McGuinty to pay up for Walkerton

[Keepitsimple]

Will this never end? For all those that paid attention back in 2000, the Walkerton tradegy was the result of two drunken brothers, totally unqualified for the position who had been falsifying records for years....in fact, bypassing the safeguards that were in place by out-and-out fraud - all the while drinking on the job. These guys were hired by the mayor of Walkerton. And all we hear is - "it was Mike Harris' fault". They lied their way around every inspection and directly caused the deaths and illnesses of everyone one of the Walkerton victims. Even today's report - instead of singling out the Koebels criminal behaviour, once again identifies the Harris government as a bogeyman. Is it media bias - or do they really just not understand?

McGuinty: We'll move on water tragedy claims Module body

By The Canadian Press

WALKERTON, Ont. - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he hopes to move "sooner rather than later" on about 200 unresolved claims related to the tainted water tragedy in Walkerton.

The premier says he wants to be fair to the townspeople who were affected by the disaster a decade ago, but sometimes things take a bit longer to resolve.

McGuinty is in Walkerton today and toured the new clean water centre, which was completed in March at a cost of $8.3 million.

He says the people of Walkerton paid a "horrific price" 10 years ago and he wants to make sure that never happens again.

The Walkerton crisis, which began unfolding in May 2000, left seven people dead and thousands ill after the town's water supply became polluted with E. coli bacteria.

A public inquiry placed part of the blame on cutbacks in water testing, as the Tories under former premier Mike Harris cut some $200 million in funding between 1995 and 1997 and slashed staff by 750.

Link: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100503/national/tainted_water_tragedy

On March 25, 2003 Stan Koebel and his brother Frank were charged with public nuisance, uttering and forgery and breach of public duty. Frank Koebel was the foreman of the town Public Utilities Commission. On November 30, 2004, the pleaded guilty. Three weeks later, Stan Koebel was sentenced to a year in jail. Frank Koebel was sentenced to nine months house arrest.

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/walkerton/

5.11 Conclusions

Stan and Frank Koebel engaged in a host of improper and unsafe operating practices during the years leading up to the May 2000 tragedy, some of which had a direct impact on the outbreak. The failure to measure daily chlorine residuals at Well 5 on May 13, or on the following days, was a lost opportunity to detect the contamination and to take the necessary steps to protect the community. As I have found in Chapter 4 of this report, although daily chlorine residual monitoring would not have prevented the outbreak, it is very probable that it would have significantly reduced the outbreaks scope.

Stan and Frank Koebel lacked the training and expertise either to identify the vulnerability of Well 5 to surface contamination or to understand the resulting need for continuous monitors. The MOE took no steps to inform them of the requirements for continuous monitoring or to require training that would have addressed the issue.

Finally, Stan Koebels repeated failure to disclose the adverse results from the May 15 samples to the local health unit and others led to a delay in the issuance of the boil water advisory. If Mr. Koebel had been forthcoming, as he should have been, it is likely that between 300 and 400 illnesses would have been avoided.

Link to Walkerton Report on the Koebels: http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/walkerton/part1/WI_Chapter_05.pdf

Edited May 3, 2010 by Keepitsimple

[Michael Hardner]

The disaster wouldn't have happened had the Koebel brothers been doing their jobs, nonetheless the Harris government removed a measure of security without adequately researching the effects. It's kind of like removing seat belts from cars, then blaming other causes (for example drunk drivers) for the resulting deaths. So, it's not as simple as some would say. Judge O'Connor did conclude that the actions of the government did further the harm done by the local yokels, too.

The Harris government is a great reminder as to what happens to large organizations, and why 'quick fixes' are always a bad idea in safety-related areas. Of course, Harris was an uneducated ignoramus of a leader with no experience and business, with the attendant arrogance of an accomplished CEO so the results was, sadly, to be expected.

Now we have McGuinty, who is a whole other kind of problem.

