The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

ry LETTERS TO THE EDITOR It's no longer mod to threaten with God To the editor: Regarding the letter from S. Poot in the Citizen, July 28. Fisst of all let me say that I do oS to church, every Sunday (welly~ almost, don't the truth hurt?) And although I appreciate what you are trying to do, I'd just like to argue fora mormént or two. That the way to win converts in this day and age is not threaten or to rant or to rave. And ict tor- ment for those who do no# worship Christ, and avoid Church after a rough Saturday night. But to try to reason, and if Church ain't their style, try to use the Bible's teach- ings to bring them some smiles The thing is, I don't think Jesus intended for a whole half the Bible around him to be bended (sic). All He wanted to do was free us from strife, and He laid down some guidelines to help us through life. I think what we should stress is the Bible's INTENT, not the charac- ters involved, but at what they MEANT. Basically, Jesus and his 12 friends toured the country from end to end, saying that more important than personal wealth, was loving your neighbour as you Couple is Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to provincial Environment Minister Ruth Grier by Harold and Grace Ha illiams Point Road. LiKe many others we are deeply concerned about the "garbage issue" in Ontario. Some of our concerns are general, and some are specific 10 two of the long list of sites in the Durham Region. Our general concerns are as follows. 1/ A great deal of money was spent by the former Liberal gov- ernment to investigate suitable dumpsites, and many people were upset when the proposed sites were announced. When the NDP took office, it appears the Liberal sites and ideas were thrown out and a new process started, which will again cost thousands of dollars and upset hundreds of people. Since the process for selecting dump sites is a lengthy one, it is not beyond the realm of possibil- ity that the NDP government will be replaced before the process is completed. Did the NDP use any of the research of the former govern- ment, or do we always have to go back to square one? How much of what happens in politics and how much is concern for viable means of disposing garbage and concer for people's welfare? 2/ Some countries have suc- cessfully put into practice other ways of rating garbage (eg would your: Personally, | believe that it's all the same, that all religibns worship God under i t names. (And here is a thought that will give you a fright, I hope it does not make you have sleepless nights. What if, dear fellow, the Jews have been right?) Wouldn't that be a tizzy, for in all of these days, we've been worshipping Jesus, without mentioning Abe! (Abe's short for Abraham, one of the first great Jews, he founded a nation and had lots of kids, 100) Please don't take offense, all I'm trying to do, is say "does it matter who is worshipping who?" Perhaps it is time we take a good look at the BiBle's New Testament, all 20-odd Books, and realize that whether your religion's Islam, whether you pray or face Mecca, or shout out SHAZAM! Whether you are Jewish, or Baptist, or atheist or Zen, we all need to stop and think once again. That it's not important if black or white or yellow, or even a pink, purple polka-doted fellow. What's really important is love and that's all. Love and respect for the short purchasing large, sealed plastic packages. Vegetables and meats are routinely packed in plastic trays. Makeup is encased in ngid plastic or large cardboard boxes. One way of curbing this is for government legislation to force manufacturers to limit packaging. Do you plan to do this? When will pop cans have to be return- able. 4/ What government funds are going to support research into such things as bio-degradable plastic? 5/ There seems to be a conflict of objectives on the Toronto garbage scene. People have been encouraged to reuse and recy- cle---and have done so, thus reducing garbage. The City has increased dumping fees so that people are sending their garbage to cheaper dumps in the United States. Now the managers of Toronto's sites are screaming about lost revenues because there is not enough garbage. How can the need for reduction in garbage and the perceived need for rev- enues be harmonized? 6/ We deplore your reluctance to even consider transporting garbage to Boston Township, and are puzzled by your willingness deeply concerned about garbage issue -- Our specific site concerns relate to sites YY2 and YY3 in Durham Region. The following comments are made in response present process is s flawed fatally because it is based on the false assumption that landfill is the only viable means of disposing garbage. The government must broaden its vision and change the process 10 include investigation of other methods of disposal. 3/ When we "inspect" the garbage left after we compost, the largest proportion is packag- ing. We can't buy a half dozen screws or a few tacks without to sel criteria outlined in EA document 11, part 1, ables 5.1.1 to 5.1.11. The comments relate to sites YY2 and Yuli Ontario gi (south side of Highway 7A at the Cartwright West Quarter Line) 1/Both sites are family farms wofked by the owners. Farms immediately adjacent to the sites are also family farms worked by the owners. 