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SECTION TWO WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20,1989 Efit Canadian statesman cn Durham Region's Great Family Journal Established 135 years ago in 1854 Also Incorporating ft, « - The Bowman ville News ■ # f .N A The Newcastle Independent VT TheOrono News Second Class mail registration number 1561 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited 62 King Street West, Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 John M. James Editor - Publisher Richard A. James Associate Publisher Peter Parrott Associate Editor Brian Purdy Advertising Mgr. Donald Bishop Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition of advertisements produced by the employees of James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Subscription Rates Six Months --$11.00 One Year--$20.00 Foreign -- $60.00 per year Allhough every precaution will be taken to avoid error, The Canadian Statesman accepts advertising In Its columns on the understanding that it will not be liable lor any error In the advertisement published hereunder unless a proof ol such advertisement is requested In writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by the advertiser and With such error or corrections plainly noted In writing thereon, and In that case H any error so noted Is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman its liability shall not exceed such a portion ol the entire cost ol such advertisement as the space occupied by the noted error bears to the whole space occupied by such advertisement. Watch D.G.S. Plant Grow As we write this, we haven't yet seen Ontario Hydro's 25-year long range blueprint for generating electrical electrical power. But, we have a pretty good idea what part of it will say. For one thing, you wouldn't be a reckless fool if you were to bet that the next phase of the Darlington Generating Station will get the green light from Hydro. The recent cold snap has had Hydro scrambling for a few extra kilowatts and purchasing electricity from sources sources outside Ontario. So you don't really need a crystal ball to predict that Hydro Hydro will be calling for additional generating generating capacity. Ontario Hydro has always affirmed that nuclear power is superior, to the coal-powered plants which produce ample quantities of pollutants as a byproduct byproduct of their operation. And, unless somebody discovers another Niagara gorge in a big hurry, there isn't too much hope for producing power from hydro electric stations. So, although we haven't yet seen Hydro's report, we can assume that nuclear generating capacity will be the answer. Now, potential sites for nuclear plants do not exactly grow on trees. And it's very likely that the utility will go with the Darlington site as its main choice for a new nuclear power plant since the site is already available, In fact; much of Hydro's literature describes describes the existing site as Darlington "A". This, of course, implies that there is a Darlington "B" waiting in the wings. In other words, Hydro will probably attempt to do at Darlington what it did at Pickering. It will propose propose a long-range scheme in which Darlington will grow to eight reactors. And, like Pickering, Darlington will become a continuous construction site, with work at this location extending. into two and possibly three decades. We expect, of course, that Ontario Hydro will have a lot to say about energy energy conservation in its forecast. And the utility will, no doubt, support and intensify conservation efforts. But, it's unlikely that a new generating station can be left out of Hydro's plans. And, for Town of Newcastle residents, this new generating station will be the most important topic. For local residents, all. of this sounds like a bad case of deja-vu. All of the issues which surfaced along with plans for the Darlington "A" development development will come forward once again. Will any new nuclear development become the subject of a thorough environmental environmental assessment and subsequent hearing? What will be the impact of this development on the Town of Newcastle Newcastle and how will Newcastle be compensated compensated for any of its ill-effects? Will we see the health of residents of the community monitored by a meaningful Glt/UUmcùi Relax, Rest, Enjoy! piom the It's Christmas! Let's share in the beauty and joys of the season together, as we express our very best wishes to you and yours. scientific analysis? And, of course, there will be the ever-present and simple simple question which can never be answered answered to the complete satisfaction of 100 per cent of all residents: Just how safe is nuclear power, anyhow? It is odd that over a decade has elapsed since Darlington's first sod was turned. But the same questions which existed then must be answered now. Some things have changed and these conditions may throw a different light on the question of Darlington "B". For one thing, we know just how staggeringly expensive the plant can be. The Darlington project has more .than doubled in costs since it first got under way. Using the benefit of hindsight, hindsight, we can project that to duplicate the existing Darlington plant over the next decade or more would probably cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $25 to $35 billion. Environmental and safety questions aside, you can't help wondering if nuclear nuclear power has priced itself right out of the market. As Hydro opponents are fond of pointing out, you could buy one heck of a lot of storm windows and doors and insulation for that kind of cash. And the energy