The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-03-10, Page 5kw
T
E
Last Wednesday.i spent 'the +iv/lore
listening to the question's and answers,
the arguments and counter arguments of
the pro -nuc and anti -nuc, positions. That
is, between those who Relieve nuclear
power is the answer to our energy needs
of the future and those who believe it is
not.
Tony McQuail, who is researching and
writing a brief to be submitted to the
Porter Commission by the Ontario
Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility had
arranged the day of meetings with of-
ficials at the Bruce Nuclear Generating
facility and invited me along.
There is little doubt about Tony's
position. He just does not believe that the
benefits offered by nuclear generated
electricity outweigh the risks involved.
It is obvious by their very positions that
the officials he talked to that day believe,
just as strongly that nuclear power is the
route we should be taking,
I have never been noted for having a
lark of opinion. Just name a topic and
eiti#er I have my, view or I'll take a
posltio>) of some sort at least for the sake
of argument. Not so on the question of
nuclear power.
I agree with a couple of points at least
made by the opposition. No matter how
safe Lam assured, nuclear generation is 1
just canot accept that anything so highly
complicated is fail-safe. And I have a lot
of sympathy for their argument that we
may be saddling future generations with
a big problem when it comes to the
disposal of nuclear wastes.
On the other hand the supporters of
nuclear power have one very strong
argument. Demand in this Province, and
in the whole of the developed world, for
energy is rising at an unbelievable rate.
With fossil fuel reserves being rapidly
depleted, and the hydrogenerating
possibilities being just about fully ex-
ploited, there are damn few alter-
natives.
Without' nuclear generation of elec-
r.
GODERICH SIGNAL-STAR,4HU
tripity we will have only' ode. choice.,.., .
use less -electricity, a -great deal less.
Following that route means we must
all come to accept 'a considerably
'reduced' standard of living. We will
have to lower our expectations.
While I think I would be prepared to do
that, and there is little doubt that Tony,
and most others. in the opposition would
be willing to do likewise, I honestly doubt
the majority would. The lack of elec-
trical' production which would result if
nuclear power were removed from the
field would produce a socio -economic -
political trauma in our society that I
would just as soon not have to be part of.
So, after many hours of hearing the
pros and the cons, I still can't make up
my mind who is right, and who is wrong.
If anyone, or any one point of view, is.
Then in Saturday's papers there were
reports of a successful break through in
the field of fusion at the Los Almos New
Mexico nuclear laboratories.
Srirntist' there hope that their
s.
R
3i
a
develaiiMerli o4ld bring'tiie,t+#
of potentially inexhaustible chem pner''
10 or even 20 years
The new system is. the ''creation lot
energy by uniting atomie nuclei +!lssfon,
the process now used in nuclear; r4r•,
tors, produces power "by' breaking , up,
nuclei and is much more dangerous TheA
fusion system does not present the same
acute problem of radioactive wasts;
either.
The scientists say continued research"''
will be needed formany. years, and
extensive engineering development is
necessary for useful energy production,
However theynow envisage a power
plant with laser fusion reactors on line
around the vear 2000. -
If we can all lower our electrical
energy consumption just a bit, and if the.
fusion process develops as quickly as is
hoped, maybe I will never have to
resolve my opinion dilemma of nuclear
power.
ul
WEEK AFTER
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nful
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the b
i on
e second year in a row the
e -Bayfield Conservation
y has cut its annual. budget by
ousand dollars.
annual meeting held recently in
the Authority approved a
budget of $502,000. The budget
as $513,932 which was almost
under the budget struck the year
t.
e the overall decrease, the
1 report shows that the general
municipalities will be up. That
comes in at slightly under nine
to $117,000, or about the same
INFORMATION, BACKGROUND AND OPINION
HERE IN HURON
increase at last year.
The Authority's share of the budget,
including levies and other revenue, is
$170,000. A slight drop from 1976.
The over-all decrease in the budget is
the result of lower provincial grants. The
province will pay $331,000 in general and
supplementary grants, about $4,000 less
than last year.
While the grants are down, the
authority's expenses have risen, mostly
because of higher fuel and material
costs. This will mean some cutbacks in..
programs, with conservation area
development being the hardest hit ac-
cording to Authority officials.
The Authority had asked for $587,760
but the Ministry of Natural Resources
cut that request back.
According to Authority resources
manager Don Pearson the cutback
shows the changing priorities of the
Ministry. It is emphasizing water
management and erosion control more
and recreational development such as
conservation areas, less.
The largest project to be undertaken
this year will be the establishment of
erosion controls in Grand Bend where
the river bank is caving in.
The water management budget for
1977 is $181,500 as compared to $140,500
for recreation and $180,000 for ad-
ministration and maintenance.
