TIFFANY SVENSSON SPEAKS TO WOOLWICH COUNCIL

Last evening Tiffany Svensson, Chair of TAG (Technical Advisory Group), spoke to Woolwich Council about the status of the Lanxess (Uniroyal Chemical) cleanup. She started by suggesting that her talk would not be about minutia or remediation details and specifics as much as it wold be "out of the weeds" and at a higher level.That is very appropriate as it should be at the level that the councillors can understand, which isn't very high.

Tiffany referred to the "Gap" area and how TAG were still pushing Lanxess and the MOE to do more soil testing there near their south-east corner as it was the low lying area where overland flow of waste waters occurred. She also referred to the excess chlorobenzene that is in the Elmira Aquifers, allegedly from an unknown source. Tiffany also referenced the Conceptual Site Model produced by Dr. Neil Thompson. She referred to it as an agreed upon statement of facts describing the Elmira sub-surface in detail including where the contaminants are, where they are going and where they are from.

Tiffany mentioned the likelihood that the 2028 deadline to clean up the Elmira Aquifers will not be achieved. She suggested that by 2019 the pumping rates in the Elmira Aquifers will be where they need to be. Unfortunately that is not accurate. Even with the addition of Well W9 the pumping rates are far behind what Chemtura (Uniroyal) and Conestoga Rovers (CRA) claimed were necessary in November 2012 to achieve 2028 cleanup.

The only good news that I heard was that there will be a search for enhanced remedial technologies. In fact as Dr. Richard Jackson advised us there are no "magic bullets" coming down the pipe. There are however far better established technologies available than pump and treat (hydraulic containment) and hopefully Ms. Svensson and TAG will push RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee) into pushing Lanxess to use them.

Tiffany referred to the pending Risk Assessment of the Canagagigue Creek several times. She has not seen how pathetic the last one was (2004) or I doubt that she would be quite so enthusiastic about it. Lanxess apparently are hiring other outside experts to assist in this effort. That I suppose is a start.

Both councillors Patrick Merlihan and Mark Bauman briefly spoke about the 2028 deadline. Tiffany was positive and upbeat in her presentation however she also honestly presented a number of unresolved problems and issues. It will be up to both Council and the public to determine a) whether anything close to best efforts have been underway since 1989 and b) whether the current efforts are satisfactory. It is my opinion formed over nearly thirty years of in depth study that the answers are no to both a) and b).

2011-SEPTEMBER 2015 CPAC

The initial new CPAC membership consisted of Chair Julie-Anne Herteis, Dr. Dan Holt, Ron Campbell, David Marks, Vivienne Delaney, Lynne Hare and myself, Al Marshall. The earliest changes were Lynne Hare resigning in disgust after the first private meeting in the Councillor's Boardroom in April 2011 when Julie-Anne and Todd misbehaved. Then Julie-Anne resigned as Chair and then I was voted off CPAC by Woolwich Council after Todd and most likely CAO Dave Brenneman as well, lied to council about me allegedly promising not to put CPAC stuff in this Blog.

Todd Cowan became chair and soon after Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach joined CPAC. A year or so later I helped get rid of Todd as Chair by ratting out his behaviour to councillor Mark Bauman. Ugh! Exchanged one ass for a smarter ass. At least Dr. Dan became chair of CPAC. Graham Chevreau was added to CPAC and both he and Sebastian were excellent additions. Somewhere down the line a Susanna Meteer was added. She had potential but was nothing but reactionary and more concerned about her future reputation with the MOE than with getting the groundwater fixed. She resigned after a short term only. David Marks eventually resigned after he did excellent work in regards to achieving the November 2012 turnaround by Chemtura and CRA regarding them not making the 2028 Elmira Aquifers restoration deadline without major increases in effort such as pumping and more. During this time, Rich Clausi, Dr. Henry Regier and I were added as a sub-committee to CPAC. We were called SWAT for Soil, Water, Air & Technology. Chemtura were totally upset about our name.

So by 2015 CPAC consisted of Dr. Holt, Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach, Viv Delaney, Ron Campbell, Graham Chevreau and SWAT was still Richard, Henry and I. We were a magnificent team of eight intelligent and informed citizens working together. Anyone who says differently are either ignorant and ill informed or they are out and out liars.

OUR LOCAL COUNCIL ROUTINELY LIES TO THE PUBLIC

O.K. just to put this in perspective, our democratically elected governments at all levels routinely lie to citizens. That makes Justin, Doug, formerly Stephen and Kathleen all liars so exactly why would say Todd or Sandy be any different? Of course they aren't. What is interesting is when successive governments use the very same lies and get away with them. Following is an example.

