Page 6 Halton Hills This Week, Wednesday, September 16, 1992 EDITORIAL IWA must think ecologically The following letter was sent from Vicki Barron of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority to the head of the Interim Waste Authority, W.C. McIntyre. In her letter, Barron reminds McIntyre that "the water resources of the Credit Valley do not recognize political boundaries." It also urges the IWA to look at its task not only from a political but an ecological point of view. We agree whole heartedly with Barron. If the IWA.does follows only political lines it will have wasted a great deal of time and the taxpayers' money. It is encumbent upon the Authority -- which is trying the decide on a location for the new Metro landfill site -- that a sound envi- ronmental decision is made. Failure to recognize the unique character of some of the poten- tial dump sites -- especially the three on Winston Churchill Road south of Mayfield Road -- will not only destroy a piece of our nat- ural surroundings, it will put the entire Credit River at risk. We support Barron when she says the members of the CVCA -- indeed all residents within the area controlled by the CVCA -- “urge you to keep foremost in your mind during the upcoming site selection procedures that the impact of the landfill sites on the whole watershed must not be ignored." We will all know shortly if the IWA has thought politically or ecologically in its selection process. Dear Mr. Mcintyre, Re: Landfill Site Selection Process The Interim Waste Authority is about to embark on the most critical phase of the landfill site selection process for Durham, Peel and York/Metro. The short list of pro- Posed sites will be released this Fall and the detailed analysis of the environmental impacts of each site will begin. Recent media reports have indi- cated that three new technical com- mittees — one for each region — will be created to steer technical studies of the proposed dump sites by inde- pendent experts in such areas as agriculture, biology, economic s and hydrology. It is our understand- that the new technical commit- tees will include representatives of local citizen’s Sram, municipali- ties and regional Recently David Crombie in “Regeneration”, the report of the Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront, recog- nized the critical role of conserva- tion authorities as watershed man- agers and noted that “There are encouraging signs that some munic- ipalities are shifting to more ecosystem-based planning and the challenge is to encourage this approach everywhere so that these opportunities are used to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for the region”. When Crombie’s final report was released in May, we were pleased by the response of Ontario Environment Minister Ruth Grier when she announced that she “fully supports the work of the Crombie Royal Commission... and the Ontario government is moving in the same direction”. While we accept the reality that solid waste must be handled responsibly and further accept the political need to review the site selections based on regional and municipal boundaries, it is critical that the water-based environmental impact of the short-listed sites be analyzed on a watershed basis. The water resources of the Credit Valley do not recognize political boundaries. We would urge you to keep fore- most in your mind during the upcoming site selection procedures that the impact of the landfill sites on the whole watershed must not be ignored. The Credit Valley Conservation Authority has advo- cated the ecosystem approach to water management for some time. The residents and community groups within our watershed recog- nize us as custodians/managers of the entire watershed and will be looking to us to ensure that deci- sions made adhere to the principles of ecosystem planning. In recognition of this responsibil- ity, we would like to take this opportunity to offer whatever advice and assistance we can to the Interim Waste Authority so that sound, ecosystem based decisions e made. We look forward to cooperating with you on this vitally important issue. Yours very truly, Vicki Barron General Manager Credit Valley Conservation uthority Letters Welcomed eee Bus This Week wel- ters. Letters must be dened fa pee your full name and address. Names will be with- held on request. Halton Hills This Week reserves the right to edit, revise, or reject any letters on the basis of factual errors, punctuation, spelling errors or as a result of space limitations. Send your letter to: The Editor Halton Hills This Week 232 Guelph St., Unit 9 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 That was then... The railway officially opened for business in Georgetown June 2 20, 