HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-06-29, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, lune 29, 1994
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EDITORIAL
Hot Lessons
The prolonged heat wave that
has hit the area, besides the discomfort
it has caused, ought to have hit us also
with a few meaningful lessons.
We will begin to understand how ex-
treme heat - as well as extreme cold -
can kill, as it did more than 400 people
recently in India.
Perhaps some of us will begin to un-
derstand the working habits of all those
'lazy' people who live in hot climes.
If we were half -way smart when heat
and humidity hit the oppressive range,
we'd copy those habits such as coming
to work earlier in the morning and either
having a rest in the heat of the day, or
working through and leaving work mid-
afternoon.
And surely we will be reminded of the
importance of our water supply and na-
ture's air -conditioners - trees - which
make our urban and residential areas liv-
able.
Letters to the editor
The Listowel Banner
Waste reduction requires team effort
... policy working because of the
co-operation of the residents and
businesses...
Re: Waste reduction program
Dear Sir:
The waste reduction program has been operating
for a year now. Despite its bumps and warts, the
Town's citizens deserve a pat on the back for their
efforts to reduce waste.
Everyone knows the environmental benefits to
proper waste management:
- reduced groundwater pollution,
- reduced land consumption
- preservation of resources (recycling means re-
using our natural resources)
- reduced air pollution.
However, do you know the financial implications
of consuming our landfill space too quickly? I sug-
gest that the cost of establishing a new landfill site
is horrendous. Here is a typical breakdown:
(1) costs of studies to obtain environment approv-
al - $I.4 million
(2) Cost of environmental hearing (if appealed) -
$1.5 million
(3) Site design - $1.5 million
(4) Site development/ preparation - $1.0 million
Total (including hearing) $5.4 million.
Add operating costs to this and you will under-
stand that landfill costs have gone out of sight.
Why? 1 suggest a number of reasons:
(1) the level of analysis and site preparation re-
quired by Provincial legislation is extremely de-
manding;
(2) appeals frequently happen (nobody wants a
landfill site for a neighbour);
(3) people create far too much garbage (pollution
of groundwater and air is thc primary result while
stringent legislation is a secondary result).
Exeter has a landfill site that "technically" is at ca-
pacity. Following approximately $130,000.00 in
study costs, we hope to obtain permission to expand
within the same property. The town is very fortunate
to have a landfill site (which the studies, we hope,
will show we can use for many more years).
Let's assume for argument's sake that our study
proves that the site can accommodate 15 years of
garbage disposal at pre -conservation rates of pro-
duction. Our waste reduction program ($2. tags,
blue box, cardboard recycling, composting, metal
recycling) now has a proven track record. Based on
recent rates of landfill space consumption, Exeter
can turn 15 years capacity into 30 years.
The savings in tax dollars will be enormous if we
continue the waste reduction program.
The truth is that Exeter Council's policy has been
working because of the co-operation of the residents
and businesses.
Unfortunately, a small minority of people have
been letting the rest of us down. There has been
some illegal dumping to avoid the $2. tag system.
Others have placed household garbage that should
be tagged out with large garbage pickup.
We have learned that some have dumped old ap-
pliances (eg. stoves) and brush onto other peoples'
property just to be rid of it. That strikes us as rather
a strange thing to do especially when one considers
that we will take appliances at no charge if they are
delivered to the landfill and that the brush can he
collected at large garbage pickup, again at no cost.
The council believes in pulling together to solve
problems. The waste reduction program is an exam-
ple of an entire community "working smart."
To those who are with us. T say thank you and
keep up the good work. For the few who aren't con-
vinced of the merits of our program, please read this
letter again and join the team.
Yours very truly,
Bruce Shaw
A DIRE WARNING
THAT MIGHT ACTu4LLY
WORK.
No heroes have been identified so far in the
row over same-sex rights, but the opposition
Liberals clearly are being painted as the vil-
lains.
The New Democrat government, as even its
fervent admirers have finally conceded, badly
mismanaged its attempt to give homosexual
couples the same rights to employment benefits
and adopt children as heterosexual couples.
The NDP made not even the slightest effort to
educate the public before introducing its bill
proposing the fundamental changes, although
there had been little previous discussion of the
issues in the legislature-
Governments commonly bring in white pa-
pers or draft bills qp much less contentious is-
sues so they can be debated and public opinion
obtained before they commit themselves.
The NDP's over -ambitious bill raised homo-
sexuals' expectations unfairly. When the NDP
realized it lacked support and offered at the last
minute to scrap large chunks later if only its
critics would vote to keep it alive now, it was
offering a post-dated cheque none could have
accepted.
And when police and security guards using
unnecessary force pushed, prodded and hurled
understandably dejected and peacefully demon-
strating gays out of the legislature building af-
ter their hopes crashed, NDP MPPs stayed out
of sight and made no attempts to intercede for
those they had misled.
