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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=56 BGCOLOR="#666633" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="00fc8c83.jpg"> <div> News</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#666633" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>INDEX</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Pine Springs Waste Disposal Site</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Frost Centre Closure"><U><B>Frost Centre Closure</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id71_m.htm#free" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="News"><U><B>Enviro-book </B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id71_m.htm#may" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="News"><U><B>EH meets May</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id71_m.htm#environment" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="News"><U><B>Minister of Environment visits Highlands</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id71_m.htm#em" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="News"><U><B>Wetlands wow 'em!</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id71_m.htm#guilt" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="News"><U><B>Sledding without guilt</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id71_m.htm#plants" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="News"><U><B>Cleaning poop with plants</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=424 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id22_update_on_navigable_waters_protection.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Issues"><U><B>Senate hearings on the Navigable Waters Protection Act</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="the_candidates_for_the_green_party"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>T</B><B>he Candidates for the Green, Liberal, NDP and PC parties</B></div> <div> <B>were sent the following four questions by letter. </B></div> <div> <B>As of Feb 20, we have received replies </B></div> <div> <B>from candidates of the Green Party and the PC party.</B></div> <bR> <div> Environment Haliburton! is a county-based environmental non-governmental organization with specific interest in protecting and conserving the Haliburton Highlands.  This election period, as in past elections, we are posing the same questions to all candidates in the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock riding.  We will post your response, without comment or editing, on our website, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.environmenthaliburton.ca." TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.environmenthaliburton.ca."><U><U>www.environmenthaliburton.ca.</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> 1.   Environment Haliburton! encourages people to eat locally-produced food as much as possible - for their own well-being and for the health of the planet. We encourage people to plant vegetable gardens, to learn how to preserve food, and to support local farmers. What would your party do to increase food production in our County?</div> <div> 2.   Given that exploration for uranium is taking place in Ontario, and</div> <div>         Given that mining exploration and mining activity increases the risk of seepage of uranium and its toxic by products into the source of drinking water for the people of Ontario, and </div> <div>         Given that mining exploration and mining activity produces toxic radioactive dust, which is dispersed over near and distant populations by the wind, and </div> <div>         Given that only 20% of the uranium presently mined in Canada is needed to satisfy Canadian needs, and the remaining 80% of the product of existing mines is exported, </div> <div>  Will you work to pass a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in Ontario until such time as there is a full public debate and consensus regarding the impacts of the uranium cycle and Ontario's Energy Policy?</div> <div> 3.   Haliburton County has a limited economy, based on cottaging and tourism.  We also have an old population and a poor population.  We are having to close classrooms as there are so few young people in the County.  What programs is your party offering that would assist the County to create green jobs, building on our natural resource base, which might encourage young people to stay in the County or move here?</div> <div> 4.  The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has introduced an energy supply plan for the next 20 years that focuses on the refitting and building of new nuclear power plants with less emphasis on renewable and conservation. The OPA plan will cost Ontario taxpayers approximately 68 billion dollars.  What is your party's plan for the future of power in Ontario?</div> <bR> <div> We would appreciate a reply by February 20. Thank you.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>1.</B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#336600" FACE="Arial" ><B>   Environment Haliburton! encourages people to eat locally-produced food as much as possible - for their own well-being and for the health of the planet. We encourage people to plant vegetable gardens, to learn how to preserve food, and to support local farmers. What would your party do to increase food production in our County?</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Green Party-Mike Schreiner</B></div> <bR> <div> The Green Party of Ontario believes eating locally-produced food is good for eaters, farmers and the environment.  Eating close to home to reduces carbon emission from transportation and increases the availability of fresh, healthy local food in the community, while improving markets and incomes for local farmers.</div> <bR> <div> As a long time local food advocate, farm kid and local food business owner, Mike Schreiner will fight for investments in rural infrastructure to rebuild self-reliant local food systems to boost farm incomes and create new green jobs in the riding.  Investments will include processing facilities, abattoirs, farm markets, producer coops and marketing/distribution organizations to provide market support for local farmers.</div> <div> Mike also supports a complete review of regulations affecting the food and farm sector with the goal of eliminating the one-size-fits all regulatory framework that hurts small farmers and businesses.</div> <div> <B>Progressive Conservative-John Tory</B></div> <bR> <div> The McGuinty Government has done a relatively poor job supporting local farmers and local food and for that matter supporting Ontario farmers and Ontario food. The first thing we have said we would do is to institute directives which would require taxpayer funded institutions such as hospitals, schools, jails and so on to make every possible effort to serve Ontario food. This will help farmers both province wide and locally. </div> <bR> <div> The second thing we are committed to achieving is to make Ontario farms more viable. We won't have any Ontario food to eat let alone food grown locally if we continue to see farmers leaving the business. That is happening in this riding, including Haliburton, as it is everywhere else. The viability will come from a combination of a less intrusive regulatory regime (farmers are now having to be office clerks for more hours than they farm) and proper support in complying with those regulations. No group is more willing and anxious to be good stewards of the land. However when farmers are told to manage animal waste in a more environmentally sensitive way, they find it difficult to do without some measure of financial support, which they do not receive. Similarly, some of the McGuinty government practices that impose onerous requirements on farmers markets discourage the growth of local food consumption.</div> <bR> <div> Finally, it would be helpful if the government examined tax or other kinds of incentives, which might be brought forward to reward those who engage in local food production.</div> <bR> <div> <B>NDP - Lyn Edwards</B></div> <div> <B>Liberal - Richard Johnson</B></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#336600" FACE="Arial" ><B>2. </B></FONT> <B> </B><B>Given that exploration for uranium is taking place in Ontario, and </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Given that mining exploration and mining activity increases the risk of seepage of uranium and its toxic by products into the source of drinking water for the people of Ontario, and  </B></div> <div> <B>Given that mining exploration and mining activity produces toxic radioactive dust, which is dispersed over near and distant populations by the wind, and </B></div> <div> <B>Given that only 20% of the uranium presently mined in Canada is needed to satisfy Canadian needs, and the remaining 80% of the product of existing mines is exported, </B></div> <div> <B> Will you work to pass a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in Ontario until such time as there is a full public debate and consensus regarding the impacts of the uranium cycle and Ontario's Energy Policy?</B></div> <div> <B>Green Party-Mike Schreiner</B></div> <bR> <div> Mike and the Green Party of Ontario will work to pass a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in Ontario.  The Green Party will also work with the community to reform the Mining Act, with a particular focus on re-unifying surface and mineral rights on private land.