[All] Note to PM re: Keystone Pipeline

Thu Sep 15 02:58:11 EDT 2011

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
To: "dmcguinty.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org" <dmcguinty.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org>; "jwilkinson.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org" <jwilkinson.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org>; "elizabeth.witmerco at pc.ola.org" <elizabeth.witmerco at pc.ola.org>; "tim.hudakco at pc.ola.org" <tim.hudakco at pc.ola.org>; "hhampton-qp at ndp.on.ca" <hhampton-qp at ndp.on.ca>; "enev at sen.parl.gc.ca" <enev at sen.parl.gc.ca>; "secd at sen.parl.gc.ca" <secd at sen.parl.gc.ca>; "appa at sen.parl.gc.ca" <appa at sen.parl.gc.ca>; "agfo at sen.parl.gc.ca" <agfo at sen.parl.gc.ca>; "lcjc at sen.parl.gc.ca" <lcjc at sen.parl.gc.ca>
Cc: "stephane.dion at parl.gc.ca" <stephane.dion at parl.gc.ca>; "stephen.harper at parl.gc.ca" <stephen.harper at parl.gc.ca>; "peter.kent at parl.gc.ca" <peter.kent at parl.gc.ca>; "bob.rae at parl.gc.ca" <bob.rae at parl.gc.ca>; "Nycole.Turmel at parl.gc.ca" <Nycole.Turmel at parl.gc.ca>; "peter.braid at parl.gc.ca" <peter.braid at parl.gc.ca>; "Joe.Oliver at parl.gc.ca" <Joe.Oliver at parl.gc.ca>; "gerry.ritz at parl.gc.ca" <gerry.ritz at parl.gc.ca>; "leona.aglukkaq at parl.gc.ca" <leona.aglukkaq at parl.gc.ca>; "john.duncan at parl.gc.ca" <john.duncan at parl.gc.ca>; "diane.ablonczy at parl.gc.ca" <diane.ablonczy at parl.gc.ca>; "ottawainfo at state.gov" <ottawainfo at state.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 11:47:55 PM
Subject: Why I am going to Ottawa to protest the Keystone Pipeline

Hello Honourable Prime Minister, Minister and Ambassador

I am going to Ottawa on September 26th to protest the Keystone and Tar Sands. My story is a highly personal one. I'm fighting for reasonable science to prevail. Flaws in Environmental Impact Studies are happening across Canada due to lack of reasonable manditory test times and methods. 

I am a housewife and just over 10 years ago I created a website to show city, regional and Provincial officials photographs associated with various environmental and labour law infringements taking place in my neighbourhood. The website contributed to 39 charges, 309 stop actions but someone leaked information of the site to a local developer who sued me for 2 million for defamation. The charges were eventually dropped. 

My neighbour's house shifted and sank to the point her support beam in the kitchen needed replacing. Other homes in my neighbourhood had flooded basements and we drank contaminated water because the water mains kept breaking because they sank in the moist soil. Later on I was told by University experts that our homes were "floating" over top primary recharge for the Waterloo Moraine, a fact that builders did not disclose before we bought our homes. Later on I did research on the hydrogeological studies used to allow my subdivision, I observed how this firm negated to show the true impact of the water table in my community. I saw how problem homes were built upon areas of seepage. I met the previous owner of the property. He sold his lands because his tractor kept sinking in the muck. The land was too wet to farm. That's what I am living over. 

Since that time I've reviewed Environmental Impact Study (EIS) reports associated with new landfills, quarry projects and the Alberta Tar Sands. All the same issues happening. The one common factor was the company handling all these cases: STANTEC.

Common oversights in data include:

Using mod-flow without regard to proper geological or sediment composition. 
Avoiding spring thaw water levels and seasonal variants
Shallow bore hole data or woefully outdated bore hole data
No regard to 3D modelling
Assuming clay was impervious when in fact it is not. It slows rate of water transference, it doesn't stop it.
Poor test times and methods for benthic studies, rare species, water flow and flow rates

The issues seen in my subdivision and the West Side Lands were showing up at Mount Nemo in Burlington Ontario, at Site 41 in Tiny Township where a dump was planned to be built on top of the world's cleanest water supply, same as the Highland Quarry in Melancthon Ontario and Capital Paving gravel project slated to be built in West Montrose Ontario right in the centre of a Mennonite community. 

