Missing Correspondence?

Now Playing

Tuesday, 4 March 2014 17:04

Ernie Hardeman questioning the numbers when it comes to the amount of correspondence the Environment Minister received on the Walker landfill proposal

It seems the Ministry of Environment may have misplaced several pieces of correspondence in opposition of Walker Environmental's proposed landfill in Oxford County.

Back in November, Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman filed an order paper question in the Legislature asking for the number of calls, emails, faxes, postcards and letters the Minister of Environment received from Oxford County residents in regards to the landfill proposal.

On Monday, Hardeman received the numbers and was shocked to hear Minister Jim Bradley say he received 12 thousand letters, while his Ministry received just 299 emails, 9 phone calls and only 905 letters.

"We want to have another look and see if they maybe missed something or whether somebody had some computer glitches and some of the numbers were lost. You know we have had a number of issues with the government recently about lost emails, lost information and not willing to provide information. I find this a strange way of approaching it."

"If the Ministry can't get their own correspondence right and even count it right, one has to wonder if they are even looking at this in the proper way."

Hardeman says while he recognizes the number given by the Ministry is large, is believes the actual number received is significantly higher than what has been documented.

In a letter to the Minister Tuesday, Hardeman says he knows more than nine people who called the Ministry. He also states the numbers do not reflect the number of emails received by the Minister directly , nor does it address the postcard campaign directed to the Minister, all of which Hardeman says is unacceptable.

Oxford Coalition for Social Justice Chair Bryan Smith agrees that the numbers don't add up.

"Residents of Oxford have been very active in calling, faxing and writing. Letters were available on multiple face book and web sites making it simple for us to send by email, and simple for the Minister’s officials to count. Apparently, the Ministry of the Environment is not very good at mathematics. When we gathered to turn over 12 463 letters to Mr. Bradley, he counted only “approximately 12 000”. When 4000 postcards were distributed in Oxford at the Woodstock Farmers’ Market, Embro Fair and other events, all addressed to Mr. Bradley, he claims to have received none at all."

"The Oxford Coalition for Social Justice is not quibbling over numbers. What does concern us that the Ministry of the Environment seems to have seriously underestimated the number and value of the letters. Many quoted scientific expert, Dr. Laurel Standley, who volunteered to analyse Walker’s proposal and was severely critical. Other letters quoted Mr. Bradley’s own department’s experts who were not impressed with the original Terms of Reference document as submitted by Walker, nor with the revision, nor with the subsequent poor responses to the scientists’ important questions about the proposal to mix garbage with our drinking water. It boils down to that: Public and scientific opinion calls on Mr. Bradley to turn down Walker’s proposal. We’d like our voices to count."