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Progressive Conservative</B></div> <bR> <div> As indicated in the Haliburton all candidates meeting, I support a moratorium on the proposed uranium mining project while the review of the Mining Act is taking place. This gives time as well to address other related issues.</div> <bR> <div> <B>NDP - Lyn Edwards</B></div> <div> <B>Liberal - Richard Johnson</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>3. </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#336600" FACE="Arial" ><B>  Haliburton County has a limited economy, based on cottaging and tourism.  We also have an old population and a poor population.  We are having to close classrooms as there are so few young people in the County.  What programs is your party offering that would assist the County to create green jobs, building on our natural resource base, which might encourage young people to stay in the County or move here?</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Green Party-Mike Schreiner</B></div> <bR> <div> Mike and the Green Party of Ontario will work with the community to build an economically sustainable future for the riding that nourishes our families and communities.</div> <bR> <div> The Green Party strongly supports programs that engage and encourage young families to remain in rural communities.  This includes funding for recreational facilities, cultural and heritage activities, education and training, and community and health services.  Mike will work with the community to preserve the natural heritage we are blessed with in this area in order to enhance tourism and job opportunities.  Mike supports full utilization of broadband to create job opportunities and keep people connected.</div> <div> The Green Party supports a green building fund that will create jobs today and save money tomorrow by reducing energy bills.  A green building fund will create jobs for local trades people and construction companies in the riding retrofitting public buildings, businesses and homes to make them more energy efficient.  </div> <div> The Green Party supports policies to promote sustainable energy production that will unleash thousands of job opportunities in this riding.  Wind, hydro, solar, geothermal, on-farm biodigesters and co-generation are all present business opportunities. Mike will work with entrepreneurs and farmers to further develop sustainable energy production as an emerging market in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.  We will also direct Hydro One to establish grid connections at proportional rates.  The Green Party also believes that the Standard Offer Program should be extended and prices tied to inflation.</div> <div> Mike and the Green Party believe that small and medium size businesses are the backbone of a prosperous sustainable economy.  Mike supports buy local initiatives and will review government policies to insure that small business operates on a level playing field.  The Green Party supports a loan fund so that small businesses have access to credit.</div> <div> <B>Progressive Conservative - John Tory</B></div> <bR> <div> I believe the creation of green jobs or any other jobs are more likely to come because we incent people to change their own behaviour or because we incent people to invest in our area and create new businesses and jobs.</div> <bR> <div> So, programs that encourage people to retrofit their own homes will create new businesses and jobs. Programs that cause the retrofitting of government and public buildings, on which the McGuinty government has not shown anywhere near the leadership they should, create new businesses and jobs. Government has a crucial role here showing leadership which incents people to change their own behaviour and which sets an example. I don't think either of these has been done to an adequate extent.</div> <bR> <div> We also have an unmatched opportunity in Haliburton to develop a significant eco-tourism industry. Entrepreneurs who have ventured into this area have often been mired in red tape and financial assistance to help found these businesses are few and far between. We have an asset like the Frost Centre which could likely build on the heroic efforts of those now in charge with the right vision and the right help and do something to create a hub of green activity and in turn jobs.</div> <bR> <div> <B>NDP - Lyn Edwards</B></div> <div> <B>Liberal - Richard Johnson</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>4.  </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#336600" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has introduced an energy supply plan for the next 20 years that focuses on the refitting and building of new nuclear power plants with less emphasis on renewable and conservation.  The OPA plan will cost Ontario taxpayers approximately 68 billion dollars.  What is your party's plan for the future of power in Ontario?</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Green Party-Mike Schreiner</B></div> <bR> <div> The Green Party of Ontario advocates an energy policy based on energy efficiency and the increased supply of renewable energy.  This approach is fiscally prudent, environmentally responsible and will create thousands of new jobs.</div> <div> The Green Party believes that building new nuclear reactors are financially irresponsible and will hurt job growth in the green energy sector.</div> <div> The Green Party is strongly opposed to the building of new nuclear reactors and we have devised a comprehensive long-term plan to move Ontario to 100% renewable energy.</div> <div> Savings from eliminating funding for new nuclear reactors can be used as loan guarantees, grants and tax credits for a green building fund to reduce energy demand and save money through greater efficiency.  The Green will advocate for policies that will unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of the riding so that individuals, businesses and farmers can become energy producers and sell renewable power to the grid.</div> <div> The Green Party also supports a fund targeted for low-income households to convert from expensive electric space heating to renewable energy sources to reduce heating and electric costs. </div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>Progressive Conservative - John Tory</B></div> <bR> <div> We have to get serious about conservation and make a better effort than we have up until now popularizing it. This will contribute to a moderation of our energy use but past history suggests it will not eliminate the need for more and new power as our economy and population grow.</div> <bR> <div> I believe renewable energy offers a real opportunity in terms of meeting that demand. However, it is not the whole answer. Yes we should offer incentives to encourage producers of green power including addressing the horrendous costs people often face when they try to attach to the grid.</div> <bR> <div> Having said that, our power tomorrow will include renewable energy in the mix in a very significant way but it will still be a mix. While we must seek out remaining opportunities for hydro and have a reasonable amount of gas powered production, I believe nuclear will still represent a significant part of our power generation reality for some time to come. You can't just eliminate 50% of our power production by fiat or on short notice. It has proven to be reliable and power reliability is going to be a significant factor in restoring our economy going forward.</div> <bR> <div> <B>NDP - Lyn Edwards</B></div> <div> <B>Liberal - Richard Johnson</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Pembina reacts 2008 to be found at </B><A HREF="http://www.pembina.org/election2008/?q=blog" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.pembina.org/election2008/?q=b"><U><B>www.pembina.org/election</B></U></A></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>PowerupCanada</B></FONT><B>, a site tracking climate change at </B><A HREF="http://www.powerupcanada.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.powerupcanada.ca"><U><B>www.powerupcanada.ca</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>The </B><B>Harper Record</B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> from the Centre for Policy Alternatives at </B><A HREF="http://www.policyalternatives.ca/Reports/2008/09/HarperRecord/index.cfm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.policyalternatives.ca/Reports"><U><B>www.policyalternatives.ca</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>and a specific site – </B><A HREF="http://www.voteforclimate.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.voteforclimate.ca"><U><B>www.voteforclimate.ca</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="a_letter_from_heather_ross"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>A letter from Heather Ross</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="35aba5b0.gif" border=0 width="954" height="347" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Dear Sheila and everyone:</B></div> <div> <B>I can’t express my massive gratitude to you all!   Thank you, over and over again.</B></div> <div> <B>What a terrible disappointment for me to miss this wonderful honour.  I suspect some water caught up to me.</B></div> <div> <B>Of course, I share this honour, so gratefully received, with all the wonderful folk of Environment Haliburton! and, before that, CACE.</B></div> <div> <B>How sorry I am to have missed the honour and the glow of fame that would have come with standing along side all the other, most worthy and deserving Enviro Heroes and those nominated and those yet to be nominated.</B></div> <div> <B>Let me share my great joy at receiving this honour, with my relief that the KI 6 and Robert Lovelace are now free.  