None even protested later at this further hu-
miliation of gays, because it was done under
the auspices of and NDP speaker responsible
for security.
But the NDP probably will retain and even
strengthen its support among gays in an elec-
tion, because at (east it tried to extend their
rights.
The Progressive Conservatives, who opposed
same-sex legislation unreservedly, as they did
in winning a byelection in March, will gain
some strength among the large segment of the
public against it. The Tories are not being criti-
Ability to make own decisions
As I sat down at my desk -
Thursday morning I noticed an
enlarged Free Press newspaper
clipping had been taped to the
front of my computer. I didn't
even need to look at the mes-
sage scrawled across the top be-
fore I knew it was the handi-
work of my fellow reporter
Catherine O'Brien.
The headline of the article
read: Increase in smoking the
first in 30 years. The subhead
read: Women smokers are
bringing up the numbers. Be-
low that Catherine had written,
"we don't need men to abuse us
we can do it ourselves - right
Erin" (I think this was a little
dig at my past two columns)
Anyway, 1 proceeded to read the
article.
According to the Canadian
Press, tobacco use is on the rise
in Ontario and women account
for most of the new smokers.
Six percent more women 18
and older are smoking this year,
and they blame this on thc avail-
ability of cheaper cigarettes.
A York University senior sci-
entist was quoted as saying that
the increase for women is con-
sistent with the fact that the low-
er income of women makes
them more price sensitive than
men, and are more likely to
react to tax cuts.
Though I was surprised to dis-
cover that women on the whole
had started smoking more, I was
not surprised when I read why.
It was, after all, part of the rea-
son that I began smoking. The
tax cut allowed me to go from
being a 'I only smoke when I
drink' smoker to a more fre-
quent smoker. I was always
smart enough to know that I
couldn't afford five dollars a
pack, but heck, what's three?
I also justify myself by saying
that not only does my mother
and all of my friends smoke, but
I breath in carbon monoxide la-
den air anyway. In fact, I heard
the other day that margarine can
give you cancer. Hey, the sun
itself is going to be a big killer
this decade.
Many of you may be thinking
excuses, excuses. But I realized
that by age 19 - almost 20 - I
havc thc ability to make my
own decisions, unlike when I
was caught smoking at age 16
by mom and dad.
True to the nature of a report-
er, 1 started to think a little more
about cigarette tax cuts.
It seems to me that the types
of repercussions we are experi-
encing should have been easy
enough to predict. It is a fairly
simple theory that says if prices
go down, sales go up.
So, what was the government
really thinking when they mas-
terminded this whole trap?
Perhaps they were killing two
birds with one stone.
They put an end to smuggling,
for now, and they also managed
to get a whole new segment of
society addicted to smoking.
That seems like an extra bang
for the buck.
Sure they put on a good act by
creating all of these anti-
smoking laws, but just like the
prohibition and illegalization of
marijuana, people always seek
the things that are forbidden.
Read George Orwell's 1984 if
you would like to explore this
idea further. Most of my gov-
ernment conspiracy theories are
rooted in Orwell's writing.
However, until I find a little
news clipping about eating too
many chocolate donuts, and
drinking too much coffee to tape
to Catherine's desk, I think I'll
just go have a cigarette.
Liberals being painted as the villains
cized much even by the bill's supporters, be-
cause they are seen as a declared enemy which
merely stuck to its guns.
The Liberals are bearing the brunt of public
criticism. Premier Bob Rae blamed Liberal
leader Lyn McLeod for the bill's defeat. Gays
marched with an effigy of McLeod they
planned to burn, but no effigy of Tory leader
Mike Harris, although he would not concede
them an inch.
Gays picketed a Liberal office and shouted
'shame on Lyn' and 'we hate McLeod most'.
The Campaign for Equal Families says it will
follow the Liberal leader wherever she goes to
voice concern at her 'betrayal' of gay rights.
The factual history is that McLeod in a by-
election last year in a riding with many gays
urged Rae to 'act on the issue of the extension
of family and survivor benefits to samesex
couples.'
After the Liberal candidate was elected, she
voted for his private member's bill to provide
these benefits.
McLeod refused to support the legislation the
NDP eventually introduced, arguing legitimate-
ly it would have gone further by allowing
same-sex couples to adopt children and desig-
nating their partners as 'spouses.'
But the other parties and much of the media
took the simplistic view that McLeod had sup-
ported same-sex rights once and now opposed
them and thus had flip-flopped the NDP and
Tories spent more time accusing the Liberals of
reneging than debating the legislation.
But in the end McLeod fli flopped anyway.
She could have offered to support another bill
limited to giving same-sex couples the employ-
ment rights she pressed for earlier, which the
NDP would have had to approve.
But the Liberal leader became alarmed at the
resentment the same-sex issue stirred and de-
cided it would be safer not to offer anything
even though it meant abandoning her earlier
proposal for partial rights -- the Liberals are not
entirely miscast as heavies.