Canadian base problems

[jotowler@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca]

Lennie Siegel suggested that I post this to the newsgroup. We had been in 
touch with him to seek advice on how to draw attention to the problems with 
the Canadian military base at Meaford. Here is our sordid story. Can anyone 
suggest how to we might best proceed?
- The base here is the Meaford Training Centre, formerly known as the 
Meaford Tank Range. It is in S.Ontario near the city of Owen Sound, on 
Georgian Bay. It was expropriated from the farmers in 1942 with the promise 
that it would be given back after the war. Of course, it never was. For many 
years there was very little activity at the base and it was used primarily as 
a militia training school, although the tank and small arms firing continued. 
In the meantime, the area has developed and more and more people are moving 
here to get away from the cities. They are coming both as week enders and as 
permanent residents. Some of the new people are retired, but most are not. 
- The City of Owen Sound has decided to build on its location and relatively 
unspoiled environment to attract tourists, improve its recreational facilities 
and attract the pre baby boomers. The base occupies 16,000 acres of land on 
the Niagara Escarpment, a supposedly protected UN Biosphere. In 1990 the 
Canadian military decided to renovate the base and increase its personnel 
capacity from 250 to 2500. They closed some bases that were nearer urban 
centres and spend 120 million on the Meaford base. An environmental impact 
study was done at that time, but it was seriously flawed since the researchers 
were not allowed on certain areas of the base, and they did not attempt to 
determine whether there was any contamination in the soil or groundwater. 
They did, however, find many cases of pollution and that the noise from the 
firing exceed federal limits and interfered with residents, livestock etc.
- Since the expansion of the base, the noise levels have increased, homes are 
being damaged, (widows broken, roofs leak, walls crack, wells collapse) and 
the firing often continues for up to 20 hours at a time making it impossible 
to sleep. People up to 20 miles away are disturbed. Up to now, the military 
has been obstructive and uncooperative. The long time residents are relatively 
unconcerned, the local township councils are unsophisticated folk who believe 
that the base is an economic advantage (it doesn't pay taxes and contributes 
approx. $20,000 to two townships). However, the newcomers and a growing 
number of the long time residents have had enough. Since the base is 
contaminated with unexploded ordinance, the military hold off site exercises, 
which is also infuriating some people.
- All this is besides the problems created by military exercises in which they 
use helicopters to drive cattle through fences, enter private property to camp 
out without permission, cut fences, conduct night exercises using phosphorus 
flares which land near residences etc. etc.
- As I am putting all of this down, I can scarcely believe that there isn't 
more resistance and more attention being paid to this. We have identified a 
couple of dozen people who are concerned and we have created a fact sheet 
which explains what has and is happening on US bases, lists the problems this 
base creates and identifies a number of questions we want answered about the 
pollution from this base. The local papers are singularly uninterested as are 
the politicians.
- This is about where we stand now and we are trying to figure out how best to 
proceed. If you'd like me to send you the fact sheet we developed, just let 
me know. If you can suggest how we might best proceed, we are all ears. 
John Towler 519-884-6411 Bus. 519-884-6231 Fax