This lifts a weight of shame.</B></div> <div> <B>We have all been working for so long to protect the Haliburton we love and to achieve the best for the young of all living beings as the Greenman would say.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>I ask you all to join with Environment Haliburton! and the Ontario environmental community to work toward the immediate rewriting of the Mining Act to reflect the second millennium.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Again and over and over, thank you for the honour of being</B></div> <div> <B>Haliburton Highlands Land Trust</B></div> <div> <B>2008 Enviro-Hero of the Year</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Heather Ross</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Lo</B><A HREF="id50_lochlin_esker_under_threat.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Asphalt"><U><B>chlin Esker and provincially significant wetlands under threat by aggregate extraction.<IMG SRC="32cbb920.jpg" border=0 width="187" height="146" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">OMB hearing January 22, 2007 at 11 am at the Minden Hills Community Centre.</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="ijc_releases_public_comments_on_great"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>IJC releases public comments on Great Lakes Agreement </B></div> <div> Today, the International Joint Commission released its Synthesis of Public Comment on the Forthcoming Review by the Federal Governments of Canada and the United States of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The report captures the views of more than 4,100 people and organizations who participated in the IJC's public consultation this fall. We thank you for your participation in this initiative and hope you will find your views echoed in the report.</div> <div>  </div> <div> The consultation demonstrated that there is a strong constituency for efforts carried out by the Governments under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The governments of Canada and the United States have now begun their review of the Agreement and will be drawing on the IJC's Synthesis Report in that process.</div> <div>  </div> <div> View the Synthesis Report in HTML and PDF formats or order printed copies and the full record on CD at <A HREF="http://www.ijc.org/glconsultations" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ijc.org/glconsultations"><U>www.ijc.org/glconsultations</U></A> </div> <div> <B>***</B></div> <div> <B>  </B></div> <div> <B> <A NAME="pollution_in_great_lakes_rising"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Pollution in Great Lakes rising despite cleanup effort, study says</B></div> <div> <B>Industrial releases of toxic materials took off from 1998 to 2002, data show</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060209.LAKES09/TPStory/National" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/s"><U><B>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060209.LAKES09/TPStory/National</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT</B></div> <div> <B>ENVIRONMENT REPORTER</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>TORONTO -- Despite decades of effort cleaning up the Great Lakes, industrial discharges of water pollutants into the lakes are rising in both Canada and the United States, according to a new report.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The upswing has been pronounced, with the amount of dangerous pollutants soaring 21 per cent between 1998 and 2002. Discharges rose 23 per cent at U.S. companies and 13 per cent at Canadian ones, said the report by Environmental Defence and the Canadian Environmental Law Association. In 1998, more than 4,000 tonnes were discharged, while in 2002, slightly over 5,000 tonnes entered the lakes.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The largest releases were of corrosive nitric acid and nitrates, compounds that trigger algae and seaweed growth. But the discharges also included ethylene glycol, a poisonous solvent, and metals, including nickel, chromium and manganese.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The finding is unexpected because companies have spent billions of dollars trying to clean up the environment, and water quality in the lakes has improved dramatically since the late 1960s and early 1970s.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>But environmentalists say the new figures suggest that complacency about the health of the lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world and the source of drinking water for about 24 million people, is misplaced.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"We have not solved the water-pollution problem," said Paul Muldoon of the Canadian Environmental Law Association.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The reasons are not clear. The report, which is being made public today, suggested its figures underestimated the amount of pollution entering the lakes because not all companies must divulge their releases. Because Canada and the United States have different disclosure laws, the figures did not include emissions from municipal sewage plants, another large source of contaminants.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Mr. Muldoon said a likely factor behind the increase is that industries released more pollutants as their output grew.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He said that if rising economic output is behind the increase, companies should have to invest some of their extra revenue in pollution controls.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The largest water polluter on the lakes in 2002 was a U.S. Steel Corp. plant in Gary, Ind., that discharges effluent into Lake Michigan. The largest Canadian polluter was an Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia that discharges into the St. Clair River.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The groups say their report is the first comprehensive look at industrial pollution trends in the Great Lakes region in about a decade. Environment Canada undertook a similar study based on data from the early 1990s.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Governments stopped extensive monitoring of pollutant releases because the Great Lakes were believed to be returning to good health. But if discharges are rising again, the lack of scrutiny is misplaced, according to one of those who worked on the report.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The failure of governments to compile this data is "a real indictment of the lack of attention being paid to Great Lakes issues," said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He said governments should track the pollution trends and not leave this work to non-profit agencies with limited budgets. The Joyce Foundation financed the report.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Environment Canada officials did not return calls.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The pollution trends were based on publicly available data on discharges of harmful substances that companies must file with the U.S. and Canadian governments.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The largest air polluter on the lakes was Ontario Power Generation's Nanticoke coal-fired power station on Lake Erie.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Troubling tally</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A new report finds that the amount of dangerous pollutants being discharged into the Great Lakes basin is on the rise, soaring 21 per cent between 1998 and 2002. Discharges rose 23 per cent at U.S. companies and 13 per cent at Canadian ones.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lake Superior basin</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Canadian facilities: 3,351</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>United States facilities: 791</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lake Huron basin</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Canadian facilities: 5,778</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>United States facilities: 2,732</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lake Ontario basin</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Canadian facilities: 13,708</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>United States facilities: 7,363</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lake Michigan basin</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Canadian facilities: 0</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>United States facilities: 19,012</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lake Erie basin:</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Canadian facilities: 20,388</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>United States facilities: 26,344</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The 15 facilities with the largest releases of water pollutants into the Great Lakes basin, 2002 in descending order</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>1.U.S. Steel Corp., Gary, Ind.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>2.Anheuser-Busch Inc., Baldwinsville, N.Y.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>3.Imperial Oil, Sarnia, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>4.Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>5.Parmalat Canada, Winchester, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Fort James Operating Co., Green Bay, Wis.