[Wild Bill]

The disaster wouldn't have happened had the Koebel brothers been doing their jobs, nonetheless the Harris government removed a measure of security without adequately researching the effects. It's kind of like removing seat belts from cars, then blaming other causes (for example drunk drivers) for the resulting deaths. So, it's not as simple as some would say. Judge O'Connor did conclude that the actions of the government did further the harm done by the local yokels, too.

The Harris government is a great reminder as to what happens to large organizations, and why 'quick fixes' are always a bad idea in safety-related areas. Of course, Harris was an uneducated ignoramus of a leader with no experience and business, with the attendant arrogance of an accomplished CEO so the results was, sadly, to be expected.

Now we have McGuinty, who is a whole other kind of problem.

Michael, I do think your aversion to Mike Harris affects your perspective!

Harris cutting the budget to oversee the water testing was a minor part of the puzzle. Surely the municipality itself , who choose the people involved and work with them everyday are far more responsible to oversee jokers like the Cable brothers than the province itself! There's a case to be made that Harris merely saved some money for redundancy!

Moreover, ever since it hit the fan it seemed like Harris' budget cutback was the ONLY factor ever mentioned! It was the sheer intensity of the anti-Harris slant that took away all credibility from the argument, as far as I was concerned. It got so bad I could've sworn that apparently the Cable brothers were just nice guys that made a few understandable mistakes until Harris put a gun to their heads and FORCED them to poison the water!

No matter how you slice it, the Cable brothers were 100% responsible. If someone commits a crime you don't let them off the hook because some politician cut back on the number of cops that might have seen them beforehand and warned them not to commit the crime!

Even now, years later, any article mentioning the incident will always mention the Harris budget cutback, implying that it was a major factor. As far as I'm concerned, this is a load of horse feathers! The Cable brothers should have been charged with attempted murder, or at least manslaughter! What's more, the Walkerton town council should have been charged with aiding and abetting!

Anti-Harris partisans just don't seem to realize that their excessive zeal in condemning Harris also seriously dilutes any blame on the truly guilty parties! Harris' actions are certainly no alibi or excuse for the Cable brothers or the Walkerton town council but their responsibility seems to be conveniently ignored, or admitted only as a footnote to the "Evil Mike Harris".

It truly blows my mind!

Edited May 3, 2010 by Wild Bill

[Michael Hardner]

Harris cutting the budget to oversee the water testing was a minor part of the puzzle. Surely the municipality itself , who choose the people involved and work with them everyday are far more responsible to oversee jokers like the Cable brothers than the province itself! There's a case to be made that Harris merely saved some money for redundancy!

Not much of a case, there. Removing a level of safety necessitates the most critical type of change management there is.

No matter how you slice it, the Cable brothers were 100% responsible. If someone commits a crime you don't let them off the hook because some politician cut back on the number of cops that might have seen them beforehand and warned them not to commit the crime!

I stand by what I said.

Anti-Harris partisans just don't seem to realize that their excessive zeal in condemning Harris also seriously dilutes any blame on the truly guilty parties! Harris' actions are certainly no alibi or excuse for the Cable brothers or the Walkerton town council but their responsibility seems to be conveniently ignored, or admitted only as a footnote to the "Evil Mike Harris".

Harris' arrogance, coupled with his inability to actually do anything is something that the people of Ontario should have seen coming. It's not like there wasn't any warning.

We expect more from a Premier, especially one who sells himself as Harris did. Thankfully, he's done like dinner. Last time I heard of him, a friend saw him drunk in a bar in Florida. Meanwhile, Bob Rae has atoned for his errors and moves forward - just steps from power.

I will grant you that I find it difficult to be personally objective about Harris. I think it's because I consider him a complete fraud, and it still depresses me that he was able to do what he did in Ontario. That said, it's because of do-nothings like McGuinty that we end up with Harris' in the province.

