Lakeshore Advance, 2011-07-13, Page 44 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesda , Jul 13, 2011
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Fungi (1;1'11) tot nut puhitahlm % Activities.
Touting the benefits
of polarlzed Ienses
Grand Bend Optometry Clinic
The day is bright and sunny. Optimal condi-
tions for driving, right? Wrong!
Blinding glare from sun and vehicles is a con-
tributing factor to fatal vehicle accidents.
More than 90 per cent of reactions made
behind the wheel depend on good vision.
A recent survey by Fssilor revealed a disturb -
Ing fact —20 percent of eyeglass wearers some-
times drive without their prescription glasses
and instead wear non-prescription sunglasses.
That means one in five make day -driving unnec-
essarily treacherous.
Another Essilor study found that reaction
tinges improved by one-third of a second for
drivers who wear polarized prescription lenses.
For a car travelling 80 inn/h, one-third of a sec-
ond allows a driver to stop seven metres sooner,
or the length of an intersection.
In glare -intense situations, polarized lenses
improve vision clarity by 75 percent. compared
to ordinary sun lenses.
How do polarised lenses work,
Sunlight itself is not polarized - it's either
absorbed or reflected. Sunlight bouncing
off a horizontal surface will strike the driver's
eyes at a similar angle and produce strong glare.
Working like a venetian blind, polarized
lenses have a laminated surface with vertical
stripes that allow only vertical light to enter the
eyes. Glare is eliminated because the horizon-
tally -polarized light waves can't bypass the
polarized filter.
Make your driving experience safer and easier
- we can recommend the best lens options for
your unique lifestyle.
Canada.
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Camden Cotta
AOCna N„wipapor Association and theOnaa
ta
Otrnrnttnrty Nowspagion Amociaton
editorial
PCs might blow it on wind
If Progressive Conservative
leader Tim Hudak follows
through on his misguided
promise to curtail development of
wind energy should he become
premier, the move will have been
made possible by growing opposi-
tion fomented by the McGuinty
government's handling of the issue.
Wind power is at the centre of
renewable energy initiatives
around the world.
A report released last week
compared the successful German
renewable energy program with
Ontario's fledgling efforts. Called
Ilarvesting Clean Energy on
Ontario Farms, a Transatlantic
Comparison, it was prepared in
collaboration with the Pembina
Institute, the Heinrich li*oell
Foundation, the United Church of
Canada and Climate Action
Network Canada.
It concludes that Ontario is the
leader in Canada in developing
renewable energy.
Yet in February, facing opposition
to a plan by'I'oronto Hydro to build
70 turbines in Lake Ontario, the
province placed a moratorium on
offshore projects, citing the need
for more study. In fact, resistance to
wind energy is galvanizing in
Ontario. On Manitoulin Island,
Northland Power and a group of
First Nations signed a joint venture
for 33 turbines (since reduced to
24), yet elders and community
members are fighting the project,
citing the destruction of wildlife
habitat and clear cutting on an
island heavily dependent on
tourism.
Wind projects proposed for the
north shore of lake Superior,
including one offshore project, are
also facing strong organized
opposition.
Why has wind energy spawned
such resistance in Ontario? Premier
Dalton McGuinty overestimated
Ontarians' commitment to alter
their lifestyles to protect the envi-
ronment and he underestimated
the strength of anti -wind lobby.
Germany set the table for wind
energy years ago. Small wind
projects run by co-operatives and
municipal ownership allowed
people to get used to living with
turbines. Climate change policies
had gained support across the
political spectrum, and government
subsided rates for power generated
by renewable resources have been
around its Germany since early
1990s.
As a result, 17 per cent of
electrical power in Germany is gen-
erated by renewable energy. The
industry employs about 370,000
people and there are plans to invest
$275 pillion in new projects in Ger-
many. And while the rapid growth
of wind power has spawned oppo-
sition in Germany — there are more
than 21,600 wind turbines in place
— it hasn't dampened the political
will to pursue it, especially since
Germany is backing away from
nuclear power.
That reliable environment has
attracted investment from major
corporations and banks who see
even small wind projects as safe
bets.
But McGuinty tried to take a great
leap forward, essentially imposing
wind power on Ontarians, instead of
nurturing it, with the Green Energy
Act. It limits municipalities' powers to
Klock wind projects. And an untetld-
ered $7 -billion contract with South
Korean firm Samsung to develop
2,50() megawatts of wind and solar
power in Ontario seems like an
unseemly sweetheart deal, because it
guarantees rates of 13.5 cents per kil-
owatt-hour over 20 years, when rates
this year have hovered between three
and four cents.
The wind power industry sees
Ontario as fertile ground for invest-
ment. Last week's announcement
of 19 new wind farms (and several
solar projects) in Southwestern
Ontario shows McGuinty is con-
vinced Ontarians will embrace
wind power. But opposition is firm
enough that I ludak feels comforta-
ble slowing growth in wind energy.
If he does, billions of dollars of
investmeInt will move out of
Ontario at a time when the prov-
ince is its an excellent position to
capitalize on a major boom in
wind -energy projects.
letters to the editor
Businessman gives
thanks to mayor, staff
'Ib the liditor,
This is a letter of thanks to Mayor Weber.
After reading several letters to the editor
over the last several months, 1 would like to
thank you, Mayor Weber, the councillors who
have their head and heart in the right place,
and, of course, our dedicated and talented
staff for ensuring that I.amlbton Shores remains
a great place to live, work and play. .
Thank you also for not bending to ten 1,,
individuals who twist facts and fear 1110n01n
order to forward their own personal agendas
thanks for seeing and understanding the big
picture. Perhaps these individuals could do
something constructive for our community by
volunteering or joining a service club instead
of systematically trying to tear down and
destroy our municipality. I would suggest they
run for council, but 1 know they don't have the
intestinal fortitude to do so.
Mark Simpson
Lambton Shores