OUR FIRST NATIONS FRIENDS LAUNCH LEGAL ACTION AGAINST FEDS (Carney) & ONTARIO (Ford)

 

Well done! I also expect that various fairly well known environmental groups may also have done the same already or are in the process.  The federal Bill is known as C-5 and the provincial Bill is named simply Bill 5. Whether or not these Bills are unconstitutional as claimed I do not know. What I do know is that they make a mockery of earlier protective legislations done in the public interest as they afforded environmental protections to our natural environment whether air, soil, ground water or surface water. 

Right now I'm sitting indoors after being advised that my outdoor air is dangerous to my health. At age 75 I take that seriously. The danger is both smoke from western forest fires (caused by climate change/global warming)  as well as other industrial pollutants.  At the same time I run my tap water coming from a pipeline from Waterloo through a Brita filter both to get rid of the chlorine smell as well as to assist in further reduction of glyphosate and dozens of other low level industrial pollutants and solvents from Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge's industrial days and free ground discharge. As bad as Waterloo Region's water has become it's still better than the groundwater mess up here in Elmira thanks to Uniroyal Chemical. 

Nevertheless these provincial and federal political idiots think it is just dandy to rewrite (i.e. scrap) or bypass protective environmental legislation just to milk the very last nickel of profit from our natural resources at the very lowest cost possible to the proponents of these schemes. This low cost of course is by externalizing all the environmental costs of waste disposal, rehabilitation, cleanup costs etc. onto both the taxpayer and onto the natural environment. In other words more environmental degradation.

My best wishes go to our First Nations fighters as well as to our environmental groups involved in fighting both Bills (Bill 5 & C-5). The Waterloo Region Record carries the following story titled "First Nations launch legal challenge" on page A5 of today's newspaper.

SYLVIA, SUSAN B., PAT Mc. - THREE LADIES WHO ENSURED UNIROYAL'S (DISHONEST) NARRATIVE PREVAILED

 

By far and away Susan paved the way for the world class polluter to keep on making money here in Elmira while going through the cleanup motions. The other two were her wingmen if you will. Susan was often out of her depth and neither of those two were any help technically however Susan also relied upon hydrogeologist Wilf Ruland as well as myself for technical assistance. My embarrassment at being manipulated by her is only alleviated somewhat if you will by the number of people inside and outside Elmira who still think that she is an activist and an environmentalist. She is a very slick talker who has stabbed friends and colleagues in the back always promoting herself along the way. Her relationships with Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and Lanxess have been miles beyond what they should be including working with the company's consultants, CRA,  on their E-Dat program. Of course Susan's input was editing the text not anything mathematical or scientific. Basically when Susan Rupert, one of the three real founders of APTE (Sandra Bray & Esther Thur), moved out of Elmira and Susan Bryant and Sylvia took over the leadership, it was the beginning of the end for any successful cleanups. No Susan Bryant was NOT a founder of APTE.

Also Susan B. appropriated Esther Thur's work and Uniroyal collection at the Elmira Library and claimed it as an APTE creation. Esther started it as an APTE member but quit APTE in disgust and joined Richard Clausi and I as Elmira Environmental Hazard Team members. Later Dr. Henry Regier joined the EH-Team as well. Esther spent far more years building the Uniroyal document collection as an EH-Team member than as an APTE member and she was an EH member until her passing on. 

Susan B.s greatest gift was that of self-promotion which included awards from now obviously pro Uniroyal/Lanxess groups such as the GRCA,  Woolwich Twn. and the Region. She played ball with them and allowed them to look good while in return they tossed her environmental bones of little to no significance. These and other other parties were always making future promises which rarely were even reviewed down the road much less actually kept.  Susan's early presence at meetings with them gave them credibility for which she was rewarded privately as mentioned above as well as by one promise Uniroyal and corporate tards did keep. She was always invited to meetings whether or not she was even a member of CPAC such as from early 2012 until September 2015. Yes she and Pat McLean were meeting privately on the Uniroyal/Chemtura site behind both CPAC's back and Woolwich Township's back as well as the public's back. That was how Susan always operated and it was NOT in the public interest. 

Eventually Susan B. will likely receive some corporate award (sponsered by Lanxess). Eventually after that all her supporters will be shocked to find out the truth. I think hydrogeologist Wilf Ruland will feel betrayed as well unless he too was in on the scam with the company from the beginning. I and others found his alleged "independent hydrogeologist" status to be an ironic joke. He and other hydrogeologists were afraid of CRA (Conestoga Rovers) and their influence and refused to push even when the facts were all backing their position.  