savings which would result would probably eliminate the need for the new plant. It's a thought that was expressed before Darlington "A" was off the drawing board and it will be repeated in the debates debates which will occur in the next few months. But the big change that has occurred occurred over the dozen or so years since Darlington was started is related to our attitude towards the environment. If we can believe popular perceptions, it would seem as though there is a much greater number of "environmentalists" "environmentalists" among the public today. During During the early days of construction at Darlington, such concerns seemed to belong more to fringe organizations than to citizens in the mainstream. Today, there is apparently more concern concern over environmental issues. Some of this may only be part of a passing fad, but much of it is genuine. Even at the official level, Newcastle's Newcastle's elected councillors are far less gung-ho about Ontario Hydro and nuclear nuclear power than they were in the late 1970's. So Ontario Hydro will, have a massive massive selling job ahead, if it opts for expansion expansion of its nuclear power program. And yet, one cannot be overly critical about Ontario Hydro. Its job is to provide provide Ontario consumers with electrical energy and one has to admit that there would be a huge. outcry from those consumers if they discovered one cold winter night that there wasn't enough electricity to warm the house New Bar Hours Most people I know have their own set of Christmas traditions they faithfully follow every year. Every Christmas morning in my family, we get up before the sun rises rises to open our Christmas presents. The routine was established established long ago when my brother and I were little but it still exists today. The only difference between between then and now is that my dad wakes me up on Christmas morning now when before it was the other way around. We have other traditions traditions too that include visiting visiting neighbours on Christmas Eve, watchin Christmas shows an opening stockings before the presents. Little things like this, make up many memories for all of us. I think there are many collective traditions though, that we all share. For example, there is the Christmas greeting card (there is a wonderful story about Christmas cards elsewhere in this week's paper that you might want to read). How many times have you received one from a friend you had lost touch with or from a special family member living far away from you and remembered remembered all the good times you had spent together? together? Cards have become a very special part of our Turn to Page 2 Letter Writer Has Big Plans for Ottawa Dcnr Editor and the people people of Canada, I can't believe that we've let things go this far. What wo seem to have in the Progressive Progressive Conservative government government is a dictatorship. Who does Mulroncy think he is? The country is now in debt so deep we might never recover, and still ho goes on giving to others and taking from our country's good, lmrd working people. What about our own hungry, our own homeless? Say, Mr. Gov. who don't you find some funds in that budget of yours and put something buck into the pockets of your own people? Well, I rend a letter in the paper not too long ngo, anil the writer asked "Who has the guts?" Well, I do, and I know there are many others out there who nron t happy with the way Mulron- ey's running things, so I say lot's got together on this issue issue and got this guy out of office. Not vote him out. 'cause who knows if that'll work, I mean lot's all got to- B 'lor, go im to Parliament -or mnd someone who's willing, and yank those guys out of office. What a farce our government 1ms turned out to bo, n mockery of what this country stands for; It's not nbout money. Uh-uh. No-sirry-bob. I know that I'm very disappointed with the way things have been going, so it's time for an about-face, don't you think? With all of the great minds in Canada, I'm sure wo can all come up with an idea of how to change things for the better, for the people. I know I'm unhappy enough with the way things are going going that I'd bo willing, even happy, to take Parliament Hill, get rid of the nonsense inside, and turn it into a museum of reminders of how a country shouldn't bo run. Replace the dictators inside with humble, ordinary ordinary citizens wlio'd deeply care for this country's people. people. Love is the priority here, good people of Canada, not money, so lot's got control before it's too Into. Anyone care to join mo? One of the poor Canadian women, Elizabeth Elizabeth Ingram » Box 8-1, Enniskillen, Enniskillen, Ontario LOB 1MO. I menu, enough is enough, light? Christmas. But did you know that they were invented invented only a century ago, in 1843, and at the time weren't very popular at all? Cards didn't really become become "the tiding to send" until the Britisn post office office decided to lower the cost of postage stamps for Christmas mailings. Tinsel, used to decorate decorate Christmas trees (and invariably, the dog, the cat, the carpet, the plants, etc.,) was invented invented many years before the Christmas card. Mark Jackman, in the Clarke Museum and Archives Archives "Curos" newsletter, newsletter, wrote that the shimmering shimmering ornament was invented in Germany in 1610. Fortunately, the Christmas tree had already already been invented, in Latvia in 1510. Around the 1800's, Mark writes, ornaments for trees were being made in Europe. Today, we have hundreds hundreds of different cards, different textures and colours colours of tinsel and many