CPAC SOLDIERS ON WHILE CHEMTURA / M.O.E. HIDE BEHIND WOMEN'S SKIRTS

Has one of the reasons that women have done better in formerly male dominated professions such as politics due to gender sterotypes? In other words somewhat of a reverse sterotype that women are "nicer", less aggressive, less perverse ie. inherently more decent, honest and or less deceptive. An example would be a silly suggestion months ago before the election in one of our local papers that mayor Shantz was "tough enough" for the job . Allegedly she was viewed as being "too nice".

At last Thursday's CPAC meeting, CPAC members took several rounds out of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Ron Campbell advsed that it was ludicrous for Chemtura not having any Financial Assurance required for their cleanup if they shut down, went bankrupt or abandoned their site. I believe that he also felt it was ludicrous that the M.O.E. not only weren't pursuing Financial Assurance but that they would suggest that it wasn't even a fit topic for CPAC to be discussing. Here again is an example of the Ontario M.O.E.'s pro polluter, anti public attitudes and stance.

Sebastian also was unhappy with the lack of a response from the M.O.E.. This was at least in part in regards to Woolwich Council's Resolution of last October in support of the MTE Consultants Report. Possibly it was also due to the M.O.E.'s recent admission that a year after their 2014 sediment sampling downstream in the Canagagigue Creek they have the lab results but will not share them with CPAC. That is truly both scandalous and typical of the M.O.E.'s behaviour.

CPAC member Graham Chevreau pointed out the gross differences in the cleanup of Chemtura's Elmira site versus the cleanup of the Velsicol site in Pine River, Michigan. At Pine River there was serious source removal including excavation, capping, In Situ Chemical Oxidation, In Situ Thermal Oxidation and also containment via pump and treat. Contrast that with Chemtura's and their consultant's reliance on the cheapest, least effective method namely hydraulic containment or pump and treat. Much more needs to be done here in Elmira to protect the environment, human health and wildlife.

ELMIRA'S TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF "PUBLIC CONSULTATION" HAS BEEN A CHARADE

This charade has included the Region of Waterloo, Grand River Conservation Authority, Woolwich Councils and of course Chemtura and the Ministry of the Environment. I expect that this knowledge has been the reason why the Woolwich Observer have ignored CPAC for so long precisely because they recognized the game being played by the authorities. If you find this manipulation of the public both by private industry and our own government unconscionable and anti democratic then unfortunately you are still in the minority.

CPAC over the last four and a half years have been the exception by demanding to be heard and to have real input and consultation. We have seen the result as a Councillor and Mayor, seriously in bed with the polluter and corrupt regulator, have counterattacked by scapegoating CPAC for the manufactured crisis of Chemtura and the M.O.E. boycotting public CPAC meetings. This manufactured crisis was in conjunction with a new Council made up of three old guard Councillors namely Martin, Bauman and S. Shantz. The latter pair led the charge and the blatant deception.

Reasons abound for this now much more publicly apparent longtime public consultation charade. Keep in mind it has taken a local citizen (and still non-Canadian), as the much decorated by the GRCA and Region, face of the public at CPAC meetings to help sell the charade. She and her former Councillor buddy will continue to play nice and pretend that all is well. They both will also continue to personally benefit by their sellout of the public via receiving employment opportunities, travel benefits and increased status and prestige. The mayor's new conflict of interest rules will be ignored now just as they have been in the past.

Back in 1987 the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) was signed between Canada and the United States. Areas of concern were recognized on both sides of the border for cleanup and remediation. Hamilton Harbour as well as Collingwood harbour were included. Elmira's Uniroyal Chemical and their mess of the Grand River valley were bypassed intentionally. It would appear that the same political bodies at the local, regional and provincial level are continuing that coverup as well.

Why above and beyond the millions of dollars in costs that Chemtura Canada would have to spend, has their been so much weeping and gnashing of teeth (and lying) by Chemtura and the M.O.E. over Chemtura's off-property east side? Are they counting on the long awaited for Elmira by-pass on the east side to bury their contamination problems for them? Indeed ten to fifteen feet of gravel topped by asphalt would do just that. Unfortunately their would need to be culverts and bridges to allow for the natural drainage of the contaminated areas to continue into the Canagagigue creek. These would continue the decades long solution to pollution via dilution.

It is a conspiracy of our politicians at all levels and if they live long enough will be exposed. Jail time already is decades overdue.

WOOLWICH MAYOR'S ELECTION EXPENSES, CPAC'S PUBLIC MEETING, COUNCIL'S CITIZEN SELLOUT

This Thursday at 11 am. will be a public hearing into mayor Shantz's election expense report in the Woolwich Council chambers. MECAC is the name of the committee and they have received a total of 40 pages of documentation from myself describing the expense issues. Now the "Application for a Compliance Audit" is only two pages with numerous contraventions so indicated. The next 38 pages as handed over to the Clerk's office last Monday for distribution to MECAC are the formal documents and evidence of the contraventions in the Mayor's expense report. As she has incorrectly calculated her Total Contributions and has thus improperly lowered them below the $10,000 threshold level; she thus avoided the requirement that she automatically include an Auditor's Report with her expense report.

