The Lucknow Sentinel, 1994-08-31, Page 8Page 8 - Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, August 31, 1994
Trying to educate consumers on the benefits of using oil
• by Pat Livingston
The Canadian Oil Heat As-
sociation (COHA) is making ag-
gressive attempts to educate
homeowners on the benefits of
heating with oil. Last week, John
Butt, executive director, and Glen
Austin, chairman, of COHA, were
in Wingham to talk to around.75 oil
heating agents from western On-
tario.
"At this point our industry is
poised to make a very strong re-
entry into the oil heating business,"
said Austin. "We have good prices
compared to the other fuels, new
high-tech, very efficient products.
We don't believe the public per-
ceives es as having any of those
attributes.
"We need to educate the
homeowners, in Canada, that oil is
a good alternative to heat their
homes and should be considered
when they are making a change or
building a new residence," said the
COHA chairman.
CORA, formerly. the Home Ener-
gy Group, was formed in 1982 to
safeguard the interests of home
heating oil suppliers, equipment
manufacturers, service contractors
and suppliers to the oil heating
industry.
Butt came on board with the
COHA four years ago, following a
12 year stint in public. life. In 1989
he was the Minister of Environment
for the province of Newfoundland.
"Four years ago, we (COHA)
decided we would spread out and
try to incorporate into our midst all
• of the oil dealers across Canada,"
Butt said. "...we had about 60 mem-
bers and now we have over 200. A
lot of those are in O'htario and in
• fact a lot of them in western On-
tario.
"Essentially we try to do a num-
ber of thingswith a meager budget,
and .that was to address issues
whicli government brought to us
many years ago - actually in the
early '80s. The Trudeau
government•broyght in some. pretty
severe measures against us in that
they gave people an incentive to get
off oil.'. That was against the back-
ground, of course, that oil was
going to go to $100 a barrel U.S.,
and today Ave know it is trading in
New York ,at about $18 to $20 a
barrel."
Butt refers to people in the oil
industry as "entrepreneurialtypes,
free -spirited, free -minded business
people, and the least government
intervention • into our business, the
better we like it.
"We had to lobby government
against this business of giving these
vicious incentives because it was
destroying our industry. I'm not
talking about the Shells and Essos
of the world, they're big boys and
can take care of themselves -, but
for people like Grant Chisholm and.
Don Edwards and others who really
needed a united voice to go to a
place like Ottawa and lobby the
government of that day," said Butt.
What happened then is "ironic"
said Butt.. "It really showed . once
again that life has a habit of coming
around full circle. The big utilities
like Ontario Hydro, Quebec Hydro,
Newfoundland -Labrador Hydro -
they all went out and spent millions
and millions of dollarsbuilding new
power plants to get the influx of
people switching from oil to
electricity. Today, electricity has
essentially priced itself out of' the
market place," said Butt.
He estimates about 800,000
electrically heated hot water heaters
in Ontario will have to be replaced
over the next decade "because it is
simply too expensive to operate:"
Butt said the other major energy
supplier, particularly in the southern
region of Ontario, is natural gas.
"..so it is•fair to make comparisons
between oil and electricity, and_oil
and natural gas,
"What has happened now, and
what we continue to see, is a very
steady increase in natural gas
prices. In fact, if you take into
account the additional charges
people have to pay for natural gas -
the pipeline charge, the meter
charge - along with the cost of the
gas itself, it (gas) is just slightly
higher than oil today. Not many
consumers in your area would real-
ly know that, so we have a big job
in getting this message across," said
Butt.
"We got a bad deal from
government;' we fought against it;
we turned that around. I have, .I
think, with some success - not
totally - showed government very
graphically the error' of their ways.
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Reserve your spot at the meeting
by calling Ben or Jenny Hogervorst
528-2402
Date: Friday, September 2nd
Time: 8:30 p. rm
Place: • to be announced
NOTE:
Correction in
phone number
When they get into the energy
business and meddle in the market
place, they create an imbalance.
Innocent people. in Ontario and
other places, who switched to
electricity, now find out that they
have to switch again,,because they
really cannot afford to pay the
utility bill," Butt said.
He pulls no punches when he ,
talks about governments who say
they're 'fuel neutral'.
`They're aided and
abetted in the marketing
schemes of natural gas'
"Governments' across Canada,
particularly the government of
Ontario, have certainly shown a
bias and favoritism to• natural gas,
because those people havehuge
budgets and they lobby very well,"
Butt said. "They're aided and
abetted in the marketing schemes of
natural gas throughout this
province. I see it in graphic detail
every day."
Butt predicts the same thing will
happen with natural gas as hap-
pened with electricity. "In another
three or four years, as happened'
with oil in the past 10 years, you'll
have a lot of people switching to
natural gas. The price will continue
to go up with oil prices remaining
level. You are going to have.
people, encouraged •by their
governments to switch to natural
gas, saying, 'Well, this is a bit
expensive right now because I
could be using oil and getting it for
this."'
Butt said the main reason the
COHA board of directors gathered
in. Wingham was so• they could,
meet with the Western Ontario Fuel
Oil Dealers. "The fact of the matter
is what's happening here (locally),
instead of the federal or the provin-
cial government being involved ...
the natural gas companies here are
being aided and abetted by Iocal
municipal politicians.
"They go to the town hall and
they're selling their great story.
People are comparing the price of
natural gas to the price of oil," said
Butt. "People think they are getting
a better deal, and I don't understand
that. They don't factor in what it's
going to cost" referring . to the.
pipeline installation and meter
'charge on top of the cost of the gas.