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>7.Jungbunzlauer Canada Inc., Port Colborne, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>8.Domtar Inc., Espanola, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>9.Abitibi-Consolidated Co. of Canada, Thorold, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>10.Escanaba Paper Co., Escanaba, Mich.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>11.Great Lakes Cheese of N.Y. Inc., Adams, N.Y.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>12.Stelco Inc., Hamilton, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>13.Dunkirk Steam Station, Dunkirk, N.Y.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>14.Huntley Generating Station, Tonawanda, N.Y.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>15.Cytec Canada Inc., Niagara Falls, Ont.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>SOURCE: </B><A HREF="http://WWW.POLLUTIONWATCH.ORG" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://WWW.POLLUTIONWATCH.ORG"><U><B>WWW.POLLUTIONWATCH.ORG</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1116022218944" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Content"><U><B>Toronto pesticide ban upheld by court</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Environment Haliburton and the Haliburton Highlands Stewardship Council </B></div> <div> <B>present </B></div> <bR> <div> January 24, 2005 Maclean's Magazine</div> <bR> <div> <B>2</B><B> <A NAME="21_seeds_of_change_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>1 seeds of change </B></div> <div> <B>When you're in the garden, 'the environment' is right beneath your feet, so naturally, it should be healthy </B></div> <bR> <div> BARBARA WICKENS YARD AND GARDEN</div> <bR> <div> * Plant a tree native to your region to help maintain Canada's natural biodiversity.</div> <bR> <div> * Plant deciduous trees to the south, east and west of your house to help keep the house cooler in summer while letting light in during the winter.  A line of evergreens on the north side can shelter your house from cold winter winds, reducing the demand for heat.</div> <bR> <div> * Planting heritage varieties helps conserve the plant gene pool and protects biodiversity.  A good starting point: Seeds of Diversity, a charitable organization whose members exchange seeds of some 1,500 different kinds of plants, primarily fruits and vegetables.  The group's website, www.seeds.ca, also lists commercial sources of heirloom plants.</div> <bR> <div> * Do not plant invasive non-native species; when plants or trees like purple loosestrife, scotch broom and Norway maple spread beyond the garden, they take over wild habitats, crowding out native species and threatening natural ecosystems.</div> <bR> <div> * Grow plants native to your region: they'll require less maintenance; are less susceptible to disease and pests; and provide valuable food sources and shelter for wildlife.</div> <bR> <div> * The best source is a good local nursery, but make sure the plants you buy are nursery-propagated and not collected from the wild.</div> <bR> <div> * Do NOT dig plants from the wild.  The one exception is on lots slated for development and/or where the existing vegetation will be destroyed (be sure to get permission from the landowner).</div> <bR> <div> * To attract pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, plant a diversity of blooms with a spectrum of blooming times.  Shrubs and trees such as dogwood, blueberry, cherry, plum, willow and poplar will provide pollen or nectar, or both, early in the season when food is scarce.</div> <bR> <div> * Even if you don't live in one of the growing number of municipalities that has banned the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes, use a variety of insect- and weed-control strategies. Healthy plants, including grass, are less susceptible to pests, minimizing, or even eliminating, the need for pesticides.</div> <bR> <div> * Set your mower blade high -- 5 to 7.5 cm from the ground.  Longer grass encourages deep root growth, shades out weeds and conserves the soil's moisture.</div> <bR> <div> * Aerating once every spring and fall is a key step to a healthy lawn.  It lets oxygen, nutrients and water enter the soil.</div> <bR> <div> * Instead of using herbicides, dig out weeds and their roots by hand, pour boiling water on weeds growing between patio stones, and instead of insecticides, knock insects off plants with a stick or your hands into a dish of soapy water.</div> <bR> <div> * Don't use more chemical and even organic fertilizers than absolutely necessary to avoid nutrient runoff.</div> <bR> <div> * Use corn gluten to enrich the soil.  Used on the lawn each spring and fall, it inhibits the germination of weed seeds.</div> <bR> <div> * Grass too much bother, but you still want a swath of green?  Plant a clover lawn.  Among clover's advantages: it's pest and drought resistant, low-growing so it seldom requires mowing, and its digger roots aerate the soil.</div> <bR> <div> * Reduce the amount of salt spread on sidewalks and driveways by using sand or alternative de-icing products, and shovel frequently to prevent snow and ice build-up.  The runoff can not only harm garden plants, but can seep into the ground and accumulate in the aquifers that provide drinking water.</div> <bR> <div> * The average conventional gasoline-powered lawn mower emits close to</div> <div> 40 kg of greenhouse gas emissions a year, so use an electric or push-type mower.</div> <bR> <div> * Don't rake or bag grass clippings: leaving them results in less crabgrass and disease and more earthworms -- and reduces lawn maintenance time by 40 per cent.</div> <bR> <div> * Plant a tree to grow a kilogram of wood, a tree uses 3.23 kg of carbon dioxide and gives off 2.35 kg of oxygen.</div> <bR> <div> * Be smart about watering -- an hour once a week is enough.  Morning is best; night watering promotes mould and diseases.</div> <bR> <div> * During the peak growing season, grass clippings can amount to almost 35 per cent of household waste.</div> <bR> <div> * Compost.  Nature's way of recycling has a wide range of benefits, not least of which is diverting waste from landfills.  Used as a soil amendment or top dressing, compost improves the texture and fertility of the soil.</div> <bR> <div> * Hook up rain barrels to your downspouts.  Your lawn doesn't need the chlorine in municipally treated water -- and besides, rainwater is free.</div> <bR> <div> * Learn to love bugs.  The good guys such as ladybugs and dragonflies prey on the bad guys: aphids, mosquitoes and the like.  In fact, of the approximately one million species of insects, only a small fraction are considered pests.</div> <bR> <div> * Put up a nesting box.  Some 25 Canadian bird species nest in the cavities of decaying trees, but with habitat destruction, their homes are disappearing.</div> <bR> <div> http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/environment/article.jsp?content=20050124_98894_98894#</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/environment/article.jsp?content=20050124_98894_98894#</div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="1a096b00.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="176" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial" >Elizabeth May, </FONT></div> <div> to speak in Minden on </div> <div> Thursday, Sept. 23, 7:30pm, </div> <div> Minden United Church</div> <div> Admission by donation</div> <bR> <div> The Executive Director of the <A HREF="http://www.sierraclub.ca/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.sierraclub.ca/"><U>Sierra Club of Canada</U></A>, who lives and works in Ottawa, will speak at the Minden United Church at 7:30 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by Environment Haliburton(EH!) and the Highland Hills Pastoral Charge.There is no admission charge because organizers are hoping many high school and college students will be able to attend, although donations will be gratefully accepted because EH! is a non-profit group.</div> <bR> <div> Not only is May an environmentalist, she's also a writer, activist and lawyer. Active in the environmental movement since 1970, she first became known in the Canadian media in the mid-1970s through her leadership as a volunteer in the grassroots movement against aerial insecticide spraying proposed for forests near her home on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The effort prevented aerial insecticide spraying from ever occurring in Nova Scotia.  </div> <bR> <div> Years later, she and a local group of residents went to court to prevent herbicide spraying. Winning a temporary injunction in 1982 held off the spray program, but after two years, the case was eventually lost. In the course of the litigation, her family sacrificed their home and seventy acres of land in an adverse court ruling to Scott Paper. However, by the time the judge ruled the chemicals were safe, 2,4,5-T's export from the U.S, had been banned. The forests of Nova Scotia were spared being the last areas in Canada to be sprayed with Agent Orange. </div> <bR> <div> Her volunteer work also included successful campaigns to prevent approval of uranium mining in Nova Scotia, and extensive work on energy policy issues, primarily opposing nuclear energy.</div> <bR> <div> May is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School and was admitted to the Bar in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. She has held the position of Associate General Council for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, representing consumer, poverty and environment groups in her work.