WOOLWICH CONTINUE TO REWRITE HISTORY

Well I guess it's to be expected from those in authority. They use our money against us to promote their goals and priorities while subverting those of the taxpaying public. While I'm referring specifically to the latest set of MECAC Draft Minutes to appear from Township staff; this also applies to a surprising statement in the K-W Record last week. When asked whether the alleged $53,000 spent on two councillors and a mayor's election expense contraventions was worthwhile Sandy stated "Of course it was worthwhile because the people involved had been able to retain their positions". I suspect that opinion would not be universal among taxpayers if they knew exactly the degree and extent to which all three had not only contravened the law but had done so with a cavalier attitude towards it. Until this election no Woolwich residents had ever questioned election expenses. I think it's fair to say that the cavalier attitude by candidates towards honesty and accuracy in their Financial Statements will be changed forever more.

The Draft Minutes are inaccurate in a few crucial statements. I received my copy yesterday and have until next Monday to submit corrections. Previous Minutes had been witheld from me until weeks after the mayor had a copy and even then my corrections were ignored by staff and Clerk. This is how those in charge of the process rewrite history to make themselves look better and their critics worse. Keep in mind that Woolwich tape record all meetings in Council Chambers but do not share those tapes with citizens and parties involved in them. It's all about control folks. And about rewriting history. If you control the meetings, the appointments to committees, the tape recordings and the Minutes; it becomes so much easier to get your way. Note "your way" doesn't mean the public's way; it means the way of those either elected or hired. They are in charge and like all governments their first priority is themselves. When their interests align with those of the public on an issue then the public wins. The rest of the time not so much.

CHEMTURA'S OFF-SITE DRAINAGE TO THE EAST

While it appears obvious that the purpose of the Stroh Drain (circa 1985) was to drain both surface and groundwater from Chemtura's and Stroh's wetlend/swampy areas into the Canagagigue Creek; that certainly does not prove any ill intent by the owners of the Stroh property. The mechanics of whatever arrangement was made are most likely as of this moment still private. That this Drain located solely on Stroh property, however running along the Chemtura/Stroh property line (ie. north to south), indeed has drained both surface and groundwater has been suggested by Peter Gray of MTE and by myself. Even Jeff Merriman of Chemtura, bless him, has publicly stated at a CPAC meeting that their former swamp in their south-east corner has been drained.

Chemtura's consultants produced several reports attempting to justify their so called cleanup of former GP1 and GP2 areas in their south-east corner. Soil testing had indicated massive concentrations of both DDT and Dioxins/Furans in them. Chemtura's/CRA's claims were that the overflow of thousands of gallons of toxic wastewater from the east side pits (RPE1-5) flowed southwards in open "furrows" directly southwards into GP1 & 2. The problem of course is that liquids tend to gravity flow via the easiest route. While clearly DDT and Dioxins have ended up finding a home in GP1 and GP2, the evidence suggests that the bulk of them are elsewhere. In fact the evidence suggests that GP1 isn't located where Chemtura and Conestoga Rovers claim it to be. Regardless water, even toxic water, finds the lowest area via the easiest route and that is not directly into the location of the current GP1.

As mentioned in Friday's posting, photographs prove that Jeff's claim at the last RAC meeting is inaccurate. There is no high ground running the length of their eastern border preventing surface water from draining off. There is indeed a ridge running diagonally from north-west to south-east which hooks ever so briefly southwards preventing off-site flow to the east in one small area only. The rest of the eastern border is wide open to drainage from Chemtura onto the Stroh property and indeed the elevation contour map produced by Conestoga Rovers so indicates.

No doubt Jeff's renewed bravery at misinforming the public and various RAC authorities is based upon his renewed confidence in an undemocratic process which eliminates input from the informed public. As said several months ago by Councillor Merlihan, the RAC and TAG processes are "cringeworthy" regarding lack of real public consultation or input. That was done intentionally by mayor Shantz and Councillor Bauman. How else do you convince a polluter of Chemtura's magnitude and attitude to come back to the table other than by giving them the keys to the kingdom? That certainly was the premise upon which Sandy and Mark got them back. Promise them everything they want and then beg them to come back. According to some politicians, better pretend consultation than none at all. Afterall it has "worked" for the last twenty-six years in keeping the crisis under control while not remotely solving it.

