WOOLWICH COUNCIL TONITE AT 6 PM.

Prior to the Woolwich Committee of the Whole meeting this evening, we have another meeting of MECAC (Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee) at 1 pm.. Their purpose today is to pick one of the three Auditors available to them in order to audit Councillor Scott Hahn's election expense report. Originally Councilor Hahn had claimed $258 worth of expenses above and beyond his $100 nomination fee. It is my understanding that he now confirms expenses of $3,200. These expenses do not include the value of steel posts he used to hold up his election signs. Scott's claim is that they were used posts (180 of them) lying around his backyard. Regardless he is required to put a value on them and include them in his election expenses report.

It is my opinion prior to hearing the Auditor's Report that two things will be made very clear by it. Firstly that Scott Hahn is in gross contravention of the Municipal Election Act. Secondly it is my belief that the Auditor will make it clear to Council that Scott's intentions could very easily be interpreted as an intentional attempt to misrepresent his election expenses by completely ignoring donations from his father's company TriMach Inc.. Personally I know that Council will not want to recommend that Scott's case be sent to the courts or a prosecuter. That said if the Auditor's report is as clear as it should be then I believe that Council will be between a rock and a hard place.

Tonite's Council meeting includes a Report prepared by CAO David Brenneman recommending dissolving CPAC's Terms of Reference and replacing them with his Recommendation for a totally new and different set. As indicated in my Saturday posting this new proposed Terms of Reference will please Chemtura and their partner in pollution, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, immensely. CPAC were not consulted nor given any warning prior to an e-mail late Friday afternoon regarding these dramatic and contrary to the public interest, changes.

GREAT LAKES AND RADIATION

What a plan. Bury radioactive wastes (at whatever strength) within a kilometre of one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world. Afterall it's not as if anybody has ever prophesied water shortages or water wars down the road. Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Court urged to stop Lake Huron nuclear dump". Holy mackeral whenever I think there is a limit to the stupidity of human beings something like this crops up. As far as a limit to the stupidity of politicians I guess I'm being naive on that one.

The group Save Our Saugeen Shores has sent an application to the Federal Court requesting that the review panel's approval of the proposed nuclear waste dump be rescinded. Ontario Power Generation are the bad guys in this whole scenario. What a surprise. This group have been in the news for all the wrong reasons for a very long time including massive remuneration for the big shots at the top. There is no evidence that they are working in the public interest.

The claims that the Bedrock is stable and would provide a "hermetic seal" are just that: claims. At best they've drilled down to a certain depth and taken borehole samples up to the surface for study. These borehole samples will indeed give geologists a good idea of the characteristics of the Bedrock exactly at that spot. Fractures, fissues and even different material literally could be inches away and totally unknown.

Our U.S. neighbours who share the five Great Lakes with us are also not amused by Ontario's plans for nuclear storage beside Lake Huron. As Ontario's long and no longer secret weapon against pollution has always been "dilution is the solution to pollution" you can understand their concerns. What leakage will occur will of course be shared with them as well as with the rest of eastern Canada as it makes it's way to the east coast of Canada. Is sharing really what good neighbours do? Will this be the excuse down the road for the U.S. to decide to "annex" the Great Lakes for their own use in order to satisfy their south-west water shortages?

WOOLWICH COUNCIL COMPLETELY SELLS OUT TO CHEMTURA CANADA (UNIROYAL)

It is municipal corruption, plain and simple. Municipal hypocrisy by Mayor Shantz is also on full display. The proposed new CPAC (if you will) Terms of Reference, written by chief municipal lackey David Brenneman, have been written with exactly zero consultation with the best Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) there has ever been. The Mayor's hypocrisy is entwined throughout these Terms of Reference. She whines about "respectful" dialogue while she and Councillor Bauman behave like dogs and smear the character of Woolwich volunteers currently on CPAC. She whines about my Blog (Elmira Advocate) and states that new members of her pro Chemtura RAC & TAG pretend environmental committees can not use social media to criticize Chemtura, the Ministry of Excuses and Corporate Collusion (M.O.E.C.C.) and their politician sympathizers. Well I wouldn't have to call you out here for your obfuscation, manipulation and pro polluter manoeuvering if you would do it publicly and transparently. Like most professional deceivers you thrive on private meetings and "backroom", by invitation only deal making.

These Terms of Reference are all about increasing the already solid grip of Council upon what euphemistically could be called public consultation. As you are so keen on acronyms let me suggest one new committee called CPC short for Chemtura Propaganda Committee. These proposed Terms of Reference were e-mailed to CPAC late Friday afternoon and will be discussed at Council this Tuesday at 6 pm. Meanwhile CPAC have a Working Session Monday at 4 pm. and CPAC's Chair Dr. Dan Holt will be attending the Municipal Audit Committee Tuesday at 1 pm. Nicely played David and Council in avoiding any time for CPAC to get up to speed on your latest undemocratic, unethical and probably technically inappropriate, unilateral changing of the Terms of Reference of a committee of Council. And you asshats wonder why you are held in such contempt by citizens who have volunteered so much time and energy for the betterment of Woolwich Township.

M.O.E. SMELLS WORSE THAN THE TOXIC BARRELS REMOVED IN CONESTOGO

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Toxic barrels removed from farm". Safety-Kleen of Breslau as well as Aevitas of Ayr have stepped up and performed both a private and a community service. Both companies deserve credit for filling the immense breech left by the Ontario Ministry of Excuses and Corporate Collusuion (M.O.E.C.C.). In this case the corporations involved actually did perform a public service whereas the M.O.E. ran for cover.

