PAGE 4 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, DECEMBER 10, 2003 www.durhamrcgion.com Tim Whiltaker Publisher Joanne Burghardl Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Œfjc Canadian Statesman Phone 905-579-4400 Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2238 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail nensroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 HDECEMBER 10,2003 Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurham egiot .com EDITORIAL u-inail letters to nuwsroomt!? (lurliainrcnion.com Feds kill ITER dream But rushing into . Candu expansion could be another costly nightmare ll was a glorious dream. A $ 12-billion research plant dedicated to creating energy by the fusion of atoms, mimicking the natural energy production of the sun, could have been located right here in Durham. It was going to put Clarington and all of the region on the international scientific map, create hundreds of jobs and limitless economic spin-off benefits, and give the country's newest university, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, an enviable technological technological learning advantage. And while the dream of creating the International Thermonuclear Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor remains very much alive, any hope now of hosting it in Durham is dead, with Canada officially dropping dropping out of the project last Friday. The reported lack of federal support to host the plant is bitterly bitterly disappointing for the Iter Canada team and many Durham officials officials who've been working hard on the project for years now. Much time and energy was spent lobbying Queen's Park and Ottawa Ottawa for support and travelling overseas in a quest to bring ITER home. While there was always a chance Canada would not be chosen chosen by the international partners to host ITER, losing the bid after giving it our best shot, would've been easier to take. It's disheartening disheartening the federal government was unable or unwilling to pony up a competitive package to keep the country in the running, and could be even more disheartening if Canada decides not to be a working partner in the project. Canada's withdrawal is good news only to France and Japan, the remaining countries competing to host the facility. But 'what-ifs' and 'could-haves' aside, in another four decades or so, the results of the experiment that will be ITER should be known. If fusion indeed proves to be the sustainable energy source of the future, Canada will, at some point, have to step up to the plate and get in the game. Meanwhile, having lost what would've been a major international international coup, Clarington Mayor John Mutton has been quoted as saying lie'll now push for expansion of the Darlington nuclear site with new, upgraded Candu reactors. Given the costly fiasco that has occurred with the restart of the Pickering A reactors, it would be more prudent to wait until the new Liberal government sorts through the mess and OPG has analyzed its own mistakes before rushing into another nuclear reactor project. OPINION c-mail letters to newsrooni@(l iirhamregion.com Christmas spirit hampered by hydro increase Taking a drive through Newcastle and Bowmanville over the weekend, it looked as though the Christmas spirit tossed its cookies all over the neighbourhood. Sparkling lights highlighting trees and cavestroughs in a display of good-natured one-upmanship adorned many homes along the trip. It's great to see so much enthusiasm during a season representing peace, love and good will. However, some homes were not decorated decorated at all. Religious reasons aside, perhaps these owners arc practising for the hydro cap increase. While Premier Dalton McGuinty is busy pushing legislation through to raise the cap from 4.3 to 4.7 cents per kw/h for the first 750 kw/li, with additional usage costing 5.5 cents, some citizens arc grumbling. There is anger that Mr. McGuinty changed his mind, tossing the old rate after seeing the deficit numbers left in the wake of the Tories. How about a tax increase instead? If hydro is costing more than we're paying, the money has to come from somewhere, Perhaps we should all pitch in to cover the cost of those who leave the television on when they go out for the day. Let's get those hippy-do-good environmentalists environmentalists to pilch in too, Who do they think they are setting up alternative energy units like solar panels lo offset some of the strain on the grid? We all shared the adventure of Shelley Jordan the blackout; let's all share the cost of hydro. Besides, everyone's confident confident with the way government manages our tax dollars. When we're forking it over we do so with a smile because it's easy for the Ontario government government to keep track of every penny it receives. That's one reason Ernie Eves could say with a straight face he was balancing Ontario's Ontario's budget while incurring a whopping $700 million hydro deficit. Yes, hydro is a necessity in 2003. Our lives are built around it and most people lack the skills to survive without without power, but there's little incentive incentive to conserve when everyone pays through taxes. If we pay for what we use, those who love lo light up their houses at Christmas may choose lo turn them off at 10 p.m. rather than midnight lo afford the luxury. It's all about priorities. In case you were wondering, wondering, my Christmas display looks pretty nice this year too, if I