HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-06-17, Page 5letters to the editor
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 • News Record 5
www.clintonnewsrecord.com
Reader encourages people to follow Caribou Legs' journey
Dear Editor:
Canada is blessed with 2.5 mil-
lion lakes and rivers. At this point
in time, 99 per cent of them have
been stripped of federal environ-
mental protection as a result of leg-
islation passed during Mr. Harper's
nine years of environmental
neglect.
In 2012, the Harper government
hastily passed the omnibus Bill
C-45. This irresponsible,
non -sustainable piece of legislation
cancelled pending environmental
impact reviews on 3,000 energy
projects, projects, which included
mining, fracking and tar sands,
pipeline proposals.
Not long ago 2.5 million lakes
and rivers in Canada were pro-
tected by federal legislation. Today,
only 159 remain protected by fed-
eral legislation.
In the month of January 2015
alone, there were 1,838 drinking
water advisories across Can-
ada. Such drastic neglect of a vital
and precious resource is a most
serious indictment of Mr. Harper's
rule. His disdain for the environ-
ment has been noted by many,
including Brad Firth, who prefers to
be called Caribou Legs. Caribou
Legs is one of my new heroes.
Caribou Legs is an indigenous
ultra -marathon runner from Inu-
vik, who for many years has been
running to raise awareness of the
dangers posed by mining opera-
tions in northern Yukon.
On June 1, Caribou Legs was given
a spirited send off by a group of high
school students as he departed from
Vancouver. His destination is Ottawa.
He expects to complete his 4,4000
kilometre marathon of hope on Par-
liament Hill, arriving just prior to the
most important federal election in a
generation. His courageous chal-
lenge is supported by Maude Barlow,
National Chairperson of the Council
of Canadians.
Interested readers can follow his
progress by contacting the Council of
Canadians at inquiries@canadians.
org.
Our hopes rest with Caribou Legs'
message being heard and acted
upon by the next government of
Canada.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Hollingworth MD,
Goderich
Harry Lear will be deeply missed by community
Dear editor,
Regarding the article Harry Lear
- A life remembered in the June 3
edition of the News Record, I want
to add that Harry was
also a wonderful volunteer and
supporter of the Blyth Festival for
many years.
Before the festival box office was
computerized, Harry could be
relied upon weekly to work on
ticket reconciliations. He could
also be counted on to usher, house
manage, assist with brochure mail-
ings and help with a myriad of fun-
draising activities, often respond-
ing to last minute requests. He
always had a smile on his face and
usually told a joke or two. His posi-
tive attitude was infectious and we
(staff and other volunteers) could
depend on Harry to brighten our
days.
Harry was one of a kind and will
be deeply missed, not only by his
family but by his community as well.
Joanne Walters,
Goderich
From the Archives
15 Years Ago...
Over the previous year the
Clinton and Dsitrict Kinsmen
and Kinettes made contribu-
tions of $30,000, including the
$20,000 project to erect a
building in the Clinton Mil-
lennium Park.
The Blyth Festival officially
opened its 26th season with
Anne.
"Anne will be one everyone
can come to, " said Anne
Chislett. Blyth Festival artistic
director at the time.
25 Years Ago...
Popular broadcaster and
author, Peter Growski,
stopped in Blyth to attend the
opening of the 16th season of
the Blyth Festival.
Building accessibility was
discussed by members of the
Clinton community at a Bar-
rier -Free Design Workshop.
People were unhappy with the
Ontario Building Code as it
wasn't all-encompassing. Hart
Frank ran the workshop and
said that a person in a wheel-
chair could enter a restaurant
but have to give up preferred
seating because of barriers
like raised platforms.
"When you are disabled,
you're frustrated all the time.
We're setting up barriers. The
people who are designing
(buildings) haven't lived in a
wheelchair," one woman said.
35 Years Ago...
Huron County farmers had to
battle with low temperatures.
Major damage was reported
after frost plagued the area for
five mornings. A weather
recording station near Bruce -
field recorded a temperature
drop to 0 degrees Celsius, set-
ting a new record for the coldest
minimum for June 17.
The federal government's
summer youth employment
program, called Action on
Wheels studied transportation
issues for seniors and disadvan-
taged people. The group talked
to service organizations, church
groups and other clubs
throughout Huron County to
determine the state of transpor-
tation in the area. They first
analyzed the existing services
like taxis and bus lines and then
made recommendations for
additional transportation
services.
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