</div> <bR> <div> In 1986, May became Senior Policy Advisor to then federal Environment Minister, Tom McMillan. She was instrumental in the creation of several national parks, including South Moresby. She was involved in negotiating the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer and new legislation and pollution control measures. In 1988, she resigned on principle when the Minister granted permits for the Rafferty-Alameda Dams in Saskatchewan as part of a political trade-off, with no environmental assessment. The permits were later quashed by a Federal Court decision that the permits were granted illegally.</div> <bR> <div> Elizabeth is the author of four books, <U>Budworm Battles</U> (1982), <U>Paradise Won: The Struggle to Save South Moresby </U>(1990), <U>At the Cutting Edge: The Crisis in Canada's Forests</U> (Key Porter Books, 1998) and her most recent, co-authored with Maude Barlow,<I> </I><U>Frederick Street; Life and Death on Canada's Love Canal</U><I> (</I>Harper Collins, 2000). </div> <bR> <div> The issue on which <U>Frederick Street</U> focused (the Sydney Tar Ponds) and the health threats to children in the community led her to protest in front of Parliament Hill over a 17-day hunger strike in May 2001.</div> <bR> <div> She has served on numerous boards of environmental groups and advisory bodies to universities and governments in Canada, including the Earth Charter Commission, co-chaired by Maurice Strong and Mikhail Gorbachev.  </div> <bR> <div> May is the recipient of many awards including the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Sierra Club in 1989, the International Conservation Award from the Friends of Nature and the United Nations Global 500 Award in 1990. In 1996 she was presented with the award for Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Education by the Ontario Society for Environmental Education.  In 1998, she became the first chair-holder of the “Elizabeth May Chair in Women's Health and Environment” at Dalhousie University. She holds honourary doctorates from Mount Saint Vincent University and the University of New Brunswick. She is also the recipient of the 2002 Harkin Award from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).</div> <bR> <div> May has been with the Sierra Club of Canada since 1989, is a member of the board of directors of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a member of the advisory board to the Environmental Commissioner, Office of the Auditor General of Canada and, most importantly, is the mother of 12-year-old, Victoria Cate.</div> <bR> <div> Understandably, May's time is valuable and in short supply so EH! members consider it an honour and a bit of a coup to have her as a speaker in the Haliburton Highlands.</div> <bR> <div> One of her most well useful compositions is <A HREF="id4_activist.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advice"><U>“How to be an Activist” </U></A>in which she outlines how community groups and individuals can accomplish their goals. “There is no formal school for activists,” she writes. “No university degree qualifies the graduate to practice grassroots organizing. Environmental activists, like many other practitioners of social change, come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, and even from all political parties. And all of us learn from experience. On the other hand, we should be able to benefit from the experience of others.</div> <bR> <div> <I>“Unfortunately, more often than not, people suddenly find themselves in a situation that requires a certain moral heroism. They had not planned to become activists.</I></div> <div> <I>“Environmental problems themselves create activists.</I></div> <div> <I>“When a toxic landfill threatens the neighbourhood, local lawyers may volunteer to do some legal work, scientists may offer volunteer help and the community of concerned parents suddenly find themselves wondering how to write a press release, circulate petitions, and, even conduct a sit-in in a politician's office. By the time they are in the thick of a campaign, it is hard to know where to turn for help and advice</I><I><B>.</B></I></div> <div> <I>“The reality of ordinary people picking up the gauntlet and becoming politically active is</I></div> <div> <I>largely unknown to the as-yet-uninitiated public. By the time the small neighbourhood citizens group gets its issue before the public, its members are already being labeled as "environmentalists." From that point on, their true identity is lost as surely as Clark Kent's when he emerges as Superman. </I></div> <div> <I>“The media labeling process does society a disservice. It cuts off `activists' and `environmentalists' from `normal' people. The general public, as demonstrated by numerous polls, supports the principles of environmental protection and restoration, but usually they believe it is for some other category of people, called `environmentalists,' to do the work they support.</I></div> <div> <I>“When an environmental group is described as a `special interest' group, there is a blurring between those who protect "special" interests, usually of a financial nature, and those who work on a volunteer basis, usually at personal sacrifice and expense, to pursue a cause in the public good.</I></div> <div> <I>“The reality of activism, for the environment or any other cause, is that democracy is at work. Citizens are exercising democratic rights. Rather than being the exception to the rule, for democracy to thrive, all citizens should be activists.”</I></div> <bR> <div> The entire <A HREF="id4_activist.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advice"><U>“How to be an Activist”</U></A> story can be found on the EH! website </div> <div> Don't miss this opportunity to hear Elizabeth May. For more information, contact Cathy Olliffe at 489-1977.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>It's new! It's free!</B><B> <A NAME="free"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2009ae20.jpg" border=0 width="154" height="226" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <I>Algonquin Graphics award-winning photographer Darren Lum's photo of a Cedar Waxwing graces the cover of "Haliburton Highlands: A Natural Work of Art -- Let's Keep It That Way!"</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Eco-book makes a splash </B></div> <div> <B>on Highlands' newstands</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>by Martha Perkins, Managing Editor,</I></div> <div> <I>Haliburton County Echo/Minden Times/County Life</I></div> <bR> <div> GREAT MINDS think alike, and when the great minds at the Haliburton Highlands</div> <div> Stewardship Council and Environment Haliburton are both thinking of ways to</div> <div> teach people how to protect the county¹s natural beauty, the result is bound</div> <div> to be amazing.</div> <bR> <div> The two groups have recently published a full-colour, 40-page magazine</div> <div> filled with things that people can do to keep Haliburton County as "a</div> <div> natural work of art." From its shore primer to pollution prevention tips to</div> <div> how to make sure a septic system isn¹t harming the lake, the magazine is a</div> <div> reader-friendly reminder that if we want to live and cottage here we have a</div> <div> responsibility to treat the county¹s resources with respect.</div> <bR> <div> "As proud landowners there¹s a lot we can do to contribute to the health of</div> <div> our environment," says the region¹s stewardship co-ordinator Jennifer Card,</div> <div> who works out of the Bancroft Ministry of Natural Resources office. "There¹s</div> <div> a role everyone can play and if everyone does their part then hopefully</div> <div> we¹re creating a healthier environment and a healthier community as well."</div> <bR> <div> Much of the information in the magazine comes from the vast collection of</div> <div> useful articles that Card and Heather Ross have collected over the years. As</div> <div> chairperson of Environment Haliburton, fondly referred to as EH!, Ross</div> <div> always wished there was a way to share this information with others.</div> <div> It was Bill Beatty, a member of the Stewardship Council and EH! who realized</div> <div> both groups wanted the same thing. Why, he suggested, didn¹t the two groups</div> <div> work together?</div> <bR> <div> With money from the Stewardship Council and a grant to EH! from the</div> <div> Haliburton County Development Corporation, they were able to publish 15,000</div> <div> copies that would be available for free.</div> <bR> <div> The goal was to create a package of information that was both useful, easy</div> <div> to read and beautiful to look at.</div> <bR> <div> "Sometimes all the information is overwhelming," Card says of other</div> <div> publications. This one is in plain language and it¹s so pretty that people</div> <div> will want to keep it as a handy reference for years to come.</div> <bR> <div> Using the information from Ross¹s boxes of publications and other stories</div> <div> collected by Card, the MNR and others, the graphic designer brought everything to life by</div> <div> being able to dip into the library of graphic images at the <I>Haliburton</I></div> <div> <I>County Echo and Minden Times</I> (which publish <I>County Life</I> under the auspices</div> <div> of Algonquin Graphics.) The owner of Algonquin Graphics, Len Pizzey, also</div> <div> let EH use the company¹s computers to lay out the magazine.