The uthority is' however expecting
extra funItsgr,om the province to finance
an "Experience" summer employment
program fol- students.
Last year the authority hired 24
students and received a grant of $36,000.
Ministry of Natural Resources cut
backs not only affected the Ausable-
Bayfield Authority. The Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority had its projected
expenditures for 1977 cut by more than
$381,000. ,
The final budget approved was for
$672,650, down from the estimate sub-
mitted of $1,054,400.
Although the revised budget is much
smaller than the proposal it is still a
significant jump from the 1976 budget of
$502,150.
Increases to the municipalities in the
watershed will be up only 10 per cent to
$104,550 despite the increase overall. The
amount paid by individual
municipalities varies with the
population and area lying within the
watershed.
The MVCA ended last year with a
deficit of about $32,000 'caused by over
expenditure in some areas and what was
described as the "disappointing"
amount of money raised by the year old
Maitland Valley Conservation Foun-
dation, a charitable organization which
donates funds and land to the authority.
The largest program being tackled by
the Authority in the coming year will be
work on the Listowel conduit which runs
under the town. A study will also be
made of the Lake Huron shoreline from
Ashfield Township to just south of
Goderich.
ding to a press release mailed to
ers across the province this
the Ontario Ministry of Labor,
e 318 fewer hazardous arenas in
now than there were one year
rause of the Ministry's Arena
rogram.
Arena Safety Program has been
ul in identifying unsafe arenas
ulating owners to correct the
" says Labor Minister Bette
son. "Our effort to protect the
those who enjoy hockey, curling
ting hat; been most successful."
P - OVINCIAL POINTS
"Most arena owners under the
program have been co-operative. I am
particularly gratified that operators of
84 arenas volunteered for the program."
On December 17 last year owners of
arenas suspected of contravening the
Industrial Safety Act were required to
submit an engineer's report on their
facilities.
The Ministry has since evaluated
these reports, and has communicated
with the owners regarding compliance
with the Industrial Safety Act.
Following the consulting engineer's
advice, in some cases, requires that the
arena be closed because of its unsafe
condition.
To date, the Ministry has received
reports on 434 arenas, including the 84
who voluntarily submitted reports.
Of these, only 11-6 were certified as
complying with the Act, while, 318
showed structural deficiencies.
Corrective action has been taken in all
318 cases, either repair, demolition or
closure.
"The seriousness of the problem
identified by the engineers' reports,
confirms the need for this program," the
Minister said.
"The response of the owners indicates
their concern for the safety of users of
their facilities."
Of the 318 which were unsafe, 69
showed only minor structural defects,
while 249 had major defects. In 34 of the
249 cases, the owners were advised to
demolish the arena. •
Of the remaining 215 cases, 112 are
still open during or pending repair,
under a strict monitoring program
established by an engineer.
Monitored arenas must close if snow
or wind loads threaten a co'ilapse.
Another 113 are closed while the owners
decide whether to..close permanently,
repair, or demolish and replace.
To date 17 new arenas have been
certified for construction and many
more are planned
Throughout the winter, Ministry in-
spectors will be spotchecking arenas
which have to be closed or which are
open under monitoring.
The cost of assuring safe arenas has
been eased by grants from the Ministry
of Culture and Recreation to cover up to
75 per cent of the funding.'
Grants of up to $75,000 or one quarter
of the cost, are available to
municipalities under the Community
Recreation Centers Act,
Funds to cover another 50 per cent are
available under the Wintario program.
Thus, the community only has to raise
one quarter of the cost, in either cash or
services.
To date the Ministry of Culture and
Recreation has committed about $18
million spread over about 150 arena
repair or replacement projects.
whet
art
ted
urst
er,
6
Out d
alk
de
co
Federal government' has in -
d a new Crown corporation
as, in effect, been charged with
rail passenger service in Canada
the tracks.
week, transportation minister
ng announced creation of the
tion which will operate all
ger rail service in this country.
ang said the new company, to be
as VIA Rail• Canada Incor-
, "Will contract with Canadian
al, and Canadian Pacific
Ys for the actual operation of
n the property of either railway
y„
an is that VIA, over a period of
CANADA IN SEVEN
time, will take over Canadian National
and Canadian Pacific routes and operate
as a subsidiary of . Canadian National
Railways. Organizational plans and
budgets will be subject to approval by
the Federal government. -
The new corporation will be operated
by a board of directors made up of
representatives from the CNR and CPR,
the government, business and labor.
According to Mr. Lang the aim is to
improve rail passenger service (which
has indeed been in need of im-
provement) and at the same time reduce
the levels of public subsidy.
"The government recognizes that the
services are unlikely to be profitable in
the short term," the transport minister
said in making the announcement. "We
are, therefore, prepared to contribute to
the capital requirements and find a
satisfactory basis for covering operating
losses, providing effective management
has been demonstrated."
