CETA UNDER ATTACK

Well now it looks as if criticism of trade deals are coming to light. After all just because governments are negotiating these deals certainly doesn't mean they are in the public interest. Far from it. CETA or the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is supposed to increase trade between Canada and the European Union. Like most deals however the devil is in the details. A small region in Belgium is currently holding up the deal by refusing to ratify it. The region is known as Wallonia and one of their concerns has to do with investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms. Basically this provision allows companies (investors) to sue governments for things like rigorous environmental standards or even employment standards legislation.

The title of the article in today's Waterloo Region Record is "Toronto lawyer challenges EU deal". The lawyer is very well known Rocco Galati as he has successfully brought governments to court on other matters over the years. Besides the suing of governments by investor companies another issue for Mr. Galati is the Canadian government's habit of signing and ratifying trade deals prior to approval from either Parliament or the provinces. Mr. Galati states that other governments such as the U.S. and European countries do not behave in that fashion. All in all it's good to see further public exposure of the bad side of these deals. Kudos to Mr. Galati and to the Walloons.

RCMP REPUTATION STILL IN THE DUMPSTER

You really have to wonder at the idiots in charge at the RCMP. Did none of them have the common sense that God gives a toad or a frog to try and avoid trouble? Did no one figure out that disgusting, harassing behaviour and worse towards female recruits wasn't going to eventually backfire and besmirch the entire RCMP? The answer apparently is no. It was easier and quicker for years to minimize complaints and pretend that it was "just boys being boys". Nothing to worry about.

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys the following Editorial by them titled "RCMP still has work to do". Funny how I'm not remotely surprised by any of this. Having worked for the public works department of the City of Waterloo a couple of decades plus ago I saw egotistical and at the same time fragile male egos rejecting women in their workplace. Afterall these dinosaurs felt that they were rough and tough construction workers and it affronted them that women could either handle equipment as well as them or heaven forbid actually do physical labour every bit as well. Imagine police forces & the RCMP having to accept that you don't have to be six feet tall and 200 pounds plus either to shoot guns or to think your way through most difficulties. Way too much for the old boys network to handle.

YES THE PUBLIC ARE INTERESTED

Too many times our only remaining newspaper here in Elmira, Ontario have told me that there is no public interest in Chemtura matters especially pollution related. Really? That seems odd when the much larger newspaper many miles south of here has the following front page headline today namely "Chemtura starts off-site chemical probe". Similarily I have reason to believe that the local television station in Kitchener are planning to do a story as well. No interest my butkus.

This Waterloo Region Record story is all about delay and reluctance of the authorities to do their jobs. It is all about polluting companies and their so called regulators agreeing to ignore inconvenient truths. Rather than tackle these corporations head on they would rather stickhandle, negotiate and overall avoid serious confrontation. That may work with reasonable people but it does not work with essentially unaccountable multibillion dollar corporations whose only concerns are their shareholders.

This off-site investigation has been two years in the works so far. The intentional delays past and present are inconscionable. When will Chemtura or their newest owners simply say enough and abandon this site. When it happens you can thank the local politicians and the provincial ones for enabling the company and its`consultants to avoid proper cleanup for so very long.

THANK YOU LUISA D'AMATO FOR CLARIFYING BOARD'S (WRDSB) CONDUCT

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following Opinion piece by Luisa D'Amato titled "Trustee code of conduct denies free speech, wouldn't survive Charter challenge". Luisa clarifys several items including the Code of Conduct itself. She calls it a weak, authoritarian document which is exactly what it is. It is simply designed by what passes for brains at the WRDSB as a way to inhibit both criticism and truth itself. It is what self-serving groups of people do who know full well they aren't making decisions in the best interests of those they are governing or setting rules for.

Michael Ramsay was advocating on behalf of students when he was interviewed by 570 News radio. He did not gild the lily and told it plain and unvarnished. That is exactly what senior staff, administrators and their minions on the Board do not want. Mr. Ramsay later referred to the process around the Trustees' table as a kangaroo court. Always has been, likely always will be.

Luisa D'Amato sums it up nicely at the end of her article. She states "There is something distinctly thin-skinned and undemocratic about this emphasis on positive spin over truthfulness in our local, publicly funded schools. We have so many real challenges in education in this part of the province. I'm not proud that, at this time, cheerleading is valued more than scrutiny.".

