Clarington Digital Newspaper Collections

Orono Weekly Times, 18 Jul 2012, p. 2

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2 - Orono Weekly Times 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Subscriptions $42.86 + $2.14 GST = $45.00 per year. No Refunds. Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund for our publishing activities." Wednesday, July 18, 2012 ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON L0B 1M0 E-mail: oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax: 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart Production and Display Advertising - Roxanne Johnston Classified/Sports The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. We the people By: Christopher W. Brown What happens in little ol' Durham won't have any major effect at the national level of government. If the riding goes back into the Conservative column, the Conservatives will still have a majority. And if either the NDP or the Liberals take the riding, the government in Canada will still be a Conservative majority. We do have the unique opportunity to set in place a national agenda. If we send a Conservative back to Ottawa, we are saying that we have full trust in the Harper Government. If for some reason we decided to send an NDP or a Liberal to Ottawa, we are telling the government that we do not like the way the government is functioning. The talk in every political circle right now is who will be the biggest threat to the Conservatives? Everyone you speak to, cardcarrying Liberals or Conservatives will tell you the biggest unknown is the NDP right now. The NDP have had a pretty smooth term as opposition. They elected their first Quebec Leader, they represent the younger generation of politics and they had a successful leadership campaign. If the NDP want a chance to take this riding from the Conservatives, they will need to nominate someone who already has a profile in the riding. In the last Provincial election the NDP candidate, James Terry ran circles around the other candidates at the televised debate. Terry was able to answer questions on his feet, was able to talk to residents like he was one of them, and he spoke with conviction. If Terry runs, the NDP has a better chance of winning the riding. The Liberals in the riding have to be finding themselves with their tails between their legs, with this week's announcement that Grant Humes is not seeking the Liberal nomination; the Liberals now are left without a candidate that people know. The Liberals will need to find a candidate that can represent the people of Durham, is well known and without baggage. Currently there are rumours that the two most recent former Clarington Mayors, John Mutton and Jim Abernethy are pondering the possibility of running for the Liberal nomination. The best thing the Liberals have going for them is a National Leadership Campaign. By the time the by-election is called the leadership candidates will be visiting the riding. If Erin O'Toole does win the Conservative party nomination he will not only have to distance himself from Ms. Oda, but also from his own father. Conservatives in the party are already thinking about voting for his opponent, Chris Topple (executive assistant to Colin Carrie, Federal Member of Parliament to Oshawa.) because they have become dissatisfied with John O'Toole. One Conservative member said he spoke with John over the last few weeks who said that "this was going to be his last campaign. While speaking to the Conservatives this week they said they know that the national parties will play a major role in the campaign. They believe that the message for this campaign will be decided by the party running in second place. If polls are to be believed, with the NDP nationally at 34 percent and the Conservatives at 32 percent in popularity, the Conservatives will be the ones who set the message for this upcoming by-election. Will the Conservatives in this riding run away from Ms. Oda and run towards the party that understands the concerns of everyday people. Will the NDP run as the party that can win an Ontario agricultural riding, or will the third place Liberals run to try and stay relevant? This election could be the last of Durham Riding, with riding re-distribution to be announced at the end of the summer, we could see the riding split into a north and south riding, where Port Perry and Uxbridge distributed to the other smaller ridings and Clarington become its own riding. This could mean that whoever ends up winning this election could be just representing us for a little more than two years. The problem with a by-election is that voter turn-out is usually low, but we in Clarington have always seen a higher than average turnout in every election. With that we can rest easy knowing that the people of Durham are politically active, and are willing to use their basic Canadian right of voting. As Bev Oda transitions into private life and becomes more domestic, we all have to sit back and thank her for putting into place what will be one of the most watched elections in Durham's history. We are about to see the most active campaign that Durham has ever seen. Fair winds, unfair headline To The Editor: Re: "Wind turbines suck claims proponent", P.1, Wed. July 11 I understand that there is strong opposition to wind turbines from many of the readers of The Times but that doesn't excuse the absurd headline to the front page story last week. From "taking energy from the wind, that is their purpose" -- which incidentally is correct -- to "wind turbines suck" is just too much of a stretch. However the story did contain an element of irony. Instead of worrying about radioactive dust being disturbed, shouldn't we be asking why we have radioactive dust in the first place? If there's a spill of wind energy, it's called a fair wind. Sincerely, Louis Bertrand, Bowmanville Opinion A Ganaraska Diamond On June 29th, under the watchful eyes of two Royal Canadian Mounties and a few guests Elva Reid and others from our area each gathered at Trinity United Church in Bowmanville to be presented with a Diamond Jubilee medal by Bev Oda or John O'Toole. These medals are presented to Canadians who have voluntarily made outstanding contributions to their community and Canada. In Elva's case the presentation was made in recognition of her continued efforts to preserve, promote and plan for the present and future of the Ganaraska watershed. This is the second time Elva has received a jubilee medal. The first time was the Silver Jubilee medal in 1977 for her work with the Council of Canadian Unity from which came ideas on how to celebrate Canada's birthday. Of course we all know it today as Canada Day. Elva's great, great, grandparents moved to Clarke Township almost 200 years ago and in 1948 her grandfather became a founding member of the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA). Elva has continued the family tradition as a supporter of the GRCA by main- by Tony Wood, Orono taining a watchful eye on matters which may influence a watershed that provides the origin for many watercourses. Elva was a founder of Save the Ganaraska Again (SAGA) which was established to prevent the Ganaraska watershed from being developed without proper consideration for the water preservation qualities it represents. This group managed to ensure development would not damage a sensitive eco system but at the same time over a three year period, 1993-95, showcased agriculture in Durham and Northumberland with what OPINION see page 5

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