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Home My WebLink AboutLakeshore Advance, 2012-03-21, Page 15' '4 likelahtidAdikhcb • ilwednistday, Atilvf 6,1011 opinion www.Inkeshoreedvance,ram osburo AiIvaoco PUBLISHED WEEKLY P.O.BOX 1195 58 Ontario St., North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO phone: 519-238-5383 fax: 519-238-5131 email: (advance@bowesnet.com SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CUFFORD Publisher/Advertising Manager nditfordebowesnet.com LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor ladvance®bowesnet. com STEVE NORTHEY Advertising Sales JUUE HARRISON Typeset ng/Cla sstf l eds KATHY YOUNG Accounts Receivable SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE Regular $39.95 (38.05+1.90 GST) Online wbecriptlons available—same rates Publications Mall Agreement No. 40064683 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 7594 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O.Box 1195 58 Ontario St. North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519.238.5383 e -mall: Iadvanceebowesnet.com Changes of address, orders for subscriptions, and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to Lakeshore Advance at the address Indicated here. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertise- ment will be paid at the applicable rates. ire eckrota e the bansupport of do Goverment of Canada, through the Ar6AIaaCbns Assistsnoe Prop= (AAP) totaard our meting costs' Canaua Aocna eip ()pc editorial Green takes a back seat e Conservatives didn't do anything significant for the envi- ronment in budget because that's what Canadians Tri s will accept. When you consider that politicians rarely get out in front of voters' attitudes with legislation, we've got a long way to go before we seri- ously tackle issues surrounding climate change. Canadians appear to be satisfied with baby steps. Examining the data from Statistics Canada's 2009 report on Households and the Environment, released this month, Canadians are getting better at doing the little things, but most us of are not willing to make major lifestyle changes. We'll pay attention to little green things, especially where it's rela- tively convenient. But where it's a bit more inconvenient, we're only good at the more obvious things. The survey shows Canadians are drinking bottled water less often, more of us have low -flow showerheads and low-volume toilets and more people use programmable thermostats and turn them down at night. But are these environmentally conscious decisions or is the moti- vation really cost savings? Likely, it's a murky green mixture of both. After all, if you're paying for tap water, why buy bottled water when it's not as good for the environment? Are we using low-vol- ume showers and toilets because we want to preserve water to help the environment or to save money? Here's an indication of how we won't really step out for green. We could return fluorescent lights to a drop-off depot, but they only contain a little foggy gas, so what's the harm in throwing them in the garbage? More than half of us still do just that. Yet 70% of us return solvents to the drop-off depot or the supplier, likely because it's much more apparent that pouring corrosive material down the drain is nasty. Even dropping off dead batteries at the depot is a little too incon- venient for a lot of us -- 42 per cent of us toss them in the garbage. Eighty percent of us gave environmentally friendly cleaning agents a shot, but only 10% of us do it all the time. But half of us use reusable bags at the grocery store, a 19 per cent increase over 2007. After all, many of us pay for plastic bags now. Our murky green ways are even more evident when we shop for motor vehicles. Pickup trucks, minivans and SUVs outsold passenger vehicles in 2010 - when we began to emerge from the recession and we could be a bit more confident in our finances. In fact, they're still the big- gest sellers in Canada into 2011. A 2009 survey on Canadians' priorities when buying a vehicle conducted for Pollution Probe showed we do not put the environ- ment first on the priority list. Or second. Or third. In fact, vehicle emissions and pollution ranked eighth in priori- ties, behind reliability, safety, price, reputation, fuel efficiency, expected operating costs and size. But what of fuel efficiency? It ranked fourth. It's just as likely lower costs are the motivator. And as for Tuesday's budget: A Nanos Research poll released Fri- day showed 45 per cent of Canadians placed health care as a prior- ity, 35 per cent chose the economy and a mere 15 per cent saw the environment as a priority. There has been a blitz of climate -change stories in the news recently. Allergy seasons are longer, there are more polar earth- quakes and winters are likely to be stormier: Either we're not buying it, or we're just more interested in buying - and the politicians know it. Stratford Beacon-IIerald Make your vote count It was an interesting few Clays in 'Toronto last week. As a political junkie, 1 could not have picked a better time - the federal elec- tion (neces- sary or not) had just been called and the provincial budget (good or bad) was about to be read. It was an exciting time because this is real politics. Whatever tier of government you, the taxpayer, has stakes in, be sure that resolutions are reached. You are the voter, and Just as you did itt the municipal election Iasi fall, talk to the candi- dates. The interest groups can't he your proverbial political bible - these are not the people you voted in. 'their opinions are merely one side of the farts. For those who are in power, what have they don' for your municipality? For those who are not, what are their plans to the futtnr' of where you live, work and play? Are they looking through the winds hie Id or the Sands of Time Lynda Hinman-Rapley Editor, Lakeshore Advance rt'Ittvirw 11111.1.01 as they mad decisions 1 you, four chat then, and Four granlchiIthen, 'I1u' en'tgy in Toronto this week was engaging, Everyone was interested in what was happening.In a coffee top 1 visited, there was a table Of foto people, all reading the national headlines. Not one headline was the satire, thankfully, Different writers, different opinions, different takes on what is happen Ing, This group discussed what they had just read - not taking the information as gospel -hut as the backdrop for the questions they would ask the people who tu•e vying for leadership, 'there was n► grandstanding - just Ineuu ingful, mature conversation. 1'ou could tell these people wino 10 he part of the 'roc. ess, 'They were tip to date on the issues and cognizant of the facts, Ilow refresh '1\vo important elections this year. IIB informed ani make►t1r vote count, letters to the editor Clinton Fair seeks past participants for 40th reunion 1.0 tire Editor: this June, the Clinton Spring Eair will celebrate its 1 S 7 th year, Fair board directors are also excited to anwunWt' this will he the 40th year of the Ambassador of the lair Competition (forin'tly known as the Queen of the IWr),'Ili celebrate this milestone, fait organizers would like to invite all past Clinton Spring lit Qtleens and Anlllassudors to a "meet and greet" to he held tlpsttelt s at tole Clinton arena on Friday, lune 3, 2011, at 411.m„ prior to this year's competition, All past Queens and Ambassadors arr then asked to stay 401 this year's competition to be introduced during the cerentouy. Please wear your sashes and tiaras, We would also Tike your help to organize a 11o11t for the 111151(1lt'en ant rlmhasstulol to ride 00 together during the parade on titlltnitly, 11111t" 1, at noon, l )11e to the number of yet►rs this competition has been taking place, relocations, nt1111e changes, etc,, t►I'gt1111/t'ls are asking for 1 assistance of family and mends to help tis locate out p,i Queens and Antbatsstttllol s, Any past Queens and Alnhassttduts of the('llntiln Sl►1 lug Fah are asked to contact dliecturs Dawn Powell 1411ked ;tt (`,1')) •111.: 3915 ore -taut) ddknlp.nker0,Iettlli'tv,on,ca t►1 Itlrntltl 114111 alt (519).182-55119 by May 1, 2011. 'thank you foo any assistance yon may provide. 1)awn Powall-Parket 1 Vh.o-Prnskkttt, Clinton Spring Fait