different types of tree decorations. Wo have different trees too ranging from real to artificial. We even have an environmentally sound tree that can be planted when the holidays holidays are over. There arc other aspects aspects of the holiday season season too, that serve to remind remind many of us of a time when the only worry we had was whether or not we could fall asleep on Christmas Eve. "Tsvas the Night Before Before Christmas", a favourite favourite holiday poem, is almost almost as old as the Christmas tree. Clement Moore wrote the story in 1822. Rudolph, the famous red-nosed reindeer, came to fame and existence in 1939. And of course, the ultimate ultimate Christmas story, "A Christmas Carol" was written by Charles Dickons Dickons the same year cards wore created. I've seen so many different different Scrooges in movies over the years (Alister Sim and Donald Duck's uncle and Bill Murray) yet I still get a lump in my throat when Ebenezer finds out that he hadn't missed Christmas. Whatever the traditions traditions shared by you and your family, I hope this Christmas is. a happy one. The Ontario government has agreed to extend Sunday Sunday operating hours for licensed licensed establishments by two hours. An amendment to Regulation Regulation 581 under the Liquor Licence Act, passed November November 29, 1989, allows the extension extension of Sunday operating hours to 1:00 a.m. Sunday opening hours remain remain the same at 12:00 noon. All premises currently allowed to open on Sundays can take advantage of the longer hours. Hours for New Year's Eve will remain the same as pre vious years: 11:00 a.m to 2:00 a.m. for that day only. These, hours apply to all types of licensed, establishments establishments in the province. The amendment also revokes revokes Section 38 of Regulation Regulation 581, which places certain certain restrictions on Sunday liquor sales at events for which special occasion permits permits (SOPs) have been, issued. issued. As a result, liquor sales will be permitted until 1:00 a.m. at Sunday SOP functions. Also, SOPs are no longer restricted to three or sixnours. Five Days 'til Christmas Christmas! Have you ever noticed that it has the tendency to bring out the very best and the very worst in people? It seems to represent a mixture of the milk of human kindness and the bitter venom of human greed. It is only human nature to be both greedy and giving. Hence, it is not surprising surprising that the festive season attracts the traits which we both admire and despise in our neighbours and ourselves. ourselves. As we think about the nature of Christmas, it occurs to us that Christmas Christmas is a season of opposites and paradoxes. paradoxes. For example, although we like to think of Christmas as primarily a time to enjoy the intangible gifts of love and joy and peace, we hasten to ensure that everybody on our Christmas list is fully recognized with a parcel beneath beneath the tree. Christmas is supposed to bo a time for family, and yet the numerous obligations obligations of the season sometimes make it difficult to spend such time with them. Christmas is, according to the popular popular cliche, n time for children. But it's frequently the "big kids" who spend time engrossed in the toys and games and other things that arc allegedly part of the magic of a child's Christmas. Christmas. And wo need not belabour the point that although the tradition of Christmas Christmas pertains to things of the spirit, the season has become quite entangled in outright materialism. Perhaps the paradoxes of this season season shouldn't surprise us. When you come to think of it. that very first Christinas, as recorded in Scripture, was a mooting of opposites and paradoxes. paradoxes. It was a meeting of the human and the divine, the rich and the poor, the natural and the supernatural, the shepherds and the kings. Our own human human diversity is reflected in any narrative narrative of the Christmas story that you care to read. But, underneath the diversity and the opposites and the paradoxes of this season, there shines a common theme. Theology is not our strong suit and we hesitate to wade too far into that very specialized field of study. Moreover,' Moreover,' different faiths have different teachings concerning the precise meaning of Christmas. Nevertheless, it seems to us that the underlying hope of the traditional Christian Christmas is that our opposites opposites and'differences can be resolved as we look towards a higher purpose. Around the manger of Bethlehem, there were neither kings nor shepherds shepherds but merely individuals who had followed their star. They were united in their quest for something of a higher value -- something something of a spiritual rather than earthly nature. And, in the lowly stable, they found one who would tench the world to love God and our neighbours ns much ns we love ourselves. Of course, we would not suggest that Christmas should be robbed of its traditions and replaced by sonic nebulous nebulous concept of goodwill and pence. Christmas does and should moan festive festive feasts, presents, parties, trees, yule logs, cards, and all the other trimmings trimmings that accompany this time of the year. But let us not forget the other, idealistic side of the season. Our hope for those of you who might read those words is that you will fully experience the joy of the season season which is now upon us and catch the underlying spirit which blazes forth from the numerous traditions that help us to celebrate December 25th. Here's wishing you ,a merry Christmas Christmas and, above all, a bright star to guide your way.