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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-10-16, Page 44 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, October 16, 2013 0 � Inlon www.lakeshoreadvance.com oslioro Advamie PUBLISHED WEEKLY P.O.BOX 1195 58 Ontario St., North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO phone: 519-238-5383 fax: 519-238-5131 email: lakeshore.advance®sunmedia.ca SUN MEDIA A Quelx'cor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher/ Advertising Manager nell.cllltordriDsunmodla.ca LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor Iakoshoro.advanco@sunmedla.ca MARK STEPHEN Advertising Sales mark.stophonOsunmodla.ca KATHY YOUNG Typesotting/ClassIfiods Iakoshoro.ads©sunmodla.ca www.Iakeshoreadvance.com Publications Mail Agreement No 40064683 01 T(INNUNDPlMHMIf CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P 0.8ox 1195 58 Ontario St. North Grand Bond ON NOM 11 () for any non deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519.238-5383 e mnII Inkeshorn ndvance4esunmedla.ca Changes of address, orders for subscriptions, noxi undeliverable copies (lehun postage guaranteed) aro to be sent to l aheshi. rnAdvanceat the address Indicated here Advertising le accepted ort the condition that In the event of a typographical error, the portion of the ndveitlsing space cx:cupind by the erroneous Item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will 1101 be charged tor, but the balance of the ndvnrtise- ment will be paid et the applicable rates we achnowledµe the financial rapport of the Government t of f :anada through the t:anarllan Periodical Fond (1:1'I') for our publishing acttvitlen. Canada Munxrr of tie, Coln(144u1 Connbunrty Nn vekita er Mwx iAtion and the Ontario l`.wrxnunity Noveitiapeis Aswx simian editorial Maybe time to end the bump -up process Maybe it is time the Part 11 11111111)-111) process was t'linti nated. This provincial process is so the public can have it voice when they, the taxpayer, do not agree with an environmental assessment project. It is essentially an appeal process, it is a process that involves sending a letter to the Ministry of the Environment to explain wiry you agree or disagree with what they are dying within the scope of a project- with a specific criteria (napped out. For the (rand Bend Sewer Treatment Plant all the fart 11 requests centred around size --in a (oldilocks theme the first httllll) (11) request was because the facility planned Was too hig- the second was because it was too small. After seven years- the plant will proceed. So, you compile a letter ant) are told quite clearly- or so the Ministry hopes, that if you don't want your personal informa- tion released, you need to inform the branch of the MOl , 'Mere is no deadline on this request and if you don't receive the said letter, as many said, you really don't know this if you have never appealed. Problem number one. At the end of the day this is a public document so it is unclear why you would be given the choice of confidentiality. Problem number two. 'Then there could be an appeal to allow your personal infor- mation released. 'Ihe Privacy Commission sends a letter asking again if you want to have your personal information released. You may say no, again and in the case of the (rand Bend project 12 people did say no- your name will he released anyway. 'Ihis quasi- democratic process takes months, time that delays the project. One council member even asked if tht'y could appeal the appeal if the MO1: validated the complaints. 1 loly cow! If that happened- this project may have never proceeded. 'ihe MO1: says they made sure the people understood they had a choice. 'the Privacy Commission says they were not aware the names were being released because it is clear some said 00 to the release. Some of those people who bothered to voice their concerns in an appeal, say their communities were never part of the discussion, that their council members were making decisions for the future without asking their opinions both in the first hump tip where the MOI? agreed and the sec- ond where they diel not. if the appeal process is a means to appease, that is probably nota good enough reason to delay a project. - l.)'nln 1lillnun-itul)ley LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lakeshore Advance welcomes letters to the editor. letters mtist include the writer's full name, address, daytime phone number and signature (for verifi cation. Anonymous letters will not he published. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions including letters for clarification, style and length. Letters mast he signed and he in good taste and follow the laws of libel ami slander. letters to the editor Provincial Liberals will never learn 1)ear editor: Elton John's lyrics "Sorry seems to be the hardest word" is becoming the Provincial Liberal's theme song. liven though they have had enough experience now to he cautious of forging ahead with actions that could have dire consequences, herd they are apologizing for the incompe- tent gas plant scandal at the same time as they rubber stamp an endless cue of industrial wind contracts in rural Ontario. '(hese contracts to wind developers are to supply an unrelia- ble, intermittent amount of electricity to an expanded grid (that we don't have yet) at an exorbitant cost. 1t is for power we don't need but have to use anyway instead of reliable base load power. Rural Ontario has mounted in the past three years the largest protest movement in the province's history against these thousands of industrial wind turbines, Mit it has been ignored by the Liberals unlike the gathering in Oakville with grin Hrockovich. 'I he cost of this 'so called green wind energy' has the long term possibility of dwarfing the 1.1 hillion they blew on the gas plants and it all will he added to your hydro hill. 1'o he even more absurd, we have our environment minis- ter telling us we will save money by paying these wind devel- opers to turn off their turbines and not produce electricity. Will this Liberal government in (Queens Park ever learn? I think not. Roy Merkley Grand Bend merig@tlay.net Learning on the job? Dear editor: It was comforting to read in the newspaper recently, that Premier Kathleen Wynne has come to the realization, that it would not he a good idea for the Liberals to plan 00 having any further (as Plant scandals. W. H. Metcalfe Grand Bend Explosive revelations in Ontario power plant scandal 1)1wr editor: 'Ihe National Citizens Coalition was disgusted to learn of the total costs associated with the Ontario Liberals' contro- versial decision to cancel the construction of two power plants. According to Ontario's Auditor General the final cost may range anywhere from $950 -million to $1.1 -1)1111011. "'Ihe Ontario Liberals initially claimed that the cost to can- cel the power plants would he $40 -million," says Peter Cole- man, President and CEO of the National Citizens Coalition. it is tithe for this government to stop hiding from this scan- dal and face the music. Taxpayers want justice." 'Ihe Ontario Liberal party has been reluctant to hand over documents relating t0 the power -plant fiasco - particularly anything relating to the anticipated costs of the decision. "'Ihis is not just poor oversight - this is criminal activity and violation of the public trust at the highest level," continues Coleman. "We are demanding a full criminal investigation into this natter including the efforts to cover-up the true costs a11(1 mislead taxpayers." Since the Ontario Liberals took office ten years ago the pro- vincial debt has risen by more than $1 20 -billion. "'This government has completely lost touch with hard- working taxpayers," adds Coleman. "It is long past time for a change' in Ontario" Peter Coleman President and CEO National Citizens Coalition