HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-07-26, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012.On Friday Huron-Bruce MP BenLobb joined Lisa Thompson, Huron-Bruce MPP in her continued call fora moratorium on further wind
development until the health study
commissioned by Health Canada has
been completed.
Thompson was pleased to learn ofthe federal government’s decisionlast week to study the health effectsof wind turbines, as the McGuinty
Liberals have refused. The
McGuinty Liberals refused to
support a moratorium on wind
development when Thompsondebated her motion for a moratoriumon March 8. Earlier this year,Thompson wrote to the federal
Health Minister, advocating for a
health study regarding wind
turbines.
“This is what we should bedoing—working as a team for thebest interests of our constituents,”said Thompson. “We are elected to
stand up for our constituents and I
am pleased to stand next to my
federal counterpart, MP Lobb to
fight for our constituents. It’s a
shame that the McGuinty Liberals
won’t stand up and do the right thing
for the residents of Ontario.”
Lobb is pleased that the
announcement of a federal health
study will not only help his
constituents, but people across
Canada who have been fighting to
have their voices heard.
“I am pleased that Health Canada
has made the decision to study thehealth effects reported by thoseliving near wind turbines,” saidLobb. “The people of Huron-Bruce
have been asking for an independent
study for years. There are real health
related concerns from those living in
close proximity to wind turbines and
this study will shed more light on
this emerging issue.”
Health Canada also announced on
Friday that they are extending the
comment period for submissions
from Aug. 8 until Sept. 7,
acknowledging that the summer is a
busy time for families, and they want
to give ample opportunity for
comment.
Lobb, Thompson join forces against turbines
Continued from page 13
of the church,” he said. “Every
organization, no matter how well-
intending, starts to feed the
bureaucracy, I want to get away
from that and get back to the people
in the pews.”
He said people can receive e-
mails, people can read the news and
people can get phone calls and they
won’t pay attention to most of it
because of the sheer amount of
information they face on a daily
basis.
“Every day we’re bombarded,
maybe even overloaded with
information,” he said. “Sure, I may
read an e-mail about a policy in the
church if it interests me, but for the
most part they end up in a pile
waiting to be read. I want to seek
relationships to help people get in
touch with the changes that are
being made.”
The decision to elect someone
moderator may seem similar to a
political race, according to Clark,
but it isn’t.
“I guess the biggest thing is that
it’s not really a democracy, we’re not
electing someone because we like
them but because we like what they
think is important,” he said. “When
voting, people look for visions and
the steps that a moderator will take
to make that vision a reality. If I
were moderator, I wouldn’t be
taking the concerns of Blyth to the
church, I would be there to enact the
will of God, not the will of the
people.”
Clark said that the will of God
isn’t always the will of the people,
but it is paramount, drawing
reference to the fact that, during a
previous general council, they
looked at doing away with bottle
water.
“It might have looked odd for us
to spend time on that,” Clark said.
“Our decisions may not always be
popular, but the Christians who
ended slavery might not have been
popular at the time either. A
moderator is there to lead out of
faith, not to curry favour.”
Choosing the moderator isn’t a
question of politics, but one of
ability and sincerity, Clark said.
“It’s more a question of do I
believe the vision to be true than one
of do I like the vision,” he said.
“People want to know that the
moderator can carry their decision
through.”
The actual responsibilities of the
moderators include chairing the
general council executive, setting
the agenda for meetings and
dictating how much time is spent on
issues and portfolios in the agenda.
“Some do well and set a time of
hope and organization instead of
despair and chaos,” he said.
While the new position, if Clark is
elected to it, would require him to
distance himself from Blyth United
Church, he said that he would never
cut himself off from the community.
“One of my goals would be setting
the tone of how national churches
connect with local people,” he said.
“My priority would be to get back to
those people in the pews. I wouldn’t
be leaving Blyth, it’s still my
community and my home, I might
just spend two-thirds of my time
working on a national stage.”
The election takes place during a
United Church conference held from
August 11 to 18 which gives
nominees like Clark the opportunity
to meet with people and
express their views for the job of
moderator.
Clark prepares for Aug. election
The yellow brick road
Campvention wrapped up over the weekend. The event drew hundreds to Blyth for over a
week to enjoy the village’s excellent campgrounds and amenities. On July 19, the group held
a parade that made its way down Blyth’s main street. The parade featured localized attractions
from all over the U.S., queens and kings who had been crowned earlier in the week and even
a ‘float’ made in the image of The Wizard of Oz. (Denny Scott photo)