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.. n ......., enedaJuy16 99 And the watt came tumbling down Statement from Minister of Health, Allan Rock This is what was ieft of the Orono Hotei by Wednesday afternoon. Two workmen suspended in a crane, chipped away at the upper levei manu- ally. When the wali was low One of the first tbings the Mike Harris Conservatives dld when they assumed office was to strike down the Employmnent Equity Act. Mike Harris made kçlliing the act a prlonity in his election cam- paign. Subsequent to that, some citizens took the case to the Ontario Court, general division to have the equity law re-instated. Last week, the judge hearing the case ruled that the decision to scrap the equity iaw was a political one, and right or wrong in the political sense. was one which Oie govemnment was entitled to take. I think the judge made the wrong decision.- Wouid any fair minded per- son not doubt that even Oie Mike Harris governiment has Oie rlght to kIf legisiation that gives equality? Two hundred years ago. Lord Slmcoe, the Govemnor of Upper Canada, prociaimed a plece of legisia.tion that was perhaps as significant In those times as the Empioyment Equity Act is i our trnes. He slgned an act outiawlng the trading and possession of slaves in Upper Canada. At the, time many, were skeptical about Oie use- fuiness of such legisiation and even regrettably so, many were outrlghtiy opposed*to Oie legisiation argulng Oiat it was "bad for business" and that It had littie'chance of doing any good for Oiose vic- tims of slavery. In case we shouid forget, Oie Empioyment Equity Art. whlch incidentlally Mike Hanris said was "bad for busi- ness too" was meant to pro- vide equity i Oie workpiace for women, among others. Women in the Province of Ontario total half Oie entire population. The kiiling of Oie Equity Empioyment Act was enough, the bucket on the bulldozer went behind the waii and gentiy pushed sec- tions inward. The work crew were carefuiiy avoidîng a by Gord Mils done according to Mike Hanris, because it forced com- panies to hire and promote people based ýon quotas rather than straight menit. If that indeed were the case the need of legisiation would have neyer been there ln the first place. One women I know, when applying for a job was told they wanted Canadian citizens.,When she produced her citizenshlp document they replied that they wanted "real Canadians.- How could she ever win given those klnd of circumstances? Like the legisiation outlaw- ing slavery, the objectives of the Employment Equity Act were to achieve social jus tice. Social justice in our province is not some "hair-brained" left wing idea, it is the ideals we should ail seek ln our every day life. It Is something al .men of the cioth" pray for eachSunday ini their church- es whatever the denomination 's. The -marginalization of inidividuals and indeed com- munities, creates unsafe liv- ing environments whlch in turm adversely affect ail of us. Economlc competition can't be achideved in a social climate where Individuals are forced to the margins of poverty by exc lusion. from employment opportunities brought about by ail forms of discrimlnatory practices. The Employment Equity Act. meant 50 much tothose who encountered banriers and obstacles in participating in meaningfui empioyment. The killing of the legisiation by the Mike Harris government, which includes the local member who- is part of that decision making process. is yet one more black mark on their collective conscience. major spectacle By Wednesday night the wails were levelled and al that remain of that portion of the Hotel is an empty lot. Around the Region (continued from page 2) Ontario Hydro dumps met- ais Ontario Hydro admitted Tuesday that its nuclear power plants have been dumping metals into the Great Lakes. More than -1,800 tonnes of copper and other metais have been dumped. An internai review, carried out by a committee of Hydro executives and some outside experts, said Hydro managers faiied to quickly notifS' senior executive, the public, or regu- lators. The panel stopped short of accusing North America's biggest electrical utility of a coverup, but biamed the mistakes on bad judgement and Iack of institu- tionai memory. Copper, zinc and other met- ais eroded or corroded from the condensers used to cool generation stations, especiaiiy at the Pickering nuclear facili- ty. Water is puimped from the lakes, through the condensers and back into the lake. Pickering , Nuciear Generating Station was found It be the worst offender. Close to 65% of the harmfui emissions came- from Pickering. Hydro says that there's no evidence the metals have gone into the fish or drinking water. Enviroinmental groulps want to know where the mfetais are. GOl'iger'sTravel Recycle This Newspaper 1 appreciate having this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you during your Annual General Meeting. As a new Minister of Health.' let me first thank you for the role that you have played in addresslng HIV/AIDS. Your leadership has been a foun- dation for this work In Canada, and, you have perserved in the face of enor- mous pain and ioss. On behaîf of ail Canadians, I' thank you. During the election, the Liberal Party made a promise to renew the National AIDS strategy at current funding levels. That commitment will be respected. The basic framework of the current National AIDS Strategy has recelved widespread support. Nevertheless, there is agree- ment that we need to move to a more multi-sectoral approacli in Canada to address the complexities of the expanding epidemics. It is therefore very important at this juncture to review and revitalize the federai role in that context. It is my intention'to con- suit a wide range of govern- mental and non-governrnen- tai stakehoiders in designing a third phase of the National AIDS Strategy. I invite and encourage your full participa- tion in this process over the coming weeks. While ail aspects of the National AIDS Strategy wiil be reviewed, I arn aware that there are specific concemns about the timeliness of con- tinued federal funding for community action 'and research. I have asked My Department to, explore options to deai with these issues on a priority basis. I extend my best wlshes for a productive meeting, and look forward to with you. Serices and Repairs To Ail Makes Of Vehicles Used Auto Parts & Compiete Auto Body Servce & Used and New lires Serice Cails NEWCASTLE FUNERAL HOME fFunera[Director -~ Car(Good 4Personal, professional, affordable service in a beautifully* restored century home. 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