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.
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