Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-06-21, Page 5IWWNESPAY, JUNE 21r 1995 Find alternatives to landfill dumping An open letter. to Huron County Cjovncil: Inasmuch as Huron County Council has not yet contacted me concerning the open letter sent to Council three weeks ago, I thought .: that I would send a reminder. I am still interested in receiving answers to the questions asked, concerning Ashfield's rights to have a demo- cratic say. I thought that I would take this opportunity to outline a few of the ppints of contention and Alterna- tives Committee of Concerned Citi- zens of Ashfield and Area (CCAA) has with the Waste Management Committee. This pertains to the A3 dump in Ashfield. From the first public meeting on March 18, the CCAA has asked that an alternative be sought to building another dump. We were told that a" law prohibited incinera- tion. While true at the time, we argued that testing, on the A3 site should be put on hold until after the election, when with a different gov- ernment the rules might change. If a more favorable form of waste dis- posal was found it would prove to be a waste of taxpayers money to invest in a dump never used. Their answer was test drilling; so much for taxpayers money. During the election 'campaign, Mike Harris vowed to scrap Onta- rio Regulation 555/92 which pro- hibited the establishment of munici- pal waste incinerators. Still, the County moved forward to find a dumpsite. The Mike Harris government has now been elected, with this new de- velopment, we insist that Huron County Council reconsider alterna- tives to landfilling which are unsafe for the public within miles of the site. Your hesitation, which may have been, justified at the time holds little water now - what is your excuse now. If you say that you are against in- cineration,' it would be hypocracy seeing that although it is environ- mentally harmful, you allow burn - Your own documents state that some leachate will get into the groundwater. Moreover, your pro- posed A3 dump will replace many smaller dumps. This is in direct conflict with up-to-date knowledge in waste management. At a semi- nar, a CCAA member was told that it was safer to have several small dumps than one large dump, due to the higher concentrations of chemi- cals at one site. A few facts about municipal sol- id waste (MSW) dumps. Referring to a report entitled "Toxic Sub- stances Emitted by MSW Land- fills"; and- flls"; its introduction states the fol- lowing: This report reviews available data on toxic substances present in MSW landfill leachate and gas. These substances, many of which are carcinogens (cancer forming) are emitted into the air, surface water and groundwater and thus present serious environmental and public health threats. The re- port lists 53 toxic compounds and metal found in the dumps studied. Ninety per cent of the dumps con- tained benzene and vinylchloride which are so toxic that they are banned from municipal landfills. With regard to the environment; methane which is emitted from dumps is a greenhouse gas and is a contributor to the greenhouse ef- fect. In "a landfill without methane energy recovery generates 12 times. more greenhouse gas than MSW combusted in ai modern waste -to - energy (incinerator) facility. Even with the hopeful estimates for methane energy recovery, waste -to - energy is six times more desirable than landfilling". Likewise toxic substances are destroyed by the process, of incineration. Europe and also Canada have the technology to dispose of waste per- manently and safely. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. In conclusion, dumps are hazard- ous to the public safety which con- travenes the obligation of responsi- bility municipalities have toward their constituents. Furthermore,this ing of'waste:at township dumps. If Is' no lodger simply an issue of you are against .incineration be-q4Uilding a dump - it has become cause you feel that it is too expen- also of in whose hands do we en - sive, we challenge you to bring forth your updated repots on incin- eration costs. We completely agree with Huron County councillor Mason Bailey who said, "I don't think we should be looking for landfill sites any- more. The world is developing bet- ter methods of waste management, and they are very good methods. A landfill site is a landfill site, big or small, poison will get into the water and•that is not going to go away." trust our environment. Surely not into the hands of those who reck- lessly disregard or are ignorant of safer waste disposal technology. We perhaps cannot do anything about how the environment is mis- handled half way around the earth, but to mishandle our environment here with effects that will -effect ad- versely three or more generations is immoral. Rob McQueen, Ashfield Twp. Canadians admit they cheat on taxes Dear Editor: To cheat or not to cheat? That is the question. And the answer is "to cheat". At least, that was the answer given by Canadians when asked if they had in the past, or would in the future, cheat on their taxes. According to a Financial Post/Compas poll con- ducted May 21 to May 23, three out of four Canadians or 72% claimed they would evade taxes if given the opportunity. Another two out of