HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1979-09-19, Page 2Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
By McLean Bros. Publishers Limited
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Pat Langlois - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $10.00 a Year.
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BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1979
tAtim .
Brussels Post
7411•
I was very disappointed in the contents of
Keith Roulston's last column on Ontario
Hydro and Nuclear Power. For four years I
was chairman of the Huron Power Plant
Committee, and have fought Ontario
Hydro and their policies many times, I
have learned that often their right hand
1-now what their left is doing.
I d In't think that anyone can accuse me of
pandering to Ontario Hydro. But simply to
state that Hydro deliberately misleads the
people of Ontario is simply unthinkingly
aping the statements of the anit-nuclear
lobby.
This lobby is very vocal and inclined to
forget to mention anything that could
jeopardize their fixed ideas that nuclear
power is bad, period. I have read much of
their anti risk propaganda. I have also read
much of the Atomic Energy Commission of
Canada's sober statements and those of
Ontario Hydro scientists. To brand them all
as liars is grossly unfair. The Schultz affair
came about because the opponents hadn't
taken the trouble to read Hydro's reports
on their difficulties. These reports were
available. When "Schul .z" testified before
the parliamentary commission at Queen's
Park he had nothing new to tell.
Every time some one stubbs his toe at
Bruce or Pickering the PR man in charge
duly reports this. There is no other
industry who does this, and if they did,
there wouldn't be a newspaper that would
print it. But because it is at a nuclear plant
it becomes "news".
Truth is that in almost 35 years of
nuclear power there hasn't been one
casualty. Even the celebrated 3 mile plant
accident with its many human mistakes
that caused the anxiety, had enough safety
built in that no lives were lost.
Compare that record with that of the coal
generating industry. The sulphur
emissions and resulting acid rains cause
150,000 deaths through respiratory ail-
ments every year, in the USA alone. Our
lakes are dying, many being dead already.
Monitoring 24 hours a day of radiation
em issions at Pickering have never shown
increased radiation in the milk of the cows
that graze beneath its walls. But the
anti-nuclear people keep on insisting that
there is k•eadiation. They can't prove it. But
the number of coal miners that suffer and
die prematurely of black lung disease
caused by coal dust is horrendous.
Let's not be carried away by the rhetoric
of a number of people who won't listen to
reason and oppose everything that may
have some risk. This country has become
great because the first immigrants took
great risks, much greater than what some
modern activists don't want us to take
today.
Let's insist that scientists keep adding to
the safety features of our proud nuclear
plants. Dr. Porter was right when he said
that even the remote possibility of a
nuclear accident with 25,000 dead is better
than the 150,000 dead every year of today.
Let's insist ttatwe are told these risks, as
Porter did, so we can decide if we are
willing to cut back on electric use and
standard of living, but let's not tell honest
men that they are liars.
Adrian Vos
Some random thoughts on a September
morning.
Saddened as they were by the death of
former prime Minister John Diefenbaker,
bigwigs in the current Progressive Conser-
vative government must have been a just a
bit relieved as well.
Having Diefenbaker looking over your
shoulder was not an easy task: just ask
Robert Stanfield. But after chuckling at
Diefenbaker's accusations in the last
decade against Pierre Trudeau that he was
flouting Parliament, the present Tories
must been burned a bit by Dief's criticism
of the fact that Joe Clark has taken longer
to call Parliament into session than any
prime minister in history. How many more
darts would he,have thrown in the coming
session against his own party,Clark's boys
must have been wondering.
One hates to complain because it's been
such a quiet restful summer but this
government does seem to be committing
all the faults they and. Mr. Diefenbaker
accused the Liberals of. We're still a month
away from the calling of Parliament yet this
government has been rolling along making
:.cisions for four months now. Yet people
like Mr. Clark and Sinclair Stevens were
always crying foul before because the
Trudeau government was doing too much
through cabinet decision and not enough
through Parliament.
Not that that much has been going on so
far of course. Only a fool would have
expected the whole country to turn around
because of a change in government but still
some of the priorities of the new
government seem strange. The first fuss of
course came from the government's
insistence that it would go ahead with
moving the Canadian Embassy in Israel
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That's died
down a bit but the government has caused
a stir here at home by insisting it will sell
Petrocan,the government oil company,even
though nearly all advice is that it should be
kept.
Then there's the turning over of the
federal lottery to the provinces. Other
profitable crown corporations are also up
for sale. Frankly 'who cares. These are
things that perhaps might be done a year
or so down the line but at the top priority of
a new government? Surely there must be
something more important.
