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.