By Kate Harries WaterWatch
In an interview with the Barrie Advance, Simcoe County Warden Cal Patterson says he’s perplexed that the County paid for the Dump Site 41 computer modelling but can’t have the information.
“There must have been something in the contract that said the information (gathered at Site 41) was theirs, not ours,” he told the Advance.
That prompted a couple of pointed comments on this website suggesting that the warden get a copy of the contract and read it.
Turns out he can’t.
Stephen Ogden posted a comment to explain:
“What contract? Just read IPC Adjudicator Colin Bhattacharjee Order MO-2449, in part, to have a better understanding of the contractual agreement. “I would note that the County has never provided this office with a copy of this alleged contract. In fact, during my initial inquiry that lead to Order MO-2416, the County stated in its representations of February 14, 2008 (at page 5) that it “did not enter into a formal retainer agreement with this third party consultant…”
This is sad. It shows that the new warden – who along with all members of council has been part of the decision-making process that has propelled the County into an expensive legal challenge to the IPC – never asked to look at the contract so he could make up his own mind on the nature of the legal advice he was being given.
It also shows that he hasn’t read the two IPC orders directed at him. He (and 31 other councillors) have been in breach of the IPC orders for four months – defying the law! – and it turns out he doesn’t even know what the order says!
This summer, both Premier Dalton McGuinty and Environment Minister John Gerretsen said that they relied on the “science” in their refusal to take another look at Dump Site 41.
What is being sought here is that science – the data entered and the calibrations used in computer modelling of the hydrogeological conditions at Site 41. It is in the nature of any scientific conclusion that the underlying calculations can be replicated, again and again and again. If that can be done successfully, we can have some security in relying on the science.
That is what is not being allowed here.
And that is what Simcoe County’s legal action would deny citizens, because Simcoe County accepts Genivar’s position that the “science” is theirs.
If a court was to uphold Simcoe County’s position, citizens would be condemned to taking every environmental decision on trust. Science – which by its nature must be open and transparent – will have been privatized. It will become a magic wand to be waved by the highest bidder.
Clearly that’s not acceptable, as the IPC has clearly articulated. Is this really the position that the warden and county councillors are prepared to spend truckloads of our money to defend?
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Truth is the New but Unimproved Tony Guergis (Cal Patterson) who heads County Council couldn’t care less how much anything costs. The more is spent the easier it is to not be accountable for the change dropped for the low life to pickup off the floor.
When all is said and done, like in Orillia we need a Forensic Audit of County finances followed by a Bunko Squad Investigation followed by a Judicial Review.
jim tolnai
Here, here, Steve ! Once again you have nailed it!
How preposterous is this ! Our politicians are supposed to be on top of this ! We cannot rely on them…they’ve shown us over and over that we cannot!
The environmental integrity of Site 41 has been jeopardized. I will be forwarding the comments above to McGuinty and Gerretsen – printed and posted in the mail.
Steve your words above are golden !
Where is democracy? – dd
i have had computer issues for the last few weeks so i may be out of the loop.
looking over the recent posts to get up to speed on this simcoe county soap opera.
i don’t expect the new warden to fix everything overnight.
this mod flow quest is beginning to look like a black hole that could suck all the energy and a lot of money out of the county.
still can’t figure out why we (simcoe county) need to fight the ipc.
if genivar won’t give us the mod flow then i suggest the provincial government sue them on behalf of the ipc.
this waste management committee is starting to sound like a farce.
if these demigods and corrupt public servants wont help, then they must be forced out of the way
by now, every closed down factory and empty warehouse in simcoe county should be assessed for there potential usefulness in the zero waste process.
large conveyor and separation systems will be required .
engineers and designers are needed to set up the separation procedures,
now !
what ’s the hold up !
do these creeps think were joking!
Many Thanks for a Great article, Kate.
Looks like our new Warden needs to pull up his socks
before Christmas, or he may not last long in office.
If the County implemented a recycling collections program schedule that had paper and plastics picked up one week and alternated with cans and cardboard pick up another week ETC., then the need for large sorting plants would be MUCH, MUCH less and the cost to the County’s recycling program would be SUBSTANTIALLY decreased!!!!!! and thus our tax dollars could be better spent on educating the public and getting their buy-in to help the environment, waste and water management issues and on MANY other worthwhile causes and needs in the County.
This is just one of many small ideas to save time, money and energy! AND it is easily implemented and relatively easy to follow -CC one week and PP the next week -recyling sorting for the County -done! -many hands make light work
well, at some point,
someone is going to rip open those garbage bags
and sort through what ever sort of muck they contain.
machinery and personnel will be required.
a training course to recognise specific materials.
i see perhaps thousands of minimum wage jobs
with a personnel drawn directly from the welfare rolls.
which i believe is a service administrated by the county
What we need is clear plastic garbage bags so people can’t hide anything anymore, and their neighbours can see whether they’re doing their part to eliminate waste.