THE CALMING & REASSURING WORDS FROM OUR AUTHORITIES NEVER END - KUDOS TO THE K-W RECORD ANYWAYS FOR A GOOD ARTICLE ABOUT THE NORTHSTAR CONTAMINATION , WARTS & ALL

 

It's always the same. No need for a health study because non health experts have already pre-determined the outcome using their physic powers combined with their political prowess. Politicians with their extensive training in generally nothing deem themselves experts in everything. Hence clearly no need for a health study. That could only bring bad news whereas without a health study we can assume the best case scenario. Problem therefore solved!

Next point. It's DNAPLS you twits! DNAPLS DNAPLS & more DNAPLS. Nothing screams DNAPLS like TCE (trichlororethylene). Despite this the word DNAPL is not in the Record's article, not even once. Instead there is some description by a lay person  about sub surface clay being responsible for pools of TCE.  This is a gross simplification that should have been clarified by either the Region or the Min. of Environment. However just like here in Elmira our dishonest and corrupt authorities never want to mention that word (DNAPL) for fear that curious citizens will look it up and learn the horrors and consequences of it.

  Clay or lack of clay does not produce pools or free phase DNAPLS. Excessive amounts of trichloroethylene spilled or dumped onto the ground produces these pools and flows of  essentially pure TCE below ground surface.  Yes either a depression in an area of lower permeability silt or clay whether within a permeable aquifer or within a basically less permeable clay or silt aquitard can capture and hold a pool of this undissolved (free phase) DNAPL TCE.  Depending upon the size of the depression and size of the pool of pure TCE, it can take decades to even centuries to fully dissolve into the groundwater flowing past it. 

Hence keep in mind that small quantities of TCE can dissolve into and move with groundwater. Yes these small quantities can exceed the Ontario drinking water standards (ODWS). I believe that both dissolved in groundwater TCE as well as free phase TCE can volatolize into toxic vapours which most certainly can be lethal at acute concentrations in the short term and or lethal at much lower concentrations over longer time frames. I might add that right this second I'm not 100% certain that both dissolved TCE and free phase TCE can volatolize into toxic vapours. These vapours can then migrate through foundation cracks or other openings (for household services such as gas, water, electric etc.) including floor drains etc.

Basically the Bishop St. community in Cambridge were sold a Bill of Goods when they were told that ten years of backyard garden sheds with activated carbon filters would be the end of their problems. DNAPLS literally can take decades to centuries to slowly dissolve. This is similar to the bull**it sold to Elmira residents  that thirty years of pump & treat technology would clean up our drinking water aquifers. Our authorities  are terrified to ever admit to their lack of oversight and supervision of well known polluting industries. They will never tell us how little oversight companies like Varnicolor, Uniroyal, Northstar Aerospace, Canadian  General  Tower etc. have received over many decades. 

It is even possible that recent K-W Record articles regarding Uniroyal/Elmira (Nov. 15/25) and this one in today's Record titled "It's not going away" are less about finally informing citizens and more about setting the stage for future public acceptance of a Lake Erie water pipeline to Waterloo Region. Funny how much the Region of Waterloo have talked up their wonderful groundwater and their world class staff and infrastructure for decades. Now we are hearing a different story. 

  

CONTAMINATED MILK, VARNICOLOR SOLVENTS, OFF-SITE DNAPLS, EVEN MORE OFF-SITE DNAPLS, JOE RICKER & ALLAN DEAL BULL****, WRDSB, PATHETIC APPEAL BODIES,

 

Well now this is almost a synopsis if you will if the last year or so.  Starting with dioxin contaminated milk we now know that it has been contaminated since the 1960s. This information comes from government records of the day discovered by university researchers . Then from Susan Bryant we learn the truth (?)  on November 15/25 that she lied to me back in the 1990s about dioxins tested for and found in milk from cows along the downstream Canagagigue Creek. Based on this information and more I have to strongly suspect that our milk sourced from these farms still has dioxins in it. Thank You Regional Health Unit as well as Woolwich Township. Apparently poisoning Old Order Mennonite farmers and the general public is O.K. whereas depriving them of their milk quotas is not!

The Varnicolor Chemical site was so grossly contaminated with solvents that the light ones  were floating on top of the water table. These were inadvertently discovered by Digger Dave Holmes around 1989.  Varnicolor's owner publicly stated that Digger Dave "was full of shit" when he reported that either at a public meeting or to authorities. The light solvents are referred to as LNAPLS for Light Non Aqueous Phase Liquids and the heavier ones as DNAPLS or Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids. Varnicolor Chemical had both and all of them ended up in the Elmira drinking water aquifers although it took 35 years for authorities to admit only that many of the heavier, chlorinated solvents descended deep enough to enter the Municipal Upper drinking water Aquifer.

Jesse Wright at a June 2025 TRAC meeting advised that chlorinated solvents (chlorobenzene) were found at several industrial/commercial locations in and around First St. and Howard Ave. This may have been done in order to explain the admission of former DNAPLS present beside the Howard Ave. water tower in Elmira throughout the 1990s and later. That second admission came from the Minutes of s September 2024 TRAC meeting in which Allan Deal (GHD) attempted to slickly avoid admitting anything about chlorobenzene DNAPLS  ever being on the Varnicolor site.  Same with NDMA. Varnicolor was protected by the authorities from blame over ruining our drinking water aquifers for decades until they finally admitted multiple chlorinated solvents from Varnicolor did contribute to those ruined aquifers.

Joe Ricker (not GHD probably WSP)  made disingenuous statements as well as deflective statements suggesting that our aquifers couldn't be cleaned by 2028 due to "ASYMPTOTIC " principles. My opinion is that he is full of shi*.  Asymptotic principles may be a real thing but his description sounded and smelled like bulls*i*. I believe that he misapplied a real mathematical principle for the self-serving benefit of his client (Lanxess) and himself.

At long last the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) are appropriately getting dragged through the mud in which they have frolicked for so long. Their behaviour towards both Caroline Burjowski and trustee Mike Ramsay has been disgusting. What is nearly as disgusting in my opinion is that our courts take so *ucking long to hear cases and render intelligent opinions. Yes by the way just for the record all their opinions are NOT always intelligent. That said they are going to have to really stretch their credibility to be able to find loopholes or legal machinations that would let the WRDSB off the legal hook that in their arrogance and willingness to spend taxpayers money to the last nickel; that they have put themselves upon.

Pathetic appeal bodies I believe are mainly to give mostly powerless citizens some hope that somewhere there is justice. Of course here in Canada and possibly the United States we have the very best judicial systems in the world THAT MONEY CAN BUY. Otherwise they suck. OMB now OLT (Ontario Land Tribunal), EAB now ERT (Environmental Review Tribunal, Integrity Commissioners, Ombudsmen and on and on. The system is corrupt and every now and then a politician or other big shot gets his fingers wrapped for some minor offence just to give the rest of us some hope yet again that the entire system isn't corrupt from start to bottom. It is but there are worse systems around the world which is one hell of a pathetic compliment to our systems.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!!

