BOTH THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD & THE WATERLOO REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD (WRDSB) LOOKING STUPID AGAIN

 Maybe the title above is a little harsh regarding the Catholic Board. Generally they don't appear to screw up nearly as often as their non-Catholic educational colleagues. Recently one Catholic school trustee got a little carried away with her enthusiasm in supporting women and minorities and posted some rude or insulting comments about white Christian males in general. Certainly she had some valid points but lumping everybody together in a group as representative of a poorly behaved minority is not a great idea.

However the WRDSB are just continuing to shine as an example of Wokism, stupidism, biases, hostility and aggression. The title of the article dated April 24/23 by Jeff Outhit is "Waterloo Region may be a target as provincial government takes aim at underachieving school boards". While the province are focused on academics local WRDSB trustee Mike Ramsay is more specific as he states "I don't feel the board is fully focused on student learning and achievement" followed more sharply by stating that provincial control over the school board may reduce distractions on "side issues that have nothing to do with student learning and achievement" such as "vexatious challenges to parents who come to the board in good faith with their questions."

Wow! That not only refers to Caroline Burjowski (former long term teacher) and her contemptible treatment by the WRDSB, as well if I may but how I and my family were treated over twenty-five years ago by the swine  at the board. I went first to my principle (Romashyna) then trustee (Huschka) and finally to the board itself with concerns shared by my family and by numerous other families. Talk about the "blue wall" for the police. The school board behaved beyond awful including blatant lying and deceit rather than addressing the serious problem that they already knew existed.

O.K. so I'm no fan of the provincial government but good God I've long stated that when school boards are spending excessive amounts of taxpayers money on keeping lawyers on retainer as legal attack dogs against either parents or children then there is a gross problem. Yes there are some very good trustees. There were some despicable swine at the top of the board years ago. It at least appears that their possibly hand picked successors share their behaviors. Feel free Ontario to clean house. What has taken you so long? 

I SKIPPED LAST NIGHT'S TAG MEETING AFTER TAKING A SHOT AT THE POLLUTER, MECP, SUITS, BUREAUCRATS & POLITICIANS

 Late in the morning I sent an e-mail to all of Woolwich Council clarifying why I am so fed up including last month's incredibly petty and ignorant behaviour towards me at the TAG meeting. I did not blame the new Support Specialist who has replaced Lisa Schaefer, rather I laid it squarely on the Mayor.

I also pointed out that I and the public had alternatives to wasting our time being lied to by the suits and professional liars as well as our knowledgeable input being ignored by the Ministry of Environment, Woolwich Township and others. These alternatives included watching the Stanley Cup playoffs. Small wonder that Canadians are so disaffected and so unwilling to get involved in community affairs and issues. This contemptible Township have and continue to go out of their way to suppress citizen participation and most certainly consultation. That said let me add that there are good people on Council and employed by the Township. The problems are and always have been at the top. 

I further advised that while I had been contacted by the Support Specialist in order to attend last night's virtual TAG meeting I was refused any discussion about no further sanctions, repercussions etc against me at TAG meetings by the Mayor or her fellow travellors. Hence I made it clear that under those conditions I was unwilling to again waste more of my time. Other than Sebastian being allowed to sit as a TAG member all the other CPAC (Citizens Public Advisory Committee) members have stepped back as they are not prepared to have zero influence on the discussions/decisions while also being treated as second or third class citizens.

NHL PLAYOFFS TONITE OR THE TAG MEETING?

Well that decision has been a no brainer for me for the last thirty-one years. Whether named UPAC, CPAC RAC or TAG I've always put Elmira's drinking / groundwater first with the Canagagigue Creek rehabilitation high up there as well. Throw into the mix the need to clean up the worst parts of the former Uniroyal Chemical site and I would always miss the playoffs when they overlapped.

Now today we have a TAG that allegedly is hybrid. In other words some TAG members attend Council Chambers in person and others choose to do so remotely. Woolwich Council meetings are in the same location and they are both in person by councillors and the public post Covid are also back in person although bizarrely, weirdly and quite frankly disgustingly the public now in 2023 must PRE-REGISTER to attend a gd Council meeting. WTF is that all about? Really Sandy are you so paranoid and controlling that you can't, post Covid, return Council meetings to the format that has worked for decades? In other words citizens and taxpayers attend Council meetings as they see fit and when they see fit not when you say so.

At the last TAG meeting, Sandy as she is wont to do, played fast and loose with the rules for virtual attendance with myself, to her shame. This resulted in my not being brought into the meeting until AFTER it had started That combined with the gross failures of allowing the public to attend freely, speak freely (albeit with decorum), and even receive fair and honest membership opportunities versus the polluter (Lanxess) and their best friend (Min. of Environment) having blatant vetoes over certain citizens membership on TAG etc. makes me uncertain.

For the first time in three decades although I have long known how perverted and corrupt the system and process has been, I am hesitating in continuing to try to improve the final environmental outcomes  for Elmira and Woolwich residents. Congratulations to Lanxess, MECP, Mayor, consultants & bureaucrats and all the other self-serving fellow travellors. 

