HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-08-16, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012. PAGE 7.
THE EDITOR,
Aug. 6 was the 67th anniversary of
the atomic bomb being dropped on
Hiroshima, 80,000 people died
immediately. Three days later a
second bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki, killing another 40,000
people. In both cities, tens of
thousands of others later died from
the effects of radiation poisoning.
Thus was born the Nuclear Age.
We all carry traces of radiation from
bomb testing and then the
proliferation of the “peaceful
atom” – nuclear reactors which also
served to produce the spent fuel
which could be enriched to make
additional bombs.
We now have the Nuclear Waste
Management Organization
(NWMO) looking for a place to bury
this high-level radioactive nuclear
fuel that remains lethal and
radioactive for at least 100,000
years. The NWMO has a lot of
money to spend wooing
communities and to put up glossy
displays. We have municipalities
along the Lake Huron coast and in
the heart of Huron County signing
up to be considered for this dump.
Bev Fernandez of Save our
Saugeen Shores points out “The
NWMO uses very careful wording
in all of their literature. The words
‘radioactive’, ‘high-level radio-
active waste’ and ‘radioactive fuel’
seldom occur in their literature. I
have 15 of their booklets here at
home. It is not easy to find the word
‘radioactive’ in the booklets. They
repeatedly use the words ‘used
nuclear fuel, which makes the fuel
sound like the fuel is used up, used
out. The fact is that this ‘used
nuclear fuel’ is highly radioactive.”
It might be wise for the
councillors and any persons within
these communities to attend a forum
being presented by Save our
Saugeen Shores on Aug. 18 where
Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of
the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear
Responsibility, will be discussing
this concept. More details on the
event can be found at
http://saveoursaugeenshores.org It is
an opportunity to hear a viewpoint
not funded by the nuclear industry.
Despite assurances that reactor
accidents would never happen Three
Mile Island, Chernobyl and now
Fukishima did in fact occur. In
Ontario the promise of “electricity
too cheap to meter” became the
reality of a perpetual nuclear “debt
retirement charge” on our monthly
hydro bills. Before municipalities
and local citizens rush to accept
Nuclear Dumps or “Deep
Geological Repositories” they may
wish to consider the implications of
an accident or perhaps just a
scientific miscalculation that would
THE EDITOR,
In response to the article in The
Citizen on July 12, titled “Solar
panels present danger during fires”,
as an owner of 628 Queen St. (the
apartment building mentioned in the
article with rooftop solar) I would
like to take this opportunity to
respond.
I believe it is quite irresponsible
for Mr. Vodden to make statements
as quoted in your article without first
properly educating himself and I
find it extremely concerning that he
would imply that firefighters might
not enter an apartment building
because of an installed Solar PV
system.
Since neither Mr. Vodden, nor
your newspaper, has taken the time
to contact myself I would really
like to provide some information
your readers may not be aware of.
First of all it is important to note
that not all solar systems are created
equal. Systems come in two
variations – one with “High DC
Voltage” whereby many panels
are connected together before
being connected to the power grid,
and “Low DC Voltage” whereby
each panel is individually connected
to the grid. High DC Voltage
systems can sometimes present a
danger to firefighters because they
generate high voltage
(approximately 600 volts) and they
can be difficult to disconnect –
especially in an emergency situation.
Low DC Voltage systems on the
other hand generate only
approximately 40 volts, which does
not present a significant electrical
danger. In addition, the Low DC
Voltage systems are easily
disconnected either automatically
(in case of an electrical
failure) or manually from the
ground.
While I can’t speak for other solar
systems installed in the region, the
system installed at the apartment
building at 628 Queen St. is a Low
DC Voltage system. The electrical
danger from this system is not any
more than the electrical danger from
other common household appliances
such as dryers and ranges. I would
encourage Mr. Vodden, this
newspaper and anyone else to
adequately research this topic before
making broad statements about the
dangers with such systems without
knowing the pertaining facts.
Furthermore I would also be more
than happy to demonstrate our
system and its safety features to the
fire chief or any volunteer firefighter
so that they may adequately know
how to respond in the event of a fire
emergency at this particular
property.