I could go on but the bottom line is that  this firm has consistently undermined water risks and rare species while making it virtually impossible to establish reasonable baseline data to prove causality should contamination or damages occur. Without this baseline data we cannot reasonably plan appropriate remediation measures, prevent flood risks or even guarantee proper infiltration targets will be met or that homes will be structurally sound.

I took Stantec to the Ontario Municipal Board challenging their poor studies in regards to new subdivisions known as the West Side Lands in Waterloo Ontario, OMB appeal PL071044. They signed off on the fact their own studies were insufficient. View here: http://waterloomoraineact.com/expertminutes.htm  In spite of this ruling, this firm dewatered the creek before the piezometers were installed, they destroyed the capture zone of vernal pond 12 on site and they made it impossible to secure proper baseline data. I shared the data of this with the Ontario Ombudsman and the RCMP, municipal and ministry officials and the Ontario Municipal Board and in all cases I was told the only option I have is to take them to court for contempt of court. There is no other means of enforcing a provincial Ontario Municipal Board Ruling and after spending $27,000 to secure the OMB ruling, I cannot reasonably afford to do that. Catch 22. 

This firm stands to make enormous profits on a Lake Erie pipeline scheme to provide Waterloo Region with our future municipal water supply as they use their flawed data to support the extraction of the gravel in our headwater areas. They stand to profit from well remediations and they fund our universities and conservation authorities. If experts speak out they may lose their funding or degrade their professional "Non-biased" reputation. The fact is corporate conflict of interests exists with this firm in Waterloo Region and the Tar Sands where their poor EIS studies virtually guarantee that their long term remediation services will be needed. It's a perfect destruction for profit scenario for those who stand to profit from bursting pipes and contaminated water supplies. It's bad news for insurance companies, municipalities, farmers aboriginal communities and tax payers who will have to foot the bill when damages and related illnesses occur. 

I have made a YouTube video about why I'm going to the Tar Sands protest in Ottawa on September 26 and it can be seen here. It covers topics associated with aboriginal communities, health impacts etc.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsgbN1SWELQ

For the sake of Canadian and US citizens and the safety of our shared water resources along the path of the Keystone, I demand that the Canadian and American governments NOT approve of the Keystone pipeline. Too many lives and economic systems are at risk. The data is flimsy, it doesn't have regard to the fact we're transporting a quartz based bituman that will scrape the pipes. It has no regard to the ever increasing acid rain that corrodes metals and cement lowering the structural integrity of the system. It has little to no regard for the natural capital value of the water and agricultural sectors at risk or the many industries and communities that rely on the water resources.  It's not worth the contamination risks. 

Pay attention to the warnings issued by internationally celebrated oil and gas consultant Philip Verleger:

http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-05-27/why-keystone-pipeline-will-weaken-us

Climate change is happening and we must move beyond corporate influences of Koch, Big Oil and propaganda produced by Marshall Institution and bigots like Ezra Levant. The time to reduce our carbon footprint  has come and there is no better way to stimulate our economy than to transition our energy sectors to renewables as soon as possible. It's more cost effective and in terms of national security risk it is the safest option to choose economically and environmentally. Currently a report released by the Brookings Institute states clean energy economy currently employs 2.7 million Americans, that is a higher number of people than all those currently hired by the entire fossil-fuel industry around the globe and the good news is these numbers are only going up.

http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2011/0713_clean_economy.aspx

I'd gladly pay higher taxes right now  if it means reducing tar sands output because I want our nation to advance to clean renewable non nuclear energy. I want our children to breath cleaner air. I want to make sure our water will stay safe to drink. I want to help secure better cleaner environment for all of us for the long term. Now is the time we need to invest in what sustains us, beyond the scope of simply revenues.Time to invest in protecting our natural capital assets. This is the only plant we've got. Time to ante up to protect it. 

Thank you kindly for your time.

Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ontario
N2V 2L2
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