M.O.E.C.C. UNHAPPY ABOUT PUBLIC SPANKING

The irony is just too precious. Chemtura and the Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.C.C.) went running for their Mommy over a year ago. She answered via private back room discussions to throw CPAC under the bus. The idea was for Chemtura/M.O.E. to face a kinder, gentler version of CPAC. One that wouldn't make them cry. One that wouldn't hurt their tiny little feelings. Afterall even multinational chemical corporations have some aspect of humanity to them, allegedly.

Teri Bulman is one of the handful of new (to Elmira) M.O.E. personnel we have been blessed with. Literally all the old M.O.E. guard are gone or retired. Steve Martindale I'm sorry to see retired. George Karlos and Bill Bardswick are no loss whatsoever, especially Bill. Teri took great umbrage late in the meeting with Dick Jackson's comment about the M.O.E. being bought off so easily with a particular Chemtura/CRA report. She protested loudly but Dick was having none of it. He calmly explained the facts of life as in the Ministry have clearly abdicated their leadership and responsibility on this file and here madam is in the proof.

Mr. Jackson again demanded warning signs be erected along the Canagagigue Creek from Chemtura down to the Grand River. Teri Bulman kept refusing right up until she finally acknowledged it has been done elsewhere perhaps by Ontario Power Generation along another contaminated river. Then she agreed to talk to their fisheries section and see if some warning signs were already made up that could be used. Progress perhaps. Teri Bulman started to cloud the issue with comments about not only Dioxin fish advisories but also mercury and P.C.B warnings in Canagagigue Creek. Wow that really is good reason not to post the creek if the fish are more contaminated than we already knew.

O.K. O.K. if I'm going to write this up accurately I'd better add that both conflict of interest queens, Pat and Susan, added positively to the discussion. They made it clear to Teri Bulman that the Ministry's decades long involvement with contamination downstream in the creek has been inadequate. Susan's comments were "It's time to bring it to fruition" and "there never has been consultation". News flash there still isn't honest, real, public consultation. Not when the process is highly politicized and controlled by generally hopeless, uninformed, biased politicians.

Dick Jackson went through all of TAG's Recommendations to RAC, to Chemtura and to the M.O.E.C.C.. They included things like initiating suspended sediment sampling, obtaining outside experts and consultation in areas such as ISCO, and having a full team of outside, independent experts review Chemtura's work and their plans ahead of time. In my opinion Dick has condemned a couple of decades of effort done by Conestoga Rovers on behalf of Chemtura although Dick has been very careful not to name CRA directly.

Another item which has really upset Dick is the apparently just recently discovered layer of coarse, highly permeable gravel at the bottom of the Municipal Upper Aquifer. Add to this his suggestion, which has been specifically rejected by CRA/Chemtura over the years, to reinject treated water into the aquifers and we have even more controversy. Finally Dick wants a study done to examine the effects of discharging much greater quantities of warmer, treated effluent to the Canagagigue Creek. This was also suggested by CPAC a couple of years back and yet one more item clearly ignored by Chemtura. Public Consultation my arse!

When will our local politicans admit that Chemtura are a rogue company who do not voluntarily "consult" honestly with the public? All three tiers of government need to get their acts together and rather than protect Chemtura, begin to protect the public, including via real public consultation. Yes Ken this means you at the Region, the Ontario government either through the M.O.E. or another less comprimised Ministry and finally at the Township level. Allowing Chemtura to run and hide from CPAC and the public a year ago was a disgrace and error of gross magnitude.

"UNFORGIVEABLE", "EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING", "UNDER DESIGNED", "M.O.E. BOUGHT OFF..."

Good morning Vietnam! Of course I'm referring to our Agent Orange homestead up the street from me, namely Chemtura Canada. First admission: I'm guilty in the headline of sensationalizing the TAG Chair's quote regarding the Ministry of the Environment. My bad! His actual quote was "The M.O.E. bought off on them far too easily" and Dick Jackson is referring to the "underdesigned" and poorly engineered ISCO pilot test done over a year ago in the Elmira Aquifer. According to Chemtura/CRA their pilot test proved that In Situ Chemical Oxidation wasn't feasible and the M.O.E. didn't say a peep.

We learned nothing new in that the Grand River Conservation Authority is all about floodplain management, water control etc. and simply not involved or interested in industrial contaminants in the water. They leave that to the M.O.E. and we all know how that is working out.