As plain spoken as Luisa is I actually accuse her of being a tad diplomatic in her last paragraphs above. She states "at this time". Ha! Cheerleading is exactly what the Board, Administration, Teachers and their unions have been insisting on for decades. Afterall it's all about them with students and parents not even rating in the top half dozen priorities. That is the truth that the self-serving bureaucrats and powers that be want to keep hidden forever.

THANK YOU AGAIN WRDSB FOR YOUR STUPIDITY

Today's Waterloo Region Record advises us that indeed the Trustees went ahead and censured Trustee Mike Ramsay 1) for breaking an asinine rule and 2) for telling the truth. The story is titled "School trustee censured for comments". The asinine rule is the one of course which inhibits Trustees from speaking publicly unless it is of course flattering to the school board. Unbelieveable! That Board has been in need of a housecleaning for a very long time and it's rules like these that have kept them non transparent and unaccountable. Literally here's what the rule says:"When expressing opinions publicly, trustees shall conscientiously uphold the board's reputation.". Wow such crap. I guess Trustees are only allowed to express other people's opinions or perhaps the opinions of the twits who set up that rule in the first place. Mr. Ramsay was a little too candid during a radio interview last May. He told the truth and surprise, surprise the Board didn't like it. My opinion is that it's long past time that the Province stepped in and cleaned house or at least gave it a hell of a shakeup.

THANK YOU MIKE RAMSAY, ANDREA MITCHELL AND KATHLEEN WOODCOCK

While I'm uncertain as to who the unreasonable, dogmatic buggers are on the Waterloo Region District School Board, nevertheless I'm loving this unmasking of the politics and culture at the WRDSB. Yours truly told the public exactly this seventeen to twenty years ago. I found the School Board, trustees and senior administrators to generally be first class assholes with fortunately a few exceptions. I have in the past mentioned here which were the good trustees back then and which specific senior administrators were nothing short of arrogant bureaucrats all concerned with appearances and willing to throw either students or parents under the bus to protect the image of the WRDSB. In fact the article in today's Waterloo Region Record makes it obvious that little has changed when you understand that trustees' first priority allegedly isn't helping students succeed; it is to enhance and promote public confidence in the abilities and integrity of the Board. Such utter bullshit Kathleen Woodcock! I ran for the Trustees position twenty years ago and it sure as hell wasn't in order to prop up the Board's mediocre abilities and integrity.

The article in today's Record is titled "School trustee could be censured". This crap at the WRDSB has been around for a long time and generally the ass kissers and bootlickers have been in charge. They view their positions as a test ground to prove that they will not rock the boat or disturb the status quo hence putting them in the mix for future nominations for higher elected office. The political system is inherently corrupt and it starts at the bottom with elected trustees. The more this corruption is exposed to the light of day the better. The more the WRDSB culture becomes publicly known the more citizens will understand why our education system has been going the wrong direction for a long time.

HOW DARE THEY

We spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the Ontario Ministry of the Environment every year. What do we get for it? Primarily puffery, bullshit and lies. Oh and in the case of large corporate polluters we get moral suasion because after all the Ontario M.O.E. appear to have neither the pockets nor the backbone necessary to insist upon compliance with the law. That law includes polluter pays when there are adverse environmental impacts.

These adverse environmental impacts are in the Canagagigue Creek between Elmira and the mouth of the creek into the Grand River. They probably go further downstream but to date we do not know. These effects are from a number of sources including mercury, DDT, Dioxins/Furans and P.C.B.s. They have been found in fish, creek sediments and even in the floodplain soils courtesy of the creek during spring floods and heavy storms.

DDT and Dioxin/Furans are categorically from Chemtura, formerly Uniroyal Chemical. P.C.B.s may be as well as we have found them in soils eight feet below ground this past summer on their property. Perhaps the mercury is a result of the upstream Woolwich Dam. If so that can indirectly be laid at the feet of Uniroyal as a big purpose of the Dam's construction was to provide water to flush the creek of Uniroyal's contaminants during summer low flow periods. These chemical compounds are bioaccumulative and are toxic to all forms of life including humans. There is no excuse for the M.O.E.s excuses not to remove them from the creek by ordering Chemtura to pitch in financially. Of course Chemtura will balk and yes Chemtura undoubtedly have bargaining chips based upon the M.O.E.'s past refusal to get tough with them. The M.O.E. may be embarrassed by their past velvet gloves approach but that is no reason to ignore their duty now.