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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday August 15,2001 T h e O akville B eaver Ian Oliver Publisher . Nei Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crozier Circulation Director Ten Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli DirectorofPhotography Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., indudes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week, Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, B urlington P ost, B urlington S h opping New s, C ity Parent. CdfingwoocWVasaga Connection, East York Minor, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, E tobicoke G uardian. Flam borough Post. G eorgetow n Independent/Acton Free Press. Harriston Review, Huortia Business Times, Kingston This Week, Lindsay This Week, Markham Ecnomist & Sun. M idland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Times. 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T h e O a k v il le , M ilto n a n d D is tr ic t REAL ESTATE BOARD Editorials Not for sale An old truism goes something like this: some people know the cost of every thing and the value of nothing. It pretty much explains the issue of exporting Canadian fresh water to anyone who has the money to buy this most valuable of a country's natural resources. And it's not like this country hasn't been down this resource sell-off route before. Our forests have been felled and minerals taken for monetary gain with lit tle regard to the impact such activities would have in the long term. The result of the inadequate husbandry of these resources has played itself out and we need only look at British Columbia to see what happens when the word stop isn't heard. Reforestation programs notwithstanding, loggers have to go fur ther afield to cut trees and the number of suitable trees for timber is declining dra matically. As for the salmon? Don't ask. But we'll never run out of fresh water, right? We need only look at the Walkerton tragedy to see how fragile our fresh water resources can be. Here one day, gone the next. There's also weather like we've been experiencing this summer to give us a taste of what could come in a global warming scenario. No rain, hot days, poor conservation, equals agricultural disasters and water restrictions. But none of these situations impress some people in this country, especially politicians, some of whom would sell this last natural commodity and national birthright to the highest bidder. Drain half of Lake Superior? Why not if the price is right? Want to divert even more water south into the parched U.S. south in California? Sure, just show us the long green. The provinces say they have control over their water so it's none of the federal government's business. Enter neophyte Newfoundland premier Roger Grimes who would strike down former Liberal Premier Brian Tobin's law to ban water exports in anything larger than a 30-litre container. In all of this, the federal government has been a mute observer. For Prime Minister Jean Chretien there are no options. Our water is not for sale...period. \ndustry n a S n^ a d J \ ja nn gT eh n ee rt r aa tt ee ss b « f i ° C |° ? e d e S g o v ern m en t EXTRA J V U V -P Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 0/ Putting a positive spin on malodorous topic Your front page article `No money to remove stinking algae' in the Fri. Aug. 10, 2001 edition of The O akville B eaver by Kim Amott. reporting on the accumula tion of algal mats on the Bronte, shoreline and the pungent odour generated by the subsequent decomposition was read with inter est. It answered a number of ques tions but left many questions unan swered. Perhaps you or your read ers could help fill som e o f the knowledge gaps. A scan of the web was not too rewarding. My im pression from reading many technical articles and books is that the quality of life and even sur vival of the human race (or what the sci-fi people often refer to as earthlings) depends in no small measure on our ability to live in harm ony with o urselves, other human beings and other life forms. A prerequisite to this would seem to be an improved public understand ing of the behaviour of individuals and these natural systems as a basis for improved decision-making. The recent Bronte aromatherapy treat ment arises from the behaviour of one of these natural systems and may be a good place to start in broadening our knowledge in antic ipation that this understanding will lead not merely to prevention of the routine animal recurrence of the phenomenon but to some positive benefits arising out of the increased knowledge. It is understood that there are a multitude of algal species and that the `b lo o m in g ' o f one or more species depends on a complex jux taposition of many variables includ ing nutrients, temperature, light, and possible water turbulence. It is also reported (W alter AdeySmithsonian Institute) that algal species are enthusiastic collectors of aquatic impurities, both organic and Letter of the Week Water supply critical to growth The recent announcement of tough water use regulations for Oakville raises another issue concerning OPA (Official Plan Amendment) 198 that needs to be addressed, namely "Water Supply and Quality." As it now stands, OPA 198 is projected to bring another 80,000 people, together with more industrial plant to the town... the population increase alone represents a jump of 60% over present levels. The town's planners, no doubt, think we have an unlimited supply of water in Lake Ontario to meet such a population increase, however, I beg to differ: 1. M any m unicip alities surrounding O akville -- e.g. M ilton, Cambridge, Kitchener, etc. -- are eyeing Lakes Ontario and Erie for their future water supplies. This can only accelerate the drop in lake levels seen off Oakville this summer... we are presently one metre lower than last year! 2. Global warming will cipntinue despite our puny attempts to arrest it through the Kyoto Accord, so we can expect the inflow of water from winter run-off, which normally boosts lake levels to continue to decline. Furthermore, it is likely that the frequency of hot dry weather will increase as well. 3. The building-over of valuable water sources/filters, such as the Trafalgar Moraine and other similar geological structures are another threat to our water supply. These common sense observations added to the many other issues already raised at town meetings will, I hope, make Oakville Town Council seriously reconsider the aggressive growth they are proposing for North Oakville. inorganic. It thus seems that promo tion of algal growth