WOW BUT A LOCAL CIVIL ENGINEER SURE GIVES THE REGION OF WATERLOO (RMOW) A SMACK UPSIDE THE HEAD

 

Good for the Record (& Terry Pender) in publishing this story describing the opinions of Barbara Robinson, civil engineer, and former chief engineer for the City of  Kitchener. The title of the story is "Waterloo Region water supply source of angst and debate". She has let it be known clearly that the Region (RMOW) are asleep at the switch in not having expert staff in regards to sanitary sewers within the Region.

Her claim, which makes sense to me, is that there are massive inflows of clean water into the sanitary sewers all of which require treatment prior to discharge to the Grand River, Canagagigue Creek, Speed River etc. Here in Woolwich Township which I fondly call Dogpatch there has been an ongoing battle allegedly against  I & I otherwise known as Inflow & Infiltration. The problem of course here is that all the spokespersons and governance bodies are so used to lying to the public that who knows if what they say is truthful or mere wishful thinking. 

We have been told by them that large parts of the Birdland subdivision had their roof eavetroughs  connected to the sanitary sewers. Allegedly this has caused, especially during wet weather, massive inflows of clean water to the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant . Again allegedly we are advised that there was (is?) an ongoing program to disconnect these roof drains (i,e, eavetroughs) from the subsurface sanitary sewer pipes. 

If this is for real then kudos to our local engineering department and councillors who invested in that program.  Now Barbara Robinson has also suggested that some catchbasins in the Region have been incorrectly connected to sanitary sewer pipes versus to storm sewer pipes. I can certainly understand how bad that would be as far as exacerbating high flows into the Sewage Treatment Plants (STP).  Other problems include laterals running from homes to the sanitary sewers buried underneath roadways. If there are leaks in those laterals then again rainwater or high shallow groundwater (i.e. water table0 could also infiltrate into the laterals this preventing it recharging local aquifers and overloading STPs.

Wouldn't that be ironic if Dogpatch (Woolwich) were actually ahead of the curve on these issues? Unfortunately it wouldn't make the Region (RMOW) look very smart if they are actually lagging behind Dogpatch.

WHEN INVESTIGATIVE BODIES SET THEIR OWN RULES AS NOTHING MORE THAN LOOPHOLES FOR THEMSELVES

 

The damage is done thank you very much Waterloo Region Record and the NATIONAL NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL (NNMC).  The K-W Record story was published on November 15, 2025, nearly six weeks ago.  Absolutely zero of my complaints have been addressed much less even discussed by either the Record or the National NewsMedia Council. There has mostly been deafening silence from the Record who apparently would rather be known as insular and non-responsive to accurate technical corrections than be known as a human based organization who are not perfect but who do properly address complaints or clarifications of their work. Obviously my sympathy and concern for the fragile state of community newspapers is waning rapidly. 

The NNMC to date have been of zero assistance. They have not sent me any correspondence requesting the Record to step up and fulfill their public interest mandate in the community. They have shown me absolutely zero leadership or control of the situation. They have given me absolutely no indication that they are pushing the Record to at least discuss my complaints/clarifications with them. Nearly six weeks later and the public are still blissfully unaware of the inaccuracies and errors in the November 15/25 article by Terry Pender titled " The long cleanup of Elmira's water contamination crisis".

It appears that both the Record and the NNMC do not give a crap about honesty or accuracy just like the guilty parties supplying the Record with self-serving, false information. Shame on all of them. 

To the NNMC : your failure to address my complaint either in a timely fashion or at all is to your shame. Feel free to abuse due process by using this Blog posting as your excuse to now pretend that gosh/golly you were just about to jump in with both feet but this Blog posting has violated your own internal excuses/bullsh*t  and gives you reasons to do what you've been doing all along which is a big fat, slow nothing. Thank you for wasting my time.

LICKSPITTLES, YES MEN & WOMEN, COOPTEES, CLIENT DRIVEN CONSULTANTS ARE ALL WELCOME IN ELMIRA, ONTARIO

 

Maybe I've approached this the wrong way. Yes I tried with this new Council to get them on the right track early. We had a group meeting at Dr. Dan Holt's the first January after they were elected in October 2022. I held a Hydrogeology 101 course for them at the Township offices back in 2023 and I did see some genuine interest and willingness to learn from a couple of councillors. Since then however it's clear to me that they've been shown a path to avoid trouble, discord, dissent and frankly massive work. 

I was speaking with an educated individual recently who described a work situation in which incompetence and getting along to go along were the norm.  The leaders and bosses were out of their depth and totally reliant upon others to do the actual work. These bosses then attended meetings and patted each other on the backs for alleged good work and improvements. Meanwhile those in the trenches could clearly see gaps in programs and procedures but could not convince their "superiors" to make the necessary changes. Routines and practices while not well understood by the bosses were however entrenched.  If there had not been a disaster or crisis so far then their attitude was don't make any significant changes. 

Is this the same mentality as is prevalent in Elmira around the groundwater cleanup? Here it's even worse as the so called bosses have financial skin in the game. Until or unless there is massive unrest by local citizens then Lanxess Canada are going to stick to the tried ,true and failed cleanup that's been ongoing for almost thirty years. The failures are not only from making bad cleanup decisions thirty plus years ago but also from poor implementation of those decisions. In other words the corporate successors to Uniroyal Chemical have never maintained the pumping regimens that they sold to the other stakeholders as adequate to do the job. Hence failure was obvious to those of us who weren't playing the game just to get along and go along.

Unfortunately the mantra here by local politicians is that magically speaking nicely and being nice will make up for obvious remediation flaws and failures. It has not and never will. But everyone involved are friends and getting along well don't you know. People continue getting cancers and other ailments exacerbated by local toxins but heaven forbid any harsh words are thrown at anybody no matter how egregious the lack of cleanup provocation.

NO RESPONSE FROM OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES

 

This includes no response to new information and data that they had virtually no idea of. Do you think that our first time Woolwich councillors have even the foggiest idea of who and what Varnicolor Chemical was? Especially the younger councillors who were barely born thirty-five years ago? I don't think so unless it's the Ministry/Lanxess lie that Varnicolor was of little environmental consequence. Quoting Stan Berger (M.O.E.) at the Environmental Appeal Board hearings "Varnicolor were a water pistol in a thunderstorm." Well that alleged "water pistol" contaminated our municipal drinking water just like Uniroyal and Nutrite did and that is now confirmed, albeit quietly, by our authorities. I have recently challenged both the Woolwich Observer and the K-W Record to publish that fact. So far nada!