Woolwich Council will wear this past Tuesday's decision to dissolve CPAC at the end of August for many years. Bad enough a former Council did this to one member in 2008 but to remove an entire committee of volunteers on trumped up rubbish, nonsense and lies from the company being overseen (Chemtura) combined with the petty, sour grapes obfuscations of two former CPAC members who weren't reappointed four and a half years ago is disgraceful and shameful. Woolwich Council are long on bias and stupidity and clearly incapable of shame.

On Thursday evening in Council Chambers CPAC discussed specifics of their sampling undertaken earlier in the day by a professional environmental consulting firm. One CPAC member and one member of the public accompanied them both as guides and as observers. As discussed in the CPAC meeting by Graham Chevreau all formal EPA and sampling protocols were observed including Chain of Custody requirements. There was also discussion regarding CPAC's legal requirements for releasing the results obtained, particularily if they are alarming and or in excess of certain standards. There was further discussion regrading CPAC's moral and ethical duty to advise the public if again there are serious concerns regarding the concentrations of various bioaccumulative chemicals for instance. There was also a Motion passed requesting Woolwich Council to pressure the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to release the results for DDT and Dioxins/Furans found downstream of Chemtura, in the Canagagigue Creek. The M.O.E. have confirmed they have these results from last summer (2014) but do not want to release them unitl September and not to the current CPAC. A skeptic could be forgiven for understanding that the M.O.E. have more confidence that the new more bureaucrat and politician dominated CPAC replacement (RAC) will be less critical than the 100% citizen dominated CPAC.

There was also a brief discussion around CPAC's four Delegations (plus mine made five) the previous Tuesday evening in Woolwich Council. All of these Delegations were entered into the CPAC record via Lisa Schaefer, CPAC Secretary. The decision was made for CPAC to have a formal meeting in July this year among other things to discuss the results from last Thursday's sediment sampling. Unlike the Ontario M.O.E., CPAC does not take one to two years to get lab results back. Either the M.O.E. need a new lab or yet once again they are truth challenged.

LOCAL CONVICTED POLLUTERS ARE HOLDING A RALLY IN SUPPORT OF OUR MAYOR AND AGAINST PUBLIC CONSULTATION

O.K. my only excuse for the above title is that it is a prediction not a fact. In fact if I wanted to be a tad more inflammatory I would have referred to the rally as a fund raising rally for the next municipal election. Regardless today's Woolwich Observer is again fabulous. From their political cartoon and caption indicating that Mayor Shantz has cleansed Woolwich Township by removing CPAC and public oversight to the article which extensively criticizes Woolwich Council's decision; it is all on the money. Steve Kannon is nobody's fool. I am saddened to say that that is not the case with the other local newspaper and their editor. Gail Martin is but one more victim of the very same deceit and smooth talking that I also was for many years. Unfortunately a small minority of human beings spend their lives pretending and acting to be other than who they really are. Politicians in general fall into this category. It is why our governance at all levels is so bad.

Steve has quoted four CPAC members extensively namely Vivienne Delaney, Dr. Dan Holt, Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach and Graham Chevreau. CPAC member Ron Campbell was also present in support of CPAC (& SWAT) making for 100% attendance. While Rich Clausi and I were present, Dr. Henry Regier followed the proceedings on Rogers Cable 20. Council to their everlasting shame ignored CPAC's and my Delegation. Like good politicians they deflected and distracted and pretended to accept some mickey mouse amendments to their frankly asinine RAC & TAG committees. Their thick skin and ability to repel honest criticism was truly amazing. Their ability to virtually ignore and pretend that they were not accurately and honestly, publicly pilliored by informed Woolwich citizens and residents is actually kind of scary. It is why democracy is in the toilet when the arrogance and dogma of even local politicians allows them to ignore truth and facts, right and wrong, for their secret, personal agendas. Our Council are almost completely and unanimously beyond disgraceful and beyond redemption. Their handling of the CPAC file is as blatant as it gets and yet they even fooled one local media (newspaper) but as the saying goes "You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time.".

IN WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP THE TAIL WAGS THE DOG

Amongst all the horse manure, puffery and obfuscations Mayor and Council spewed out Tuesday nite there were a couple of grains of truth and insight. Of course the four CPAC members and myself also gave good, honest advice which was ignored by a Council some of whom view themselves as the cavalry riding to Chemtura Canada's rescue. The one Councillor who seemed disturbed by at least some of RAC and TAG replacing CPAC and SWAT was Councillor Merlihan. He made two very noteworthy observations and comments in regards to RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee). First of all he referred to it's structure as "cringeworthy". That was an accurate and beautiful comment regarding it's non-makeup by local citizens. Secondly he referred to it unflatteringly as having been "professionalized". This refers to the GRCA and Region of Waterloo bureaucrats plus the Mayor, Councillor and paid Chair of the TAG (Technical Advisory Committee). This RAC group are reported to by TAG and then RAC reports to Woolwich Council. So in a nutshell the citizens who will be appointed by Council will sit on the "technical" group TAG which reports to RAC which reports to Council. No dirty, unwashed masses directly reporting to Council. Mind you with this particular Council it's all moot anyways however they will be able to totally control any outbursts of honesty by local citizens who depending on their loyalty to Council, might actually be outraged by Chemtura's and the M.O.E.'s ongoing obstruction and obfuscation.