every five, or 42% said that they have already broke the law by evading taxes. Seeking support for film Dear Editor: We need your help. We are a non-profit group called Canadian Film Scene. We would like to air our two hour program on the com- munity channel in your community. In order for it to be aired we need people from your community to send us a letter requesting it be shown. The program features cana- dian independent film and has been written about in the Globe acid Mail. If you think that Canadian Film Scene should have the chance to air in your community on September 17, please write a brief letter of support to Rick Trus, Suite 516, 1450 Chestnut St., Vancouver, V6J 3K3. Fax him at (604) 689-9235. Or you can E -m:4 him at: foot- path @ islandnet.coni What could possibly have gotten into a nation full of genuinely hon- est citizens who hold the credo of "peace, order, and good govern- ment" above all else? How about overpaid politicians, political cor- ruption and government waste. The Cornpas poll indicated that 78% of respondents wanted to cheat on their taxes when they heard about corrupt politicians and porkbarrel spending, 68% blamed "overpaid politicians/bureaucrats", and 49% felt comfortable cheating because "taxes are too high".Big surprise. What is shocking is that various political commentators are aston- ished by the results. The average Canadian has known for some time that there is a quiet revolution go- ing on, that taxes are too high and that frie -aand neighbours are "opting t" of the government's tax system/t seems pretty straight- forward that as tax rates rise so too does tax evasion. The higher takes get, the more there is to be gained by cheating and the less severe the penalties seem in relation: If the tax collector took 70% of income for example, there would probably be more cheaters than taxpayers. Consider this: according to the Fraser Institute, between 1961 and 1994 the average Canadian family's tax bill rose from 22% to 46% of its income. At that rate Canadians may be looking at a tax bill of 70% by the year 2027. The inevitable out- come of such insane tax increases is the flourishing of the under- ground economy. While no one can accurately say how big the underground economy actually is (estimates range any- where from 538 billion to 5158 bil-' Please see CANADIANS//5 Long time members. —Three members of the Lions Club of Wingham were pre- sented with long time service chevrons at last Tuesday's meetiryiq, The three were Bert Askes for 10 years, Lee Vance for 40 years, and Murray Gaunt for 30 years. Lions Club executive...The 1995-96 executive of the Lions Club of Wingham include (front) president Bill Crump, first vice-president Lorne MacKenzie, second vice- president Muray Gaunt, and third vice-president Don McPhee; (back) tail twister Bill Peace, sec- retary Dawson Pollock, past president John McInnes, and directors Lloyd Humphrey, Stewart Beattie, and Jim Brown. Absent are director Russell Zurbrigg and treasurer Jim Dore. THE IMAM ADVANCE -TIMES 5_ 1arine markers wash up Police warn of hazard GODERICH - Three "Marine Lo- cation Markers" have now washed up onto shore around the Amberley Beach area. These containers are dropped from airplanes to mark a position on the water surface. They are a metal cylinder, aluminum in color, approximately 46 cm long and 7.5 cm in diameter and contain Pyro- technic Composition (red phos- phorous). When operating properly, they give off flame and dense white smoke for about 15 minutes. Some wash up on shore before they have completely burned, leav- ing them very dangerous and vola- tile. In this state they can cause se- vere' burns if handled. If you find one of these contain- ers, do not touch, mark the spot and report it to the police immediately. HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION OF ONTARIO The Heart Facts Are parents who smoke affecting their children? Parents who smoke in the presence of their children not only expose them to the health risks, but set an example that. their children are likely to follow. Of every 1000 children who start smoking, 750 have at least one parent who smokes. For more information, contact your local chapter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. Improving your odds against Canada's #1 killer �ilueva.le K.ou.ntry Kitchen DAILY SPECIALS! Monday - Hot Hamburg Sandwich Tuesday - Home -Maid Schnitzel Dinner Wednesday - Liver & Onions Thursday - Oven Roasted Turkey Friday - Fish Dinner Saturday - Roast Beef Dinner Above Dinners Include Tossed Salad, Veggies, Roll, Potatoes, Tomato Juice, and Coffee. Tea or Small Pop, Sunday Smorgasbord 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Seniors' Menu Available Anytime! Hours: Monday - Thursday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Open Friday & Saturday HI 9 p.m. Sunday 81 8 p.m. Korner of Hwy 086 & 087 Bluevale 357-1220 viys‘cia 1 ecC WINGHAM & DISTRICT HOSPITAL Qdca1 Centr e �yee� Set tea a& es eO, Would Like Your Input On Plans For Future Hospital Development CageCoe �C Come and attend a PUBLIC FORUM on Wingham & District Hospital's Strategic Plan -94 sad co r�1 at F,E. Madill S.S. Library MONDAY, JUNE 26 8:00 PAW Refreshments to Follow 4'S 444 alai alth �s.