A local Councillor is firing back at Water Wells First after the activist group announced it’s giving him a so-called Shame Award.
Spokesman Kevin Jakubec made the announcement on Friday, saying Wallaceburg’s Jeff Wesley was misleading constituents with a letter to the editor in the Wallaceburg Courier Press.
However, Wesley says Jakubec is the one who deserves to be shamed.
Wesley says, “If he had read it properly, he would have understood that I was actually asking for what they’ve been asking for. So they need to go back and rethink about what they’re doing here, refocus on what the real issue is, which is helping people who are having problems with their water wells. And I’m certainly going to be looking for an apology and a retraction of the award.”
Wesley says he’ll be glad to accept an invitation to the group’s next meeting in March, saying they have a lot of issues to answer for.
The following is Wesley’s response letter.
If Mr. Jakubec had taken five minutes to speak with me or respond to the numerous emails I have sent him (to keep him and hopefully his members up to date) then he would realize it is he who is mistaken here. Unfortunately Mr. Jakubec has never spoken with me nor asked me any questions even though I have continually reached out to him. Here are some facts that the members of the WWF group and local residents should know:
- In the news article I was very clear that I was calling for an independent and qualified third party to do the water well testing because a consultant working for Otter Creek Wind Farms does not fit that bill. Did Mr.Jakubec not read that I said the water well tester MUST report directly to the MOECC and NOT Otter Creek?
- Until today I have never been invited to a WWF meeting nor informed when their meetings would be. Is Mr. Jakubec afraid that my explanation would not fit in with his need for more grandstanding?
- As a local Councillor I have tackled many tough issues on behalf of my community and I try to do my homework. To the members of WWF I think you need to know (even though I shared all of this with Mr. Jakubec hoping of course that he would share it with all of you) the following:
- Without getting into details I spoke up for the well issue during a closed session of Council and looked for solutions in open;
- I attended the recent community meeting, told Mr. Jakubec I would be there, and told Otter Creek what I thought they needed to do to help the owners of wells and that I had serious concerns over some of the studies they had done;
- I submitted written comments to both Otter Creek and the MOECC REA process to explain my concerns and the extensive problems with the geotechnical studies done on behalf of Otter Creek; and,
- At the recent community meeting I was there assisting other non WWF residents who had concerns about their own water wells.
I hope it is true that I have been invited to the March WWF group meeting as I have a number of questions for Mr. Jakubec and I can then insure that all of his members really know what I have done and the role in this issue I have played. Does Mr. Jakubec want help or does he simply want to grandstand by attacking those in our community that are trying to help the best way they can?
I will continue to help local residents who are concerned about their water wells no matter whether you are a member of WWF or not.
Jeff Wesley
Councillor – Wallaceburg