We were advised that David Hofbauer of TAG is the community rep on the upcoming *Responsible Care verification. Could have been worse and has been with Pat McLean far too many times.

The M.O.E. advised us that the soil samples for the East/South side Investigation were between 0-15 cm. (6 inches) in depth. This is a farce and was criticized by both CPAC as well as MTE (Peter Gray) last January 2015. First off surface samples are far more likely to have been diluted, weathered and flushed than deeper samples. Secondly there is evidence of extensive landscaping and soil replacement in several areas on the east side. This includes after excavations of RPE 4 & 5 as well as at BAE 1, RB-1 & 2 right on the eastern border. Hence clean fill was put on top of the contaminated areas. This is a typical Chemtura/M.O.E. scam/investigation. A comment from the M.O.E. "not his area of expertise" speaker that this depth corresponded with the surface topography on the neighbouring farm is ridiculous. Peter Gray (MTE) in his October 2014 Report included a topographical map showing the high ground in the north-east corner slowly losing elevation as it moves south and eastwards. Also I've walked the area and the Stroh farm in areas is still a metre lower than the Chemtura property along Chemtura's eastern border.

Then the question was asked of Jeff Merriman (Chemtura) as to why there was a large gap south of test site 9 on their eastern border. At first blush Jeff lied like a dog however as Mayor Shantz has conveniently denied public access or questions, Jeff's lying could not be immediately confirmed. I did state out loud "That is untrue" but could not followup. Jeff appeared to falsely claim that there were no soil samples taken in the large gap between test site 9 and 10 because the ground on the Chemtura side is elevated making off-site drainage impossible. What utter crap! I have Conestoga Rover's topographical map of the area (elevation contour lines), I have photographs showing that there is a former swamp on Chemtura's side which is flat and the same elevation as the Stroh property and finally Dr. Dan Holt, Vivienne and I have all walked the property line with permission and seen it with our own eyes and photographed it.

It is likely that the M.O.E. and Chemtura are getting their excuses/stories straight. I smell an attempt to blame floodplain ponds immediately north of Station 21 for the very high results found repeatedly in the creek sediments around Station 21 (New Jerusalem Rd.). Anything rather than admit they have a sink of Dioxins/Furans and DDT requiring massive soil removal costing hundereds of millions of dollars.

Meanwhile Teri Bulman (M.O.E.) is also repeatedly stating that all the exceedances of criteria we know about are merely "generic" standards. How cute! She claims that there will be years of testing and determination to figure out site specific standards, risk assessments etc.. Dick Jackson made it clear that "bureaucratic procedures to formally study and analyse " the creek should not take precedence over the Precautionary Principle. In other words Teri don't waste our time with years more of process and procedure when we need action now. This comment was echoed by a citizen rep on TAG as well as she indicated that we've had studies forever and zero action downstream in the creek.

Tomorrow I will followup on last night's amazing meeting. WOOLWICH OBSERVER: The Region of Waterloo, GRCA, Mayor, Councillor, M.O.E.C.C., Chemtura, RAC and some TAG members were present. Also three members of CPAC/SWAT and a few more in the gallery. What exactly is it going to take for you to cover this huge public interest story?????

CHEMTURA, RAC & MAYOR SHANTZ

Unlike apparently our Council who are unable or unwilling to follow and understand two different Woolwich issues in one Delegation, I am today going to touch on three matters.

This afternoon at 4 PM. we have the second public meeting of RAC (Remediation Advisory Group). I expect very little from them but am always willing to be surprised. Interestingly one RAC member namely Eric Hodgins, from the Region of Waterloo, has been attending TAG meetings in the gallery along with the rest of the riff raff (ie. CPAC & SWAT). I view that as a positive.

Chemtura were supposed to be showing the results of their soil and groundwater investigations on their east and south sides. In fact in the RAC Minutes (page 10) of their September 30/15 meeting, mayor Shantz had suggested that she wanted to review the East/South Side Study Report if available. Unsurprisingly, according to the Agenda, it will not be presented. Chemtura/M.O.E. are absolute master manipulators and liars. The next RAC meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 10, 2016. which gives them yet another 1/4 year to avoid the issue.