I would also like to make readers
aware that almost 25 per cent of the
total cost of this system went
towards electrical safety,
engineering, permits and
inspections. The provincial
government has put in place a
rigorous process to ensure that when
such systems are installed, they are
installed in a safe and consistent way
to ensure that such issues do not
need to be dealt with at a municipal
level. Instead of instilling fear at
council meetings, I believe that the
local council can do everyone a
service by installing these types of
systems on all municipal buildings
including all fire stations. Not only
will this provide a source of
clean energy and cashflow for
the community but it can also
provide a valuable location for
additional firefighter training.
With the large training facility
in Blyth I’m somewhat surprised
that no budget had been allocated
to fill the entire roof of this
building with various solar
systems for enhanced firefighter
training.
Finally, I’m somewhat
disappointed that this newspaper has
missed a real message for its readers.
We’ve received only positive
feedback from the community
regarding our system and in only the
two weeks that the system has been
operational, the system has
generated enough clean energy to
power a Chevy Volt a distance of
almost 4,000 kilometres. While
many things on this topic can be
debated, the environmental benefits
are undisputed and I think such
benefits should be adequately shared
with the community to encourage
more projects.
Dietmar Schroecker.
THE EDITOR,
One-thousand new donors are
needed to give during the month of
August in Southern Ontario alone.
There are currently 425,000 active
blood donors in Canada who are
instrumental for meeting patient
needs; however, because the demand
for blood is growing, Canadian
Blood Services estimates that by
2015, our national donor base will
need to grow to 500,000 donors in
order to continue to respond to
hospital needs. With a patient
somewhere in Canada needing
blood every minute of every day, it
is important that we maintain a
constant supply of new blood
donations.
The Canadian population is aging,
and even some of our most loyal
donors may become users of blood
and blood products in the near
future. To prepare for this, we must
therefore recruit 100,000 new
donors annually.
Most often, it takes more than one
donor’s unit of blood to save a
hospital patient’s life. For example,
someone in a car accident requires
blood and blood products from up to
50 donors. For this reason, groups
and families in Brussels and
surrounding area are encouraged to
book an appointment to donate this
summer.
Your next community blood donor
clinic is at the Brussels, Morris and
Grey Community Centre, located at
800 Sports Drive, Brussels,
Wednesday, Aug. 29 from 4:30 p.m.
to 7:30 p.m.
We strongly encourage those who
have booked appointments to
honour them this summer. For those
who have not yet booked, visit
Canadian Blood Services online at
www.blood.ca or call 1-888-2-
DONATE (1-888-236-6283). Walk-
ins welcome!
Sincerely,
Marissa Gianna Gatfield
Community Development
Co-ordinator
Canadian Blood Services.
Donor clinic
comes to Brussels
Building owner clarifies councillor’s comments
Nuclear open house Aug. 18
Preserving history
From left, Dorothy Cox, Jack Cox and Marion (Mann) Roberts, all former members of the Knox
United Church of Moncrieff, are pictured here with historical archive items from the now-
closed church. The items were auctioned off after the church closed on June 27, 1976 and
Archie Mann was delegated to keep the record books which date back to 1921. The three
record books and the Hydro-Electric Commission are to now be presented to Duff’s United
Church in Walton. (Photo submitted)
WBMAWANOSH Y OONLIGHT
Evening Hike at the Wawanosh Nature Centre
Wednesday, August 22, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Free Admission. Please bring a flashlight.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Wawanosh is located north of Blyth, west of
County Rd. 4 on Nature Centre Rd.
For information visit www.mvca.on.ca or call the
Maitland Valley Conservation Authority at 519-335-3557.
REPRINTS
OF PHOTOS
taken by Citizen
photographers are
available to purchase.
ALL ARE IN COLOUR
4x6 - $4.00
5x7 - $5.00
8x10 - $8.00
Phone to order ~
519-523-4792
or 519-887-9114
BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED
Letters to the Editor
Continued on page 18