[Jack Weber]

Thank you Mike Harris for making the Ministry of the Environment,"Business Friendly"....

[Keepitsimple]

Not much of a case, there. Removing a level of safety necessitates the most critical type of change management there is.

Stan Koebel was hired in 1988, well before Mike Harris became premier in 1995. Koebel openly admits that he learned how to falsify reports from HIS boss and when he took over, he did the same thing. So one has to ask - how come these guys were never caught before Harris came along? The removal of some sort of "level of safety" is a red herring....because obviously, it never worked - or they would have been caught. The sad part is that Government never thought that it would have to protect citizens from the drunken, fraudulent, and ultimately murderous actions of a municipal employee. Here's a link to live testimony from Stan Koebel so you can hear his own words. How Mike Harris was villified by the media - and continues to be - is testament to the anti-Conservative bias of the media. There is no other explanation.

Link: http://archives.cbc.ca/environment/pollution/clips/11539/

[Michael Hardner]

Stan Koebel was hired in 1988, well before Mike Harris became premier in 1995. Koebel openly admits that he learned how to falsify reports from HIS boss and when he took over, he did the same thing. So one has to ask - how come these guys were never caught before Harris came along? The removal of some sort of "level of safety" is a red herring....because obviously, it never worked - or they would have been caught. The sad part is that Government never thought that it would have to protect citizens from the drunken, fraudulent, and ultimately murderous actions of a municipal employee. Here's a link to live testimony from Stan Koebel so you can hear his own words. How Mike Harris was villified by the media - and continues to be - is testament to the anti-Conservative bias of the media. There is no other explanation.

Link: http://archives.cbc.ca/environment/pollution/clips/11539/

That's a strange take on it, i.e. because they weren't caught the extra level of safety didn't work. The lack of deaths doesn't count in there somehow ? If Harris had any idea how to manage things, he would have undertaken a top-to-bottom audit of the system. Mike Harris deserved to be vilified to a degree, because more is expected from the ones at the top than the button pushers at the bottom.

This is why we have safety systems that don't depend solely on individuals doing the right thing. This is why we have levels built in there.

[Keepitsimple]

That's a strange take on it, i.e. because they weren't caught the extra level of safety didn't work. The lack of deaths doesn't count in there somehow ? If Harris had any idea how to manage things, he would have undertaken a top-to-bottom audit of the system. Mike Harris deserved to be vilified to a degree, because more is expected from the ones at the top than the button pushers at the bottom.

This is why we have safety systems that don't depend solely on individuals doing the right thing. This is why we have levels built in there.

Michael....I'm here in Ontario and followed this tragedy. There were no deaths because quite simply, we got lucky - that's all - we got lucky. If the overflow of manure into the well would have happened in 1989, the same problems would have occurred because the Koebels were sending in falsified water samples and lying about everything. Ask yourself honestly - would you have designed a system that took into account a drunken, unqualified, liar? It seems clear now but it wasn't that way back then. It was assumed that Municipalities would not put such people in charge - year after year....with absolutely no oversight.......and really - that was the only reason the system failed. What those two scumbags did was a stain on humanity.

[Wild Bill]

That's a strange take on it, i.e. because they weren't caught the extra level of safety didn't work. The lack of deaths doesn't count in there somehow ? If Harris had any idea how to manage things, he would have undertaken a top-to-bottom audit of the system. Mike Harris deserved to be vilified to a degree, because more is expected from the ones at the top than the button pushers at the bottom.

This is why we have safety systems that don't depend solely on individuals doing the right thing. This is why we have levels built in there.

Sorry Michael. I guess you have such a hard on for Harris that you just can't see reason. You are blaming the cop while letting the real perpetrator totally off the hook. To me, that's just nuts!

Could you have looked in the eyes of a Walkerton mother with a baby sick from the water and seriously told her to ignore Stan Koebel and just hate Harris for cutting the overseeing budget? Would you seriously have expected her to hate Harris and forgive Stan and his brother?