Also I might add that I don't personally need a response from the guilty parties to somehow "vindicate" or validate my position and opinions. Having absolutely zero respect left for their integrity or decency why would I? Do you need validation from an ar*ehole like Donald Trump for example to make you feel better about yourself? There are many, many people whom I respect greatly and whose opinions of me I value. None of them are in positions of authority regarding the failed "cleanups" here in Elmira. God help me if unlike Susan Bryant I ever start publicly complimenting Lanxess or MECP personnel. 

The other two points I wish to clarify are the following.  Our Woolwich councillors as well as our regional councillors need to respond when citizens voluntarily provide them with information they do not have.  Far beyond courtesy is the simple requirement as a public servant to both appreciate helpful citizen input and to acknowledge it. Honest citizen engagement can help solve problems and issues. That kind of feedback is what honest politicians/brokers do. Perhaps I've just spelled out the reality of why they aren't doing so.

Lastly it is my belief that much of Varnicolor Chemical's behaviour and actions have yet to be proven conclusively and so publicized. This is based upon both my own personal experiences inside Varnicolor Chemical as well as testimony from others both thirty plus years ago and even only a decade ago. Severin Argenton illegally disposed of massive quantities of both solid and liquid toxic wastes. He can not possibly ever have had the appropriate written records showing proper disposal. Our authorities have made it a priority NOT to followup and investigate his illegal and grossly environmentally damaging misdeeds. That behaviour by the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) alone should be grounds for some sort of public inquiry into their corruption. That should be followed by an investigation into the sweetheart deals with Uniroyal Chemical and corporate successors and our local governing bodies over the last decades. 

Which again may explain why councillors who profess shock and abhorence at mere rude words have had no problem looking at and then away from miscarriages, still births, cancers, possibly birth defects and a host of other diseases both caused and exacerbated by downstream Uniroyal Chemical toxins as well as the same here in Elmira from toxic doses of drinking water and air. 

84 UNION ST. = 62 UNION ST, ELMIRA i.e. ELMIRA PUMP = VARNICOLOR CHEMICAL

 

The properties literally touch each other. They literally operated as one entity with a track for forklifts and even tractor trailers to go back and forth. There was a third tank farm built upon the 84 Union St. area for the expanding Varnicolor Chemical business.  Incoming and outgoing 45-55 gallon drums were stored in the building still on the Howard Ave. side of the property. All that said there was something afoot going on over there which a little birdie told me about a long time ago. The Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) never fully released what they discovered on that property.  It was too damning both of Varnicolor and of the M.O.E. . It likely would have necessitated the admission of Varnicolor's contributions to the destruction of the Elmira drinking water Aquifers decades sooner.

Back in 2016 Elmira Pump (Jim Germann) was trying to get a Record of Site Condition  from the M.O.E. for his former Varnicolor properties bounded by First Ave., Union St. and Howard Ave. He was also trying to get permission from Woolwich Township to build commercial storage units on the SURFACE of his property.  Pump & Treat technology had been underway since about 1996 and the shallow aquifer had also been excavated way back around 1993. The surface at least appeared to be fairly clean albeit deeper down was less likely. One other lie (O.K. omission) was that Varnicolor's shallow solvent contamination had spread westwards over their property line onto that of  MotiveAire  next door. A cleanup including likely a hookup into Varnicolor's pump & treat system occurred.

There also was never a proper investigation into Varnicolor Chemical's can coating process. The owner Severin Argenton obtained a precurser to NDMA called dimethylamine (DMA) which was used in the can coating process which was a commercial enterprise producing a liquid coating applied to the inside of cans (likely food products) to inhibit rusting and oxidation. Guess where the wastewaters were dumped versus being treated and properly disposed of? 

  The sheer volume of the dumping at Varnicolor is what concerned me when I worked there as well as in the following years. The dumping occurred throughout the entire properties as well as at Lot 91 at the extreme east end of Oriole Parkway. This site was sold to Varnicolor (Severin Argenton) by Woolwich Township. Later the GRCA approved plans for the construction of tank farms for the Lot 91 site which was only  stopped by Susan Rupert, Ted Oldfield, Rich Clausi and myself .  This Lot 91 site by the way was on the floodplain of both Shirt Factory Creek and of the Canagagigue Creek. I think you can see my loss of innocence in having faith in our various governance bodies.

Elmira and Woolwich citizens have been lied to about so much for so long regarding the Elmira Water Crisis. We still don't have all the facts or the truth. I expect that if and when that happens I will no longer need to vent my outrage with strong language. Although strong language is healthier for me than strong drink and whiz on those that don't like it.   

IT TOOK OUR LYING AUTHORITIES THIRTY-FIVE YEARS TO ADMIT THAT VARNICOLOR CHEMICAL CONTAMINATED ELMIRA'S DRINKING WATER AQUIFERS

 

That is an outrageous coverup! They did it for multiple reasons including not wanting to give credit where credit was due. That credit was to Susan Rupert, Richard Clausi, Ted Oldfield and yes to MYSELF. Susan Rupert has since passed and Ted Oldfield and family moved out of Elmira decades ago in order to protect his very young children. Richard and wife still live in Elmira and he remains committed environmentally. I have capitolized "myself" above as I have been discriminated against by Woolwich Township for decades because I have not embraced their unwritten policy of capitulation to the interests of Uniroyal and corporate successors as well as to the Ontario Ministry of Environment rather than to the public interest.

Other reasons include the sweetheart deal between the Ministry (M.O.E./MECP) and Uniroyal Chemical. In exchange for DNAPL loopholes and others in the November 1991 Control Order, combined with Uniroyal accepting 100% of the pollution responsibility;  the Ministry of Environment were able to pretend that they had missed but one company discharging one weird and unusual chemical into our groundwater that allegedly no one had heard of before. It of course was all bulls*it from the start. 

The three known and recognized (barely & almost nobody knows thanks to media negligence) are Nutrite Fertilizers (Yara), Uniroyal Chemical and Varnicolor Chemical.  Nutrite contributed ammonia to the drinking water aquifers, Uniroyal contributed NDMA, chlorobenzene, dioxins & DDT (unadmitted) plus dozens more and Varnicolor contributed trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, 1,2 dichloroethene plus two or three other chlorinated solvents. The Varnicolor site held free phase LNAPLS and DNAPLS hence I've always suspected contributions to the Municipal Upper Aquifer at least and possibly the Municpal Lower as well. The LNAPLS had both benzene and toluene along with other "floaters". Both of these were also contributed by Uniroyal hence they took all the "credit" for them .

