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.