From your words it would appear that you actually would! I think you would have then been surprised at her reaction. If I had been the father rest assured that Harris would not have been the target of my anger!

Edited May 3, 2010 by Wild Bill

[Michael Hardner]

Ask yourself honestly - would you have designed a system that took into account a drunken, unqualified, liar? It seems clear now but it wasn't that way back then. It was assumed that Municipalities would not put such people in charge - ...

1) The system is designed to account for failure of any kind.

2) "It was assumed..."... assumption review is an essential part of risk management. Assessing risks is a collaborative and inclusive process, but often can be squashed by interference from above. Such appears to be the case when Harris threw Ontario's Chief Medical officer out of a meeting.

Google News Archive

I have worked with types like this before - ham-fisted know-it-alls who think they know best, and can't discern the alarmists from those who are highlighting real risks.

[Michael Hardner]

Sorry Michael. I guess you have such a hard on for Harris that you just can't see reason. You are blaming the cop while letting the real perpetrator totally off the hook. To me, that's just nuts!

You're wrong. I'm not saying the Koebels are not to blame. But Harris' responsibility was different and he is culpable.

[Keepitsimple]

1) The system is designed to account for failure of any kind.

2) "It was assumed..."... assumption review is an essential part of risk management. Assessing risks is a collaborative and inclusive process, but often can be squashed by interference from above. Such appears to be the case when Harris threw Ontario's Chief Medical officer out of a meeting.

Google News Archive

I have worked with types like this before - ham-fisted know-it-alls who think they know best, and can't discern the alarmists from those who are highlighting real risks.

That article had nothing to do with Walkerton. Yes - he was ham fisted and in many respects a bully......but you are forgetting the times and it is critical to put everything in that perspective - absolutely critical. A combination of recession and the Provincial NDP government had left Ontario with an operating derficit of over $8 billion and revenues of only $45 billion. On top of that, Chetien and Martin were slashing transfer payments (Health and Education for example) to deal with their own deficit. That was Harris' starting point in 1995 and that was why he was voted in. Businesses were fleeing Ontarion because of high taxation. Compare that to McGuinty's "crisis" of a questionable $5 billion deficit against over $90 billion in revenue. Harris slashed taxes, businesses came back, businesses invested, revenues grew. He also reorganized goverment with a series of downloads and municipality mergers.....both very contentious but look around today and you'll find that MOST downloads are still in place and most mergers are still in effect over 10 years later. He never claimed it would be perfect and knew there would have to be adjustments along the way. But when you're faced with a genuine crisis - a genuine one - doing nothing or tinkering is a recipe for disaster. "Fail Fast and Fix it" is the industry motto. And guess what he did with all the money he saved and the new revenues that came in - he ploughed them into Health and Education. And on to Education for a second...prior to Harris, the Teacher's Union was bargaining with individual school boards - they picked on a weak one every couple of years, hammered out obscene raises, benefits and reduced actual teaching hours - then they applied that "template" to all school boards and either they met the conditions or they went on strike. Costs were going up by more than 8% a year. So what did Harris do.....boom - centralized bargaining - we've got 2% and that's all you're getting - figure out how to allocate it yourself. Extreme? To this day, it hasn't been changed back. The teachers hated Harris but he saved them from their own greed. The tap had to be turned off. Never forget the context of those years following the recession and the NDP. We needed Harris - he did his thing....and moved on. History may very well note that Harris saved Healthcare and Education.

[Michael Hardner]

Yes - he was ham fisted and in many respects a bully......