Butt calls those on propane
"another innocent group of con-
sumers who are paying through the
nose. They're saying 'We'll stay on
propane because it will be an easy
switch to natural . gas when it
comes.' The fact of the macer is
they are wasting a lot of money.
That's not a hard sell, the facts
speak for themselves." Butt said he
makes a fair comparison using
information from ' the Ministry of
Environment and Energy.
"Whether you're an existing
homeowner, or about to purchase a
home," Butt said, "I would go out
and get all the facts on what's
available to me - electricity, gas, oil
- and then you make your 'own
decision.
"All fossil fuels have their en-
vironmental draw backs, but
everyone is putting their shoulder to.
thewheel to. become more environ-
mentally friendly and more cost
effective; to come up with state-of-
the-art products that will suit the
new . clientele of the • '90s," said
Butt. "In that regard, the oil heat
industry . is • certainly in the
foreground."
Around 75 members of the oil heat Industry converged on Wingham last week when the Canadian
011 Heat Association (COHA) executive met for its monthly meeting and a symposium on how to
educate consumers on the benefits of using oil. Some of the area agents were (1-r) back row:
Grant Chisholm, Lucknow; Glen Austin, COHA chairman; Don Edward, Goderich; Bob Campbell,
Kincardine, and Peter Van Dyke, Lucknow/Ripley Co-op. Front row, John Butt, COHA executive
director, and Mary Warner, Edward Fuels. (Pat Livingston photo
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The following students have successfully completed their f
Royal Conservatory of Music Examinations at Blyth
Center 106, May '94.
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Grade 8 Plano
Honours
Amy Sue Albrecht, Goderich
Sarah. Katharine Doolittle, Windham
Lynda Ann Dykstra, Clinton
Kimberly. Dawn Nagle, Goden'ch
Kerry Ann Hill, Wingham
Pass . '
Jennifer Cucksey, Wingham
Julie Lynn Glauser, Walton
Shannon Leigh Kirk, Goderich
M Ann Uhler, Brussels
Grade 7 Plano
First Class Honours
Amy Ruth Jenkins, Clinton
Grade•6 Plano
First Class Honours
Celeste Leeper, Clinton
Honours
Ann Laura Darling, Wingham
B Joan Vandendool, Londeshorough
Paul Vaudry, Wingham
Claire Weir. Lucknow
Pass
Victoria Anne Waechter, Wingham
Grade 5 Plano
First Class Honours
Kendra Leanne Folkard, Belgrave
Honours
Mary Ruth Benaway, Wingham
Lorraine Margar Dykstra, Clinton
Kristen Eliza Hunter, Goderich
Amy Elizabeth M.acalpine, Dublin
Pass
Kristina Joanne Procter. Belgrave
Grade 4 Plano
✓ Honours
• Jacquelyne Elston,• Wingham
✓ Jessica Lynn Geleynse, Clinton
f Wendy Ann Kuran, Goderich
f Katie F Smith, Monkton
✓
Grade 3 Plano
✓ First Class Honours
✓ Tiffany Shaw, Wingham
f ' Andrea Joanne Vandendool, Londesborough
f Mary Vaudry. Wingham
• Honours
Kelly Elizabeth Alexander, Wingham
✓ Bryan Uilke Dykstra. Clinton
•
▪ Ashley l lowson, Blyth
-'
Skye .F M Lanlinga, Blyth
✓
David Lisle, Wingham
Cheryl McBride, Wingham
Adam McBurney, Wingham
Carrie Lynn Roy, Clinton
Jessica Tyndall, Clinton
Aletia Warr, Goderich
Erin Robinson, Wingham
Grade 2. Plano
First Class Honours •
Brett Matthew Jewitt, Clinton'
Honours •
Danielle Anstetl, Clinton
Lee Ann Morrison, Lucknow
Grade 1 Plano •
Honours'
Daniel Martin, Wingham
Amy Kathleen Mills, Goderich
Sarah Ann Mills, Goderich
Grade 6 Guitar
Honours
Jane Elizabeth Darling, Wingham
Grade 5 Guitar
Honours
Nicole'Catherin Waechter, Wingham
Grade 6 Violin
Honours
Matthew Smith, Wingham
Grade 4 Violin,
First Class Honours
Paul Clugston, Wingham
Grade 3 Harmony •
First Class.Honours
Susan Elizabeth Chan, Goderich
Stephanie Lentz, Blyth,
Rhonda Dlanne Wideman, Atwood
(`grade 2 Rudiments
First Class Honours with Distinction
Elizabeth Black, Wingham
Jennifer Bushell, Wingham
Amanda Jane Howson, Blyth•
Esther Helen Reesor, Bluevale
Grade 1 Rudiments
First Class Honours with Distinction
Daniel James P Hammitt, Clinton
Richard Nelson Weber, Atwood
Honours
Laura Anne Martin, Wingham
Preliminary Rudiment
First Class Honours with Distinction
Lorraine Margar Dykstra. Clinton
Male Romano, Goderich
Oct Peteata,
Tact ai Eueaiag elaadea
74edd44 rh Zeeelaut dalj.
?ez e4rustatioa call:
Sid :diatom •- xitloaglt
395-3!86
2eaaa le Paige - Victim 7u cf
Huron County
HIV/AIDS Network
ANNUAL
MEETING
(Election of Officers)
Tuesday,
September 6
7-9pm
at the
Clinton Town Hall
Please use door at back
for Police Station
Everyone Welcome