmental disaster and coverup.

JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED

 

That title above kind of suggests that delayed justice will be delayed forever i.e. DENIED. It sure looks that way for a number of environmental crises around Elmira, Ontario. Methane gas in Bolender Park. They've mostly gone through the motions for fourty-five years so why do it now (unless of course it goes bang!). The First St. Landfill was never properly fitted with leachate or methane controls. Why bother now? Varnicolor Chemical's Lot 91 in the floodplain of the Canagagigue Creek had a few barrels excavated and removed (including PCBs) yet no serious attempts made to remove either LNAPLS or DNAPLS from the site. The former Uniroyal Chemical site despite hydraulic containment allegedly in all aquifers has always leaked off-site whether west and south under Elmira or into the Creek. Again absolutely zero discussion regarding serious on-site source removal. Finally the Canagagigue Creek downstream from Uniroyal/Lanxess has yet to have a single shovel of dioxin, DDT, PAHs, NDMA, lindane, mercury, PCBs etc. removed from it's sediments or creek soils so why bother now?

The vast majority of people whether credentialed or otherwise simply no longer have any idea of the details and specifics of these issues. They are most unlikely now to suddenly develop environmental awareness and conscientiousness to the point of spending the money necessary to clean up properly. Evil and lying have won. Thanks to our past and present politicians for enabling that outcome.

SOME METHANE CHARACTERISTICS AFFECTING RESIDENTS' SAFETY

 

Methane migrates.  It goes from higher pressure areas to lower pressure areas. It also follows the path of least resistance. This can be via underground conduits, pipes, electrical lines, water and sewer lines etc. Methane also migrates upwards and discharges if possible at surface. Heavy snow can discourage this and promote greater lateral migration. The lack of a clay cap over the Bolender Landfill in Elmira, despite false claims to the contrary, should have encouraged the release of much of the sub-surface methane generated on this site. Possible reasons why this has not happened include the high water table and accompanying moisture which generates more methane gas. Also it is very possible that the actual size and volume of the landfill is much greater than acknowledged by our authorities.

Methane can enter buildings through cracks in the basement walls or even drilled holes allowing municipal services in and out of the building. Seals around these holes can shrink or break down over time.  There is both a Lower Explosive Limit and an Upper Explosive Limit.  Both of these have been present, exceeded and or not exceeded at multiple methane monitors over the decades. Hence if methane enters a residence that has a pilot light for a water heater, fireplace or furnace then again depending on the concentration of methane, an explosion can occur.

Portable methane monitors are available and should be used in homes and buildings anywhere near former or current landfills. At one time, years ago, CRA advised Woolwich to provide them for nearby homes possibly on High St. and George St. and maybe another of which I am not certain. Overall I feel that Woolwich have not been protective of local residents living near the Bolender Landfill.

ANOTHER HISTORY LESSON - i.e. METHANE

 

The Woolwich Observer have a generally pretty good Editorial dated August 4, 2017 and titled "History of the area puts microscope on methane". Yes there are a couple of errors as the Observer appear to go along with Woolwich's methane propaganda about the quality of studies and focus on safety . Actually almost none of that is present.

Overall the Editorial describes the length of time that methane has been present and the seriousness of it.  What it doesn't do is point out the many errors and gaps in sampling that make the area such a concern. Also this Editorial appears to sell the idea that the long standing hydrocarbon contamination is somehow urgent. It's been there for decades as well as leaking into the Canagagigue Creek for decades. Absolutely nobody including the Ontario Ministry of Environment seem remotely concerned about it.  Now suddenly it's an issue or are the Township simply trying to use it as a bargaining chip in their fight with Frank Rattasid, the current owner of  the property?

Seven or eight years later and little to nothing has been done. Par for the course for Woolwich Township. I still expect that there will be a bang at some point in time and can only hope that damage to a building is minimal and damage to human beings is not at all. Hope springs eternal.

OUR AUTHORITIES HAVE MORPHED OVER DECADES INTO PROTECTORS AND INSULATORS OF BAD CORPORATE BEHAVIOR

 Citizens are basically viewed as widgets of varying status whose purpose is to be compliant little worker bees. We are to work hard for an employer, follow all his/her rules as well as allegedly society's rules (laws) and maybe vote every several years to give the appearance of democracy.

When a new corporate owner takes over ownership of contaminated sites it is the Ontario Ministry of Environment who call the shots. Unless of course as with Phillips taking over Varnicolor Chemical, the new owner finds the requirements too onerous. Then they tell the MOE/MECP what they will agree to and the MOE hops to it and makes the changes the prospective new owner wants. Never are the local citizens who likely exposed the environmental violations in the first place invited to the table. Oh no it's the guilty as sin MOE/MECP who sit down and sell the farm. This has occurred here in Elmira with Uniroyal and Varnicolor and in Breslau with Safety-Kleen when they bought out Breslube. The long suffering citizens are given meaningless verbal assurances, never serious in writing and enforceable commitments.

Each new prospective owner of Uniroyal Chemical from Crompton, Chemtura and Lanxess have assured themselves prior to signing on the dotted line that they will only have to dress up, speak softly and  employ credentialed consultants to sell whatever the flavour of the bull of the day is to unsuspecting citizens. Most of the honest citizens who held the corporate polluter accountable decades ago are either deceased, senile, or just plain way past their prime. The current crop especially the handpicked crop by Woolwich Township were picked only partially for their technical proficiency. When the entire cleanup is a scam then what is most needed are quiet, deferential citizens who know their places. and do not rock the boat. 

