PAGE 8THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, April 24,2002 FOR 146 YEARS. OUR FIRST CONCERN HAS BEEN OUR COMMUNITY Publisher - Tim Whittaker Produced by Melroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Editor-in-Chief - Joanne Burghardt ®Ije Cattabtait Statesman Also Publishers of CLARINGTON THIS WEEK Managing Editor - Chris Bovic Former Publishers and Partners P.O. Box 4SI, 865 Farewell St., Oshawa, Ontario LIH 7L5 Regional Editor - Judi Bobbitt Rev. John M. Climie and W.R. Çlimie 1854-1878 TEL: 905-579-4400 FAX: 905-579-2238 Advertising Manager - Fred Eismont M.A. James 1878-1935 • Norman S.B. James 1919-1929 E-mail: [email protected] Circulation Manager - Kirk Bailey G. Elena James. 1929-1947 • Dr. George W. James 1919-1957 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 Composing Manager - Bari) Harrison John M. James. 1957-1999 DROP OFFICE: James Publishing, 66 King St. W., Office Manager - Lillian Hook Bowmanvillc, 8:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays EDITORIAL v-innil letters toncwsnMmfif (itirhtimregian.com Martin New government Derbyshire Stu ff Writer tries new tactics nulcrhyshircft tlttrhamrc^ion. com A gentle wind blows Give up on out of Queen ’s Park unwinnable The election of Ernie Eves as leader and a new cabi­ net team has allowed the Tories a chance to rethink and war fine-tune some plans and programs leading up to an elec­ tion expected in 2003. These include a longer look at the Forty-seven pot labs busted in just privatization of Hydro One, necessitated by a court rul­ the first four months of 2002. ing preventing its sale; some extra money in the treasury At an average of 1,000 plants due to solid economic performance; and a decision by worth $300,000, that ’s more than $14 new Education Minister Elizabeth Witmer to make this million of marijuana taken off the year ’s mandatory test of new teachers a practice run in­ streets by the Durham Regional Police stead of the real thing. Service. What ’s the total effect on the After the tough, hard-line approach of the Mike Har­ availability of weed by this massive ris administration, the teacher-test backtrack signals effort to stop pot growers? Zero. changes in the fledgling Ernie Eves government. This battle in the war on drugs is a Stunned by a court ruling that prevents the sale of complete and utter waste of time, Hydro One, Mr. Eves now says, “Certainly the Province money, and effort. Police officials are of Ontario will abide by the court ruing and obey the law. banging their heads against a brick 1 am certainly not against public hearings on the issue.” wall. They continue to bust grow-op It’s hard to understand how a huge government, with after grow-op and it’s all just a drop in high-priced legal expertise in house and on retainer, can the bucket. Marijuana is as readily fumble the ball as badly as the Tories did on the Hydro available to those who want it as it One privatization plan. Why would the Province try to was before these plants were confis­ scramble to meet a May 1 deadline to sell Hydro One, to cated. produce the largest public offering in Toronto Stock Ex­ No matter how many people get ar­ change history (some billions of dollars in shares would rested and grow-ops get taken down, e-mail letters to [email protected] have been up for grabs) and not be sure the plan would people are still going to use drugs. It’s pass judicial muster? time we realize there is a more sensi­ Instead, a small team of three lawyers representing a Darlington meeting the high standards set cannot afford privatized electrici­ ble solution than a war on drugs that couple of unions was able to successfully argue the gov­ for protecting the public and our ty- makes criminals out of the users. ernment did not have a legal right to sell Hydro One. employees. Stan Phillips “The war on drugs is over, drugs The ruling offers Premier Eves an opening; however, official Dominic Iafrate Courtice won,” remarked John Howard Society it’s one he seems eager to exploit. Many in Ontario are Site Vice-President of Durham Region counsellor Beth uneasy about having our electricity infrastructure fall defends site Darlington Nuclear Whalen. Ms. Whalen runs a needle into the hands of private, for-profit companies. The pre­ Doctor sets the exchange program for the John mier should now hold public hearings. He can go even To the editor: Howard Society called project further. If Mr. Eves really believes selling Hydro One is I would like to correct the er­ record straight xchange and she ’s right, the war is the best deal for Ontario citizens, he can make his case roneous impression about