Once again *Responsible Care verification is upcoming. It has proven to be no more than a subjective, stacked with buddies, cheerleading event here in Elmira. The manipulation of membership and process reminds me of our local MECAC (Compliance Audit Committee) fiasco. Anything Chemtura/M.O.E. or Woolwich Township get their hands on will never be anything but self serving boosterism. Honesty and fact are to be massaged if not outright ignored. I expect Pat Mclean will again be Chemtura's buddy allegedly representing Woolwich residents. What a disgrace.

MAYOR SHANTZ BACK IN COURT JANUARY 6/16 9 am..

Yesterday I indicated that I viewed this morning's 9 am. court date to be a sort of acid test. While all parties including the Crown and Ms. Shantz's lawyer agreed to a January 6/16 adjournment, the judge then specifically asked myself if that date suited me. As I had previously indicated my willingness to the Crown, I stood up and so advised the Judge that it was. I will also state that despite the rocky start to this whole process through Intake Court? (at Superior Court) that I am slowly gaining confidence in the process. I am seeing very busy professionals setting aside the time and thought necessary to make informed decisions. I understand that the Crown currently has carriage of this file and that they, after due deliberation, can make decisions that I might not be pleased with. If that occurs then I will see what options if any I may have at that time. In the meantime I simply cooperate with reasonable requests that are made to me.

Both the Waterloo Region Record and CKCO-TV were present this morning at Provincial Court. It is possible that the week long trial to date of Todd Cowan has whetted the public's appetite to see accountability of local politicians. Today's record has an article written by Paige Desmond titled "Election compliance committee cost $53,000". Mayor Shantz has stated that "the mistake wasn't as big as the cost". Wow she is still trying to minimize. It's not one mistake Sandy. It's a whole slew of them and until proven one way or the other I prefer to refer to them as contraventions of the Act (MEA) versus "mistakes". Paige also goes into some detail regarding all the contraventions of Councillor Scot Hahn as well.

Last evening's CKCO-TV newscast was a barnburner. Is it just me or did the three side by side pictures of Shantz, Hahn and Councillor Bauman, with the costs of each on the bottom of their pictures look an awful lot like the wanted posters of old? You know the ones... Dead Eye Dick wanted for cattle theft ..$10,000 reward. That sort of thing. Anyways they were pretty funny whether or not that is what CKCO-TV intended or not.

THE CROWN & THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS ACT (MEA) TOMORROW, 9 am. PROV. OFFENCES COURT

I've been avoiding speculating on the outcome of mayor Shantz's sojourn to the courts. Looking at the resources and interest involved in former mayor Todd Cowan's case would almost make me believe that they indeed are concerned even with relatively low dollar matters. On the other hand both Councils and the Waterloo Regional Police got involved quickly and pushed for an investigation. This of course differs dramatically from the situation of Woolwich Council leaping to the sitting mayor's defence and aid right from the beginning.

Perhaps there are some similarities. Both persons involved did not expect any kind of real scrutiny or accountability. Maybe there was a relaxed attitude towards minor transgressions with expenses in particular. In the current mayor's case especially no one has remotely suggested she pocketed or took money directly. The really big nagging matter for me is the possibility she knowingly fudged both her expenses and donations in order not to have to pay for an audit. That scenario would put her on a par with Todd Cowan regarding penny wise and pound foolish.

Todd fudged $3,000 in expenses and lost a $100,000 job, his career and his reputation. Sandy if she knowingly stickhandled her Financial Statement to avoid paying approximately $1,300 to her accountant; has now in hindsight paid $4,000 in accounting fees, probable legal fees and has another court date. I've been avoiding believing that she would be so dumb as to break the law intentionally for the sake of $1,300. I've felt that a forensic audit might unearth something a little more outrageous. In hindsight maybe it was nothing more than the original accounting fee she wanted to skip. The alternative of course and her claim is that the forms and legislation are just too hard for her to figure out. Campaign expenses are just so difficult apparently.

Her 31 years of bookeeping experience and her multiple election campaigns and resultant Financial Statements make me skeptical. When faced with scrutiny she raced for her lawyer. Her offense was severe enough according to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) to require her immediate forfeiture of office. She broke the law (MEA) quite blatantly. Simply admitting to it doesn't expunge the offense. Whether the courts determine that her costs since are an adequate penalty I do not know. What I do know is that if the MEA as a provincial law has any teeth or respect, we will soon learn. I view tomorrow morning as a sort of acid test of the MEA. Is the law for real or isn't it? To date it has been the latter.