The Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-01-21, Page 3Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - Page A3
Goderich joins mayors' anti-nuclear advocacy group
Dave Sykes
signal -star publisher
The Town of Goderich has joined a grow-
ing list of municipalities around the globe
to join Mayors for. Peace, an organiza-
tion advocating the elimination of. nuclear
weapons and the realization of genuine and
lasting'world peace. .
Huron County Crown Attorney, Bob
Morris, and Dr. Jim Hollingworth of God-
erich, appeared before council at its last
regular meeting, and encouraged the town
to join the worldwide movement. Morris
visited China and Japan last summer and
met with Keijiro Matsushima, a survivor
of the atomic bomb blast on Hiroshima on
Aug.6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m.
The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
were almost obliterated by atomic bomb-
ings on that morning and hundreds of thou-
sands of lives were lost. To avoid another
horrific tragedy, the cities have worked
continuously to communicate to the world
the inhumanity of the atomic bomb and the
need to abolish nuclear weapons.
"I am here as just a citizen," Morris told
council. "I was in Hiroshima and visited the
Peace Garden in what is now a.vibrant and
beautiful city. The population of Hiroshima
on Aug. 6, 1945 was 350,000 and 140,000
citizens died in that that year from the bomb
and radiation. I encourage the town to join
this organization that advocates the aboli-
tion of nuclear weapons."
The organization was founded in 1982
and now boasts a membership of 2,635 cit-
ies in 135 countries around the world. The
Mayors for Peace are now conducting a
"2020 Vision Campaign" with the goal of
total nuclear weapons abolition by the year
2020, the 75th anniversary of the atomic
bombings.
Citing current conflicts around the world
today, Dr. Hollingworth amplified the need
for global action.
"There is death and atrocities in Gaza,
there is death in Africa and nuclear missiles
.are being tested and exploded by various
counties;" he said. "We live under the threat
of nuclear war and we must make the elimi-
nation of nuclear weapons an ongoing issue
at the global level."
Counc. Ray Hurd introduced a motion
calling for the town to support and join
Mayors for Peace, adding that the message
must get beyond the council chambers and
that all towns should be encouraged to sup-
port the initiative.
In August 1945, single atomic bombs
instantaneously reduced the cities of Hiro-
shima and Nagasaki to rubble, taking hun-
dreds of thousands of lives. Many people
continue to suffer the effect of those bombs,
today.
To ensure that the tragedy would never be
repeated anywhere on earth, Hiroshima and
Nagasaki have consistently sought to per-
suade the world that nuclear weapons are
illegal, immoral and must be completely
Panasonic®
eliminated. On June 24, 1982 at the Sec-
ond Special Session on Disarmament held
at the United Nations headquarters in New
York, Hiroshima mayor, Takeshi Araki, an-
nounced a program to promote the solidar-
ity of cities' toward the abolition of nuclear
weapons. They called for cities everywhere
to support the program.
Membership in Mayors for Peace simply
requires that a registration form be filled out,
signed by the mayor of the municipality to
represent the city in supporting the Program
to Promote the Solidarity of Cities toward
the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.
There are no registration dues required and
a certificate of membership is mailed out
following receipt of the registration.
Mayor Deb Shewflet commented to Dr.
Hollingworth and Morris that councilors
had read the stories of the atomic bomb
survivors, adding, "it's something we don't
know enough about and it's been a long
time for this group to spread the word."
Photo by Garit Reid
Wescast Industries Inc. announced it
would close one of its Wingham found-
ries last week, putting 140 out of work.
Jobs at mercy
of auto industry
From WESCAST, Page 1
"We've been hit hard, but Wescast has
done a good job buffering through the storm.
We are mothballing the plant and have
plans to reopen it inthe future," said
Frackowiak.
The plant closing will impact Wingham
and area, since a a lot of , the 140 jobs are
people from the area. It may take a toll on
various things such as insurance rates,
employment levels and consumer . buying.
The local reaction was palpable.
"I'm not happy, but I'm also not surprised,
since they are at the mercy of the auto indus-
try," said Wayne McDonagh of McDonagh
Insurance Brokers located in Lucknow.
"With people losing their jobs, like at places
like Wescast, it will be hard for them to find
other jobs with the way the economy is right
now."
•
Frackowiak is sympathetic to the people
losing their jobs by the closing of the
Wingham plant, but it was a necessary thing
to do for the survival of Wescast Industries
Inc.
"It hurts to close the plant and I feel bad to
be letting people go. I would rather be hiring
people, but we have to face the reality of the
situation, so our company can continue to
grow and be prosperous," said Frackowiak.
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Goderich 112 The Square 519-524-7924 Simcoe Simcoe Town Centre 519-426-7111
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