REGIONAL INITIATIVE COULD REALLY SHAKE THINGS UP

 Yesterday's K-W Record had an article by Liz Monteiro titled "Harassment rules should apply to local politicians".  Kudos to regional councillor Colleen James for pushing this matter forward. If I understand things correctly Bill 5 is a provincial initiative and it has been supported by up to 40 municipalities. Apparently municipal councillors who have committed sexual, emotional or psychological misconduct could be removed from office. Hoo boy on the one hand this certainly would be an eye opener for the hopefully rare few municipal councillors/mayors who behave in that manner but at the same time I worry about for example petty "weaponizing" of Codes of Conduct that has occurred at our Waterloo Region District School Board with accusations of misconduct flying in all directions. 

Ms. James claims that nasty behaviour "...keeps happening and people aren't speaking up about them...". If nothing else this Bill 5 would certainly take the glow off the rose that those people in positions of authority somehow are always of superior morals or ethics. They certainly aren't and never have been.

ANOTHER SMALL ADMISSION: I HAVEN'T FORGIVEN OR FORGOTTEN EITHER

 O.K. at least I'm not a hypocrite about it. I sure as heck don't flaunt any religious beliefs I may have while at the same time throwing stones (figuratively) at mayor Sandy Shantz. On the other hand...   So yes I have continued criticizing her sometimes harshly for her behaviour starting in 2015 when she orchestrated her personal and dishonest attack upon the CPAC Chair and members as well as the sub-committee SWAT which included myself and others. Her attacks were both private and public, verbal and in writing to her shame.

Going on eight years later she abused her authority at the last TAG meeting regarding my timely attendance (and more) and since last Friday I've been attempting to reach the new Support Specialist for RAC and TAG both by phone and e-mail to avoid this occurring again in two days at 6:30 pm. These virtual meetings have concerned me since they were implemented during Covid as I knew it was far too easy for someone with a grudge to abuse their authority by either shutting out or harassing me via control of both Video and Audio at these so called public meetings. I have followed the rules regarding virtual TAG & RAC meetings but that didn't stop misbehaviour at the last TAG meeting towards me. Either that stops or I take further steps that Woolwich politicians or staff will not appreciate. 

"THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW" ...BEFORE THE ELECTION!!!

 The quote above is from an excellent Opinion article in today's Waterloo Region Record by Luisa D'Amato. That is the part in quotes is Luisa's, the last three words are mine. Luisa is appropriately complaining that Region of Waterloo councillors have supported a Motion by councillor Jim Erb to ask the province to change their rules such that the addresses of donors over $100 no longer have to be made public. Now as Luisa suggests there are lots of families in K-W with the same last names as big shot developers who are neither related to them nor have any connection. The addresses can be matched with public addresses of well known local individuals and hence addresses confirm the identity of donors which after all is the whole idea of making them public in the first place.

There is a second issue however. Yes industrious and curious electors can read the financial statements posted by municipal candidates usually on the municipal website. These are to be posted sometime in early to mid March months AFTER the election. WOW! O.K. Luisa has a strong point that that is better than not at all. However I suspect that less than 5% of voters actually look these candidate Financial Statements up and read the. Hence only 5% ever learn that developers are buying...oops I mean donating to candidates en masse. What actually should be happening is that corporate (especially developers/planners etc.) donations should be available for each candidate BEFORE the election. If you favour more growth then vote for those people supported by our biggest developers and home builders etc. Otherwise vote for others. After the fact knowledge firstly will quickly be forgotten and is knowledge that voters needed in oreder to vote according to their wishes of our combined future.

ARE WE APPROACHING THE END OF THE LINE IN ELMIRA?

I need to confirm further but my hopes for a new active player on the Lanxess/Elmira scene may have been premature. I truly hope not because her initiative and enthusiasm are badly needed. Next I am seeing moves by Mayor Shantz that are simply negative, delaying moves that are most likely to taint whatever sunny, good news lies that Lanxess Canada are trying to sell the public. Lanxess and their partner in pollution, the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) also desperately want to wrap up the Elmira Crisis in a tidy little bow and finish the charade of the Elmira "cleanup".  

That will be somewhat difficult to do as it has now gone beyond denial and reversal that the Elmira Aquifers will not achieve drinking water standards by 2028 unless the MECP arbitrarily raise that standard from 9 parts per trillion (.009 ppb.) to 15 or 20 parts per trillion (.020 ppb.). This is not out of the realm of deceit and deception for the MECP as I believe they did exactly that with trichloroethylene years ago as wells in Cambridge were exceeding the then 5 ppb. standard. Up went the standard only to be returned to the old standard not based so much on new science as on the groundwater concentrations falling in the drinking wells.

"When all was said and done, more was said than was done." This is a quote from Richard Clausi in describing the Elmira "cleanup". Lots of talk and lots of promises generously sprinkled with lots of lies. As far as costs Uniroyal Chemical saved hundreds of millions of dollars in toxic waste disposal costs by dumping both directly and indirectly into the ground and into the Canagagigue Creek while our municipal and provincial governments held their noses, closed their eyes and covered their ears all the while running interference up to and including today for Uniroyal and their corporate successors (Crompton, Chemtura, Lanxess ).