To the editor,
The Municipality of South Bruce needs your feedback, according to the postcard sent in the mail last month.
There was no name on it and only one per household, to ask if we have the information we need about the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) project – the nuke dump near Teeswater – to store and abandon Canada’s high-level nuclear waste underground in disturbed rock.
Why was this “unique” PIN exposed to the mail handlers? Shouldn’t it have been in an envelope to keep it anonymous? Using the “unique” PIN and answering all the questions to submit the survey to Deloitte was easy. I asked for a second “unique” PIN from Deloitte and had no problem getting one. I didn’t even have to spell my name, which I found to be a bit suspicious. I tried to use my official “unique” PIN and found I could submit the survey over and over again. Shouldn’t there be a message that the PIN is invalid after being used? I tried putting in random PINs and had no problem completing and submitting the survey. You could sit there all day submitting surveys, if that was what you chose to do. At no point did the survey say it was received, I was just redirected to the South Bruce municipal webpage about this project.
When the municipality was questioned about the uniqueness of the PIN, by a community member whose entire family used the same PIN, the municipality’s response on Facebook was, “The postcards and municipal communications indicate that one survey is to be completed per household by someone 18 or over, however additional PIN/links are available upon request for eligible household members. Deloitte has indicated that additional completed surveys using the same PIN will be discarded. If you would like an additional PIN contact Steve Travale.”
It should not be possible to use the same PIN over and over again. If you can submit using random PINs, which survey will be used in the final report? Will it be who responded first with that PIN or the one with the results they are looking for? Deloitte wouldn’t know which PIN is the valid link to the survey, or do they? The survey was still available two days after the deadline and you could submit your survey. Is this survey only a show to get the outcome they want?
If they feel the community is in favour of the project, will they select the responses indicating the community is informed? If it appears the community doesn’t support the direction the municipality is going, will they select the responses that indicate we aren’t informed so they have an excuse to postpone the decision to give the NWMO more time to buy approval and create more financial dependence?
How this survey is being handled by our municipality, council and Deloitte brought to the surface how doubtful this “informed” survey is being conducted.
The promised referendum on whether South Bruce is a willing community, must be a paper ballot referendum with scrutineers from all sides, so the outcome cannot be tampered with, manipulated or manufactured by NWMO and council in any way or form. This is the only way to create transparency and accountability.
Next survey, poll or election, will you try to see how foolproof the process will be?
Rita Groen
South Bruce
Editor’s note: Click here for Deloitte’s response to these claims.
