Sir: “The water is likely safe to drink!”
This is what Dr. Colby told a full house of well owners at a meeting at Pain Court last year. Now, Dr. Colby is going to present on the international stage but not to the people of Chatham-Kent.
Dr. Colby, our Chief Medical Officer of Health for Chatham-Kent, is scheduled to present at the Wind Turbine Noise conference in Lisbon, Portugal in June. The title of his presentation is “Wind Turbines and Groundwater Contamination: An Analysis.”
When I, as a Water Wells First spokesperson, requested a copy of his abstract, my request was ignored.
This was followed by a request for a deputation on this subject at a council meeting. On March 4, there was a deputation submitted at 3 p.m. but was denied as this subject was not on the agenda for the council meeting and we were told it can be submitted to be reviewed for consideration for another council meeting agenda.
On March 8, I received an email from the county clerk’s office stating that the request for this deputation to council was denied as “it (Colby’s abstract) is not a municipal document” and that Dr. Colby is attending this conference at his own expense.
This reasoning rings hollow as the people of Chatham-Kent and their properties are the subject of Colby’s study. As well, Dr. Colby is a public servant of the people of Chatham-Kent and his research was done at the municipality’s expense.
The response also stated, “The CAO (Don Shropshire) wanted to make mention that we are still awaiting the provincial report on the water wells,” a point that Dr. Colby is well aware.
How can Dr. Colby present at any conference when there has not been a Health Hazard Investigation in the polluting sediments of the ground water in Chatham Kent, as we believe his presentation to the Wind Turbine Noise Conference is about Chatham-Kent ground water? If it’s not, then let us know.
It seems like Dr. Colby is premature to speak about groundwater contamination at this point and as he is neither a toxicologist nor a geologist, should he really be presenting on groundwater contamination?
Dr. Colby is a paid servant of the people of Chatham Kent. This request to see Dr. Colby’s abstract should be an easy one to fulfill. If the municipality is honest in its desire to be transparent, then this document should be made available before he presents in June.
As mentioned in the email to me from the clerk’s office, Dr. Colby’s presentation it will be available publicly but not until after the conference.
“The water is likely safe to drink” is not a statement that instills confidence in the people who rely on the groundwater as their water source. We need a better response from Dr. Colby.
Jessica Brooks
Water Wells First