The admissions were made at a TRAC meeting in Woolwich Council, unattended even by local media (Woolwich Observer) as usual hence no headlines to update the public. The TRAC meeting was held on September 12, 2024 at 6 pm.  The Minutes of that meeting were approved many months later (again as usual) allowing even more time to pass. Page 6 of those Minutes admits that DNAPLS used to be located near off-site pumping well W4 (Howard St. Water Tower) which was another lie finally exposed. Page 7 of the Minutes states the information about Varnicolor's chlorinated solvents penetrating from the surface of their site downwards into the Upper Municipal Aquifer. The filthy scum even include the newer address of 84 Howard Ave. versus the older, better known address of Varnicolor Chemical namely 62 Union St. in Elmira. They also, not coincidentally, NEVER mention the name of VARNICOR CHEMICAL in these Minutes . These are the manipulative, lying scum that I've been dealing with since 1989. Certain twats like Sandy, Sebastian and others have criticized my harsh language. Well after a third of a century they deserve far more than harsh language but just to be clear they can go fuch themselves!  I am referring to Uniroyal & successors plus the M.O.E./MECP  plus their fellow travellors who have enabled their dishonesty and lying.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION HAS BEEN ABORTED, MANIPULATED, MURDERED AND GENERALLY TREATED WITH CONTEMPT BY WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP (& others)

 

You  would almost think that it was the apathy or love of polluters by local citizens that caused the cleanup failures to date based upon the behaviour and words of all guilty parties. They are all strutting around as if they are the saviours and the heroes of Elmira when in fact it is the reliance upon our governing structures combined with their refusal to stand up for the public interest that has doomed the cleanup of our drinking water aquifers and of our Canagagigue Creek. Two sellouts by the name of Pat McLean and Susan Bryant dragged CPAC in 2000 into and under the control of our municipal government. Esther Thur, Dr. Henry Regier and myself all spoke against that  direction and time has proven us correct. Susan and Pat knew that they would have support from both Uniroyal Chemical and Woolwich Township  forever more if they could deliver CPAC to Woolwich control and the company knew that they had far more influence with the municipality than they would ever have with individual citizens not working for them.

The best citizens group ever was disbanded by Chemtura, the Min. of Environment,  Sandy Shantz and Mark Bauman back in late August 2015. We volunteers were unceremoniously dumped precisely because we were so effective in insisting upon real cleanup and source removal (both on & off the Uniroyal/Chemtura site)  versus the slow and ineffective pump and treat that had been sputtering along for years. Going on eleven years later and only now is there discussion about enhanced and improved off site groundwater cleanup.  History shows the likelihood of that "discussion" going on forever. The Creek ("Gig") remains totally unremediated downstream of Uniroyal/Lanxess Canada.

Below is a partial copy of my complaint to the Ontario Ombudsman. No remediation done for the public interest versus saving the company money and for saving face for the Min. of Environment will occur until honest and knowledgeable citizens once again are in charge of local public consultation.  

Make a Complaint What's your complaint about? Ontario and municipal government and public services Your contact information First Name alan Last Name marshall Phone Number 519 6692801 Email Address agmarshall@rogers.com Address 99 Church St. W. Elmira, Ontario. N3B3K7 What is your complaint about? Describe your problem in 3 to 5 sentences. Include  the name of the organization you are complaining  about and what happened. Woolwich Township (part of Waterloo Region) refuse to  allow the public, citizens or residents either the right to   comment or ask questions at public meetings of TRAC,  a committee of Council. The Technical Remediation &  Advisory Committee (TRAC) advise on restoring the  town of Elmira's drinking water destroyed by Uniroyal  Chemical in 1989. All members are appointed by Council  and include non residents and even a non Canadian  (American) while refusing myself (& others) wholly  qualified and quite frankly better technically and historically  informed than current members. I have lived in Woolwich  Township for 32 years and in Elmira for 23 years plus I  led the charge to convict and imprison Severin Argenton,  owner of Varnicolor Chemical, for dumping solvents and  other toxic liquid wastes at his Elmira business. Varnicolor  has since been recognized as being one of three now  responsible for contaminating the Elmira drinking water  aquifers. Additional information Let us know if you need special support or have a  preference about how we contact you. This could be  something like braille, large text, a phone call instead  of email, an in-person meeting, or the best time for us  to call you. e-mail or phone calls during business hours please Yes, I want to subscribe to your monthly newsletter to  receive news about Ombudsman Ontario Yes Yes, please send a copy of my complaint to the email  address I provided above. Yes

TRAC REFUSE TO ACCEPT HONEST BUT BLUNT WRITTEN DELEGATIONS FROM ME BUT CHEERFULLY ACCEPT DISHONEST, SELF-SERVING BULLSHIT FROM CONVICTED POLLUTERS & OTHER LIARS

 

To be specific my thoughtful, specific and relevant critiques may very well indeed have a word such as is included above albeit I usually spell it as follows:  "bulls*it" . I am also known to call professional liars OMG "professional liars" although sometimes I even soften that slightly to simply "liars".  Thank you Sebastian and Nathan Cadeau for stating very clearly at the end of last Thursday's TRAC meeting that TRAC were refusing to include written Delegations to themselves as part of their official correspondence if they didn't meet or pass certain professional standards. Or did Nathan say certain politeness standards? Or was it a censorship standard whereby certain unstated but common and well known English words being used would automatically disqualify the document from being sent on to TRAC members? Anyways thanks Nathan (five minute boy wonder) - ooh ooh are any of those words also naughty?  for publicly live and on video telling the world that Woolwich and TRAC censor on topic and well researched citizen written Delegations to TRAC.

I watched last Thursday's TRAC video on-line. It was no more disappointing than usual. The bulls*it however is getting thicker and heavier. Apparently failing to achieve drinking water standards after 27 years of pump and treat technology that regularly failed to meet their own consultant's Target Pumping Rate can be remedied by reducing that same pumping. At least that is what Luis and Hadley (three minute girl wonder) are selling .  

Hadley also claimed that the Region of Waterloo have stated that they want to put the water from well E10 by Scotch Line into the Elmira Distribution System. Really? Then why has the Region put well E10 (& others) out for tender? Check their website under Bids & Tenders and it says that they want to decommission that well.  Very strange.

Cullen somebody or other has expressed surprise about increasing concentrations of contaminants (likely chlorobenzene) at well CH 44D after shutting down most of the off-site pumping wells. Oddly or not nobody brought up or pointed out to him the history of that well including its' proximity to DNAPLS from Uniroyal plus other issues over the decades. That is likely because there is no one on TRAC who either ever knew or who can now remember those issues.

I just love how Hadley and friends are trying to soften up both TRAC members and the public to getting back to drinking contaminated Elmira water. After all we all drank NDMA, chlorobenzene and so much more in our tap water for decades prior to November 1989. Hadley even suggested mixing clean water with contaminated water to reduce the contaminant concentrations to below drinking water standards.