1856. The railway station is still used today by commuters heading to Toronto, an shot on any weekday morning at the station. and while this picture was taken around 1908, it could have been Photo courtesy of the Esquesing Historical Have you got a minute? Wheldon "Steamer" Emmerson Wheldon “Steamer” Emmerson has been writing a column in Halton Hills This Week since the first paper ran off the press June 24. This is a reprint of his first col- umn which the gremlins got to during that maiden issue. Halton Hills This Week, brand spanking new, has it’s first casualty already! When I told my English Professor about this new exciting paper and that I had signed on as a columnist, she took a stroke. She went into shock. Her speech had left her. Her bottom lip began to quiver like a child about to cry. My first reaction was to give her a grampa hug, an embrace to reassure her she would be all right in a minute or two; but I hesitated with good reason. Signs were all over the place, no touching - so I thought it best not to embrace her. I just let her quiver. Embracing can go too far. Heavens, I once went to pay my last respects to an old friend at the local funeral parlour and everyone was embracing. Goodness, I embraced, re-embraced embraced again and was all set for another — when I realized I was embracing a total stranger from Acton, and I was in the wrong viewing room. Instead of embrac- ing my shaking Professor, I blurted out I would send her a complimen- tary copy of my first column as consolation. Would you believe it, she dropped right at my feet. I dispatched someone for a cold cloth to be applied to her forehead. Another voice suggested a wee shot of brandy might stimulate her. The first column: gremlin got to it Well, I declare — that reminded me of the old joke about the poor old soul who was felled by a stroke on Main Street. As usual, all sorts of suggestions were thrown out, “get a blanket, get a doctor” and so on, but when the victim heard that she was about to be given a shot of brandy, she weakly exclaimed that she usually took two shots for med- icinal purposes. Shock is a terrible thing to witness first hand. The first day in English 104, she asked us to write something about ourselves, just write, write, write! “Be creative about yourselves, hold nothing back, punctuation and para- graphing will be overlooked — just write. I’m looking for style”. She was my kind of girl. I was the only one in the class not wearing cut-off shorts, tee-shirts or Reeboks, or an earring. My blue blazer was all the style, style, style I could muster, so if she remembered nothing that I wrote, perhaps my navy blue jacket would impress her with my style, style, style. My political instincts told me a campus university was no place to write of my past political back- ground. Like a thunderbolt it struck me — never, never, let on I was the hangman’s right hand deputy sher- iff. That just wouldn’t be accept- able. Some were writing furiously about themselves, their hobbies, interests, animals, and so on. Dull stuff to me. Then it hit me. Why I'll tell the old girl I was a columnist. On my little piece of paper I wrote “I was a columnist for my century old local newspaper. Figuring I had her complete attention with that line I slipped in the laugh “and I was so bad it folded”. I couldn’t wait until she handed them out with her comments. Sure enough, she handed out the first write, write, write slips at the beginning of our next class. “Oh yes, Susan, class, Susan is a female pilot (gasps of admiration), Robert, church organist (perhaps someday he will play for us), oh yes, Todd (studying psychiatry) let’s hope we don’t have to go see him for help, and Wheldon oh yes, yes Wheldon, the George Burns of English 104. Wheldon, George Burns is a odd years you know”. “Prof., me a minute or two and I'll a you a few bars of I Wish I Was Eighteen Again”. “I would Wheldon, but at your age, you mightn’t make it past the first verse”. Chalk one up for the prof. After class, she asked me how on earth an illiterate like me was just plucked out of the classroom to write a column when there are dozens of kids with B.A.’s in English without work. “How, please tell me, did you do it”? Prof., I said, “it’s all in the wrist and a papermate medium point pen, and of course, I write, write, write, and hold nothing back”! HIS WEEN 2 Hatton Hills and is printed in Oakville by Q.£. Web Printing. Guelph St,, Georgetown, Ont. L7G 481, goods or services may not be sold. PUBLISHER: Ken Bellamy REAL ESTATE MANAGER: Kathy Toth EDITOR: Scott Kline CIRCULATION MANAGER: Marie Shadbolt PRODUC’ MANAGER: Kathleen Topolsek HALTON HILLS THIS WEEK IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED. PHONE: 873-2254 Fi ‘AX:873-3918