The Elmira Independent had an article in their March 24, 2011 edition titled "New CPAC terms of reference approved". The Woolwich Observer two days later had an article on the same topic titled "Council adopts new guidelines for CPAC". There indeed were a couple of legitimate changes such as insisting on evening meetings rather than the 9 am. meetings which Chemtura and the MOE preferred and that made Pat and Susan feel like big shots because they could attend and most working citizens could not. Also all meetings were to be open to the public including sub-committees. While some tightening was needed based upon abuses in the past, this provision while good in theory, was sometimes a little too strict. All the rest of the so called changes were window dressing exactly as Sandy Shantz did in mid 2015. Blather about "greater council involvement in the process" was just that, blather. Council already had their own member on CPAC. Comments about greater reporting back to Council were just plain nonsense. Any and all council members could attend the advertised in advance, public meetings, if they wanted. The reality is none of them wanted.

This goes for both Todd Cowan's and Sandy Shantz's councils. Both of them lied and bullfrittered to the public with their claims of greater accountability and involving council more. In Todd's case as hinted at by Ron Ormson of CPAC a week later, Todd and company had no confidence in the old CPAC. The reason was under Pat McLean, CPAC members had both gotten much too close to Chemtura and two members were making decisions that were either all voting CPAC members decisions to make or Council's. Sandy on the other hand wanted to clean house of the citizen volunteers (CPAC) because the two most routinely dishonest parties (MOE & Chemtura) didn't like their dishonesty and intentional delaying being thrown in their faces. Poor babies wanted it both ways as they had it with the old CPAC. In other words they could lie like dogs yet not regularly be called out for it.

Neither council wanted to call a spade a spade and tell the public the truth. Shame on them both although the greater shame is Sandy's as her reasons for removing CPAC were to give the lying big boys a major break.

FIELD TRIP TO THE CEMETERY

A week ago yesterday I took a little environmental field trip over to the cemetery beside Uniroyal's (Lanxess) Envirodome/Toxidome/Mausoleum. I reported here in the Advocate that as of that date there appears to be absolutely zero start of the promised shallow excavation on the Stroh property along Lanxess's eastern property line. With the benefit of binoculars one can clearly see at least a couple of fairly new groundwater monitoring wells installed on the Stroh property. All of this of course, is about thirty years too late. While contaminated ground and surface water that flowed from Uniroyal has been diluted and migrated southwards, eastwards, and vertically downwards, likely the hydrophobic compounds such as DDT and Dioxins/Furans are still in the soil at various depths both shallow and deep.

The Ontario MOE (MECP) have recently advised Lanxess that they want more wells and groundwater monitoring on the Stroh property. While this is a good thing per se it is also no more than a red herring. The groundwater amazingly still has some very high concentrations around OW-36 located within both BAE-1 (Burial Area East) and RB-2 (Reburied Drums) right beside the Stroh property. Otherwise most of the dissolved solvents including 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, benzene, NDMA etc. have migrated far and wide likely including into crops grown on the Stroh property over many decades. This elephant in the room is but one of many conveniently ignored by our authorities. After all they surely don't want to arouse the masses to the point of running politicians and polluters out of town on a rail.

I expect that the MOE are helping Lanxess by focusing on dissolved contaminants in the groundwater rather than the hydrophobic (water fearing) compounds mentioned above which sorb onto soils. The higher the organic carbon in the soil the more these compounds cleave onto them versus say onto sand or gravel. It is my belief that this area of the Stroh farm along the property line with Lanxess and further south in and around the Stroh Drain is a major "Sink" of Dioxins, DDT and possibly other of these compounds.These compounds will continue to slowly erode by wind, rain and flood moving down the Stroh Drain and into the Canagagigue Creek and Grand River forever if they are not removed. Also the shallow or surficial (5.9 inches) soil removal that still hasn't started yet should in fact be called a superficial soil removal not a surficial one. Mobilized by solvents, DDT and Dioxins can and have penetrated two and three metres below the ground surface but with future development, construction, ploughing, landscaping etc. can again be exposed at surface.

CANARY IN THE COAL MINE

Well I guess I'm the poster boy for inappropriate behaviour by a municipal council towards a citizen volunteer. This comes after being kicked off of CPAC on two occasions namely in February 2008 and then again in May 2011. Of interest of course is that I was reappointed to CPAC by Woolwich Council in between those two instances. Odd I have yet to receive an apology for either booting. Also of interest is that after the second booting in 2011, CPAC members themselves, with the exception of Mr. Flip Flop (Mark Bauman) voted for and formally requested that Woolwich Council reinstate me to CPAC in 2013. Via mayor Todd Cowan's usual lying, this time to his own council members, that reinstatement was denied three votes to two. The almost mentally challenged Julie-Anne Herteis had the deciding vote and seemed all too pleased with her negative vote. That of course hardly crossed my mind when Julie-Anne was immorally, improperly and via the abomination of a sham public meeting, appointed to Woolwich Council last March. I was not devastated earlier this week when she came in last in the Ward One municipal election. I have stated here that I don't think she is a bad person, per se. She is however easily led and she does have a petty, mean streak. Only time will tell if her replacement Scott McMillan is better equipped to make decisions in the public interest. I am hopeful although truth be told I simply don't know the gentleman.