Thank you.

but you are forgetting the times and it is critical to put everything in that perspective - absolutely critical. A combination of recession and the Provincial NDP government had left Ontario with an operating derficit of over $8 billion and revenues of only $45 billion. On top of that, Chetien and Martin were slashing transfer payments (Health and Education for example) to deal with their own deficit. That was Harris' starting point in 1995 and that was why he was voted in. Businesses were fleeing Ontarion because of high taxation. Compare that to McGuinty's "crisis" of a questionable $5 billion deficit against over $90 billion in revenue. Harris slashed taxes, businesses came back, businesses invested, revenues grew. He also reorganized goverment with a series of downloads and municipality mergers.....both very contentious but look around today and you'll find that MOST downloads are still in place and most mergers are still in effect over 10 years later.

I will never contest that Harris' way was made possible by inaction, budget cuts.. and furthermore that the McGuintys of the world are to blame for creating these situations in the first place.

And... in all cases the amount of time that governments spend polishing their image should be spent looking at operations and improving things, but that seems to be impossible in an environment where marketing campaigns deliver the verdict on government performance.

... History may very well note that Harris saved Healthcare and Education.

His way, Rae's and McGuinty's are all wrong.

Analyzing, consulting, discussing, rightsizing, communicating, and making difficult decisions... these are the stages of getting things done. Of course, government already has a problem in doing these things quickly and efficiently - indeed all of these things are being done all the time and nothing changes.

Blowing up and starting over is indeed an option, but it needs to be done with intelligence.

[madmax]

Harris cutting the budget to oversee the water testing was a minor part of the puzzle.

MAJOR part of the Puzzle.

There's a case to be made that Harris merely saved some money for redundancy!

It turned out to be a deadly decision.

Moreover, ever since it hit the fan it seemed like Harris' budget cutback was the ONLY factor ever mentioned!

Not so, but as with anything to do with Mike Harris it is polarized. The Harris government is responsibile but the Harris Defenders will never admit it. The Harris Budget cutback was not the Only Factor. But it is clear that in conjunction with other Harris Cuts, the budgets and the incompetents at the gate, it was a recipe for disaster. And that is fact!!!

No matter how you slice it, the Cable brothers were 100% responsible.

For their actions!

Harris is responsible for his and his Governments.

Even now, years later, any article mentioning the incident will always mention the Harris budget cutback, implying that it was a major factor. As far as I'm concerned, this is a load of horse feathers! The Cable brothers should have been charged with attempted murder, or at least manslaughter! What's more, the Walkerton town council should have been charged with aiding and abetting!

Anti-Harris partisans just don't seem to realize that their excessive zeal in condemning Harris also seriously dilutes any blame on the truly guilty parties! Harris' actions are certainly no alibi or excuse for the Cable brothers or the Walkerton town council but their responsibility seems to be conveniently ignored, or admitted only as a footnote to the "Evil Mike Harris".

It truly blows my mind!

Apply your same level of Horsefeathers to the Harris apologists and I will concur with everything above.

It seems you have decided to pick and choose those responsible for the breakdown of the system.

In my operations, a person/group/taskforce is responsible for the quality of the product they make. Another person group or taskforce is responsible that that bad product doesn't get out the door.

Its like Toyota saying its "NOT US" its "the Supplier".

Which is exactly what they did to deflect their role and responsibility.

Walkerton was bigger then two people.

But you can have false comfort and sense of security if you wish to blame those two alone.

You would think that those two were responsible to the other Harris Changes that changed guidelines that allowed for the situation of the shit in the water to begin with.

[Keepitsimple]

His way, Rae's and McGuinty's are all wrong.

Analyzing, consulting, discussing, rightsizing, communicating, and making difficult decisions... these are the stages of getting things done. Of course, government already has a problem in doing these things quickly and efficiently - indeed all of these things are being done all the time and nothing changes.

Blowing up and starting over is indeed an option, but it needs to be done with intelligence.