2/ There are wetlands within a kilometre of the two sites. Several streams rise on the sites, which drain into Lake Scugog. and the wll, and the fat and the skinny, for nature and man, that the clenched fist holds less than the greeting hand. If we treat each other as best friends from birth, my hat, if an all-loving God can't d that. religion'd be irrel and we'd have a great EARTH! And I will gladly @nd surely eat M. Shepherd, Greenbank. Loss of ambulance will hurt To the editor: Change: For the Worse. The concern for the patients that I have cared for as an Ambulance Attendant compels me to write this letter to the editor with the hope of informing the people of Port Perry and Uxbridge about the pending cut-backs in the Port Perry Ambulance Service. The loss of one of the two ambulances in Port Perry will have a direct impact on residents of both Port Perry and Uxbridge, by substantially increasing the ambulance response time to make emergency calls and routine trans- fers. The ambulance will take longer to respond because it will be starting from the standby loca- tion in Epsom. Presently, the standbys are a y evil in the ambularice industry. They can be related to During a brief thunderstorm July 19 rainwater poured from the area of the proposed dump sites across the West Quarter Line. Some of this water, because of the grade, must have reached Lake Scugog. Had there been a dump on the site, untreated or partially treated leachate would have drained into the wetlands and the lake. This example indi- cates that regardless of the care taken, there is always the possi- bility of untreated leachate reach- ing Lake Scugog. 3/ It appears from the EA doc- ument (page 5-23) that the choice of the site near Lake Scugog could be considered a good loca- tion because the lake provides a receiving water body for treated leachate from the site. This is not a good location. Lake Scugog is a small body of water with an aver- age depth of about eight feet. It already receives effluent from the Port Perry sewage system, and from numerous (some old and inadequate) individual septic sys- tems. How much can the lake absorb without damage to water quality? 4/ Access 10 the dump will be via Highways 12 and 7A, through the town of Port Perry. Additional truck traffic cannot fail to impact negatively on the tourist industry in the area. The IWA office told us 33 per cent of the area's economy has its roots in tourism. Lake Scugog is one of the closest recreational lakes to Toronto and Oshawa. It is noted for its walleye fishing. In recent years, the Scugog Township council, with help from the has i 1 roulette, where you place your assets in a position to give you the best odds in covering what may come up. The cutback will require over 14 hundred standbys, to be done in this area. A short standby may only last 30 minutes, however, three-hour standbys are common. On the average, four times a day, all of Scugog and Uxbridge Townships, and part of Brock are being covered by one ambulance sitting at Epsom. The resulting delay in emer- gency response time is obvious. Additionally, patients wanting transfers, emergency or not, will likely have to wait until the stand- by is over. Uxbridge used to have two ambulances in town. Now it has one. Port Perry has had two ambu- lances since 1988. It appears the axe may fall in the very near future which will reduce the num- ber to one. This' will leave our areas with the same number of ambulances we had in the 1970's. It is unfortunate that the provincial government's failure to meet the financial requirements of operating the ambulance service has to impact on the people in this area in such a direct way. Thid is not satisfactory. If you agree, make your concerns known by contacting our local MPP, or the office of the Provincial Health Minister at Queens Park. Roy Teer, Emergency Medical Care Attendant, Port Perry Ambulance. Editor's Note: Ambulance ser- vices in Ontario Mad their operat- ing budgets held this year to a one per cent increase. Grace and Harold Hall ask, "How much of what happens Is politics and how much Is concern for viable means of disposing garbage and concern for people's welfare?" years ago. Other nearby farms have been owned and farmed by the same family for a century. 6/ The term "urban shadow" can hardly be applied to the site area, as it and adjoining proper- _ ties are restricted to farm use. We cannot see how this term applies 10 the sites, unless statistics from the nearby village of Blackstock have been used to "muddy the waters." 7/ The village of Blackstock is just over a kilometer from the sites. Prevailing winds blow from the dump towards Blackstock. Surely the odour will have an adverse impact on the town's significant public funds to improve the lakeshore areca. One can imagine how tourists would flock to the "lake by the dump." 5/ Both farms on the sites have been in the same families for over a century. R , the Fe bi Dump sites draw seagulls. Their droppings can't help but fall over Blackstock and Lake Scugog. There is already a pollution problem on the Port waterfront from goose and dea-gull droppings. The dump will y affect of must accept the responsibility. Some sacrifices in lifestyle are gvitable. However, we feel very strong- ly that sites which seriously threaten the quality of wetlands, which destroy prime farmland which is presently and has for a century been for farm use, and which will affect the air quality of long established communities cannot be considered viable choices. We recently applied to the Health Department for a new sep- tic system and were favourably impressed with the strict rules the inspector applied before granting a permit. Surely we have the right to expect at least an equal level of responsibility from the IWA. Is choosing sites which could dis- turb a long established tourist arca and delicate ecological sys- farm was sold to a young couple from the area who plan to the continue the family farm tradition started by the Fergusons over 100 Port Perry and Blackstock and hundreds of cottagers on the lake. We both realize that garbage is a problem for which citizens tem ible? We don't think so! Harold and Grace Hall, Williams Pt. Rd. Caesarea.