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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-05-25, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, May 25, 2016 1 www.clintonnewsrecord.com Clinton News Record PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com rp] POSTMEDIA CURTIS ARMSTRONG Group Director of Media Sales 519-376-2250 ext 514301 or 510364-2001 ext.531024 . NEIL CLIFFORD Advertising Director NClifford@postmedia.com JUSTINE ALKEMA _ Journalist clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative DJohnston@postmedia.com V,_ 1. 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Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519)482-3443 Clinton News Record is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. Far more information or to file a complaint go to www.mediacsuncil.ca or call toll free 1-844-877-1163. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada Member of the Canadian Community 1 tJC1> . Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association Grits' natural gas ban would prove costly There's a reason 76% of Ontar- io's residents use natural gas to heat their homes. The fuel is con- venient, efficient and in recent years inexpensive when com- pared to other energy sources. In short, Ontarians have cho- sen a fuel that works the best for them. And yet according to a leaked report from the provincial gov- ernment, that's not good enough. Kathleen Wynne's Liberals want to ban the use of natural gas as a heat source for newly built struc- tures by 2030, as part of a com- prehensive plan to reduce Ontar- io's carbon footprint. What would owners, occupants or tenants of those structures be forced to use instead? Geothermal heating and cooling systems, whose costly purchase would be subsidized by the public purse. Or electricity, whose use has caused so much worry among Ontarians as prices have skyrocketed. Even Wynne's government has recognized the problem of rising costs and has for years encouraged off-peak consumption to help lower bills. And yet in an irony that's probably lost on the premier and her colleagues, the draft cli- mate change action plan would cause consumption of more electricity. Of course, the Liberals' plan is just that, a plan, and a lot of things can happen before 2030. The doc- ument was leaked to the Globe and Mail, most likely by a government insider either aghast with its contents or ordered to measure the public's reaction. The initial reaction was one of shock by some who thought the scheme a joke. But reaction from the natural gas industry was more interesting. A spokesperson for Union Gas said the Chatham - based utility has been in regular discussion with the Liberals about climate and environmental issues, but was given no consultation about the 2030 ban. This isn't surprising, given this government's poor record in engaging the public on public pol- icy. The Green Energy Act of 2009 provides the template. The original legislation allowed for no local voice on the location of thousands of wind turbines. That decision is centralized, although the turbines aren't. And even after the policy was tweaked to permit a whisper of local discontent, that discontent is routinely ignored. The Liberal draft climate change action plan smacks of the same centralized arrogance. Never mind most Ontario homes are heated with natural gas -- a decision made by people in their own best inter- est. Given the expense of electric- ity, how many would convert to electric heat? Probably not one. Politicians are routinely accused of having a hidden agenda. Now we know Wynne's. And it's going to cost us a bundle. - Peter Epp, Postmedia Network Rebuilding Fort Mac an enormous task The logistics of evacuating more than 88,000 from Fort McMurray last week were complicated. The work to get them all safely back home in the weeks ahead will be labyrinthine. Coming days will test the patience of Fort McMurray resi- dents as local and provincial offi- cials begin the reboot of a city that is accustomed to being open for business 24-7. No one should be lulled into thinking re-entry is easy, though officials say 90 per cent of the city is still standing after a wildfire that gorged on 2,400 homes and busi- nesses. The task is enormous. Comparisons to Slave Lake, though useful, don't exactly trans- late. Slave Lake suffered damage to 30 per cent of its structures in the 2011 wildfire, including some buildings such as its new town offices, the provincial government offices, one fire hall and its library. That fire burned 400 buildings to the ground and left 700 people homeless. Slave Lake, however, is a smaller community than Fort McMurray. Fort McMurray's key buildings, such as city hall, the water treat- ment plant and the hospital, are still standing though the water- works need repair and other struc- tures still need inspection. Even with 90 per cent of its structures escaping the fire, that still means 2,400 businesses and homes are destroyed or severely damaged. As one councillor from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo pointed out at a special council meeting convened in Edmonton's city hall Wednesday, those statistics also still mean roughly one of every 10 families is left homeless by "the beast." The most recent municipal census in 2015 reported nearly 8,000 people lived in the hard hit neighbour- hoods of Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways. "We understand how desperate people are to get back and see their homes and get back to their nor- mal life, but if you do that without the right environment we know people will get hurt," Shane Schreiber, managing director of the Alberta Emergency Manage- ment Agency said to councillors. How do you help nearly 8,000 people safely sift through their burned out homes? Where do you put all the debris from the fire? How, if necessary, do you replace thousands of refrigerators that sat for days without power in homes untouched by the fire? And those questions don't even scratch the surface. Wood Buffalo councillors sent a clear message Wednesday they need more information about the emergency response now that the worst seems to have passed. Mobi- lizing resources to begin the work will need a unified, dynamic effort from all levels of government and all sectors of society. - Postmedia Network FROM THE ARCHIVES 15 years ago... • Central Huron council kept the ball rolling on the new Tim Hortons restaurant proposed for Clinton. 30 residents came to the Planning Advisory Committee meeting and the main concern was in regard to traffic at the site. They chose this street because they wanted to catch the east -west traffic. • The Goderich waterfront was the focus of a seminar being held at the Huron County Museum to reveal the results of research focusing on the impacts of climate change to the shoreline. 25 years ago... • Red measles starting appearing in Huron County. At that point, there were 19 con- firmed cases of the measles, however there had yet to be a case in Clinton. The cases seemed to have started in Seaforth after children there attended a showing of the Ice Capades in Kitchener -Waterloo. In K -W, more than 800 cases were reported at that point. • Plans for a new Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture and Food office are finalized. The decision to build the structure in town was yet to be confirmed as it depended on the outcome of an upcoming public meeting. 35 years ago... • Excitement was running high with young people as Clinton prepared to host their first every rock concert. The concert would take place at the Clinton Community Centre and there would be an estimated 2,500 people in attendance. The band featured was Zon, The Lecia Price Band and Telemann. • A survey is done by Bell to determine if telephone users in Blyth and Auburn want long distance charges eliminated between Blyth and Clinton exchanges and between Auburn, Goderich and Clinton. If the custom- ers wish to expand local calling, the monthly rates will increase from around $6 per month to $6.25 — $6.80 per month. clintonnewsrecord.com CLINTON NEWS RECORD - HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00-5:00 • TUESDAY: CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: 9:00-5:00 • THURSDAY: 9:00-5:00 • FRIDAY: 9:00-5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY 2:00 P.M. ADVERTISING BOOKING DEADLINE: FRIDAY 1:30 P.M.