The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2016-08-24, Page 5Wednesday, August 24, 2016 • News Record 5 Mosquitoes' torment part of our heritage It's 208 years since Simon Fraser complained about the "musketoes" tormenting overland explorers to the B.C. Lower Mainland. Con- sidering that these were vet- erans of wilderness living, the clouds of insects must have been something else. Fraser had the misfortune to arrive just after high water. Veteran outdoors types know the droning, whining, biting pests are at their worst during those few weeks, especially where there's still water. Mosquitoes are a seasonal affliction, but always seem nastiest wherever you hap- pen to be. And when they bite in numbers, it always seems like the worst season ever. In Revelstoke, B.C., this summer it's being called a "perfect storm" for mosqui- toes. Last summer, tree planters at Fort St. James were describing the out- break as "horrendous," a step up from Daniel Har- mon's complaint in 1811 that the "Musquetoes" were proving "troublesome fellows." A few years ago, Parkhill earned the nickname of Skee- terville after a bloodthirsty invasion drove some into their homes for most of the sum- mer. It prompted an intensive effort to remove breeding areas and spray residential areas. Which explains why in 1789 explorer Alexander Macken- zie expressed delight that the time for "Musquittoes" was almost over. That entry was made on Aug. 2, so those suf- fering the evening barbecue blues in 2016 should know that this, too, will pass. While Southwestern Ontario may be getting a res- pite this year because of dry, hot conditions, when they are driving you from the patio, it may seem like the vampire apocalypse, but it's actually just summer. Or maybe not. In Tlingit First Nations lore, mosqui- toes are the unintended con- sequence of a scheme to get rid of a cannibal giant by burning him. Alas, the sparks from his ashes turned into mosquitoes hunting the descendants Goo-teekhl's human tormentors. Today, we worry about mosquitoes as vectors of dis- ease: encephalitis, West Nile virus, the Zika virus and even malaria. Still, while these ail- ments are cause for cautious concern, the risks remain rel- atively small compared to the perils, for example, of not wearing a lifejacket while boating. So, what to do? Use insect repellent; dress in light- coloured long-sleeved shirts and trousers; avoid areas where mosquitoes breed dur- ing the hours of dawn and dusk when they are active; make sure the window screens are sealed tight; keep the lawn mowed short; treat or eliminate standing or stag- nant water around the house. Soon it will be September, the bugs will be gone, and you'll be griping that sum- mer's already over. - Postmedia Network Postmedia files Oil transport needs more restrictions THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson Firefighters stand next to a fuel tanker that burst into flames on autoroute 40 during rush hour after colliding with at least two other vehicles Tuesday, August 9, 2016 in Montreal. Last weeks' chain -reaction crash that caused a tanker truck carrying oil to explode in a fireball during rush hour in the centre of Montreal has renewed debate about trans- porting dangerous goods — oil in particular. Just like the Lac-Megantic tragedy, this incident focuses our attention on an often unnoticed danger in our midst. Citizens and policymakers are wondering why two fuel trucks were even on the ele- vated expressway in a densely populated city at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday. Dangerous goods are everywhere on our roads — 70 per cent of hazardous materials are moved by truck. Long-distance shipments of oil by rail have surged in the absence of sufficient pipeline capacity. The amount of oil being hauled by tanker trucks remains comparatively low, at 2.6 per cent, but it is rising sharply. And trucks are needed to get oil to where it needs to be at both the starting point and the destination. Whether trav- elling long or short distances, oil trucks come into close proximity with people, cars and infrastructure. They also result in more numerous acci- dents and spills than other shipping methods, though they tend to be less serious. Forbes contributor James Conca wrote a 2014 article titled Pick Your Poison that looked at whether pipelines, trains, trucks or boats were the safest way to move oil. His conclusion: the answer depends on what yardstick you're using: "Truck worse than train worse than pipeline worse than boat. But that's only for human death and property destruction. For the normalized amount of oil spilled, it's truck worse than pipeline worse than rail worse than boat. Different yet again is for environmental impact (dominated by impact to aquatic habitat), where it's boat worse than pipeline worse than truck worse than rail." Quebec Transport Minister Jacques Daoust is talking about new limits on the trans- port of volatile substances through Montreal, but it is tricky to implement. While there is little reason a long-haul rig carrying crude should be crossing through the heart of Montreal at the busiest time of day, this truck was making a local delivery. Gas stations and other busi- nesses in the core require replenishing by tankers with volatile cargo. Montreal's east - end refinery also requires truck deliveries. The trucking association and oil and gas industries warn new restric- tions could result in higher costs. Like it or not, Canada is dependent on oil for the fore- seeable future. And like it or not, stricter regulations are needed to mitigate the risks of oil distri- bution. It's unfortunate it takes another lost life to bring this cal- culus into sharper relief. - Postmedia Network Past time for Kenney to give up his MP seat There are not many jobs where one can get paid full time to look for other work, but Jason Kenney, who's busily running for the leadership of Alberta's fractured Progressive Conserv- ative onservative party, has got one: being a member of Parliament The federal representative for CalgaryMidnapore is spending his time in Alberta, like other Alberta MPs, but he's not there for the summer round ofbarbe- cues and dealing with constitu- ent problems. Instead, Kenney is pursuing his own interests, working feverishly to raise a large war chest to give him an edge when the PC leadership campaign officially starts in Octobet Kenney has been repeatedly criticized for taking anMP's sal- arywithout doing the work ever since he announced his leader- ship bid in early July. He has never given a satisfactory answer as to why it's the right thing to do. It's easy to see why. His actions are indefensible; even more so because Kenney is a former head of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation and styles himself as fiscal hawk Aaron Wudrick, the federal director of the CTF, has said, "Politicians are elected, and paid, to do a job. If they are not doing that job, they shouldn't be getting paid for With what part of that simple statement does Kenney disagree? Two points have been raised by those who think Kenney's actions are OK. The first is that there is no rule against it As we saw during the lengthy and detailed examination of Senate expenses and the lax rules sur- rounding them, Parliament has long acted on the belief that honourable members will behave honourably. The notion seems quainter bythe day. There is also precedent for seeking the leadership of a pro- vincial party while continuing to draw an MP's paycheque. Patrick Brown did the same thing just last year when he sought the leadership of Ontar- io's PCs. It hardly seems like an example to follow. At least Kenney will resign in October, which places him one step up the ethical ladder from Brown, who did not give up his seat as an MP until he won the provincial leadership. And then there is former prime minister Stephen Harper, who announced in May that he would resign in the fall. Did he need the tax- payers to cover the cost of his summer? Perhaps the entitled behav- iour of these Conservative politicians wouldn't seem so bad if they hadn't cast them- selves as guardians of the public purse. In Jason Ken- ney's case, he has created an unnecessary ethical issue, all so he can collect three months of pay. It seems a low price for one's integrity. - Postmedia Network