HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-08-16, Page 5WK.
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Group claims Mulroney
unwilling to meet them
Dear Editor:
Kindly publish this open letter to
Prime Minister Mulroney.
Thanking you for your anticipated
help and in the name of peace,
Jim Hollingworth
Organizing Member
Canadian Peace Pledge
Campaign for Huron -Bruce
Dear Mr. Mulroney:
It was with deep regret that we
heard of your unwillingness to meet
with, members of the Huron -Bruce
Peace Pledge Campaign when you
were recently in Goderich. It is
difficult for us to understand why'
you would not give ten minutes of
your time to, meet with the pro -
peace, anti-nuclear lobby of the
Huron -Bruce riding. As requested
by your office, we are now sending
you details of our ideas, together
With a gift of the Nide° "Choices for
the Future". We hope you will watch
the video with your family.
Like the, majority of Canadians,
we are in total favor of Canada
maintaining and developing a
defensive , military position.
However, under your goverment,
Canada is developing, testing and
helping to , manufacture , many
offensive, destabilizing weapons
systems.
The planned purchase of attack
nuclear -powered submarines, the
contfnuing testing, of .the Cruise
missile, the continuing export of
enriched uranium and tritium, the
permission for Canada to be
involved in the Air Defence
• Initiative, the allowing of Canadian
companies to be involved m "Star
Wars" contracts, the possibility that
the North Warning Surveillance
System. may be used in SDI, the
frequent visits_ to our ports of
nuclear -powered and possibly
nuclear -armed war ships, and the
frequent B-52 flight training
exercises in British Columbia,
Alberta and Northern Ontario are
examples of the offensive, escalat-
ing, militaristic policies that your
government is pursuing. You and
your ministers speak of peace, while
your collective behavior is that of
preparing to wage war. We are
reminded of a saying by an old
Chinese sage: "Unless we change
our direction, we are likely to end up
- where -we are headed." • -
We Would now like to outline the
tremendous role that Canada could
play if defensive policies and sur-
veillance were the hallmarks of the
nation's, military activity. Firstly,
Canada should be declared a nuclear
weapons free zone. In doing -this,
Canada would become a neutral
territory between both super powers
in the nuclear arms race. Secondly,
by increasing our surveillance of the
Arctic — which can be done readily
without the purchase of the nuclear -
powered submarines — we could
report any intrusion into the
Canadian Arctic by either of the
super powers to an international
body such as the United Nations,
This would take the pressure off both
super powers, since both would be
reassured of a truly neutral country
between them.
As you are aware, such a neutral
Canadian position has been well
researched and recommended by
many Canadian defense experts. We
deeply hope that you will consider
changing from, an offensive,
destabilizing,, military position, to
one involving neutrality, surveil-
lance and defence of Canadian, terri-
tory.
Each one of us is responsible for
the future. We recognize that it is
time for us to return to common
sense and to make conscious choices
about how we live on this fragile
planet Earth. We are_ not just
passengers on spaceship Earlik:We
are the crew. We are not just the
residents of this planet, we are the
citizens. The difference in both cases
is responsibility. We urge you ,now to
model this responsibility and join us
in, making a conscious choice for
peace. Peace is longer- a
philosophical ,choice, it is a survival
choice.
In the name of peace,
Jim Hollingworth
Jane McClinchey
Fran McQuail
Dianne Klopp
Pauli Sommer
Brigitte Wolf
AY.
•
•
BRUCE McCALL, MVCA chairman presents Conservation Award of Distinction to Lorne Murray of Mary -
borough Township during the semi-annual general meeting of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
held fast week in Wroxeter. An award of distinction was also presented to Holmesville-area farmer Donald
Lobb.
•
;L.
A training package developed to
educate workers about hazardou§
materials in the workplace has been
unveiled by Ontario Labor Minister
Greg Sorbara.
The package was prepared as a
result of amendments to the
Occupational Health and Safety Act
and is designed to assist employers
in: meeting the requirements of
legislation which comes into effect
on Oct. 31, 19 .
Under the legislation, Ontario
becomes a partner in the new
national Workplace Hazardous
Materials Information System
(WHMIS). The WHMIS requires the
uniform labelling of all hazardous
workplace materials and the
creation of, material safety data
sheets.