Oh and the title above? Activists doing their job in the public interest should never be arbitrarily removed because either a fellow citizen or a politician don't like their message. I am the canary in the coal mine in regards to the negative effects of environmental citizen committees being under the control of ignorant, biased or petty council members. Are we as citizens so naive that we still think that most politicians are there for our good? I sincerely hope not. They are there to support the status quo which means money and wealth continue to rule in our so called democracy.Just look at Premier Doug Ford's recent rollback of the legislated minimum wage increase previously scheduled for January 1, 2019. I'm sure that the franchisee owners of McDonald's, Tim Horton's, Harvey's etc. will now avoid either bankruptcy or a reduction in their Caribbean and Bahamian holidays next summer.

REVOLUTION & COUNTER-REVOLUTION

The revolution against old style Woolwich politics and politicians occurred during the 2010 municipal election. Mayor Bill Strauss and long time Woolwich Councillor Pat McLean lost to upstart Todd Cowan. The rest of Woolwich Council including long timer Murray Martin also got the boot with the exception of Ward Two councillor Mark Bauman. Ruby Weber also lost in this election and Sandy Shantz had chosen not to run after being the one to give Pat McLean the boot four years earlier (2006). So Todd Cowan, Julie-Anne Herteis, Al Poffenroth, Bonnie Bryant and Mark Bauman rounded out the 2010-2014 Woolwich council. Bauman of course was the counter-revolutionary in the group.

The strength in this group was Bonnie Bryant and Mark Bauman. Todd was all show although he certainly didn't lack in the time and effort he put in. His real lack became apparent a few years later with his expense scandal for which he was convicted of breach of trust while being acquitted of fraud. Very lucky. The counter-revolution in 2014 was all about Sandy Shantz challenging Todd Cowan and Bonnie Bryant for mayor. It turned out to be a slam dunk due to Todd's self-destruction although Sandy may have won anyway with her Mennonite background, church presence and former council and school board experience. Bonnie would have made a very good mayor, far better than Sandy based upon both brains and integrity.That Murray Martin won against Lisa McDonald is another testament to ill informed voters going for Mennonite name recognition.

So we have just struggled through the 2018 election sort of. Larry Shantz. Murray Martin and Sandy Shantz were all acclaimed. That is very unfortunate. That Julie-Anne Herteis, Scott Hahn and Mark Bauman are gone is very good. Congratulations to election winners Patrick Merlihan, Fred Redekop and Scott McMillan. You three can make a difference and an improvement in all things Woolwich although you have three problematic councillors to worry about. Sandy can not lean on Mark Bauman any longer which is a good thing.

This revolution and counter-revolution dramatically affected the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC). There was a house cleaning after the counter-revolution in 2010 and yet again in 2015 after the counter-revolution. If nothing else it shows that committees of council are subject to the vagaries, biases and ignorance of the elected councils. This time with only a third of the council changing it is unlikely that we will see a wholesale change especially with Sandy Shantz defending her RAC & TAG creations from 2015.

WELCOME TO WOOLWICH COUNCIL

As per Monday's election we have two new councillors joining Woolwich Council namely Mr. McMillan and Mr. Redekop. I believe that Woolwich Council have been improved albeit not as much as I would like to have seen. Oh well. The removal of Ms. Herteis was absolutely necessary in order for this council to have any semblance whatsoever of credibility or democracy. That she was appointed via a behind the scenes, backroom process not in the public interest, was glaringly obvious to those few of us who actually attended the public council meeting in which nine or ten highly competent and qualified applicants spoke from the heart and demonstrated their confidence in the process that Woolwich Council laid out for them and the public.

Woolwich Council lied to them. Woolwich Council lied to the public. It was far worse than a sham and both the many applicants and the public were insulted by the brazen and pathetic dog and pony show that council presented to the public. The Woolwich Observer, bless them, were also not amused and said so in their next edition. I doubt that a single person in that room came away from that meeting without a very sour taste in their mouth.

It was obvious to me that Mr. McMillan was going to beat Julie-Anne in Monday's election. Less obvious was that he also beat the incumbent Patrick Merlihan. Julie-Anne had a very respectable 1300 and change votes. I do not think that she is a bad person however nor do I think she is the right person for the job. A couple of other Woolwich councillors I know for a fact are not the right people for the job yet there they sit. Julie-Anne was part of that scam last March and she and Council deprived Woolwich citizens of any one of a number of far superior candidates.

To Mr. McMillan and Mr. Redekop I can only suggest that you tread carefully. There are bad people on that Council who will do their best to co-opt you. They will tell you that it's us versus them. They will tell you that Council must always present a unified front. They will tell you that they are the most experienced. They may indeed be the most experienced liars and deceivers and manipulators. Woolwich Township unfortunately has had a litany of those folks in public service. Please stand on your own two feet and rely on your morals, ethics and conscience. That is the only experience you need.