The Times Advocate, 2005-03-16, Page 44
Exeter Times–Advocate
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
=CNA
Editorial Opinion
TIMES ADVOCATE
PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications
Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts.
Jim Beckett
Publisher and Editor
Deb Lord
Production Manager
Published by Metroland Printing,
Publishing & Distributing Ltd.
IMetroland i 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850
Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331
EDITORIAL
'One Tonne Challenge'
hat is the world facing that's far more scary
than terrorists, mad cows, or bird flu? Hold
tight ... it's climate change.
Scientists believe the earth will face catastrophic con-
sequences if something isn't done about global warming.
The evidence just keeps mounting. A recent article in
The Toronto Star says new research into ocean temper-
atures, a previously understudied area, has conclusively
shown warming "fingerprints" in the Atlantic, Pacific
and Indian oceans.
Luckily, the Kyoto Protocol is now in place. On Feb 16,
141 countries around the world, including Canada, —
but not the U.S. (President George Bush opted out) —
pledged to work together to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Kyoto's initial requirements are minimal and
don't even come into effect until 2008, but it's a start.
It's something.
Even better, individuals can make a difference. Global
warming is not one of those world-wide problems over
which we seem to have no control, as so many are.
Simple changes in our everyday lives can reduce green-
house gases significantly. Working together — as a fami-
ly, as a community, as a country and as citizens of our
planet — we can all make a difference.
How empowering is that?
An advertising campaign, featuring comic Rick
Mercer, urging Canadians to take the 'One Tonne
Challenge' is underway. We each produce five tonnes of
greenhouse gases a year. The challenge is to reduce that
by one tonne.
A couple of weeks ago in the House of Commons the
opposition slammed the government for the campaign,
which cost $26 million, and hiring Mercer, for $85,000,
to be its spokesperson. Tory MP Bob Mills says the gov-
ernment has wasted the money, which should have been
spent on technology. Nonsense. For Kyoto to be success-
ful, people have to buy in. How better to reach
Canadians than via the TV, and with a catchy commer-
cial and an entertaining pitchman. For our money,
Mercer is the quintessential Canadian. And it's an issue
he feels strongly about personally.
So, do you know how much greenhouse gas you pro-
duce each year? You can find out just that, by answering
a few questions about your daily activities using the 'One
Tonne Challenge.' Then you can select new actions to
reduce your GHG emissions and help reach your 'One
Tonne' goal.
There are many easy ways to reduce your burden on
the environment. For example: using energy efficient
light bulbs and ethanol fuel, reducing the amount of
garbage you put at the curb, driving the speed limit,
washing clothes in cold water ... and dozens more. And
there are more challenging measures ... like insulating
your attic, selling that SUV — switching from a sports
utility vehicle to a mid-sized sedan will reduce your GHG
emissions by two tonnes a year — or replacing your
electric water heater with a natural gas model.
So count yourself in — take the One Tonne Challenge
by calling 1-800-OCANADA (believe it or not, a real per-
son answers!) or via the Web —
www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne
— from the St. Marys Journal Argus
/v44(4* -
Tragedy fills the headlines
If it seems like crazed, lone gunmen are dominating
the headlines lately, that's because they are.
Three major multiple murders have taken place with-
in the last couple of weeks, resulting in the death of 16
people.
The first of these, as every Canadian knows, took place
nearly two weeks ago in Alberta when convicted child
molester James Roszko ambushed and murdered four
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers. With
Roszko's well-established reputation for vio-
lence, thuggery and mental instability known
in his community by residents and the justice
system, everyone wants to know why Roszko
wasn't already behind bars before he was
allowed to murder four young police officers.
That Roszko killed himself after being
injured by an officer's bullet means our justice
system was too little, too late. Sure, people fall
through the cracks of the justice system all the
time, but it seems unreal that Roszko was a
free man.
South of the border, in a wild murder spree
that seemed closer to something that would happen in a
movie than in real life, a man on rape charges in
Atlanta overpowered a court deputy, shot her and killed
three other people in the courtroom, including the
judge. A wild manhunt ensued, and Brian Nichols was
found the next day, but not before a U.S. customs agent
was found dead. Strangely enough, Nichols didn't go
down in a hail of bullets trying to escape capture; he
instead waved a white flag and surrendered.
Almost at the same time, 44 -year-old Terry Ratzmann
killed seven people at an evangelical church service in
Brookfield, Wisc., before killing himself. He has since
been described as a quiet, nice churchgoer who loved
gardening.
Then, Saturday night, a four-year-old Texas boy,
grabbed his mother's .32 -calibre automatic from her
purse and shot his two-year-old brother in the head.
Authorities are suggesting the four-year-old didn't know
the difference between a real gun and a toy gun.
Let's hope that's the explanation.
The two-year-old is clinging to life in hospital,
while the mother claims she normally keeps her
weapon secure and away from her children. The
question is how her son knew it was in her purse
and why she simply left it lying around the house.
While the latter incident was probably just a
horrible accident, the first three speak to the
larger culture of violence in American and (yes,
admit it) Canadian society. It would be too easy
(and incorrect) to simply blame the killings on
guns. The problem goes much deeper than that.
Over the weekend, newspapers and television
networks in the U.S. found themselves scrambling over
which story to give bigger play — the courtroom shoot-
ings in Atlanta or the church service shootings in
Wisconsin. When it rains, it pours.
In Canada, where the tragedies involving our four
Mounties are thankfully much less common, we ask
ourselves how our justice system ever allowed the
Alberta killings to take place. More importantly, we
need to ensure they never happen again.
SCOTT
NIXON
AND ANOTHER
THING
About the Times -Advocate
Address & Office Hours
Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850,
Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to
Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays.
Contact Us By Phone or Fax
Classified ad & subscription sales ....(519) 235-1331
24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336
Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766
Subscription Rates
One year rate for addresses in Canada: $38+GST
Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $70+GST
One year rate for addresses outside Canada:
$130 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription.
Classified Rates
Word ads: $11.00 for 20 words, 201 for each addition-
al word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements,
coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $15.00 +
GST for up to 50 words, All ads must be pre -paid. The
classified ad deadline is Monday at 10 a.m.
Display Advertising
To place a display ad, (519) 235-1331 weekdays 8:30
to 4:30 p.m. or evenings (519) 235-1336 (leave mes-
sage) or toll-free at 1-888-270-1602. Deadline: Fri. 4
m.
-mail Us
Web site: www.southhuron.com
TA e-mail addresses consist of the person's first initial
and last name followed by @southhuron.com.
For example, Jim Beckett's e-mail address is <jbeck-
ett@southhuron.com> Our general e-mail address is
ads@southhuron.com.
The Times -Advocate Team
Publisher/Editor Jim Beckett ext. 109
ADVERTISING
Deborah Schillemore ext. 112
REPORTERS
Scott Nixon ext. 105
Pat Bolen ext. 113
Stephanie Mandziuk ext. 107
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Sue Rollings ext. 101
COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT
Manager Deb Lord ext 114/103
Sharlene Young, ext 103
Dianna Hardy ext. 103
ACCOUNTING STAFF
Anita McDonald ext. 104
Ruth Slaght ext. 106
Christina Scott ext. 108
Marg Pertschy ext. 111