[All] Importance of citizen action to protect our community

[John Jackson]

I don't know how many of you have been following the current issue of people in Flint, Michigan, drinking water contaminated with lead and the finding of dangerous levels of lead in kids, which will affect their IQs for the rest of their lives. This is a major example of failure to use a precautionary approach in decision-making and of dismissal of citizen concerns. 

The following story in today's New York Times is a detailed description of what has happened there and of the failure of governments at all levels to protect the people living in the community. The governments rejected all kinds of warnings from testing results and of scientists for over a year. The governments repeatedly dismissed "anti-everything" residents. The prime reason: to save money by not going back onto the more expensive water system that Detroit uses, which pipes water from Lake Huron. See story at  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/us/when-the-water-turned-brown.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

It points yet again to how critically important the persistence and determination and investigative skills of all of us are in protecting our communities.

My thanks to each of you for your work to take care of our community.

John

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John Jackson
17 Major Street
Kitchener N2H 4R1
519-744-7503




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