HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-04-02, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, April 2, 2014
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editorial
Taking a drive
down Babylon Line
I took a drive down Babylon Line between
Zurich and Varna the other day.
I'd been wanting to see what all the fuss was
about regarding the turbine development in
the area. I have to say, I was surprised at how
much activity was going on.
Every 500 metres there was another access
road, with the hub of the action at Babylon
and Centennial Roads. Perhaps it was
because of the starkness of early spring, but
the machines and construction trailers
seemed odd in an area normally so quiet and
green and isolated.
I grew up in Zurich, and the Babylon was
always a place we went to watch the swans in
spring, ride our bikes in summer and later as
teenagers, drive around aimlessly. It was
strange to see the fields roughed up and the
edges of the woods abuzz with construction.
Before you know it, there will be wind tur-
bines poking up across the horizon, and what
used to be just an ACW feature will now be
close to the land of my fathers.
Even though I've tried to stay out of this
whole wind energy mess, it was kind of sad to
see this area that has been untouched by time
since the first fields were sown now subject to
the rising tide of change. Our idyllic little geta-
way is becoming something new, modern
and entirely different.
Unlike a lot of folks, I still remain hopeful
that wind can be productive, and hope the
Ontario government eventually pulls its head
out of its hindquarters and proceeds in a
responsible and sustainable way. There are
many things that need to change about our
energy pricing and policy before that, but for
now the turbines are here and we just need to
make the most of them.
We can't keep paying more for power even
though there is a surplus of the stuff.
We can't offer unreasonable payoffs for
something that regular folks don't get to use.
The tragedy for me isn't the landscape dev-
astation. Rather, I would call it a disruption.
What makes me sad is the derision between
for and against, and the fighting between
neighbours and friends this has caused.
As for the land, I know it is and always will
be beautiful, bountiful and productive, long
after the turbines outlive their lifespan.
Twenty years is nothing compared to cen-
turies, and the peace of the countryside will
always and ultimately refuse to be domi-
nated. - Gerard Creces
Fair elections coming to an
end with Fair Elections Act
A few weeks ago, I printed a series
of questions I had for our MP, Ben
Lobb regarding the Fair Elections Act.
The day after that paper came out,
and weeks after my initial calls, I got a
call from Mr. Lobb and to be honest, I
don't know why. I got answers to
some of my questions, but I may as
well have referenced the
Ministry of Democratic
Reform home page.
They were one and the
same.
I tried to write the
story, and even had most
of it done and ready for
print. But I couldn't in
good faith pass off a piece
of propaganda about
something so serious that generations
of Canadians would have their right to
participate in democracy stepped on
for the sole benefit of the Conserva-
tive Party of Canada.
One of the widest -reaching effects
the Act would have is removing voter
cards as valid pieces of identification
and doing away with vouching at the
polls. Youth who are away at school,
seniors living with their children or in
homes, aboriginals, the homeless,
anyone who doesn't have mail in their
name, or a driver's license would be
turned away - in other words, those
least likely to vote Conservative.
Harry Neufeld, author of the infa-
mous Neufeld Report, which the Con-
servatives have been using to justify
the vouching change, has said pub-
licly there is no evidence to support
the idea of such voter fraud problems
and that his words were taken out of
context.
Similarly, Conservative MP Brad
Butt has admitted he lied about see-
ing first-hand voter card fraud.
But what struck me hardest - and
the reason I've been reluctant to write
this - is I mentioned a Leadnow
petition to stop the act, as an example
of one of many attempts by regular
folks to get rid of this bad legislation.
Tens of thousands of people have
signed it already, so there is obviously
a healthy amount of concern.
I wish I had never mentioned it.
The response I got from the MP
could be called a scoff.
Unsurprisingly Leadnow
is calling on the Liberal,
Green and NDP parties
to step up - enemies of
the state.
The thing is, and we've
seen this time and again
with the Conservatives,
is that you can site all
the concerns you have
based on what you glean from the
media, political parties, political
organizations and even Elections
Canada now, and you will be written
off because you are sourcing a parti-
san organization.
In that regard, anyone other than a
Conservative supporter has an
agenda that discredits their opinion.
It's one of the reasons I personally
don't trust my MP as a source of
impartial information anymore.
In 2011 the Conservatives were
fined for exceeding maximum spend-
ing limits and filing records that did
not set out all spending requirements.
That is changing in the Fair Elections
Act, but for all the wrong reasons.
Parties won't have to file expenses
for calling people who donated to the
party in the past. Contributions are
being increased. For the party with
the wealthiest donors, this is great, as
is the unaccountability for solicitation
expenses. And guess who gets to pick
the most important electoral over-
sight people at the polls? You got it -
the sitting MP.
Still think this act is fair?
CONTINUED > PAGE 5
Col
Gerard
umn
Creces
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