The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

ONLYIN CANADA * 1'was saddened last week to read that the era of the Bluenose may be coming to an end. And it's all because of money. Bluenose 11, built in 1963 is in need of a re-fit. The Canadian Coast Guard says it will cost between $500,00 and $1 million to make the vessel seaworthy. The cost of building a Bluenose 111 is estimated at about $7 million. Bluenose 11 is owned now by the Nova Scotian government, which has been spending about $1 million in and it, largely as a tourist attraction, The government would prefer not to. sink any more money into the re-fit, preferring instead to have a new vessel built with money raised by a nation-wide foundation. On Canada's east coast a fierce debate is raging over whether to spend the money on Bluenose 11 or try to raise the funds to build 8 Bluenose 111, Somehow the fact that this debaté'is even going on is typical of thé way we do things. Canada.is a country that has no trouble devouring its national "treasures and traditions. The original Bluenose, built as a Grand Banks fishing schooner in 1923 sailed to international fame in the 1930's when it raced against the best US boats up and down the Eastern sea-board. Somehow, Canada thought enough of the Bluenose in 1937 to put her on_ the back of the ten-cent piece. And she is still there to this day. However, Bluenose came to an inglorious end in 1946. Her owners, strapped for cash sold her in 1942 to a West Indian trading company. The new owners tore down her tall masts, put a diesel engine in her innards and for a few years she hauled rum and bananas between the islands. In 1948, in a fierce tropical storm off Haiti, this gem of Canadian ship-building floundered n a reef and was lost forever. Too bad that for want of a few dollars that original Bluenose would be in a museum today, preserved for generations to see and admire. Bluenose 11, a somewhat replica of the original, does not have any historical significance, at least not the way the Bluenose has. For one thing, soft spruce instead of hardwood was used, it has two engines and little of the fishing pry of the original What we ought to do in this country is find the $7 million needed to build an exact duplicate of the original, a . true symbol of the enduring legacy of "iron men and wooden ships." The fact that the original eided her days as a tramp steamer is a national disgrace. But theres nothi "GAP for the Earth will be coming to Scugo This week I want to describe two examples of "green" activities that local g any can do about what happened half a century ago. One would 'think, however, that today in 1994, this country would want to restore a great tradition and build a Bluenose true in every Ystail to her famous ancestor. As a small foot-note to this saga of the Bluenose, my late father crewed on the original Bluenose on several of the famous races between Nova Scotia and New England in the 1930's. We have lett" many of our traditio ither and die--the railroads east coast ship building, Bluenose. The birthday of the er-of Confederation, Sir John A. gir each year hardly noticed, or, God forbid, celebrated as a national holiday. Sure, it cost money to honour and preserve the past, and money is tight these days. But my sense of sadness over the Bluenose saga was heightened just a bit on reading that Ontario forked over $4 million to a consulting firm to count the number of computers in government offices. That would have made a great down payment on a "new" Bluenose and part of our history worth saving. IN CLOSING: One final word on the Snow Flake Festival. I enjoyed the two weekends of activities. Sure, it was cold but that just made the hot ~ coffee taste that much better. A lot of people put a great deal of effort into this first time Festival and they deserve a pat on the back. Mayor Howard Hall said the Festival deserves the support of the municipality. Let's hope, even in these times of tight budgets, he is referring to financial support for next year--even seed-money in the form of a eww would be welcome. The Festival was not without its glitches, to be sure. But that's to be in any new endeavour. The 'iinportant thing is that the lessons learned in 1994 will stand the Festival in good stead for years to come. Personally, I hope this becomes a mid-January event in Scugog for a long time. * ultimately that our soci can become involved in right in the Port Perry area. The first is the monthly "Video Night" which is free, open to the public, and which takes place on the last Thursday of he month a4 7:50 pa: in the teachers' thinking of doing some spri ! planting of their own, and on 26th, the last Video Night of the Spring season, "Chlorine Cover-Up: Ozone Destruction" will be shown. Mark your calendars now with the dates of the Video Nights that interest you, and keep an eye on the paper's Community Calendar for reminders as the dates lunchroom at Port Perry High School. Videos on a range of subjects of interest to people concerned about environmental and social justice issues are shown. On January 27th, we were scheditled to show "Manufacturing