This is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. Non local citizens (Region & GRCA) plus two politicians all who know little or nothing about Chemtura's contamination will be in charge of the whole situation. They will filter whatever damaging information that they are unlikely to receive anyways from their personally handpicked citizens on TAG. Most of them will be toadies and or co-opted folks who have long received personal benefits from their association with CPAC and Chemtura. Yes Sandy this means Pat and Susan your friends and helpers for your election campaign (Pat anyways). Whether a token honest citizen or two will be thrown to the wolves remains to be seen but rest assurred it won't be me as I'm one of the key persons they are trying to isolate from this whole process.

WOOLWICH COUNCIL: SUCH A PACK OF SHAMELESS, HYPOCRITICAL, ECONOMICAL WITH THE TRUTH, PURVEYERS OF FANTASY

Perhaps Woolwich Council have explicitly made it clear that real public consultation, much less Woolwich Township's perverted version to date, is a dangerous thing for Chemtura and other polluters. Nothing we the citizens have ever had has been remotely close to the real deal although this last four years plus has been the maximized version of pretend public consultation. I believe that Vivienne is correct in that the Pine River version in Michigan is the real deal. There the citizens said "never again" to allowing private corporations and their state government's shoddy environmental oversight to be in either unilateral or bilateral charge.

Sebastian's Delegation last evening was excellent as was Vivienne's, Dr. Dan Holt's, Graham's and mine. Sebastian of CPAC finally said the words "red herring" in describing Council's, M.O.E.'s and Chemtura's portrayal of me as loud and obnoxious. When I talk to choirboys I speak as such; when talking to professional filth, not so much. My contempt for all liars tends to show through. There will never be real public consultation as long as the polluter and his fellow travellors (Council, M.O.E., CRA) feel they have carte blanche to obfuscate, cheat, deceive and misrepresent ad infinitum.

Why are Woolwich Council shameless? Five Delegations in a row spoke truth to them. That truth included Council's falsehoods and vicious campaign against CPAC & SWAT. Yes some of the Delegations were subtle and careful in their criticism whereas at least three including mine were blunt and straightforward. Council ran interference for Chemtura and the M.O.E. for the last eight months making excuses for their boycott while scapegoating CPAC. Council were so told. They were also told that their behaviour initiated by Mayor Sandy Shantz around the April 9/15 "stakeholders" meeting was reprehensible.

They were grossly truth challenged in that April 9 meeting. The meeting was stacked in favour of Chemtura and the M.O.E.. It was a setup and a sham and was incredibly blatant and shameless. The false allegations against CPAC including comments referring to non-existent physical aggression were the comments of cowards. And yet those filth on Council showed no shame because they have none. Churchgoers my ass! Christians do not behave like that Sandy Shantz and Mark Bauman. Sociopaths do however.

Their hypocrisy includes their church attendance and it includes their public, kind words to CPAC last evening. Perhaps as they claim they want a couple of CPAC members on the new toothless and impotent by design, TAG committee. This would allow Council to avoid being the second Council in a row to clean the CPAC house completely. Afterall they wouldn't want the general public to understand that the process is totally politicized. However just because they publicly say they want some current CPAC members to continue means absolutely nothing. You can't trust pathological truth deniers any more than drug addicts.

WOOLWICH ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE DECLINE OF THE GREAT LAKES

Today's Waterloo Region Record are carrying the following story titled "Great Lakes need urgent action". The renewed Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) was proclaimed three years ago between Canada and the United States. It's first enanctment occurred back in 1987. Dr. Henry Regier has been bringing it to the attention of CPAC, SWAT and Woolwich Township particularily during this past year. In my opinion it's almost as if he is putting this new Council in a position of not having plausible deniability regarding Woolwich's contributions of persistent organic pollutants entering Lake Erie from the Grand River and via the Canagagigue Creek.

The Great lakes Executive Committee "...has fallen into an administrative and bureaucratic malaise..." says a letter by two dozen environmental groups from both sides of the border. Further to the letter is a new report from the Canadian Environmental Law Association stating "The (subcommittee's) go slow approach is completely out of sync with the scale and the urgency of the problem". To date the subcommittee have listed a grand total of four chemicals of mutual concern to Canada and the U.S.. The environmental groups have more than 500 chemicals of concern. ""By adding four chemicals every three years...it will take us more than a century to list all of the chemicals of concern in the Great lakes" they state.". Actually by my math it will take more than three centuries to list 500 chemicals at 1 1/3 chemicals per year. This is precisely how bureaucrats under political orders are able to delay indefinitely the will of the people. It's all for show.