Also surreptitiously Pat Mclean while Chair of CPAC was receiving all expense paid trips around North America to attend get togethers after being sponsered by Uniroyal/Chemtura to the chemical industries public relations body. Names have changed and it may currently be the CIAC (Chemical Industry Assoc'n of Canada). These bodies had occasional environmentalists on them but mostly co-optees and corporate types polishing their resumes. Remember that Pat's chemical knowledge was such that she barely knew the difference between a DNAPL and a horse apple. 

All of this guaranteed the non-cleanup we have today in mid 2025 and for decades more.     

TODD COWAN'S PLACE IN WOOLWICH ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

 

I find this very difficult. Todd tried unlike the rest who kept their heads down and didn't make waves. Todd appointed an excellent CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) which included Dr. Dan Holt, Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach, Viv Delaney, Ron Campbell, Graham Chevreaux and myself. At a later date CPAC appointed a sub-committee (SWAT- soil, water, air, team) which was myself after getting bounced by a lying Todd & CAO plus the sub-committee included Dr. Henry Regier and Rich Clausi. 

Todd succumbed to after the fact Chemtura pressure. Chemtura of course lied like dogs and Todd only needed to convince himself that 5% of what they said was true and then he lied to council to get me bounced according to one of those councillors. Nevertheless CPAC and SWAT carried on and made the professional liars (Chemtura & M.O.E.) lives miserable at public CPAC meetings calling them out on their bulls**t. 

Never before had informed citizens so relentlessly held their feet to the fire demanding honesty and truth from them. The Chair Dr. Holt kept the meetings civil but he would not allow either the Ministry of Environment or Chemtura to continue responding with the same lies and nonsense. We were not there to play the game or go through the motions and that scared them. They were no longer in control of the narrative. It can be done but then Sandy Shantz and Mark Bauman flew in to rescue them after Todd got annihilated in the 2014 election. Todd was the author of his own dramatic political flareout .

A COUPLE OF FIRES ON HIGH ST. IN ELMIRA OVER THE LAST TWO TO THREE YEARS

This was not unexpected  by me considering the location close to the former Bolender Landfill. However the facts are not aligning with that theory. The first fire was even further away from the landfill, was in a garage and had some routine combustibles stored there. The most recent fire while I believe as yet the cause is undetermined nevertheless was suggested to have started in the kitchen of the home built in 1909. No one was home at the time (thank goodness) and there is no suggestion of carelessness etc.

My major concern with the former Bolender Landfill is the Flip Flop behaviour yet again of Woolwich staff and allegedly technical people. Their consultants have also been all over the block over the decades of their writing reports about the methane filled landfill. One report and they have dangerous levels of methane to the north, reports later to the east, several years later to the west. Similarly their consultants have advised offering free methane meters/alarms for residents on High and George St. Then they don't. Also as I recall Woolwich had made it clear in various reports that as long as no new construction within so many metres of the landfill property line then everyone was safe. So then what do they do but they issue a building permit literally right up to the property line of the former landfill.

No need to worry though. Just because provincial legislation says that is illegal Woolwich are masters of manipulating theirs and other rules to bend to their wishes. I'm sure they will be happy to talk in circles to anyone who questions their God-like, cat-like, Ford & Trump-like skillsets. 

   

PUBLIC CONSULTATION IS IGNORED IN WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP

 

I should clarify that. As long as the public consultation supports the fragile, fantasy based ideas of the mayor, Lanxess and all their fellow travellors then it is appreciated. Otherwise please flight off is their attitude. Don't harsh my mellow. I'm naive, lazy and uninformed and that's good enough for me. Let Lanxess and the MECP do their thing and public scrutiny will be by appointment and upon request from pre-approved mostly credentialed people who know their place. There will be no raised eyebrows, no laughs of derision and certainly no raucous explosions of disbelief. Anyone caught coughing the word "HORSESH**" will be immediately ejected . Control of opposition will be absolute. They don't want any of that. It could accidentally trigger questions or heaven forbid even accusations. Chemical company Lanxess are much too nice to have to suffer like that.

