POLITICIANS AND SACRED COWS

Powerful, influential groups are what scare politicians hoping to get re-elected. Politics is tough enough without having blocks of united, ticked off citizens voting against you. The Conservatives woo gun owners and church goers. The Liberals love teachers and and both parties chase after farmers. Big business and industry are also constantly seduced by both parties trying to buy donations and support via taxpayer subsidies, directly or indirectly. In the case of manufacturing it's always been a case of allowing companies to externalize their costs upon society and the environment in general. Politicians biggest challenge is to convince voters that they favour the environment via legislation while constantly permitting loopholes for polluters to slide through.

Some of this explains Woolwich Councils' behaviour over the last twenty-five years. Despite then Uniroyal Chemical destroying Elmira's aquifers; Councils have always ensured that the company felt welcome in Elmira. This despite repeated fires and air emissions over the years as well as ongoing deception, manipulation and blatant lying to the Uniroyal/Chemtura Public Advisory Committee.

This winter and spring have been particularily disgusting. Last October CPAC had both Chemtura and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (M.O.E.) on the ropes. From an independent consultant's report to discoveries of manmade Drains and possible surrepticious groundwater collection trenches; both parties were staggering from one lie to the next. This new Council since the October 2014 election have permitted a six month reprieve to Chemtura and the M.O.E. from having to face questioning from CPAC. Questions that they are not willing or able to answer. Now the Council are about to pull the plug on the best CPAC there ever has been. They are going to remove at least two citizens to the best of their abilities, legal or otherwise. They are going to dilute this CPAC by adding proven co-opted citizens to CPAC. They are going to add parties who have shown zero interest in CPAC for over a decade. Shame on Sandy Shantz, new Mayor of Woolwich Township and lover of polluters and their corrupt regulators.