To the best of my knowledge P.C.B.s unlike say Dioxins cannot be produced naturally. While Dioxins are similar chemically they are usually the unwanted by-product of manufacturing involving chlorophenols which are benzene type ringed structures with chlorine added. That said lightning as well as incineration of plastics or other chlorinated products can inadvertently produce Dioxins. P.C.B.s were initially manufactured as coolants inside electrical equipment such as ballasts and transformers.

The two drums with P.C.B.s in them will be sent to Alberta to a special hazardous waste facility for incineration. To date both the Waterloo Regional Police and the M.O.E. are investigating the source of the toxic dumping.

P.C.B. DRUMS & MORE IN CONESTOGO ARE EVERYONE'S PROBLEM

Luisa D'Amato's Opinion column yesterday carried this article titled "Toxic waste: everyone's problem". Luisa hits the nail on the head with her condemnation of various levels of government who all passed the buck, demanding that the victim of the toxic dumping pay for the cleanup and removal. That was estimated at $12,000 before they determined that P.C.B.s were involved. The homeowner finally was assisted by Safety-Kleen in Breslau but not before she stated that the situation "has revealed some rather large, gaping holes in how something like this is handled.".

Of course the Ontario Ministry of the Environment should have taken the lead on this but really who are we kidding? As the homeowner said in an earlier interview "I feel so let down by the Ministry of the Environment". The M.O.E. have become a nest of lawyers and vipers simply tolerating polluters and harassing citizens who have legitimate expectations that they will do their mandated duty. No such luck unless the citizens are prepared to take them to court on a regular basis. What a way to run a Ministry of the provincial government.

INADVERTENCE VERSUS INDIFFERENCE

Well it's taken this long to obtain (for a price) copies of Mark Bauman's allegedly public court appearance. What a political/judicial system when you can schedule a court appearance privately and have a trial without even advising the citizen complainant (me) about it.

Having read the Decision and having only skimmed the Factum and the Application Record it becomes obvious as to what a legal farce this has been. Yours truly's name is mentioned in the Factum as the complainant yet the Judge had no qualms about making his Decision without me being present and or without his inquiring if I had been informed of the proceeding. I will assume that this is an intentional loophole in the legislation (Municipal Elections Act 1996) versus some sort of judicial error.

Having read other similar court cases as well as Mark's it appears to boil down to the following: Inadvertence versus Indifference. In other words regarding the Election Act, indeed ignorance of the law is an excuse. Of course it was helpful to Mark's cause that there was nobody present prior to the judgement, such as myself, to testify otherwise. While there was no Affidavit from the Woolwich Clerk in which she could possibly perjure herself; Mark in both his Factum and Application Record absolutely stated that the Clerk did NOT know that Mark like every other candidate was supposed to file an election expense report and thus allegedly she did not send him the same Notice she sent all the other candidates in Woolwich Township. Very damned convenient there Mark.

In fact this citizen and Woolwich resident specifically asked in front of a witness to see Councillor Mark Bauman's election expense report. I believe the Clerk baldfaced lied to me when she said that his expense report was on line. I politely advised her otherwise. Then she departed for ten minutes allegedly looking for his expense report to show me. I believe she was in fact obtaining advice as to what to do with this pesky (but polite) citizen. There would have been no need for the ten minute discussion if she truly believed that Mark was not required to file that expense report. All she had to do was so advise me and my witness. She did not. In fact her response after the ten minute wait was that it was
"Woolwich tradition" not to require Mark to submit his election report when he was acclaimed. None of that evidence ever got to the Judge.

Be proud Woolwich Township and five time Councillor Mark Bauman. You deceived the judge into believing it was Inadvertence (ignorance) rather than Indifference to the law. This is exactly what I'm talking about regarding Woolwich Township stickhandling around rules, by-laws and provincial legislation. Further and deeper shame on the lot of you.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR REGARDING WOOLWICH POLITICIANS ARE ILLUMINATING

Ken Jensen another environmental professional involved with CPAC as a SWAT (Soil, Water, Air & Technical) member has offerred his opinion that CPAC getting facts and data is important but even more so is getting the public on board. In other words CPAC must win the Public Relations battle. This is not easy despite the common sense reality that Chemtura are a multi national, multi billion dollar corporation whose major interest is shareholders' profits not environmental sustainability or cleanup.

Hence I have been watching with interest as our three local newspapers have all been publishing atories regarding the election trials and tribulations (and soon maybe more) of our local Councillors. To date that has been Scott Hahn and Mark Bauman. I expect there will soon be mention of Mayor Shantz's unusual and creative election expense accounting and other election expense errors. Whether a fouth Councillor will soon be under scrutiny is a possibility.

Last Friday the Elmira Independent published a Letter To The Editor from Joan Coutu of Elmira. The next day the Woolwich Observer published a Letter To The Editor from Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach, CPAC's vice Chair. While these Letters are both quite supportive of the necessity for investigation into improper, inaccurate and incomplete or totally missing expense reports make no mistake there were several Letters taking the opposite position. I would characterize some of them as rude and ignorant. That is unfortunate as a couple of others while contrary to the opinions of Ms. Coutu and Mr. Seibel-Achenbach were thought provoking and I can say in my case certainly made me stop and carefully rethink my position.

While all of these criticisms and public scrutiny of Woolwich Councillors are appropriate, certainly CPAC, SWAT and public stakeholders can not help but be watching very carefully as to how this all plays out. If Council as a whole and most certainly specific members of Council lose credibility and have their teflon images tarnished, whether due to incompetence or worse, it can only assist CPAC in their life and death battle against the likes of Mark and Sandy along with the benign neglect of most other Councillors.