Is there any hope with the current deferential pack of putzes (i.e. TRAC) for reform? Also just to be clear before passing sentence putzes can be wonderful folks. They can be husbands, wives, parents, kids who would never walk by someone obviously in need of help. They can be humanitarians. Good Lord they could even be environmentalists at least outside the TRAC purvue. No a putz in this situation is simply somebody who goes along to get along. They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to bother anybody, hurt their feelings or make the atmosphere tense at all. Putzes are what mayor Sandy, Lanxess and the MECP want and it's what they've got. Final answer is there is no hope with this pack of putzes. 

So clean house. Not just of TRAC but somebody (FEDS ???)  has to come in, remove all the current players (Lanxess, GHD, MECP, Woolwich Twn., Region of Waterloo) and start from scratch. Not one single lying current piece of shit shall be part of the new administration to clean up the former Uniroyal Chemical, Elmira Aquifers and the downstream Canagagigue Creek. 

POLITICS IS CONSTANT DISRESPECT BETWEEN RETURNING DRIBBLES OF STOLEN TAX MONEY TO CITIZENS & ALSO GIVING IT TO SUPPORTERS

 

Rule 1:  Always state that your first priority is the public interest

Rule 2: Attend as many public community events as possible again pretending to care

Rule 3: Never break your cover. Always retreat to community service, public interest, being caring and compassionate even when you are reducing welfare, kicking people out of their homes, cutting funding for disabled children etc. Never admit to anything negative

Rule 4:Surround yourself with sycophants, supporters, political junkies. Never appear alone or isolated in your position

Rule 5: Your job is to protect the excessively rich and influential. Providing cover and insulation especially when their actions are solely self-serving is fine as long as your hand is out to receive some of their ill gotten gains they have hornswaggled.

Rule 6: Do not defend or back down. It shows weakness. A party like the Conservatives and Liberals requires solidarity up and down the line whether in the legislature or the federal Parliament. 

Rule 7: Always blur the true cost of things. Afterall if you are playing fast and loose with the public's money it's best to overstate expenses and understate revenues. How much were the cost of emergency sirens along the Guadaloupe River in Texas overstated and how much were the county or state finances minimized?  I mean really the good old boys down there don't want there hunting, fishing and drinking rights infringed upon and all good Conservatives know that legitimate costs are the thin edge of the wedge.

Rule 7:  Always have substitutes waiting in the wings. Eventually the public figure out who the biggest liars and worst politicians are hence you may have to ignominiously throw out the old and bring in the new.  Both Liberals and Conservatives have done it over and over again and it works. 

Only amoral, polished liars and sociopaths have any hope of serious advancement.  Yes good people will be tolerated only until they catch on to what the game is. 

WHAT A COUNTRY: WE CAN"T EVEN GUARANTEE ALL OUR CITIZENS CLEAN DRINKING WATER

 

Perhaps the title above should have had the word "honestly" included immediately before "Guarantee". Afterall our governments have always been long on promises and short on followup. Or as wise people have said "Talk is cheap but delivering is expensive". 

Do you think that we have clean drinking water here in Waterloo Region? Give your head a shake. Those dumbasses didn't even begin to test and publish their results for NDMA until twenty years or more AFTER  NDMA shut down the wellfields in Elmira. Glyphosate (Roundup) has a Method Detection Limit (MDL) of 25 parts per billion (ppb). The vast majority of other chemicals have MDLs below 1 ppb. None of the chemicals in our water are likely to be at zero. They are simply/hopefully below the health criteria listed on the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS). That is below their individual health standards. There is no attempt to actually measure the cumulative effect of dozens or more low level industrial chemicals and solvents simultaneously in our water supply. Again keep clearly in mind that there are thousands of different chemicals in our air, soils, ground and surface water. A miniscule number of them are picked for sampling and the results published in the Region's Annual (Water) Report each spring. These reports with hard work can be found on the Region's website.

Meanwhile the very same Region plus Woolwich Township and the Ontario Ministry of Environment knowingly permit second and third hand cleanups and less in and around the former Uniroyal Chemical site in Elmira. They know how much toxins continue to flow non stop down the Canagagigue Creek to Kitchener-Waterloo every day and how through the IUS (Integrated Urban System)  they are at best partially (but expensively) treated, sampled and distributed throughout the Region of Waterloo. A few years hence from now water managers and others will be asking themselves how on earth they weren't testing for chemical A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L etc. 

Of course it will require a crisis such as those in Cambridge, Elmira and Walkerton. Oh and of course the Region's cryptosporidium crisis in the early 1990s in which seniors died from getting infected by the microscopic parasite that the Region of waterloo had not been testing or treating for beforehand.