</div> <bR> <div> EH members can¹t find enough adjectives to describe Darren Lum¹s photos of</div> <div> local plants and animals, which are used throughout the magazine. It¹s also</div> <div> his picture of a Cedar Waxwing that graces the cover.</div> <bR> <div> "Darren¹s photos bring the whole theme together and they make people realize</div> <div> that the Highlands are beautiful and worth saving," they say. "That¹s really</div> <div> what made it special."</div> <bR> <div> The magazine was distributed in last week¹s Minden Times and Haliburton</div> <div> County. But don¹t worry if you didn¹t get your copy. There are still more</div> <div> available. You can pick them up at the newspaper offices or at the EH! Fair</div> <div> on July 3 at the Stanhope Community Centre and Park. (We¹ll be dedicating</div> <div> the June 29 County Life to all the things you can do and see at the fair so</div> <div> don¹t miss it.)</div> <bR> <div> If anyone would like extra copies they can contact Jennifer Card at the</div> <div> Bancroft MNR, 613-332-3940 ext. 260 or email Environment Haliburton at <A HREF="mailto: info@environmenthaliburton.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: info@environmenthaliburton.ca"><U>info@environmenthaliburton.ca</U></A></div> <bR> <div> The magazine will also be given to local realtors so they can include it in</div> <div> their "welcome to Haliburton" package for new property owners.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The above article/photo was featured in the May 25, 2004 issue of County Life.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>=====================================================================</B></div> <div> <B>EH! meets May</B><B> <A NAME="may"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="203e18d0.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="141" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> A TRIO of Environment Haliburton members took a long, early-morning drive down to Toronto to participate in an Ontario Environment Network workshop about government relations that featured Elizabeth May and Lois Corbett. </div> <bR> <div> May (above, second from right) is one of Canada's best known environmental activists as well as the Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada. Lois Corbett is a policy advisor for Leona Dombrowsky, the Minister of the Environment for the province of Ontario. Both women were extraordinary speakers who provided great insights into the challenge of getting governments' attention on environment issues.</div> <bR> <div> At the end of the day, the EH! team posed with Elizabeth May: from left is EH! Chair Heather Ross, , Elizabeth May, and EH! Fair Committee Member Ann Maher.</div> <bR> <div> Elizabeth promised she would come to Haliburton to speak about community activism something this autumn. We can hardly wait!</div> <bR> <div> For more information about Elizabeth May and The Sierra Club, click<B> </B><A HREF="id4_activist.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advice"><U><B>HERE.</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>==============================================================</B></div> <div> <B>Minister of the Environment</B><B> <A NAME="environment"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B>helps honour the Potters</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="204e1960.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT Leona Dombrowsky, right, was in the Highlands recently to present the first Central Ontario Environnment Award to the husband and wife team of Pat and Chuck Potter.</div> <bR> <div> The South Algonquin Cookhouse in Harcourt was the scene for the special occasion, organized by Trish Reilly, Andrea Hillo and Andy Hillo. In the photo, above, is Trish, Pat, Chuck, Andy and the Minister, Leona Dombrowsky. Also featured prominently in the photo is the painting Andy Hillo created for the awards. The Potters are thrilled with his beautiful work and plan on hanging it in their unusual home made from tires, pop cans and plaster and operated completely off the grid.</div> <bR> <div> Can you imagine not having a Hydro bill?</div> <bR> <div> Or paying for furnace oil?</div> <bR> <div> If you want to see their amazing house, they invite you to call at their 'Earth Home Gallery' featuring Chuck's outstanding photographs. He captures the intricate and delicate details of nature, from apple blossoms to water lilies, from sparkling dew drops on jewelled webs to rippling reflections of fall colours on lakes and streams.</div> <bR> <div> But his photography is more than just about beautiful pictures!</div> <bR> <div> In 1985, Chuck's camera captured the evidence showing toxic waste was being dumped illegally, threatening the entire town of Smithville, Ontario. Teaming up with Pat, now his wife, the environmental love story began. Together, in broad daylight, they obtained chemical samples from the industrial site's open lagoon. The photo evidence and chemical analysis was presented to the press. When the story of coroporate crime hit the front pages of Southern Ontario's newspapers, Smithville's 3,000 residents got a new, clean drinking water supply. </div> <bR> <div> Pat and Chuck were married and for the last 18 years have been actively involved in environmental education. Their environmental team work has been featured on a prime time television Earth Day Special broadcast in 14 countries around the world and they never left home -- the Power of Photography! Their work has also been featured on TV Ontario's "Studio 2," CBC's "On The Road Again," "It's a Living," and other programs.</div> <bR> <div> Browsers are welcome every weekend from May to October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Mondays, at other times by appointment only. Please phone 613-474-0435. Their home is located on Hwy. 62 between Bancroft and Madoc.</div> <bR> <div> Congratulations to the Andy, Andrea and Trish for organizing an event that honours such wonderful people. And what a treat it was to meet the Minister of the Environment! It's not every day such a high-profile leader is in the Highlands.</div> <bR> <div> For more on the Potters visit: <A HREF="http://www.upnorthart.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.upnorthart.com"><U>www.upnorthart.com</U></A></div> <bR> <div> ===================================================</div> <bR> <div> <B>Wetlands wow 'em!</B><B> <A NAME="em"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <I><B>Outdoors writer Steve Galea made quite an impression on schoolkids -- in between giggles, they even learned something about World Wetlands Day!</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="0d9dc340.jpg" border=0 width="476" height="308" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> <I>The Grade 3/4 class at Wilberforce Elementary School enjoyed a real laugh when EH! brought outdoors writer Steve Galea to visit on Feb. 3, 2004.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Written by Cathy Olliffe</B></I></div> <bR> <div> THERE'S AN OLD SAYING in the entertainment biz: never share a stage with a cute kid or a dog. I want to change that expression a wee bit: never share a stage with a cute kid, a dog or Steve Galea.</div> <bR> <div> He looks harmless enough: short in stature, gentle in voice, polite - for the most part. But he's a dynamo when it comes to scene-stealing.</div> <bR> <div> On February 3 I had to stand with him at the front of two classrooms at <A HREF="http://www.tldsb.on.ca/Schools/WilberforceES/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tldsb.on.ca/Schools/Wilberfor"><U>Wilberforce Elementary School</U></A>. And, let me say, I might as well have been sitting outside in the car for all my presence mattered. From the minute Steve told his first joke, the Grade Three/Four class was in stitches.</div> <bR> <div> "When I first talked to Cathy about this," he began, "I didn't realize she wanted me to talk about wetlands; I thought she said wet pants. And I want you guys to know that I'm over that!"</div> <bR> <div> The kids had a real belly laugh over that one. They did a lot of giggling as Steve engaged them in a half-hour discussion about wetlands: what they are, why they're important and what kind of creatures live there. The children loved to talk about the critters - everyone, it seemed, had a story about seeing a turtle or a frog that was SO BIG that eventually someone described a frog that was as big as a party-sized pizza.</div> <bR> <div> Steve said, "Must have been ceramic."</div> <bR> <div> They also took great delight in talking about the deer and moose their mothers ran into while driving the family car. </div> <bR> <div> Between turtle and moose stories, Steve managed to impart a little information about wetlands. The point, after all, was to talk about wetlands because February 2 was World Wetlands Day all over the world. While the event shares the spotlight with furballs like Wiarton Willie, World Wetlands Day is becoming more of a big deal. This year, for example, Environment Haliburton (EH!) decided to spread the news by sending letters out to municipalities, posting information on EH's website and having Steve talk to elementary students about wetlands.</div> <bR> <div> Steve, who is a multi-award winning columnist and humorist, writes about the outdoors for community newspapers like <A HREF="http://www.haliburtonecho.on.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.haliburtonecho.on.ca"><U><I>The Haliburton County Echo</I></U></A><A HREF="http://www.haliburtonecho.on.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.haliburtonecho.on.ca"><U> and </U></A><A HREF="http://www.haliburtonecho.on.