The "Con" side was given last night by two excellent local Clarington activists, Dr. Deb Jefferson and Wendy Bracken on the "Talk Local" show with host Amie Bolahood. I learned more in that one hour than I did in attending all of Durham Region's public information sessions last year and this year. I've stolen the information on times and repeats from the new D.E.W. website, which is also chock full of information on the subject.
Tonight at 9 pm on Rogers Cable we will see Mayor Abernethy and Cliff Curtis speaking for the "Pro" side, with host Tom Calow. Even though Mayor Abernethy continues to try to tell people he has not yet made up his mind, nor has Durham Region, does anyone still believe him? Watch tonight and I predict you will see him determinedly defend the decision to ignore any and ALL other alternatives to incineration and support incineration, which he will call "Energy From Waste". He and Mr. Curtis will tell you how clean and wonderful the European plants were that they saw on their expensive trip to Europe ($192,000 of Durham Region taxpayer's money). They will tell you how they saw a daycare built right near an incineration plant, saw people hanging out their laundry in the shadow of a large incinerator, and how nobody protests or minds those invisible emissions from the stacks.
They will not, however, tell you that Europe's regulations are much more stringent than ours in Ontario, or that theirs is a much different waste stream than what will be fueling our hungry "made in Durham" incinerator, with much lower toxicity. They won't tell you that the EU is now reconsidering the use of incinerators and making the regulations even tougher, or that they are looking at other solutions. They won't tell you about the very real risk of nano-particles because they don't understand what they are or how they affect human health. It is a quite new science, and the Durham Region consultants didn't bother to include any of the primary papers or research on this very important aspect of incineration. They will give you half-truths and spin it just as the consultants have spun it to them, to make it all more palatable.
But it seems that there is a growing number of people in Clarington and Durham becoming more aware of the con side, which was not even touched on by the Region's consultants who were hired to promote incineration to the public, just as the European Magical Mystery Tour was designed from day one to promote incineration, not to show both sides of the issue.
The Mayor owes an apology to all those delegations over the past several months who have taken the time to research and to speak about alternatives - all those delegations he chose to ignore as they spoke of alternative solutions including increased waste diversion, stabilized landfill for the small amount of residual waste after separating organics out for composting and biologically and mechanically treating what is left, extended producer responsibility, and more.
An exact quote from the Mayor made on Tuesday evening...
"We have been hearing what they're saying; they've been saying basically the same message over and over again; 'say no, say no, say no, say no', but what they have not done is they have not given us an alternative."
So why wasn't he listening to all those delegations? We submit it is because he made up his mind long ago and is pushing hard for incineration, just like our influential and tunnel-visioned Regional Chair, Roger Anderson. Much of Regional Council has been convinced that this is a safe, clean, wonderful project that will be oh-so-good for Durham Region, if not for Clarington.
Why are they so afraid of the whole truth, instead of hand-picked "facts" that they are exhibiting in their consummately one-sided promotion of incineration.
They also talk about "state of the art" or newest technology, but we know it will be what is most affordable, not state of the art. Chairman Anderson told us that months ago at one of his committee meetings where a large number of residents were present. He said that "Plasma Arc", for example, is too new, too experimental, too expensive so it would not be one of the technologies even considered. Yeah, right.
Even the newest "scrubbers" will not remove nano-particles from the emissions stack before they are released into our already compromised airshed. They cannot remove all the toxins and then even those that are removed... what to do with that pesky leftover ash? Guess what... it will have to go to a LANDFILL.Watch tonight and ask questions. Please watch the repeats of the Talk Local show (see times below) for a much more intelligent and in-depth discussion of what we're really looking at if we have this incinerator built here. A much more complete and honest discussion without the political spin that we've sadly, now come to expect.
From the DEW website NOTICE BOARD:
NEW Thursday, September 6/07 at 9 p.m. - watch Mayor Jim Abernethy and Cliff Curtis tonight at 9 pm - Rogers Cable TV. Program is "Talk Politics". It's a call-in show so people can call in to comment and ask questions.
NEW Thursday September 6/07 - If you missed Dr. Deb Jefferson and Wendy Bracken (Clarington residents) featured on the "Talk Local" (Rogers Cable) show on Wednesday evening at 9 pm, please take the time to watch a repeat episode at any of the following times:
Thursday - 12:30 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM
Friday - 10:00 AM, 8:00 PM
Sunday - 10:00 PM
Monday - 2:00 AM, 5:00 AM
Tuesday - 8:00 AM
Monday, September 10, 2007 - Incineration Peer Review Reports 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers, Municipal Administrative Centre40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville, ON - Council meeting (open to public)Decision on Clarington Peer Review Report on Incineration EA processIf you wish to appear as a delegation to speak on this item or your feelings on siting a large incinerator in Clarington to burn Durham Region's garbage (along with some of York Region's) as well as bringing in garbage possibly from Peterborough, Port Hope and other areas outside Durham Region, contact the Clarington Clerk's Dept. (905-623-3379) on or before 4 p.m. on Friday, September 7th. A preferred site will be chosen near the end of this month so it is important to be heard.
BlogMaster,
ReplyDeleteYou were right. What we got from Abernethy and Curtis was garbage; trash that should be incinerated!
Abernethy just spent the last of whatever credibility he may have had, on TV last night. We can't really expect the truth from Curtis, he's actually paid to spew this crap.
Is there a transcript or a video of the show on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI have satellite not Rogers cable, so we don't get local meetings.
Although I'm guessing from lack of response on these boards for this that Abernathy just kept saying the same thing over and over again and not listening to the truth.
Time for him to wake up. Also time for the province to make sure that Anderson will work for the regional chair in 2010, by changing the bylaw that makes the chair an unappointed position. I never got an answer from any provincial party about both the regional chair and the incinerator issue.