It's also interesting to listen to the new
finance minister,John Crosby. After years
of listening to the Conservatives complain
that the Liberals were doing nothing about
the economy, Mr. Crosby now says don't
expect him to work miracles, that we'll
have to sit tight and let the economy
*****«
It's getting to the time of year when even
people who aren't baseball fans get
interested in the game. This year of course
there's more interest in this part of the
country than ever before because Montreal
Expos are in the thick of a battle for first
place in their division of the National
League.
After all these years of cheering for
losers since Montreal first brought major
league baseball to Canada„and the Toronto
Blue Jays later gave losing a new home in
Toronto it's nice to have a winner to cheer
for for a change. At the same time it's a bit
nerve wracking. The Expos themselves
claim that the pressure of pennant race isn't
getting to them but I think it's getting to a
lot of their fans, me included. The stress of
getting up every morning to hear whether
the Expos won or lost the night before is a
little much. Having a winner in hockey in a
tight race isn't so bad because they don't
play quite so often but this is hell. Ah well,
for relaxation. I can always go back to
watching the Blue Jays„who never give you
such tension, or the Toronto Argonauts,
who may not be as bad as they once were
but aren't exactly champions either.
* * ** * *
Canada's political scene seems blissfully
quiet these days compared to south of the
border where even Jimmy Carter's having
to drop out of a cross-country footrace is
seen as some kind of symbolism.
Senator Edward Kennedy, darling of the
eastern liberal establishment and a good
portion of the press„has stopped saying he
won't run for the presidency and many
have already conceded him the Democratic
nomination over Carter.
Through all this I feel most sorry for Mr.
Kennedy's family. They have already lost
two men, one who was president and a
second who was running for the, pres-
idency. Do they really need another on the
hot seat?
Then there's Joan, Mr. Kennedy's wife,
who little needs the stress of being in the
spotlight. She has enough troubles al-
ready. We don't know how much trouble
there has been in her marriage over the
years but it's sure that since the infamous
Chappaquiddick things have not been good
for Mrs. Kennedy. She moved back to
Boston alone at one point to study music
and admitted that she had been driven to
drink by reports of her husbands extra-
marital love life. The new pressure seems
to be the last thing she needs.
Come to the fair
Fair time is here again. Every year, communities around Huron
County and other areas hold a fall fair and Brussels is no exception.
To keep an event such as a fall fair going requires the support of the
people of the community and Brussels must have that support. Busy
people are willing to commit hours of their time to baking, canning,
making crafts, and preparing livestock just to make the fair a success.
The people involved in orga nizing the fair must also be willing to
commit many hours of their time to this annual event in order to make
sure everything runs smoothly.
These people are interested in making sure everyone can have an
enjoyable day at the.fair so make sure you get out and support the fair
on fair day. Maybe the crowd can be even bigger than last year's 2,000
people.
Behind the scenes
by Keith Roulston
Random thoughts
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1979
A rare opportunity
Brussels, Ontario must be doing something right. In a story in this
week's Post, Joanne King lets us know how royally the the reeve and
clerk of this municipality and their wives were treated when they
visited Brussels, Belgium.
From that it would appear that the radio newsmen Pierre de Vos and
Gerard Valet who visited this village in April appreciated the
hospitality that was extended to them here. They obviously went out of
their way to make our delegation from Brussels, Ontario feel at home.
And from this trip, Brussels has made itself known in another part of
the world and has probably established a link with Brussels, Belgium
in promoting international relations.
Opportunities such as this are a rarity and Brussels, Ontario should
be proud that it was this Brussels with which its sister city of Brussels,
Belgium chose to establish that link.
To the editor:
Nuclear column disappointing
Grads invited back
work its way out of the current
problems. Did I hear an echo of Jean
Cretien?
We would appreciate it if you would help
us publicize the following up-coming
event.
Are you a graduate of Conestoga
College? Do you ever wonder what your old
friends and former classmates are doing?
Come to the Conestoga College Alumni
Mingle -- and find outl
The Alumni Association of Conestoga
College has organized the Alumni Mingle,
which will be held Friday, September 28 at
Bingeman Park in Kitchener. The dinner-
dance is a kick off to the College's 11th
Convocation which will be held September
29 at the Kitchener Auditorium.
The Mingle starts at 6 p.ni. in the
Bingeman Park Ballroom. A buffet dinner
will be served at 7:15 p.m. and dancing to
the Brass Line will start at 9 p.m. The
ticket price of $12 per person includes all
this -- and more.
For tickets or more information, please
write or call College and Community
Relations at Conestoga College, 299 Doon
Valley Dr., Kitchener N2G 4M4. 6532511.
Extension 216. Persons calling long
distance from within Area Code 519 may
use the toll-free Line 1-800-265-8104,
Hoop to see you at the Mingle!
Gerry Daly, President
Conestoga College Alumni Association
Sugar and spice
By Bill Smiley
's .not available
this week
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