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.haliburtonecho.on.ca"><U><I>The Minden Times</I></U></A>, as well as magazines like <A HREF="http://www.ontariooutofdoors.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ontariooutofdoors.com"><U><I>Ontario Out Of Doors</I></U></A> and <A HREF="http://www.todaysparent.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.todaysparent.com"><U><I>Today's Parent</I></U></A><I>.</I> He has also written a book about his hunting and fishing misadventures called  <A HREF="http://www.mts.net/~flyfishe/Johnson_Gormann/myoutdoors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.mts.net/~flyfishe/Johnson_Gor"><U>"My Outdoors -- Humor from the field and stream."</U></A></div> <bR> <div> His talent with words, his admiration for children and his knowledge of wetlands made him popular with the Grade Three/Four class and the Grade Five/Six class - although the latter was a tougher audience at first. ("They didn't laugh at my wet pants joke!" he told me later.) But while the younger kids laughed and talked turtles, the older students showed a keen interest in wetlands, as well as a considerable amount of knowledge about the topic. So many hands were raised that Steve had a tough time making sure everyone had a chance to speak.</div> <bR> <div> The students also seemed to appreciate the "goodies" that were passed around: an EH! bookmark, a <A HREF="http://www.ducks.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ducks.ca"><U>Ducks Unlimited</U></A> storybook called "A Wetland Tale," and a sticker that came all the way from Switzerland, where World Wetlands Day organizer, the <A HREF="http://www.ramsar.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ramsar.org"><U>Ramsar Bureau</U></A>, is situated.</div> <bR> <div> The event was so successful that Steve and I are already talking about next year. We'd like to go to another school, maybe even two schools, and he'd like to get a slide show together. But he and I are both a little nervous about hitting the high school circuit. "I'd be afraid they'd know more than me!" he quipped. "Actually, I'm pretty sure those five and sixes knew more than me!" Me too.</div> <bR> <div> But at least he's got some good material down pat - as long as the wet pants joke keeps `em rolling in the aisles, the Steve and Cathy Show will keep on rolling.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="0dba93e0.jpg" border=0 width="425" height="318" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> <I>The kids loved telling Steve all about their own wetland adventures. It seems many of them have witnessed frogs the size of party-size pizza!</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="0ddb23c0.jpg" border=0 width="434" height="316" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  </I><A HREF="http://www.mts.net/~flyfishe/Johnson_Gormann/myoutdoors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.mts.net/~flyfishe/Johnson_Gor"><U><I><IMG SRC="0e263980.jpg" border=0 width="99" height="152" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></U></A></div> <div> <I>The Grade 5/6 class was much more serious and well-informed than their younger school chums. But they were just as enthusiastic.Pictured at right, Steve's book "My Outdoors - Humor from the field and stream," which is available at most bookstores in Haliburton County and </I><A HREF="http://www.mts.net/~flyfishe/Johnson_Gormann/myoutdoors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.mts.net/~flyfishe/Johnson_Gor"><U><I>online</I></U></A><I>.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>===========================================================================</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Sledding without guilt</B><B> <A NAME="guilt"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <I><B>Highlands' cottager builds an electric snowmobile -- the greener way to enjoy Haliburton's awesome trail system</B></I></div> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="0ce0d830.jpg" border=0 width="525" height="387" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> <I>Photo by Sheryl Loucks: Monte Gisborne shows his daughter the electric snowmobile he designed.</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Written by Sheryl Loucks</B></I></div> <div> <I>Haliburton County Echo</I></div> <div> <I>Reprinted here with permission</I></div> <bR> <div> DEANNA GISBORNE PEERS UNDER the red square hood of the 1974 Gilson snowmobile parked at her Tamarac Lake cottage, too young to understand the significance of the nickel cadmium batteries her dad is excitedly pointing out, and far too young to understand that her father has invented what it is likely Canada's first operating electric snowmobile, largely for her.</div> <bR> <div> Monte Gisborne's interest in engines was bred into him by an "autophile" father, a man obsessed with cars. There also seems to be an over-abundance of electrons bopping around in Gisborne genes that calls them to tinker with electricity. Gisborne's ancestor, Frederic Newton Gisborne, a Canadian telegraph pioneer, succeeded in creating the first transatlantic telegraph in the 1850s. </div> <bR> <div> More than a century later little Monte started building electric motors while attending elementary school in British Columbia. At the age of 14 he restored a 1937 Dodge. In 1996, Gisborne used know-how gained during the completion of technology and mechanical engineering degrees, and an electric vehicle course at Durham College, to convert a <A HREF="http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/cars/electric_car/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files"><U>1991 Pontiac Firefly convertible into the "ElectriFly."</U></A> His electric car placed 10th out of 50 entries in the American Tour de Sol, an electric vehicle rally. In 2003, Gisborne's newest entry placed first.</div> <bR> <div> "Competing in the first rally was mind bending. My mom and dad were my pit crew. The rally is very demanding; we really had to become a team. It was a life changing experience," he recalled with an ear-to-ear grin.</div> <bR> <div> He says that as an adult his fascination with motors and cars turned him into a Jekyll and Hyde character. He loves the power and speed of machines but hates the pollution they caused. When Gisborne met his wife Denise a decade ago, and they decided to start their own family, things changed.</div> <bR> <div> "There's something about knowing you're passing on a torch. I wanted to right what was wrong with the world and make changes beneficial to the next generation," says Gisborne.</div> <bR> <div> The change he wants to focus on is replacing smog-producing combustion engines powered by non-renewable fossil fuels with electric engines drawing power from preferably clean, green energy sources such as hydro dams. He now lives in Whitby and works at Canada's first electric car dealership, <A HREF="http://www.torontoelectric.com/te/te_category.aspx?id=1000040" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.torontoelectric.com/te/te_cat"><U>Enviromotive</U></A>, which sells electric cars to Canadian fleet operators such as the Department of National Defense. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="0d06a440.jpg" border=0 width="362" height="324" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> "I have a general philosophy of techno-environmentalism. My definition of enjoying [motorized] recreational aspects of cottage country while decreasing the footprint on the environment," Gisborne explained.</div> <bR> <div> The owner of electric cars and a boat, Gisborne turned his eye last fall to his winter needs and started working on an electric snowmobile. The problem with gas-powered sleds, he says, is that a snowmobile engine is inherently inefficient. He estimated a third of the fuel in a two-stroke sled engine exits the exhaust and is sprayed through forest or on the surface of water bodies. Once the ice melts the gas becomes part of the ecosystem killing algae, an important food supply. Four-stroke engines are slightly better, he says.</div> <bR> <div> Gisborne's electric motor is 85 per cent efficient versus a gas-powered sled which he says is only 15 per cent efficient.</div> <bR> <div> "I can go four times as far on the energy I have on board but can't store as much energy (as a gas-powered sled). But I use all of what I have. And if I run out of power I can pull up to any cottage with electricity, fill up and pay with the change in my pocket," says Gisborne.</div> <bR> <div> The challenge in designing an electric engine for a sled is weight. The 12 nickel cadmium batteries he has installed in his sled add an additional 250 lbs to his machine, which is why he chose a model more than 30 years old. The Gilson was designed to be a workhorse on the farm and has a steel chassis and tunnel. It also has a square front end that could nicely house some of his square batteries; others were added to the back to balance the weight.</div> <bR> <div> Gisborne calls his "proof of concept" a SK-E-DOO. He has done extensive research and says there are a few groups working on electric snowmobile designs but to his knowledge he is the first to get a sled running.</div> <bR> <div> On the day of this reporter's visit the temperature was a frigid -27° Celsius and the Gilson started instantly at the turn of a key; no warm up time needed for this machine. The frigid temperatures have not proved to be a problem for the sled but they are for the rider. At the time of the interview Gisborne had only managed to stay outside long enough to do two laps around the road that circles Tamarack Lake, approximately eight miles. He predicts the sled's batteries will run for 20 miles on one charge. </div> <bR> <div> Gisborne had a look of smug satisfaction while discussing the cost of fueling up his batteries; at five cents per kilowatt hour it would cost 20 cents for him to charge his batteries.