Up to now the railways have been
reimbursed for 80 per cent of their
passenger service losses and this has
resulted in a decline in service according
to Mr. Lang. The new VIA system, he
said, should reduce the projected $400
million subsidy to $200 million by 1978.
Hearings are being planned to help
determine which routes will be retained
but it is expected it will; take about two
years before the new service is fully
operational.
`The transport minister has promised
to maintain passenger service where it
is desirable and necessary but said it
would be removed where it is inefficient.
He said discussions have already been
held with the unions affected by the
changes to "allow employees to remain
in their present lol±ations where
possible".
The CNR has been operating an ex-
perimental VIA service using flashy
redesigned railcars on its short intercity
runs during the past 12 months.
According to Mr. Lang this has led both
the government and the two railways to
conclude that "a single company is the
most effective mechanism to manage
passenger rail services".
"Such a company would combine CN
and CP rail passenger operations,
eliminate duplications, improve plan
ning, marketing and operations and -
most important of all - reduce costs."
Transport minister Lang said changes
in service on the Montreal to Quebec rail
routes may lead to similar im-
provements in other parts of the coun-
try. The bulk of the improvements are
expected in the Quebec -Windsor region,
which includes the major central
Canadian cities,
Les Benjamin, transportation critic
for the New Democratic Party, noted
that he was pleased the new corporation
would be publicly owned, He did say
however that "g1 billion should be spent
over, the next two or three years on rail
passenger service but that he was afraid
the government would take the attitude
that "we will get by with what we have".
The Conservative transportation critic
Jack Horner said the approach Lang is
taking is "letting CP Rail off the hook
completely in their statutory obligation
to provide a passenger service for people
across the country".
The government is getting little in
return, Hornc� says, and would have
been wiser to set up a Crown corporation
without the contracting system with CN
and CP.
top
ations are, following a meeting of
ganization of African Unity
Y at Lome, Togo, that the up -
1978 Common*ealth Games in
ton will see a number of African
stage a rePeat performance of
alkout at the Montreal Olympics
mer. '
dian officials, who admit to being
d and puzzled, are now con -
a poll of African Commonwealth.
es to discover what the apparent
altitude toward sport par-
on.expressed at that meetilig will
Cagadians are askingindividual
s 'hy their foreign. ministers
WbRLDWEK
displayed that attitude and whether it
means they will not participate in the
Games.
External affairs officials here in
Canada say they are puzzled and
disappointed, but are not jumping to any
conclusions until they -have
clarifications from the countries con=
cerned.
The OAU meeting passed a resolution
calling on its members to "refrain from
participating in all sporting events
taking place in 1,977 and 1978 in which
New Zealand, or any other country
maintaining 'sporting, links With South
Attica, participates".
This is seen as a broadening of the
Africarl.boycott which resulted in many
countries staying away from the
Olympic. Games in Montreal. And it
appears to be almost a reversal of a
decision by' the Supreme Council for
Sport in Africa (SCSA) last month which
caused considerable optimism in
Canadian and other white Com-
monwealth countries.
Africans launched their boycott
because New Zealand refused to order
sports teams not to play in South Africa
whose policy of apartheid is condemned
throughout much of the world and
certainly by the African nations.
But in the past, the boycott was aimed
only at games in whioh'New Zealand
participated. Tfie'"Lome decision ap-
pears to extend the boycott to countries
other than New Zealand.
Only last month, Canadian authorities
and those from other countries ex-
pressed encouragement at an apparent
softer attitude by African- countries
toward New Zealand.
This followed a SCSA meeting in
Camaroon at which it was indicated that
participants were prepared to recotp-
mend there be no boycott.
The meeting said the' council would
consider recommending an end to the
boycott to the OAU if New Zealand
continued its policy of, ending sport ties
with South,Africa.
Abraham Ordia, Nigerian president of
the Council, said New Zealand will be
asked to spell out its relations with South
Africa in more detail. He said par-
ticipation in the Edmonton Games will
depend largely on a change of attitude
by the Kiwis.
• Later, Prime Minister Robert
Muldoon of New Zealand expressed
delight at the action. He said the
Africans had realized that the New
Zealand government was not dictating to
sports bodies how they should act.
eanadians said that they were en-
couraged. but added the Games were not
free of the threat of a boycott.
Then the Lome meeting proved them
correct.
Now Canadian officials say they hope
that the heads of government attending
the Commonwealth conference in
London this June can thresh the matter
out once and for all.
In the meantime, they will check with
individual countries to try to discover
what is going on in the African mind.
They will ask what is needed to be done
now and by whom to make sure that
there is no boycott of the Edmonton
Games. •
Canada's official policy is to
discourage sporting contacts with South,
Africa and to express strong opposition
to apartheid in sport.