HALLMAN GRAVEL PIT (WILMOT TOWNSHIP)

                     Following is an e -mail I received from the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition today.

                  Reform Gravel Mining Coalition <campaign@reformgravelmining.ca>Unsubscribe

                To:alan marshall

Tue, Feb 28 at 8:01 a.m.

alan -- Wilmot Township Council has recently decided to sign an agreement with Rick Esbaugh to allow a gravel mine to proceed in their community. This contradicts a unanimous vote by Wilmot council in April of 2022 to oppose Esbaugh's application. This discussion was held in a closed meeting of Council - not in a public forum.  A completely new Council was elected in October. Recently the Township lawyer  advised Council that as Council was unlikely to win at the Ontario Land Tribunal  (OLT) they should settle with the applicant and avoid the cost associated with being a party to an appeal to the OLT. We understand that the lawyer also advised Council that recent changes to Bill 23 allow the OLT to assign costs of an appeal to the losing party would create additional financial risk for the municipality. (See CTV news item here) There are two key issues here: The first issue is that the Wilmot Council should have held a public meeting with the community and openly discussed their options, including ways in which the appeal could have proceeded. The decision whether to afford the expense of the appeal, and to take that risk should have been made by the people who pay taxes to the municipality. Mayor and Council failed to fulfill their responsibility to reflect the will of their constituents. The second issue is the unnecessary rule change by the Ford government to enable the OLT to assign cost to a losing party. This will have a chilling effect on municipal councils, within a system that is already tilted heavily in favour of the gravel mining industry. Mike Harris Jr., MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga and Doug Ford must he held accountable for this action. (In a future email we will ask you to delegate to your municipal council in support of a resolution asking the OLT NOT to implement this rule). The urgent action Alert today however is to support the residents of Wilmot Township at the Wilmot Council meeting on Monday March 6. See below for more details. Sincerely, Mike Balkwill RGMC Campaign Manager ACTION ALERT!  We need all hands on deck to show the new Wilmot Council that their community wants to Stop the Hallman Pit! How you can take action: Delegate at the upcoming Council Meeting on March 6th Delegations must register by March 1st with the Legislative Services Department This is the most impactful way to have your voice heard by the Council  For more information on delegations visit this link here Attend, virtually or in person, the March 6th Council Meeting from 7 to 11 pm Call or email your Councillor to let them know your concerns with the Hallman Pit Contact information for the Councillors can be found here Together we can protect our vibrant communities, farmland, and water. Reform Gravel Mining Coalition http://www.reformgravelmining.ca/ Copyright © 2022 Reform Gravel Mining Coalition. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent to agmarshall@rogers.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. Created with NationBuilder, software for l

EMBARASSING & PATHETIC: CITIZENS' FAILURES TO RECOGNIZE NON-DEMOCRATIC ACTIONS

 You know it's bad when citizens who have put themselves up for election to even very minor positions are so woefully ignorant of even the most basic rights and duties they have. Not to mention the rights of the citizens whom they are supposed to be looking out for. By the way I am not currently referring to my local Council. Maybe yes in the past but certainly not the new Council elected last October despite citizens here re-electing the Mayor whose biggest attributes are her face and her Mennonite last name. Good God citizens wake up! This is precisely why mandatory voting laws will not help the situation as even more lazy and stupid citizens will turn up and frivolously vote for whatever name they recognize or how the candidates look. 

Today's post is in regards to a private institution who have taken upon themselves such things as Codes of Conduct and Discipline issues. No I'm not referring to our hopeless WRDSB (Waterloo Region & District School Board). I'm referring to a Board of nine people, several with little experience, who decided to find a member of their group in violation of their Code of Conduct. Now do keep in mind how some at the WRDSB  have characterized these Codes of Conduct as being weaponized i.e. used to harass dissident members etc.  

 Whether that is the case here or not is difficult to say. What can be said is that this Board, despite being politely asked in advance for a delay based upon serious health grounds, "investigated" and made a Decision within four days without so much as asking the member any questions or for any clarifications or even their side of the alleged incident. Obviously as well there was zero ability for the alleged accused to confront his accuser. The accused was given the kangaroo court treatment despite decades of complaint free membership in the group. 

This is from a Board of allegedly normal, educated citizens. Wow!  Clearly the majority of them are democratically bereft. i.e. they don't know squat and or they just don't care. So sad but hopefully not in the majority???  Oh and P.S. the Board took two months to advise the accused of their Decision much less of their "investigation". He thought that they had .delayed the process as per his request as no one said otherwise.

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION - ANOTHER COUNCIL SELLS OUT ITS' CITIZENS

 The front page story in today's Waterloo Region Record is that Wilmot Council quietly and privately, behind its' citizens backs, has reached a settlement allowing the go ahead of the Hallman gravel pit to be located on Witmer Rd. in Wilmot Township. Citizens for Safe Ground Water who raised money for expert studies were blind sided according to Rory Farnan a member of the group. A former Wilmot Councillor, Angie Hallman, suggested that "This is a short-sighted decision that will impact lives for generations to come." and "Among the local residents who spoke up were members of the farming community, and they have been betrayed." 