Consent", a video about Noam Chomsky, American linguist, intellectual, and prolific author, but had to cancel due to bad weather conditions. Chomsky, who is fiercelfficritical of the U.S. mass media, asserts that it is really corporations - not our governments - which run society. The media, he says, should be viewed as simply another kind of corporation. And, since corp approach. The last two videos just mentioned, by the way, are available at Scugog. The others can be borrowed through the inter-library loan system or very cheaply from the National Film Board for those individuals who cannot attend Video Night or who might wish to show them in a class or group setting. The National Film Board has scads of material on environmental (and social Justice) issues; you can call the NFB toll- free at 1-800-267-7710 and ask to have some information sent to you. Durham are not democratically run, phis means is also far into the way western society works'are breath-taking! If you want to see this movie, call me at 985-3226 and we'll let you plow when the alternate date for showing ft will be. On February 24th, we'll see "Sea of Slaughter", in which Farley Mowat details man's destruction of various Atlantic Ocean species, including whales, seal pups, lobsters, herring and tuna. On March 31st, we will be showing "Super Companies", a film that will help to give viewers a better sense of the way that multinational corporations (now considered by many to be the real power behind our governments) operate. Perhaps not surptisingly, the of pier Lo plo wombs ie concern to these huge companies. On April 28th, "The Man Who Planted Trees" will inspire viewers who may be Envi l Network also has a small selection of videos on environmental ji - to find out more about these, call 725-1565. Here's good news! Port Perry and area residents will soon be able to embark on our own Global Action Plan for.the Earth program. People who have heard about GAP's goals to help householders reduce their environmental impact will soon be able to take part in a GAP project, either as individual families or as members of an "Eco Team". Coordinating the project in Scugog Township will be Noreen Calderbank, a member of the local Green Umbrella group. She plans to tackle it by first running one Eco Team through the initial stage of the program, then, depending on how that works out, broadening out to attract a wider audience. If you are keen to help test the GAP n Scugog T p by joining this | pilot Eco Team, please 'call Noreen Calderbank at 985-3751. Renowned musicians will present concert Internationally renowned musicians Antonin Kubalek, piano and Ivan Zenaty, violin, will start their cross continent tour (Vancouver, Los Winnipeg, New York - and - Uxbridge) in the historic Uxbridge Music Hall. A performance by musicians of this calibre in a town the size of Uxbridge is a rare and special event for music lovers. When it is also a bargain, how can you resist? The admission price, $12.00, is less than half what will be charged elsewhere for the same programme. And, here we can +11 wt owas 10 thn yurforionre-and oven meet them. To make a good thing even better, the appreciation The concert will be held February 18 at 8:00 pm. Government gag on pro-life expression To the Editor; On Sunday evening I listened with interest to a news item that told of the home picket of the former Liberal M.P. Jag Bhaduria. The picketers were concerned people exercising their civil right to peacefully assemble, protest and inform others of their concerns. The reporting of the picket brought to mind another group of citizens who protest in the same manner but for a different issue - abortion. The N.D.P. government is seeking an injunction that would ban all pro-life counselling, picket and luxury of endless. public praying outsid across Ontario A ion abortion clinics and public hospitals which perform abortions The government is also seeking $500,000 in damages from 18 pro-lifers it has named as defendants in the case. The government of Ontario has spared no expense in its effort to gag pro-life expression, with at least four lawyers and four articling students working on the case. The pro-life defendants, on the other hand, do not have the They are relying on donations to cover legal costs which are already over $100,000. ' The injunction would be an unprecedented restriction of the rights of individuals to assemble and protest ly. In a statement of defence filed in court, the lawyers argued that the injunction is a politically motivated attempt to halt the activities of a group which opposes the government's pro-abortion views, Peter Jervais, one of the Anta prevent quiet prayer or peaceful communication on the public streets, it's sad day for bry three week long court case is now and are awaiting Judge Adams decision. ary Copel Optimists 1 meet To the Editor; Just a short note to let everyons in Scugog know that, ing next Wednesd February 9, Secugog Optimist Club will be meeting every Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Kinsmen Scout Hall. Everyone interested in our children is most welcome to attend. Ee