do say so myself. Reporter Shelley .Ionian '.v column appears every oilier Wednesday. TUENDN WW wry on a poll,. LETTER TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to ncwsro<>m@durham region.com Shaming accused is not job for police To the editor: Re: 'Driving impaired will make you famous.' Dec. 3. The new Durham Regional Police program of "shaming" those accused of impaired driving driving is a gross abuse of police power and should be stopped. Whatever its good intentions, intentions, it is not the mandate of the DRP - or any police force - to administer punishment. That is the job of the courts, and only after due process of law. The program is all the more appalling when you consider it punishes people who haven't been convicted of any crime. It's not a big leap from cops administering "public embarrassment" embarrassment" to handing out other extralegal forms of deterrent. Remember Rodney King? Public embarrassment may well be a deterrent to drunk driving. driving. If so, let it be administered administered by a judge as part of a sentence, sentence, not by a police force acting acting outside the law. James Stuart Bowmanville Flu shot is not a cure-all To the editor: Over the last few weeks'I've been watching and hearing advertisements advertisements promoting free flu vaccinations. Pictures appeared in the newspapers of different people in our community getting a needle from an eager nurse. It is approved by doctors, paid for by the government, so it must be good for us, isn't it? Wrong. There are a few conventional physicians and our homeopathic community that realize the potential potential for danger in getting flu shots, or other vaccinations. • 1 realize there is only a small fraction of the population who have always been interested in a healthy lifestyle and homeopathic homeopathic medication. The rest of the people are kept in darkness, mainly due to our lack of general information and being misguided by our media sources, which in turn re^ ceive partial information from conventional doctors, who support support the largest business in this country - pharmaceutical companies. companies. 1 would like to end my letter with a quote from Professor Dr. Diwan Harsh: 'Medicine should be a liberal profession, all the verified gains and experiences of each part are freely without covenant the property of all. The different systems and different specializations are instances of intellectual flux in medicine. We should not get involved in bickering bickering or controversies over systems systems of medicine.' We should all work together (conventional and homeopathic doctors) to achieve the optimal health of patients. Dr. Dorothy Rahin Scugog ATVers must stay off roads To the editor: Re: 'Putting safely first,'Nov. 28. The article by Carly Foster touched on some very important important points and was well done. There are, however, two areas that need to be accentuated. accentuated. It is the thinking by these folks it is acceptable and legal to travel on public roads with these units as, a-means of transportation. transportation. The same goes for snowmobiles. It should be made clear the Highway Traffic act of Ontario forbids the use of these vehicles vehicles travelling on public roads anywhere in the province. We see some bozos, like the one the other day, with a three- year-old on the front saddle and a child no more than five years old, standing up holding on for dear life to the roll bar, zinging down the public road and purposely purposely spinning the wheels in the snow patches. Just out for a spin. This does not include the meatheads using our roads as their private race ways on these unstable bush machines. And then lo talk about insurance, insurance, what happens if you are driving one of these machines and are in collision with a properly properly licensed vehicle. Assuming you survive the incident, what happens, that is, who pays? Well, since you are travelling travelling illegally and are not licensed licensed for the road, insurance will not pay, just as if you are driving drunk. Then the insurance of the legal vehicle will pursue and sue and will win, and you pay. This could, and in most cases would, spell financial ruin. Imagine paying each month for the rest of your life and maybe even passing along the debt to your offspring. Doug Woolley View Lake CLICK AND SA^ Today's question: Should police put the names of drivers charged through the RIDE program on its Web site? U Yes □ No Cast your vole online at infodurham .com Last week's question: Will new safety initiatives from police and government help ATV users be more careful or will it be ignored? □ Help safety 9.8 per cent □ Will help some 37.7 per cent □ Will be ignored 52.5 per cent Votes cast: 61 HAVE YOUR SAY Question Do you volunteer? If yes. what do you do, and if no, why not? Terry Traill 'Yes, I canvass for the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Foundation, Cancer Society and the Kidney Foundation. Foundation. You help where you need to help.' Lynn Tyers 'Yes, I volunteer volunteer at the Clarington Clarington Older Adults Association. Association. I just donate donate my lime.' Marj Huxter 'Yeah, 1 babysit my grandkids. F don't do anything anything community community wide.' Dianne Cochrane 'Yes I do. 1 teach bible study to seniors at Ce da re ro ft Nursing Home.' o <2 tCItr Ciiiiiitiinii Sitnlcsiimii is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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