POLITICAL PROCESS REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVALS IS BROKEN

Why is all the heavy lifting done by unpaid, volunteer citizens? Whether it's Chemtura Canada in Elmira failing to clean up the drinking water aquifers on time (2028), or the ongoing and ever twisting and turning Jigs Hollow Gravel Pit saga, it has been citizen volunteers who have been on the case literally for decades. In some cases local politicians don't even have any respect or appreciation for the time, effort and positive contributions citizens have made to the Elmira cleanup. Currently the proposed but overdue improvements to the cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers are solely the result of steps the last CPAC took in May 2012 in calling out Chemtura and the M.O.E. over their pathetic cleanup efforts.

The process for gravel pits follows the same pathetic process for contaminated sites with the notable exception that it is the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry acting as the alleged professionals promoting the public interest versus the Ont. Ministry of Environment so pretending regarding environmental matters. The M.O.E. here in Elmira Ontario have long ago been exposed as nothing but a mouthpiece and a shield especially for large polluting industries.

The process entails well off corporations hiring shills disguised as consultants who then produce reports by credentialed individuals whose opinion is very helpful to the wishes of the corporation who hired them. Occasionally peer reports will be requested by municipal or regional bodies but certainly in the case of Chemtura Canada, not nearly often enough. Their consultants have been producing drivel, junk science and overall CRAP for at least thirty years. This is why and how they get their way while both human and wildlife pay the price in order to save them millions of dollars.