</div> <bR> <div> The savings from the cost of gas would quickly pay for the difference in the initial cost for an electric sled. Gisborne estimates the cost of the batteries at $5,000 but the price is rapidly dropping as factories start to mass produce them. The total cost of an electric sled built from scratch he estimated at $12,000. His SK-E-DOO is capable of doing 50 miles an hour on 400 amps but he has it set at a maximum of 250 amps or 30 miles an hour.</div> <bR> <div> Gisborne says there is no chance of a rider being electrocuted on the sled and it is quieter, although, not as much as he anticipated, than a standard sled. He says there is an advantage to having the sled produce some noise because people can hear the sled coming. His plan is to hook up a trailer to the sled to carry his daughter and the family's gear from the car parked at the end of a road to their cottage in the winter.</div> <bR> <div> Gisborne's dream is to build a solar-powered electric snowmobile but he is not there yet. He believes manufacturers will be interested in the concept and his dealership would be interested in selling them. However, Gisborne admits that in the back of his mind he is already toying with another idea, the electric All Terrain Vehicle. If he has his way his little girl will never need gas no matter what she chooses to drive in the future.</div> <bR> <div> ===========================================================================</div> <bR> <div> <B>Cleaning poop with plants</B><B> <A NAME="plants"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <I><B>Alternative wastewater information session captures </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>imagination of influential crowd</B></I></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="09a1c030.jpg" border=0 width="284" height="259" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <I>From left, Steve Thompson, Mark Williamson and Brent Wootton at a Haliburton-area presentation about using constructed wetlands to clean waste water like septage. Photo by Steve Galea, Haliburton County Echo.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Written by Cathy Olliffe,</B></I></div> <div> <I>Environment Haliburton!</I></div> <bR> <div> HALIBURTON COUNTY'S MOVERS and shakers were indeed moved by an idea that uses manmade wetlands to clean what comes out of our septic and holding tanks.</div> <bR> <div> Local reeves and councillors from three  townships, as well as representatives from the <A HREF="http://www.hkpr.on.ca/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.hkpr.on.ca/"><U>Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge Health Unit</U></A> (HKPR), the <A HREF="http://www.ontariostewardship.org/HALIBURTON/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ontariostewardship.org/HALIBU"><U>Haliburton Highlands Stewardship Council</U></A> and Environment Haliburton!, about 40 people in all, gathered at the <A HREF="http://www.hhoa.on.ca/hatchery.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.hhoa.on.ca/hatchery.html"><U>Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association Fish Hatchery</U></A> just outside of Haliburton village on January 20, 2004, to hear what the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT) is up to.</div> <bR> <div> It was the first time that CAWT had made a public presentation about the research being done, not only at its Sir Sandford Fleming College  facility in Lindsay, Ont., but in places like Mexico as well.</div> <bR> <div> Brent Wootton, a Highlands East resident and a professor at SSFC, organized the information session to let local decision-makers know how constructed wetlands can be used to help turn septic waste into water that can be discharged into any lake. He was joined at the session by Mark Williamson, CAWT research director, and Steve Thompson, research consultant.</div> <bR> <div> "I knew that Haliburton was facing a lot of waste management issues and I knew that the two of you - Fleming and you guys - should get together," Wootton said.</div> <bR> <div> Thompson garnered a laugh when he said that all these different groups of people were "brought together by one thing: poop!"</div> <bR> <div> It was easy to laugh but pressure is mounting on municipalities to do something about the septage that is pumped out of septic tanks and holding tanks. Some places in the county have sewage treatment plants but the majority of lakefront and rural properties have some sort of individual septic system. Holding tanks must be pumped out frequently, depending on how often the toilet is flushed. Once every three weeks is not uncommon. Septic tanks should be pumped out every three years. In the past, the sludge that was pumped out by septic haulers was spread over farmers' fields. This practice will soon be outlawed and municipalities like the Township of Algonquin Highlands and the Township of Highlands East are trying  to build septage lagoons so this sludge has a place to go.</div> <bR> <div> Not everyone wants a septage lagoon in their backyard but the people at this meeting were anxious to hear about CAWT's plan. So anxious, in fact, that at one point during the question and answer period, Williamson cautioned people in the audience not to get excited about building a wetlands waste water treatment centre in the Haliburton area for at least a couple of years -- it will take CAWT at least that long to get through the research necessary to garner approval from agencies like the Ministry of the Environment.</div> <bR> <div> Thompson said regulatory agencies are "nervous ... we need to tweak the design a bit more ... We're not there yet. We have to prove these systems."</div> <bR> <div> In Canada, the idea of putting constructed wetlands to work at cleaning waste water is relatively new. In Europe and parts of the United States, they're not new at all. But Thompson, Williamson and Wootton are confident it won't be long before they're common here, too. They say Canada is where the U.S. was back in 1975.</div> <bR> <div> The longstanding problem has been Canada's cold climate. Many people have long believed that winters would kill any wetland's ability to process and clean septage because the water turns to ice and the plants die.</div> <bR> <div> "Really," Williamson said, "nobody is looking at cold climates."</div> <bR> <div> But CAWT's research has shown that the cleansing process does continue all winter long, below the ice surface. The process takes a lot more time in winter so, to make up for lost time, CAWT says the size of the wetland must be larger than what would be needed in a warm climate.</div> <bR> <div> The men have built a small-scale wetland for training purposes at the college (using fish poop, not human waste, because they couldn't get a permit). They have also built a real constructed wetland project in Santa Maria Nativitas, Mexico. In the near future they'd like to get involved in pilot projects before breaking into the business on a  large scale.</div> <bR> <div> "There's no silver bullet at this point," Thompson said.</div> <bR> <div> Constructed wetlands don't necessarily even look like the wetlands we see in nature. Some resemble traditional sewage treatment plants -- only the aquaculture ponds are filled with plants. Some are made of plastic and steel "drums" called horizontal and vertical flow wetland cells. What they all need is lots of time, water, a substrate (something to anchor plants and allow them to grow complex root zones), a wide variety of plants and microbial communities. Different microbes and different plants break down different parts of waste water. So it's important to know what microbes attack what. And, Williamson said, the more complex the wetlands, the better they work.</div> <bR> <div> "It's not perfect," he added, "but there's a lot they can do."</div> <bR> <div> Pre-treatment of the waste water is also necessary -- in other words, no solids go into the wetlands because they can overload the plants and eventually shut the whole system down. Bleach and other chemical products are also plant and microbe killers so users of these systems have to be extremely careful about what they flush down the toilet.</div> <bR> <div> Tom Reddering of the HKPR said, regardless of the system, safe sewage, clean air, clean water and safe food is "what it's all about." And he's intrigued by the ideas presented by CAWT.</div> <bR> <div> "I find all this stuff very interesting and I hope we get something going in the County," he said. "We look forward to these latest technologies."</div> <bR> <div> For more information about CAWT, email Research Director Mark Williamson at <A HREF="mailto: marwilli@fleming.on.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: marwilli@fleming.on.ca"><U>marwilli@fleming.on.ca</U></A> or Research Consultant Stephen Thompson at <A HREF="mailto: marwilli@fleming.on.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: marwilli@fleming.on.ca"><U>stevthorn@flemingc.on.ca</U></A>.</div> <div> For more about Mark Williamson, visit <A HREF="http://www.flemingc.on.ca/news/releases/200307021139.cfm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.flemingc.on.ca/news/releases/"><U>http://www.flemingc.on.ca/news/releases/200307021139.cfm</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>