That's pretty well what he did - he blew it up.....no choice. As for doing it with intelligence - again you forget. You cannot effectively communicate and negotiate with people who will not recognize or accept the need for fundamental change. The Teacher's Union was an absolutely perfect example. They simply would not accept anything - no changes to carriculums, no teacher testing (contentious - but we all knew SOMETHING had to be done to deal with all the deadwood)....and of course they always clamoured for more - more money, more benefits, less teaching time. Individual school board bargaining simply couldn't work anymore. The Teacher's Union would NOT accept fundamental change. Of course the teachers were only thinking about the children..... . Ever try "rightsizing" a union in 4 years? Harris never asked to be loved....he came in, did his job and knew when to leave. Oh, by the way......you know of course that he was rewarded with a second massive majority. I appreciate what you're saying - I've run companies where big changes had to be made.....but dealing with Unions is a whole different kettle of fish.

For the record...I never liked Mike Harris personally - don't think I'd like him today....but I respect what he did....which is exactly what he SAID he would do. There really were no surprises - except that as a politician, he followed through on his promises. Right man - right time......and the way McGuinty is going now.....we might need someone like Harris again.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Keepitsimple

[Michael Hardner]

That's pretty well what he did - he blew it up.....no choice. As for doing it with intelligence - again you forget. You cannot effectively communicate and negotiate with people who will not recognize or accept the need for fundamental change. The Teacher's Union was an absolutely perfect example. They simply would not accept anything - no changes to carriculums, no teacher testing (contentious - but we all knew SOMETHING had to be done to deal with all the deadwood)....and of course they always clamoured for more - more money, more benefits, less teaching time. Individual school board bargaining simply couldn't work anymore. The Teacher's Union would NOT accept fundamental change. Of course the teachers were only thinking about the children..... . Ever try "rightsizing" a union in 4 years? Harris never asked to be loved....he came in, did his job and knew when to leave. Oh, by the way......you know of course that he was rewarded with a second massive majority. I appreciate what you're saying - I've run companies where big changes had to be made.....but dealing with Unions is a whole different kettle of fish.

And this is exactly the attitude he took with regards to everything. With education, though, nobody is going to get killed from being "under taught". The system was creaking, bloated and about to fail, so he came over and blew it up.... not even that - he just TIPPED IT OVER and it broke, so that he could start again. The problem is that he started to thing that sheer will to change equated to the ability to implement change.

For the record...I never liked Mike Harris personally - don't think I'd like him today....but I respect what he did....which is exactly what he SAID he would do. There really were no surprises - except that as a politician, he followed through on his promises. Right man - right time......and the way McGuinty is going now.....we might need someone like Harris again.

We do, but we need somebody to come from big business, who has headed up a large company and oversaw operations at some point in his/her career. Canada is already in a really sweet spot, but the right person could restructure services and probably even increase benefits.

It would have to be some kind of super-centrist and likely not a liberal.

[Keepitsimple]

And this is exactly the attitude he took with regards to everything. With education, though, nobody is going to get killed from being "under taught". The system was creaking, bloated and about to fail, so he came over and blew it up.... not even that - he just TIPPED IT OVER and it broke, so that he could start again. The problem is that he started to thing that sheer will to change equated to the ability to implement change.

We do, but we need somebody to come from big business, who has headed up a large company and oversaw operations at some point in his/her career. Canada is already in a really sweet spot, but the right person could restructure services and probably even increase benefits.

It would have to be some kind of super-centrist and likely not a liberal.

I agree. I hope to heck we never NEED a guy like Harris again. But one last time.... because there is no precedent for it - Harris came in with in excess of $8 billion as an operating deficit with only $45 billion in revenue. The recession, the NDP and cuts in Federal transfers made it a perfect storm.

[Michael Hardner]

I agree. I hope to heck we never NEED a guy like Harris again. But one last time.... because there is no precedent for it - Harris came in with in excess of $8 billion as an operating deficit with only $45 billion in revenue. The recession, the NDP and cuts in Federal transfers made it a perfect storm.

One way we can make that happen is to generate as much displeasure over the status quo as possible. Write letters to the editor, etc. The McGuinty way to govern is to focus-group our problems away, i.e. to manage the perceptions more than the underlying problems.