There will be a new but equally useless 2028 Control Order from the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) eventually appearing. Allegedly there will also be either public meetings or more public consultation upcoming regarding some of the expected changes. Sandy and fellow travellors have a very low mark to hit to achieve "more" public consultation. Refusing the public the right to present statements and ask questions of the MECP and others at TRAC may and should doom the credibility of the process over the last decade. 

The failure to achieve promised groundwater results by both Uniroyal and corporate successors while supervised by the M.O.E./MECP should remove them from doing yet further damage by being in charge of cleanup any longer.

The failure to even start cleaning up the downstream five miles of Canagagigue Creek is shameful and should also remove them  from any further supervisory or control status. Their money can go to honest brokers not professional gamers and liars.  

EXPLORING FALSEHOODS PRESENTED BY LANXESS TOADIES & SHILLS IN THE K-W RECORD NOV. 15/25 EDITION

 

Yes leeches put in cages in the Canagagigue Creek were loaded with chlorophenols back in the day. Today my understanding is that they are much lower concentrations possibly even close to non detect. This is because the source of the migrating chlorophenols has been significantly reduced by the UACS (Upper Aquifer Containment System). Secondly any fish tissue results made available to CPAC around 2014 had concentrations exceeding the health criteria i.e. Tissue Residue Guidelines (TRG) They were certainly exceeded for DDT as well as for dioxins . Mercury and PCBs were detected but I do not recall at what concentrations.  Councillor and TRAC Chair Nathan Cadeau was one of the persons presenting inaccurate information. Another was Hadley Stamm, the second five minute wonder (Nathan is the first) . She works for Lanxess Canada. 

Between the two of them they are caught claiming no contamination in leeches and below criteria contamination in fish. These are both likely self-serving lies although it is possible both five minute wonders are simply ignorant and or listening to lying colleagues.

I have recently approached both Woolwich Township plus a TRAC member looking for any new biomonitoring reports presented to them that might suggest a lowering of contaminants in fish and leeches. To date my inquiries have been fruitless as both parties state that they are unaware of any such recent or new data. 

A third example from the K-W Record (Nov. 15/25) has just come to mind. namely Well E10. This well is located at the extreme south end of the town of Elmira beside Scotch Line. I had advised that it's water had never been used in the Elmira Distribution System. An environmental colleague has confirmed this via knowledge of and discussion with the owners of the property the well sits on or possibly beside. 

REFRESHER AS TO ALL THE INACCURACIES IN THE NOV. 15/25 PUBLISHED ARTICLE ABOUT LANXESS & CLEANUP FAILURES

 

 Specific explanation will be easier than specific evidence.  I am not a detective agency nor should be. All of my complaints are factual knowledge known by many here in Elmira who have followed the alleged "cleanup" for the last 36 years. Aquifer treatment started in January 1992 with on-site pumping wells PW1 and PW3. Within a year PW4 was added as the first two were inadequate on their own.

APTE was founded by Esther Thur, Sandra Bray and Susan Rupert.  NOT Susan Bryant!!!  Sandra Bray is the only surviving founder and lives in Elmira and likely will give an accurate answer. If you ask Susan Bryant you have a 50% chance of being misinformed. 

Esther Thur started APTE (with the other two) in 1989 and resigned from them and joined the Elmira Environmental Hazards Team in early 1994 which consisted of Rich Clausi and I plus Dr. Henry Regier (in about 1997). She remained with our group until her death in approx. 2004 hence she worked for twice as long on her Archives as a member of the EH-Team than as a member of APTE. Her Archives should either be called the Esther Thur Archives or the EH-Team/Esther Thur Archives. 

NDMA did not "develop" within the aquifers. It developed from production waste components such as Dimethylamine (DMA) and Nitrogen with the Nitrogen both naturally occurring and as part of Ammonia (NH3) discharges from Uniroyal as well as Nutrite Fertilizers (Yara) next door. It was released into both the air above Uniroyal as well as was in their liquid waste discharges eventually sent to the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant (after 1965) and into the Canagagigue Creek.

How do I prove that well E10 at the extreme south end of Elmira has never been a part of the Elmira water distribution system? Proving a negative is always difficult but perhaps a phone call by the Record to the Region of Waterloo would work.

The number of dump trucks involved with the removal of toxic wastes from the Envirodome/Mausoleum is a matter of record. I have been advised by an individual personally involved in the project . Presumably the Ontario Min. of Environment could set the record straight on that if the Record or anyone else wished to call them.

There are test results with significant detections of DDT and dioxins the full length of the Canagagigue Creek down to the Grand River five miles away. The furthest downstream testing was done from Jigs Hollow Rd. a few hundred metres west of the Grand River and again is a matter of public record. The Min. of Environment as well as Lanxess should have those results and if asked nicely would probably give the K-W Record a reasonably accurate answer.

Leeches were part of annual or semi-annual  Biomonitoring for many years. They were put in cages in the Creek precisely because they were known to absorb chlorophenols which years of results confirmed. Again the Min. of Environment (i.e. MECP) could confirm this. That afterall is the Ministry's job to provide answers to questions.

Fish studies which the Ministry have also done confirm years of Tissue Residue Guidelines (TRG) including 2014 exceeding criteria in fish such as carp, shiners and minnows.  

Warning signs in the Creek were erected as a direct result of fish sampled and found to be contaminated with DDT, dioxins, mercury and PCBs. The Ministry (MOE/MECP) should confirm that for the Record or for yourself despite their disgusting opposition to posting them.

The K-W Record deserves kudos for the time and effort they put into this article. Unfortunately however if you solely or primarily interview co-opted citizens and fellow travellors of the polluter (Lanxess) you will have numerous  exaggerations and inaccuracies..

A CHRISTIAN WOULD FORGIVE & FORGET AND MAYBE THAT'S THE PROBLEM (Too Many Christians)?

 

I would find it easier to forgive and forget (hmm maybe?)  if there had ever been an out and out apology. Even sincere regret followed by promises that were kept would be more palatable than what Elmira and Woolwich citizens have received from Uniroyal Chemical and successors. That would be false promises combined with lies, deceptions, dishonest public communications and consultations.

Furthermore there is the not so small matter of the company and their hired intellectual pros ti toots consistently squeezing every nickel possible in order to reduce their financial liability. Of course this reduced financial liability and expense comes at a cost but it is one that corporations just love. It's called externalization of costs. In other words if a corporation can grab every dollar of profit while reducing legitimate toxic waste disposal expenses then they are thrilled. This reduction however is based upon using public rivers and streams as sewers. It also relies upon discharges of toxic gases into the communal air. Finally our legal system in it's utter majesty has permitted dirty corporations to dump as much poison into ground and soil that they own allegedly provided that it doesn't migrate onto neighbours property. This however is the elephant in the room. 