Amendments to the Occupational
Health and Safety Act require ,all
employers to provide training for
employees working with, or in
proximity to, hazardous, materials
so that they know the danger and are
able to deal with emergencies. The
package will serve as a basic
educational tool for employers and
employees, and contains training
modules dealing with the WHMIS
Teg.14atictrIS,. information delivery,
basic occupational health, control,
and emergency.
Co-ordinated by the Ontario
Ministry of Labor and the
Occupational Health and Safety
Education Authority of the Workers'
Compensation BOard;„ the training
package has been develOPed as a
joint effort by employer safety asso-
ciations and the Workers' Health
and Safety Centre.
The development of the training
materials and the training of
WHMIS instructors who will deliver
programs across the province have
both been funded by the ministry of
labor.
Where a workplace lacks facilities
for formal training, employers and
employees will be able to take
advantage of courses offered at the
by Huron
• Jack Ridd611,
Agriculture and Food
Minister
community level.
The training package can be
ordered by contacting the Occu-
pational Health and Safety
Education Authority at (416) 927-
4175, any safety association, in. the
Workers' Occupational Health and
Safety Centre at the Ontario
Federation of Labor in Toronto.
Training Boost
Almost $2 , million has been
awarded to 54 of Ontario's
community industrial training
committees for operating costs,
Skills Development Minister Alvin
Curling has announced.
A further $400,000 has been given
to 29 committees to conduct labor
market surveys which will help
determine local training needs.
As autonomous organizations
funded by provincial and federal
governments and, made up of
volunteers from business, industry,
labor, government and education,
the community industrial training
committees identify and respond to
local training needs.
Conducting local surveys on train-
ing needs, recommending training
course content, and 'acting as
resource centres for skilled workers
seeking upgrading are-som th
activities of these committees.
Grant Announcements
Health Minister Elinor Caplan has
announced a one-time special em-
ployment equity grant to Seaforth
Community Hospital. A grant of
.;$2;,500 plus reimbursement of
' consultant expenses up to $1,000 Will
assist the hospital in undertaking a
review of hospital policies,
employment systems, recruitment
and hiring practices, and access to
staff training and development
opportunities.
The Town of Goderich will receive
a $40,000, municipal road subsidy
from the Ontario Ministry of
Transportation for work on Suncoast
Drive West. This is in addition to the
regular grants provided by the
ministry.
Writer concerned about
rush to abandon rail lines
Dear Editor:
I am concerned about the sudden
rush to abandon railway lines across
the country and especially in
Ontario. I see railways as an
alternative to the ever-increasing
proliferation of separate fossil fuel -
burning highway vehicles. It, may
well prove necessary and, beneficial
to , make greater use of the
fundamentally , more energy-
efficient and environmentally less -
damaging rail network as an
alternative.
The interests of the nation must lie
in:
–Conserving energy supplies
–Reducing pollution (carbon diox-
ide, lead and.asbestos).
–Slowing down the onset of the
greenhouse effect which is heating
the planet, and which is caused by
burning fossil fuels.
–Increasing highway safety by
reducing the, mix of heavy trucks
with smaller automobiles.
–Reducing the costs to taxpayers
of an ever heavier duty highway
system.
--Maximizing opportunities for
regional development (rail access
for industrial parks, commuter and
tourist trains).
I feel that it is essential to dev p
a . Mechanism to assist lean,
motivated r Iona' entrepreneurs
who would be willing to grow with
the communities they serve in the
reactivation of rail lines, which the
large centralized companies wish to
abandon.
I recommend that interested citi-
zens write or send a clipping of this
letter to: The Honorable Benoit
Bouchard, Minister of Transport,
Ottawa, Canada, KlA ON5 (no
postage required), and Mr. Michael
Farquhar, Director, General Rail
Policy, Transport Canada, Place de
Ville, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A ON5.
Ask them to protect Canada's
remaining railway lines for the
reasons listed ... and please add any
other reasons. Ask them also to
reverse recent decisions to abandon
rail lines until it is possible to
produce new Canada -wide transpor-
tation -energy policies which take the
environmental impact of various
transportation modes into serious
account.
Copies to your MP and MPP would
also help.
Sincerely
Ross Snetsinger
Toronto
' 0-0-0
Absurdity: A statement or belief
manifestly inconsistent with one'S
own opinion.
Ambrose Bierce
"The Devil's Dictionary"
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