[Wild Bill]

But you can have false comfort and sense of security if you wish to blame those two alone.

You would think that those two were responsible to the other Harris Changes that changed guidelines that allowed for the situation of the shit in the water to begin with.

I guess we just differ and can never agree. I'm willing to admit perhaps a minor role for the Harris government, but very minor.

You see, I've worked in the materials testing field. I know what is involved in doing a test. I can appreciate how important it is to test water! Anybody over the age of 6 years could understand that!

Apparently, some folks blame Harris more than the Koebels. They seem to feel that they were just witless pawns who were left adrift for lack of supervision.

I'm sorry. I can never buy into this! If someone shoots into a crowd, I don't blame the mall cop. I blame the shooter, first and foremost!

Stan Koebel was hired by the Walkerton Council to do the job of monitoring and testing the city water supply. They weren't asking him to do rocket science! The testing and the procuring of water samples is a simple thing. You just have to follow a few simple steps religiously.

He chose to become a drunk and not bother, instead! He was smart enough to falsify samples!

Seven people DID die, and another 2500 became ill, out of a town of 5000!

Stan eventually received a year in jail. His brother Frank got nine months of house arrest. I would have tried them for murder! Or at least, manslaughter!

How far have we gone when we can let two such miserable bags of skin off so lightly and forever after make partisan attacks at a provincial premier, just because we didn't happen to like his politics! Do we not have any sense of individual responsibility anymore?

May Stan and Frank forever be your neighbours! Don't worry! If anything happens to you we will punish McGuinty!

[Oleg Bach]

Never trust a person with constantly beaming eyes and a stuck on perminent grin..these types harbour sheer rage that simmers just below the surface.McGinty is a savage henchmen just waiting to be let off his leash.

[Born Free]

... It was assumed that Municipalities would not put such people in charge - year after year....with absolutely no oversight.......and really - that was the only reason the system failed. What those two scumbags did was a stain on humanity.

The system failed because the management in Walkerton didnt ensure that they had effective audit programs of their staff's water management practices. Local management incompetency is to blame. Blaming Queens Park for a crime committed in Walkerton is simply stupid.

The local medical health officer knew within 2-3 days of the first symptoms that there was E. coli contamination. What in Hell did he do about it? He called the Kobels and was lied to. I guess Walkerton water management needed more checkers to check the folks who were checking the local medical office and the water management guys.

Bottom line is that the Koebels got off with a slap on the wrist for what should have been a negligent homicide case.

[Muddy]

If the Harris government was at fault why were there not more cities effected? Hmmm! Could it be because they were not practising nepotism by hiring unqualified good old boys? The two drunken louts in charge in Walkerton should be where all blame should lie. If this drinking water scandal had been consistent through out Ontario then maybe blame could have been on the Harris government. But it was isolated to Walkerton.

[Wild Bill]

If the Harris government was at fault why were there not more cities effected? Hmmm! Could it be because they were not practising nepotism by hiring unqualified good old boys? The two drunken louts in charge in Walkerton should be where all blame should lie. If this drinking water scandal had been consistent through out Ontario then maybe blame could have been on the Harris government. But it was isolated to Walkerton.

That's a very good point, Muddy!

[patrizi]

That's unbelievable!

________

cv service

[segnosaur]

The local medical health officer knew within 2-3 days of the first symptoms that there was E. coli contamination. What in Hell did he do about it? He called the Kobels and was lied to. I guess Walkerton water management needed more checkers to check the folks who were checking the local medical office and the water management guys.

It should also be noted that water tested by the private lab did find evidence of contamination, and the Lab did fax the results to people working for the utility, but the head of the utility didn't know about it for 4 days.

Perhaps the only thing that was needed was a rule that required the private testing labs to fax results to the public health officer as well as the utility. That might have made the difference.