Everybody knows now and has known for at least the last 100 years that buried toxic wastes, just like those intentionally dumped untreated into rivers and streams, will migrate. The poisons can migrate via groundwater, via surface water, via air currents and via subsurface gas vapours. Dr. Gail Krantzberg advised CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) that everything ever dumped on and into the Uniroyal Chemical site in Elmira will eventually migrate off site. It could take hundreds of years but anything not removed today and treated will eventually depart including liquid wastes that have stained and contaminated soil more than one hundred feet below ground surface.

This public apathy apparently knows no bounds.  It is only exceeded by public ignorance which has been exacerbated by a grossly weakened media desperate for corporate dollars.   

CLEARLY THE WOOLWICH/ELMIRA PUBLIC ARE NOT ACKNOWLEDGED AS STAKEHOLDERS BY POLLUTERS OR POLITICIANS

 

No citizen or resident of Elmira/Woolwich not vetted by Lanxess or her majesty Sandy Shantz are permitted to speak directly to TRAC at their occasional public meetings (3-4 per year). Even written Delegations can and are censored if the powers to be feel that they do not exhibit the necessary respect for killers of wildlife and purveyors of poison to human beings .  In most jurisdictions refusing to clean up Agent Orange (2,4-D & 2,4,5-T) in public streams and on private floodplains along the Canagagigue Creek would result in a jail sentence.  Not here in Dogpatch where Lanxess preside over five miles of downstream contamination that greatly exceeds mere dioxin . Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), DDT, DDD, DDE, mercury and PCBs all further enrich the toxic brew with nary a scientist in sight who can accurately advise what the criteria should be when you pile these poisons on top of the most toxic dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD) plus others. 

Good thing those lying swine and their shills and mouthpieces are protected if not embraced by our society, laws and politicians.  Otherwise in the times of yore they might be afforded a free trip out of town on a rail. Today the best we can hope for is a long vacation in hell for them preceded by the cancers which they have contributed to.   

STILL TRYING TO GET NUMEROUS K-W RECORD ERRORS CORRECTED !

 

No good deed goes unpunished. Boy that is so true and on so many fronts. This is primarily due to both amateur and professional liars defending their alleged right to have their self-serving way contrary to the public interest.

If these liars are confident that a newspaper will not even remotely fact check their claims then why wouldn't they gild the lily? Afterall a lie repeated often enough that is not questioned eventually becomes fact for most. Plus if the polluter knows that they have eliminated all opposition from alleged "citizen"  advisory committees then they are even more confident in their self-serving falsehoods.  Corporations today do not want to spend money on cleanup especially if they can spend less money on public relations, propaganda and self-serving falsehoods.

This morning I responded to an e-mail from the National NewsMedia Council. They claimed that I hadn't provided enough "specific explanation and evidence" to support a breach of journalistic standards.  Hence I sent them a full page of specific explanations and evidence. Keep in mind this is after advising me to deal directly with the K-W Record and try to resolve the various errors and issues. Of course the Record simply weren't following up seriously if at all.

Most of my complaints of inaccuracies concern data and information that is publicly available. Perhaps the K-W Record should have considered communicating with the Ontario Ministry of Environment directly and asking them a few straightforward questions. Perhaps the National NewsMedia Council believe that I should hire a detective agency and spend thousands of dollars pursuing this. I guess that I would like to see some serious questions from either the National NewsMedia Council or from the K-W Record concerning my specific complaints and whether or not I actually have documentation to back up my claims.  Of course I do but so does the Min. of Environment, Woolwich Township, Lanxess and the Region of Waterloo. Why aren't the K-W Record checking in with them to confirm my claims? I'm starting to get the idea that they really don't want to know the truth. 

One last thought. If  any of the groups I've just listed above give a contrary answer to mine, to either the K-W Record or the National NewsMedia Council (NNMC), will the Record or the NNMC ask/demand  written proof from them?   

  

THIS IS HARDLY A ROBUST LOOK AT A CITIZEN'S COMPLAINT ABOUT K-W RECORD INACCURACIES

 

Firstly timing is everything. The article was published on November 15, 2025. It was a very lengthy article (4 pages) and quite technical with lots of claims of success by company shills even suggesting that the warning signs along the Canagagigue Creek were unnecessary. Fortunately that nonsense was disputed by some although again far too little of the company's (Lanxess) claims were disputed by knowledgeable people. By delaying the necessary corrections it gives weight to all the falsehoods. By totally failing to correct an article, likely written in good faith, albeit with these numerous inaccuracies, the Record are solidifying the company's propaganda.

Is the company's influence not sufficient already? Do they also have to have control of what the public read about them? Why do the Record seem intent upon refusing  to allow input from some of the most knowledgeable local citizens namely CPAC members from 2010 -August 2015? Why are they promoting the obviously false narrative that one American citizen who formerly lived in Elmira with absolutely less than average science and math skills somehow has successfully battled a multi national, multi billion dollar chemical company? Her efforts always had an element of self-service in them and she and Sylvia Berg quickly marched to the polluters (Uniroyal) tune on the Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPL) issues in the very early 1990s . That is what got her her elevated and preferential status with the company, the Ministry and all their fellow travellors.  To this day she may oppose their lack of cleanup of the Creek but she frivolously and hopefully unknowingly gave away so many environmental issues along the way hoping for the big payoff (the Creek) at the end. She is still hoping although perhaps she is learning what happens when you make deals with the devil and his acolytes. i.e. nothing good 

Meanwhile I wait for the K-W Record and or the National NewsMedia Council to step up and do the right things. So far almost no discussion or communication from either of them. Clearly they don't want to correct or possibly even know about their errors. Will they see the light or not?

 

 

ANOTHER USELESS TRAC MEETING THIS THURSDAY AT 6 PM.

 

Useless is pretty strong.  As bad, self-serving and entirely not in the public interest that TRAC meetings are, it is still difficult not to find some small legitimate benefit . If I try really hard. 

They start with a Land Acknowledgement which I believe has been mandated by our provincial government but is now under a legal suit for removal. Or at least the school board's (WRDSB) use of the Land Acknowledgement is under attack which likely will affect other users thereof. 

Next is a Delegation from Schlegel Urban Development regarding future residential development in the extreme south end of Elmira. This is followed by discussions of Off-Site Contamination Cleanup, Groundwater Pumping and the truly pathetic Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment (HHERA) yet again. How unsurprising that these shoddy plans require rewrites over and over to essentially pretend that they are responding to critics when they are not.  How dare the filth long in charge of the cleanup wait 55 years (1970-2025) before even beginning to clean up the downstream Creek and then suggest that there are now no unacceptable risks. BURN IN HELL YOU FILTH

The new and useless (just like the old ones)  2028 MECP Control Order summary will be presented. It will be flowery and self congratulatory and inherently useless as intended. We wouldn't want to upset our corporate masters now would we?