What is even more shocking than this new Council agreeing to rezone much needed agricultural land to extractive industrial is the fact that the last Wilmot Council in harmony with Woolwich and North Dumfries Councils as well as the City of Cambridge passed Motions supporting a provincial moratorium  on gravel pits. This stupidity has gone on for far too long. This is why eventually Democracy breaks down and people take matters into their own hands. After all when your duly elected municipal ( & other) governments stop making decisions in the public interest in favour of private interests then people say enough is enough.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE ...WRPS, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

 A 20 year old young man was shot seven times by a police officer EIGHT YEARS ago. Beau Baker was in a mental health crisis and called 911 on April 2, 2015 asking for help. A Waterloo Region Police Service officer responded to Beau Baker's Brybeck Cres. apartment. Mr. Baker approached him while allegedly carrying a small knife. Again allegedly Mr. Baker was ordered to drop the knife before the officer shot at him seven times. 

I believe that the death of Mr. Baker was a tragedy although I do not know if it could have been avoided. My suspicion is that it could have been. I also believe that the passage of eight years before the mandated coroner's inquest takes place is disgusting and contemptible. Excuses abound as to the delays amounting to eight years. They are nothing but that...i.e. excuses.

Are the Waterloo Region Police Service responsible for the delay? Is it the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General? Is it the Ontario Chief Coroner's office? There have been way too many shootings, woundings and deaths of Waterloo Region citizens at the hands of our police over the years. Making both the family and the public wait eight years for further answers is in my opinion an intentional attempt to avoid transparency and accountability. Maybe yesterday's Waterloo Regional Council's acrimonious debates over increasing the police budget should have mentioned how many citizens our police have injured and killed. Are financial budget incentives needed to reduce these shootings? That is truly a scary thought.

LANXESS/MIN. of ENVIRONMENT (MECP) SHUTDOWN PLANS ARE IMMINENT

 Shutdown as in completion of their sham "cleanup" of Elmira, Ontario. Shutdown probably of alleged public consultation as well as of any "citizen" input whatsoever even including "tame" professionals unwilling to get their hands dirty in the trenches pushing back hard against Lanxess/MECP/GHD junk science and or outright falsehoods. 

It is possible that there could be one more final push by the opposition. Perhaps the polluter biased  Risk Assessment of the Canagagigue Creek is just one perverted step too far. Perhaps older Elmira residents with memories will step up. Certainly RAC and TAG will do no more than wring their hands and meekly ask Lanxess/MECP to throw them a bone. Anything whatsoever no matter how tiny and overall ineffectual just so that they can claim one tiny victory. That will satisfy most (not all) on TAG. It will do little or nothing for the health of the Creek or human residents living along it.

The groundwater "cleanup" has failed. The on-site "cleanup" of DNAPLS has failed. The promised "cleanup" of the downstream five miles of the Canagagigue Creek prior to its' discharge into the Grand River has failed. All hail corporate money, power and influence. All hail bought and paid for local politicians for many decades. 

If and when the call comes will you answer it?

MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, WE HAVE A MUCH BETTER WOOLWICH COUNCIL?

 Well I tend to think so anyways. Also despite my opinion not being unanimous regarding the improved Regional Council (see the comment for last Saturday's post) I tend to feel that turnnover in politicians is generally a good thing. If I thought that the majority improved their decisions in the public interest over time I'm sure that I would promote experience, reliability etc. But I don't.

So here goes: Our latest Woolwich Council consists of Kayla Grant, Evan Burgess, Nathan Cadeau, Eric Swindt, Bonnie Bryant and returning mayor Sandy Shantz. I've personally met half of this Council and been impressed. Oops let me qualify that: I've met three of the five most recent councillors and been very impressed. I have high hopes for the other two newcomers not so much for the long term politician. 

Our departing politicians from the last Woolwich Council included Murray Martin, Scott McMillan, Larry Shantz and Patrick Merlihan. Geez if only Sandy had stuck to her original decision not to run (sigh). We certainly have generally been blessed with good turnover over the last few elections. 

Time will tell as it always does. Mistakes will be made, alliances forged and broken on Council. The mayor will likely attempt some strong arm moves on the new councillors and the pushback will be interesting whether it is done in public or private.  Former councillor Merlihan will likely maintain his position via the Woolwich Observer of trimming new hires and ongoing bureaucratic bloat. Citizen pushback on increasing taxes, similar to Wellesley, may visit Woolwich Township. Afterall  it does get tiring paying more taxes for less services and eventually excuses don't cut it.

39A HOLDINGS IS GOING TO WOOLWICH COUNCIL (March 7/23)

 This is the proposal to put a load of tractor trailers on top of the former Bolender Landfill. Maybe it's even a dumber idea than having an auto wrecking yard on the property (eg. Paleshi's). My understanding was that wrecked cars brought in have their liquids immediately drained as in gas, oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, windshield washer fluid etc. These tractor trailers will be operating vehicles filled with all those liquids and more on top of a former landfill right beside the Canagagigue Creek. What could possibly go wrong?

Various reports (1991 Environmental Audit, 1992 CH2MHILL) indicate that Uniroyal Chemical dumped their industrial wastes on that site. Which wastes, what volumes and in which locations are moot. The Chair of the Elmira Sanitation Committee was Art Gorman, General Manager of Uniroyal Chemical at the time. He decided what was O.K. and what was allegedly not. Talk about the fox in charge of the henhouse. No conflicts of interest here in Woolwich, right Sandy?

Currently the Canagagigue Creek is the subject of a highly speculative, highly biased Risk Assessment allegedly trying to determine whether environmental and health risks to humans and wildlife are "acceptable" or not. Can we not have it both ways? Can we not falsely (based upon sediment/soil/fish tissue residue sampling) all exceeding criteria, claim that the risks are currently acceptable to all and therefore continue pummeling the Creek with more industrial risks from hundreds or more tractor trailers operating on the site? 

After all this is Elmira, Woolwich Township where risks are only measured by dead bodies; fish, human or whatever.