emis­ Private over. during the next election, expected in about a year ’s time. sions from the Darlington Nu­ To the editor: The program she runs is also right. Finance Minister Janet Ecker has benefited by some clear generating, station that ap­ electricity too I am writing this letter in re­ It gives clean needles to drug addicts excellent economic news which suggests the budget peared in the March 30 letter sponse to Mr. Jim Anderson’s let­ in exchange for dirty ones to help pre­ deficit, forecast to be in the $3-billion-plus range, could from Jessica Markland, ‘ITER ter regarding his frustrations with vent the spread of infectious disease. well be one-fifth that size or less. A little tinkering in fi­ makes no sense.’ expensive health care and doctors in gener ­ Health Canada studies indicate more nance could reduce the number further and allow the In 2001, the radiation dose to To the editor: al. than 34 per cent of the estimated new minister, who will soon be on her feet in the legislature the public as a result of Darling ­ I am really upset at the drive I have been a practicing fami­ HIV infections and more than 60 per delivering her budget speech, to free up funds desperate­ ton’s operation was 1.1 mi- by the Government of Ontario to ly physician in Bowmanvillc for cent of new hepatitis C infections are ly needed in health and education. crosieverts to the most exposed ‘privatize’ public services that the past four years. I wish to set related to injection drug use. In fact, Whether forced by the courts or by a fortunate break individual - theoretically some­ have served the peopleof Ontario the record straight for Mr. Ander­ most experts agree the criminalization in the economy or because of a decision by a new minis­ one living at the station boundary well. Does no one in politics son. I do not know who his of drugs helps contribute to the spread ter to back off vows made in the past, the new Eves team 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, bother to take a look at the results physician is, but if he/she is any­ of disease. By pushing addicts into the seems to have a sense of what the voters want. The new and consuming local water and of this move in other parts of the thing like my colleagues, he/she back alleys, forcing them to hide from premier clearly wants to create his own style and, for foodstuffs. world? It has become a total dis­ is a hardworking, conscientious, the cops, fix quickly and move on, now at least, it’s smooth sailing. When one considers the regu ­ aster in Britain. The steel indus­ caring and dedicated practitioner. dirty needles are shared and diseases latory limit on public dose is try, air control, the mail service Most practices are over-ca­ are spread. 1,000 microsieverts, and a single and more; every one of them is a pacity. This means that on any Ms. Whalen and project xchange dental X-ray gives a dose of 100 financial and seivice disaster. We given day more patients request are out there making a difference. It’s microsieverts, then obtaining a have had the same experience appointments than are available called harm reduction and it works. level of I. I is truly a remarkable here with the water in Walkerton for the physician to see. Unfortu­ Last year, 1,530 men and 1,197 accomplishment. We are work­ and Hwy. 407. The tolls price the nately, there are many reasons women exchanged needles in the ing to improve on that. use of this road out of existence why a patient may wait 30 min­ Durham program. Project xchange The Durham Region Health Department and the Durham Darlington also recently com­ for many. With the massive prof­ utes or more. Some patients have gave out 32,285 needles and took in Emergency Measures Office will be distributing potassium pleted the Darlington Nuclear it being made, what justification complicated problems requiring 31,395. But, Ms. Whalen says project iodide (Kl) tablets to certain drug stores throughout the re­ Ecological Effects Review study is there for these very high tolls? extensive assessments and some xchange isn’t even scratching the sur­ gion as part of the provincial nuclear emergency plan, to be in 2001. The purpose of the re­ Now, politicians are privatizing book for one problembut want to face. Without more money they can­ available to residents within a three-kilometre zone of the view was to evaluate and predict the electricity supply. Apart from discuss several issues. Many not properly service the communities nuclear plants. Question: Would you get potassium iodide effects from Darlington Nu­ the veiy high increase in prices, times a patient is experiencing outside of Oshawa.