Item 9.2 will discuss the November 15, 2025 Record article titled "The Long Cleanup of Elmira's Water Contamination Crisis" which they couldn't even write correctly. I doubt that they will point out all the errors because they are the source of most of them.

The Universe is unfolding as the wealthy and powerful so intend and the rest of us sheep are merely along for the painful ride.

CRUNCH TIME IS COMING FOR LANXESS & THE MECP

 

MECP does not stand for Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution but it really should . The MECP probably prefer The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. Boy talk about downgrading a Ministry by expanding their mandate while not expanding their budget enough to even be able to drag recalcitrant polluters in front of the courts to enforce the legislation that does exist.

2028 is the mandated date for the cleanup of the Elmira drinking water aquifers. Instead the company are talking about alternatives.  These alternatives include getting well E10 at Scotch Line (south of Elmira) to contribute water to the distribution system. Other implausible ideas include water barriers of clean water pumped into the aquifers between the company at the north end of town and the south wellfield (E7, E9) at the south end of town now surrounded by both commercial and industrial development. Only Elmira/Woolwich are dumb enough to pollute the south wellfield in 1989, shut it down then develop all around it and later decide to start it up again in 2028. 

Lanxess want somehow to get Elmira back onto Elmira drinking water. The Region of Waterloo have also reversed their position and now want Elmira off the pipeline that brings water from Waterloo and the IUS or Integrated Urban System.  The minor problem of course is that NDMA and chlorobenzene are still above drinking water standards in many parts of the drinking water aquifers. Also these chemicals have bonded to soils in the clay or silt aquitards between the aquifers and they are now back diffusing from the soils into the aquifers. 

The elephant in the room however may be the unmentioned and intentionally ignored other Uniroyal chemicals in our aquifers and aquitards and this includes DDT and dioxins despite the longstanding lies that they do not dissolve in groundwater. The other elephant in the room is Uniroyal's long insistence in talking about DNAPLS versus actually cleaning them up both on and OFF the Uniroyal property. These DNAPLS (chlorobenzenes, chlorophenols, TCE etc.) help mobilize DDT, dioxins and other low solubility chemicals and have transported them off-site just as erosion of soils has done so into the Canagagigue Creek for at least five miles downstream.

A company with a site history of maiming, killing and crippling both Vietnamese and Americans and that has proven grossly inadequate in their cleanup can not be trusted to remain in charge of the eventual health of the Elmira Aquifers. Knowing what I know about the non-cleanup to date I have no intention of drinking Elmira water again.

NEVER ENOUGH DIRTY TRICKS FOR CORPORATE POLLUTERS & TRICKSTERS

 

I came across a term this morning in a Record article about Israel and Gaza. Instead of co-opted a Palestinian group referred to another armed group as a tool of the Israeli military. Tools unfortunately do not always do the intended job and in incompetent hands can actually backfire. Various "tools" that Lanxess currently use would include Luis, Allan Deal, Hadley, Susan, Tiffany, Sandy and Nathan. There are many others . Lanxess's influence, both positive and negative, extends far and wide. They can for example get an ambitious citizen appointed to the National Advisory Panel of the Chemical Industry Association of Canada (CIAC). In the opposite direction they can put pressure on media outlets, perhaps newspapers in particular,  "suggesting" that they would prefer to read and hear less about a certain individual; much less to be exact.  

They can also advise municipal councils that appointing certain individuals to a volunteer environmental committee could backfire in that they the corporate body responsible for the environmental catastrophe won't attend if certain specific individuals are appointed that do not meet with their approval. Hence the naive among us might believe that certain respected citizens are appointed due to their merits when in fact it is the exact opposite. They are appointed precisely because they are malleable enough to bend when told to do so or else.

Immediate responses to critical media pieces are guaranteed. Look at today's Record. The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) have already responded to last Friday's condemnation by Luisa D'Amato with a puff piece response today. I fully expect that Lanxess will soon have something in both the Woolwich Observer and the K-W Record extolling the virtues of corporations on the leading edge of enhancing human adaptive techniques to chemically enhanced air, water and food.  Or some such other rot and nonsense.

Using municipal influence via legal (or not ?) corporate bribes for recreational improvements etc. to guarantee appointments to authority positions such as Chair of environmental committees.  Most knowledgeable people understand that any and all municipal committees will never be independent fully much less partially. They toe the company line or else they are gone! Having a Chair biased in favour of a serious polluter is always helpful to that polluter. An honest environmental committee such as CPAC from November 2010 to August 2015 terrified Uniroyal/Chemtura as they asked difficult questions and also provided very difficult comments and statements of fact contrary to long held Uniroyal/Chemtura ideology and propaganda.

So all in all friendly legislation, minimal fines, zero jail time etc. just isn't good enough for these swine. They want it all including positive public relations and if they have to lie, cheat, manipulate and deceive well that's O.K. it's all for a good cause. Similar to the justice system it's all about "just us".  

"TOO MANY BOARDS AND TRUSTEES ARE DISTRACTED BY MATTERS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND THIS MUST CHANGE"

 

Well that title above pretty much says it all. These words are those of our current Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra. I sure hope that mayor Sandy Shantz is enjoying all the criticism of her former employer and political launching pad, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). Hopefully if they get taken over by the province it might open some minds as to what kind of politician she really is. 

I am no sycophant of Doug Ford and his Conservative government here in Ontario. Their environmental policies are abhorrent to me. Their anti labour policies are also abhorrent to me. Now when it comes to the rotten state of our education I can only smile as they bash various Boards and Trustees. I too like so many other parents have suffered at the hands of that disgusting Board. I currently have a Letter To The Editor submitted to the K-W Record last Friday on this subject which although acknowledged as received by Jim Poling, Editor of the Record, has not yet seen the light of the day. Nor have any others over the last decade. I'm confident however that the rumour that Uniroyal Chemical/Chemtura/Lanxess exerting influence to muzzle me are just that, rumours. 

If not then perhaps I will just have to publish it here and ask the Record what's up. By the way that quote in the title is in today's K-W Record on the front page. Personally with the ongoing (three years now) distraction of Carolyn Burjowski and Mike Ramsay both initiated by the WRDSB; I am highly optimistic that the province are sending the WRDSB a not so subtle message. In case the Board aren't capable of understanding it then I will clarify the message for them in capitol letters as follows:

WRDSB STOP FOCUSING ON DEI (Diversity, Equity, Indigenous?) ISSUES AND GET BACK TO THE CORE ISSUES OF READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC !

The Board have nor behaved this way due to any surplus of morals or ethics but far more likely to distract from their ongoing core educational failures.  