in an appropri ate location and the subsequent controlled harvesting of the result ing mats could contribute to the purification of the lake and our drinking water. Does anyone have an estimate of the tonnage of algal material that accum ulated along the B ronte shoreline, an analysis of the impuri ties (metals and organics) sorbed by the algae, and the quantity and composition of the gas generated by decomposition of the mats? Also, how much nitrogen and phosphorus was consumed by or contained in the algal material and where did these necessary nutrients originate (stream discharge, treatment plant discharge and rem obilization of sediments?) Finally, has serious considera tion been given to harnessing algal species in ponds to polish the dis charge of community wastewater processing under controlled condi tions and the subsequent beneficial use of the harvested algal mass? Answers to the above would assist in making rational decisions on what actions to take to benefit from algal activity without suffering the odiferous consequences of neglected accumulations. Stench from rotting algae nothing new in Oakville I have just read your article about the algae on the w aterfront (Oakville Beaver, Fri., Aug. 10/2001) and the to w n 's e x p lan a tio n . W hoever th o u g h t o f that explanation should look back in history a little. I have lived in O akville since 1950 and lived on the lake since 1956 and have seen this build-up o f rot ting algae more summers than not. The algae growth is nothing new and probably has little to do w ith zebra mussels. The problem at that time was that with the influx o f people, O akville's sewage system could not keep up, and with the extra nutrients in the w ater we had regular algae blooms. Even in the 1950s, there were large am ounts o f algae and quite the smell. At that time, the w ater used to be very clear, and you could easily see 8 - 1 0 feet dow n into the water. This is actually much clearer w ater than we have near the shoreline now with all o f the silt being washed down the creeks after each rain. This is decades before the zebra mussel. It used to be the major reason that peo ple did NOT want to live on the lake. I think that the cause o f the current algae blooms is m ore lik e ly the re su lt o f the e x tre m e ly w arm weather, the overall increase in pollution, the extra nutrients in the w ater as a result of O akville's huge p o p u la tio n g ro w th and the in c re a se in n u trie n ts washed down from the farm ers' fields because of the increased deforestation and developm ent. Until we address these problem s, the algae will prosper. As far as I am concerned, it is part o f the price of living on the lake, along w ith taxes that are 50% higher than anywhere else! Patrick Keenan Michael Sudbury P u b lic g o o d n o t w e ll s e rv e d b y e le c tric ity d e re g u la tio n The Aug. 10th edition of the Oakville Beaver reported a single day record for hydroelectric power was set by Oakvillians on Aug. 7, 2001. This year promises to be a record one for power consumption. This should be cause for considerable con cern, given the governm ent o f O ntario has decided to deregulate and privatize the genera tion of electricity. Legislation aimed at bringing this to fruition has already been enacted. Now only is much of the United States starved for water, it is hungry for electricity. Demand out strips supply in many areas, resulting in prices that are double and trip le th o se p aid by O ntarians. B row nouts and blackouts have become commonplace. Alberta and California offer two glaring examples where the cost of power escalated exponentially as a consequence of deregulation. Responding appropriately, British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec wisely opted to continue regulating their own systems, thus ensuring rea sonable prices for their constituents. The problem lies in the North American Free Trade Agreement which forces suppliers in deregulated areas to sell available power on demand, with no regard for local needs. In other words, prices are driven up by Americans will ing to pay increasingly higher rates. As out-of-province demands rise, Ontario could well be left in the dark on a regular basis, and there is nothing our government can do about it. NAFTA short circuits the authority vested in governments to protect the public against such eventualities. In general, the cost of essential services is rising faster than those on low and modest incomes can afford. Witness property taxes, rents and natural gas. Deregulating electricity production would only exacerbate an already serious situation for many Ontarians. Would this not constitute a perversion of the public good? If you share this concern, convey your objec tions to Premier Mike Harris, and local MPPs, Gary C arr in O akville and Ted Chudleigh, Halton. To do nothing is to invite the unthink able. Wolfgang G.E. Zenker, M.B.A. R elative m ay be liv in g in area Pud Pens, paper jSYM SHOES LUNCH Boxes.., by Sammy, im making a listTM -IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL Yo u 'd l ik e to g o r b a c k to school? ,, - --------------- I am trying to trace my husband's long lost half brother, and thought a good place to start would be with a letter to the editor in the town where I think he may have once lived, and may still be living (Oakville). His name is Andrew Jackson, and he was bom to Alec and Eva Jackson in Feb. 1973 (I think), in Burlington. His Dad died in Dec. 1974, and although my husband contacted Eva in Sept. 1977, we lost touch with her shortly after, and have been unable to find her again. We heard that she may have remarried, so it is possible that Andrew now has a dif Peter Pellier ferent surname, but it is our hope that either he, or someone he knows, will recognize who it is we are seeking and get in touch with us. Steve Nease My husband's father died the year before we immigrated into Canada from England, and it would mean a lot to my husband to be able to meet and get to know his half brother. If anyone reading this can help, please email me at hiackso n @ fla sh .la k e h e a d u .c a o r w rite to P.O. B ox 1514, Marathon, ON, POT 2E0. Thankyou so much. Helen Jackson A N Y T H IN G E LSE ? C a r t o o n i s t 's e f f o r t s a p p r e c i a t e d I really appreciate the way Steve Nease can pull several "Mikey Messes" into one cartoon and keep the same high level of taste and humour. I am referring to his ability to take a Harris photo op and bring in the embarrassing truth about the actual track record. Personal Thanks -- for the sardonic smile that we have on our faces. Max and Geri Jackson