IT'S A COMBINATION OF THE BIG LIES BEHIND US COMBINED WITH THE ONGOING LIES NOT HAVING BEEN RECENTLY OPPOSED

 

"Big lies" includes the DNAPL coverup as well as the refusal to do any remediation but pump & treat (hydraulic containment) for the last thirty-three years. Ongoing lies includes failed on and off site pumping for many years so how does TRAC now decide to get on their high horse and suddenly get aggressive over inadequate pumping when they and TAG have mostly ignored it since 2015. The one exception would be Sebastian's occasional stinging criticisms. 

Further ongoing lies include "asymptotic behavior" for NDMA and last fall's DNAPL nonsense tag teamed by Allan Deal and Luis Almeida.  They claim zero off-site DNAPL as well as only residual on-site. Such incredible horse manure being accepted by all the guilty parties.

To really understand the democracy disconnect between citizens/voters and politicians simply look at the idiots on both Wilmot and regional councils. Allegedly there are constraints on regional councillors and chair (Karen Redman) talking to the public about the Region to date spending $18 million of OUR money to assemble part of the 770 acres of land in Wilmot Township. Then to add insult to injury local Wilmot councillors also claim that they are constrained from talking to citizens /public about this matter as well.

For  frick's sake do you think that we live in Russia, China, the former Syria etc.? Man up councillors and whatever "consequences" allegedly are hanging over you; call their bluff. If it's not a bluff then either accept those consequences or change the goddamn laws that allow elected representatives to be muzzled by other elected representatives. Utter bulls*it! 

WE NEED A PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE STROH FARM COVERUP

 

This would include the alleged Interceptor Trench running from the east side of Uniroyal Chemical southwards and then eastwards just below RPE-5 over to the Stroh farm. At that point it most likely hooks into the sub-surface drain running north to south on the Stroh farm and discharging into the Stroh Drain.  The rest of the coverup involves the normal, gravity flow from overflowing east side pits and ponds (RPE 1-5) that presumably did not end until about 1970. Little to none of these hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid toxic wastes were remediated. There was a token, Mickey Mouse cleanup in 2019 which consisted of a 15 centimetre  (5.9 inches)  deep removal of surface soils along the Stroh west property line with Uniroyal Chemical's east property line. Keep in mind that there had been previous alleged landscaping efforts years earlier on the Uniroyal side of the property line which would have reduced concentrations on the Uniroyal side. Also the Stroh farm is a working farm which has grown crops, tilled fields and exposed much of the soils along the property line to the air, the sun and to rain and snow all also helping to reduce surface concentrations.

There have been significant concentrations well above criteria of 2,3,7,8 TCDD (dioxin) in the sediments of the Drain in the couple of sediment samples taken. Again the sampling and "investigation" were pathetic and tokenism at best. The MECP and Lanxess Canada have been holding each others hands and the results to date do not inspire confidence in nuetral, informed and unbiased citizens.    

A TALE OF TWO PROSECUTERS: ONE TOO "FLEXIBLE" AND ONE JUST A PLAIN AS*HOLE

 

Fraser Kelly and Michael Carnegie. I assume it at least partially has to do with career ambition and hope for promotion. Both of which should have no place in decisions surrounding their jobs. If they don't then there are worse reasons for letting politicians/criminals off the hook while ordinary Joe's get the book thrown at them.

Elmira Councillor Scot Hahn demonstrated in many ways, both on and off the job, that he was immature and entitled.  Not particularly smart either but Daddy sure had the means and monies to help him get ahead and did so. Scot literally appeared to have spent maybe five to ten minutes in filling out his election finance forms. They weren't even close to appearing legit even upon the first glance. He had the most and biggest election signs of all the Ward 1 candidates for Council yet my recollection is that his total election expenses claimed something like $350. Basically his expense claims were a red flag screaming "Catch me, catch me!"  

Woolwich/Elmira mayor Sandy Shantz on the other hand was careful and subtle. She hid much of her reduced expenses and improper donations making it more difficult to understand what she was doing. She did not falsely reduce her expenses to ridiculous levels as Scot did, just enough to keep her below the threshold requiring a formal audit. Clever. Even so she had a motive greater than avoiding an additional $1,200 audit fee by keeping her expenses below the $10,000 mark. I expect that she was a little embarrassed (as she should be) by the fact that her legitimate expenses ended up being very close to TRIPLE those of her three competitors combined. Now keep in mind according to the rules that was legal but it could have given way to criticism that she "bought" the Mayor's job. If so it was a good investment in that the job pays six figures per year including regional councillor pay and other committee work stretched now over three terms.

 Out of town prosecuter Fraser Kelly wasn't satisfied with advising that yes there was enough evidence to get a Municipal Elections Act conviction on Sandy but that he didn't feel that it was in the "public interest". Such bulls*it. Oh no he felt it necessary to throw some dirt on the complainant , yours truly. Apparently my following all the legal procedures, steps, jumping through hoops and loops etc. somehow magically didn't  show a proper attitude, respect or whatever he dreamed up as an excuse. What a pathetic bugger.

Mr. Carnegie on the other hand as I recall probably also stated that there was enough evidence to get a conviction but also wrongly claimed that it wasn't in the "public interest" to do so.  Still bulls*it but at least he didn't feel the need to shoot the messenger or blame the victim. 

For those who don't believe that our judicial system is politicized just look at these cases carefully.