JUST ONE MORE IN A LONG LIST OF PHONY OVERSIGHT/ REVIEW OR APPEAL BODIES

 

I am currently referring to the alleged Integrity Commissioners.  Other examples could be our courts and judicial system although many of these review bodies allegedly are to speed up the process as well as to get a third party, independent and unbiased opinion on different parties behaviours. Many are simply a joke. The former Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) was an example . It has been replaced by the Ontario Land tribunal (OLT) which is pretty much just as biased and bad as the OMB. Currently I am involved with the National NewsMedia Council which oversees complaints of bias and or inaccuracies in the print media. There is also the former Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) which was replaced by the Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT). Funny how many of these review bodies end up changing their names as if that will shake of f clinging odours of deceit.

I read the 42 page report written by the Integrity Commissioner. concerning trustee Mike Ramsay.  I believe that the majority of the facts were not in dispute which was certainly interesting.  What I found most bizarre and weird was the Integrity Commissioners plain stating that they would not, after an examination and writing of the facts, make any recommendations. What the hell? So lets get this straight. A trustee who is part of the majority group of trustees for the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) filed a complaint to the Integrity Commissioner about another trustee's strong criticism of the decision of the majority of  trustees to stop a Delegation by a  long term teacher (Carolyn Burjowski) . Who do you think is paying the Integrity Commissioner? The WRDSB of course and they favour the majority decision of the trustees that stopping and disciplining a teacher who followed the WRDSB's own Delegation rules was just fine because she dared to politely and factually criticize a part of the WRDSB's  school library procedures.

The WRDSB just like some municipal councils etc. believe it's O.K. to use taxpayers money (earmarked for education)  to bolster and buttress  their favourite pet projects or favourite bizarre side interests via financing unnecessary legal actions against parents, teachers and stakeholders with legitimate educational concerns.  Some of these bodies have zero tolerance for even polite, respectful disagreement and will spend our money in court to the last nickel . They will also use and abuse tame review bodies to attempt to bolster, in the eyes of the public, their weak positions.  Shameful!

POSITIVES FROM THE K-W RECORD'S NOV. 15/25 ARTICLE TITLED "THE LONG CLEANUP OF ELMIRA'S WATER CONTAMINATION CRISIS"

 

 First and foremost the groundwater "cleanup" has NOT been achieved after 36 years.  That is worthy of a heartfelt thank you to all the dirty pigs and their followup deviousness and dishonesty. Therefore kudos to all the players involved including Uniroyal Chemical staff, CRA/GHD staff, Ont. Min. of Environment staff, and Woolwich and regional councillors who followed orders and did not step out of line. Particular thanks for their behaviour over the ensuing years to Ken Seiling, Hardy Wong, Barb Trebilcock, Jason Rice, Jeff Merriman, Dwighte Este, Steve Quigley, Allan Deal, Luis Almeida, Sandy Shantz, Bill Strauss, Mark Bauman, Susan Bryant, Sylvia Berg, Pat McLean, Nathan Cadeau, Tiffany Svensson and all the rest of them. Real kudos and admiration to Esther Thur, Susan Rupert, Richard Clausi, Ted Oldfield, Dr. Henry Regier, Vivienne Delaney, Dr. Dan, Sebastian, Ron C., Graham C., Sadi, Pat Potter, Dr. Richard Jackson,  etc. Apologies to both the good and the not so good left off of both lists. 

Secondly the "cleanup" of the Canagagigue Creek has not even been started. Sure lots of studies and reports, often fudged and often repeated. However no shovels or equipment in the ground removing grossly contaminated sediments and creekbank soils. Contaminated with PAHs, dioxins, DDT, DDE, DDD, mercury and PCBs and so much more. 

Thirdly just to be clear all three of these first three paragraphs are "positives" in that the Record article has clearly spelled out these failures . The third one is that Uniroyal Chemical's on-site and in ground chemical dumping has not been even close to cleaned up. Yes some of the buried pits and ponds have been cleaned out however most of that cleanout did not touch the soils and ground beneath. There wasn't even minimal clay barriers installed until twent-five years of dumping had already occurred. Those clay barriers then leaked (on the west side) at approximately 3,400 litres per day downwards into aquifers and aquitards below as per CH2 MHILL consultants to the Region.

THE WHYS & WHEREFORES PLUS THE STATUS OF MY COMPLAINT TO THE K-W RECORD & THE NATIONAL NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL

 

Well everybody are mostly being quite polite albeit pretty slow. To date I've seen one tiny correction that really wasn't even my direct complaint in the first place. That had to do with .009 millionths of a gram per litre of water. Also I've dropped two of my complaints including the one advising the reporter and the Record that 36 years of discussion around concentrations of contaminants have used the following units of measure namely parts per trillion (ppt), parts per billion (ppb), parts per million (ppm) as well as ng/l, ug/l and mg/l versus millionths of a gram per litre of water. The second complaint I've dropped is the one indicating that there are eleven on-site pumping wells. This complaint was based upon three on-site deep Municipal Aquifer pumping wells (PW3, PW4, PW5) in addition to eleven shallow (UA) pumping wells. Now in hindsight I recall that the polluter/company have been constantly changing the number of on-site pumping wells as in reducing the numbers such that both the shallow (UA) and the deeper (MU) wells may actually be down to eleven now in total.

Why is my formal complaint to both the Waterloo Region Record and the National NewsMedia Council important? Over the last 36 years the responsible polluting corporation instead of properly cleaning up Elmira, their own property and the Canagagigue Creek; the various owners of the site (Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura/Lanxess) have focused on changing the narrative. They have focused on solidifying support both within and without the community. They have lobbied three levels of governance and politicians into believing that the damage done by Uniroyal Chemical and still continuing really isn't that bad.  They have minimized and covered up the health and environmental damages that they have caused partially by buying allegedly scientific reports that suit their narrative not the truth. One local referred to this as "Adjusting the science according to your needs".

Our media have also fallen into this trap. Basically when the polluter is surrounded by fellow travellors and political friends at all levels it becomes difficult for the media not to slide into the narrative woven by the polluter. One of the most contemptible narratives is that one citizen (American no less) has singlehandedly fought a courageous battle against Uniroyal and successors. Nothing could be further from the truth. She has been "controlled opposition" almost from the beginning. She and her two sidekicks (Sylvia & Pat) have played the game along with Uniroyal and friends. She yells loudly about the Creek and then trades away major environmental concessions to the companies in order to advance her sole concern being the Creek.  These concessions are as relatively minor as lowered monitoring requirements and as major as falsely conceding the removal of DNAPLS (dense non aqueous phase liquids) from discussion and contention. The irony is that after 36 years nothing downstream all the way to the Grand River has been cleaned or remediated. If it ever happens and she has recently expressed doubt about that, it will be at most a token "hot spot" or two. 

I do praise the Record for the time, effort and space that they allocated for their November 15/25 article titled "The long cleanup of Elmira's water contamination crisis". That said after my 36 years of study, research, hard work and real opposition from all the players involved including backstabbing from Susan, do I not have the right to ask the media at least to get the story accurate?