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24 saturday dec 7 2002 c economist sun stouffville tribune business little recourse factories can be noxious neighbours in battle against spam by mitchell brown staff writer by all accounts dan is an ordi nary fellow with whats rapidly becom ing an alltoocommon workplace problem for the past three months dan who works for a media company in york region has been inundated with spam all those unsolicited email messages nobody wants but everyone gets in their inbox at first his office account was mostly receiving innocuous messages offering say discounts on used print er cartridges then the really nasty stuff started to arrive i got one saying this is the sick- est most disgusting site youll ever see click here as a comeon the other day he said wisely he declined to take them up on the offer accessing porn from here is an offence that you can be dismissed for he said and i have a certain set of beliefs and a position that if people think im a porn hound is going to be under mined i have no idea where they got my email address dan said stressing he does not make a habit of visiting any site containing pornography still its a concern that someone will spot it and think im into that stuff it may be small comfort but dan is not alone in his frustration even those with expertise in the web business are finding it hard to keep their heads above the rising tide c oftitillation ive had 60 spam emails today and i havent checked in the past hour so i probably have a lot more waiting said al redpath a web designer and coowner of newmarkets outrageous creations its mainly because my email address is published on a number of the websites we do for clients that can generate quite a bit of spam indeed one of the most popular i by mike adler staff writer ts not hitting me in the face like it was jason hart said to a visitor outside his richmond hill home but when the wind shifted he found it again the smell he thought was burning brake pads until he followed his nose to the industrial buildings on newkirk road behind gamma foundries where an open bin collects a black slag of copper zinc and lead mr hatt found the smell was stronger if you inhale without using your nasal passage just using your mouth you can actually taste it he said most of the foundrys metallic waste is piled together for recy cling but some of it in 2000 an estimated 540 kilograms of zinc 80 of lead and 10 of copper flies up gammas smokestack about two blocks from mr harts yard and close to a town park where he plays with his infant son staff photosteve somerville see legal page 25 they dont feel their voice means anything anymore that such pollution is legal agreed on by gamma and the provincial government makes mr hatt angry allowing these guys to be selfregulated is malicious he said for a place priding itself on horse farms and hightech indus tries york region is dotted with a surprising number of stacks spew ing toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde isopropyl alcohol the main ingredient in rubbing alcohol and the organic solvent toluene last year a group called pollution watch revealed york in 1999 was home to two of the three largest sources of potentially can cercausing air pollution in canada that year on hanlan road in woodbridge cushionfoam pro ducer carpenter canada ltd released 46132 tonnes 1017211 pounds of dichloromethane a colourless solvent health canada classes as probably carcinogenic cheryl stonehouse and her 1 1 monthold son devin live in an industrial area of richmond hill she com plains of fumes from nearby factories to humans to top the list pharmaceutical firm novopharm released 2609 tonnes 575285 pounds of the same chemical at a hood road plant in markham with a subdivision just to the east across warden avenue both companies stopped all use of dichloromethane in 2001 but in thornhill last fall resi dents used ontarios environmental bill of rights to try to force the environment ministry to investigate two kitchen cabinet makers canac kitchens ltd and raywal ltd saying odours around them had been increasing in strength and frequency for three years they alleged that the odours were unpleasant caused cough ing and were being emitted into a densely populated residential area with day cares and schools the environmental commissioner of ontario noted in a recent report the ministry refused the resi dents request prompting the eco a provincial environment watchdog whose own investiga tors encountered strong chemical odours around both companies during march 2002 site visits to conclude the ministry provided a very weak response and very poor customer service to resi dents noting both companies are seeking to expand their opera tions the watchdog recommend ed the ministry work with propo nents to ensure that effective solu tions are implemented and find ways to involve the public in the process the ministry however blames the town of markham for allowing homes too close to industries its always buyer beware for people moving to homes near industrial areas said john steele a ministry spokesperson but sue skura who has lived in her home for 20 years and whose children complain of headaches dizziness and nosebleeds she blames on canac emissions said many residents were there first canac owes us a visit they need to meet with us and let us know whats going on said ms skura who in 1993 helped found a neighbourhood group to deal with canac which eventually was charged with illegally discharging a contaminant likely to cause harmful effects before it changed owners in 1996 officials from raywal and kohler were surprised this week to hear of the commissioners report raywal offered no comment the company on green lane in thornhill told it wasnt complying with its emissions agreement dur ing a may 2001 inspection was in compliance five months later a spokesperson from kohler canacs wisconsinbased parent said odourous emissions from the john street plant were reduced 85 per cent over a decade canac will continue to invest in additional control measures including expansion of water- based processes to reduce odour emissions still further michael krenn said mr steele said the ministry which years earlier heard many complaints about canac received none at all in 2002 ms skura how ever said most residents dont knowwhere to call and speculated there were fewer calls because people are frustrated and apathet ic they dont feel their voice means anything anymore insight into eyesight dr h h walji optometrist hons bsc msc od fios high technology has dramatically improved todays spectacle frames the frame is the carrier that holds your lenses in place within your eyeglasses gone are the days of heavy oversized uncomfortable frames that fit poorly and turned dirty green in colour today spectacle frames can be made from metals that will bend twist and contort without breaking these are a must for children and active adults who need durability wear high tech spectacle frames frames that are made from other metals in the interest of your better eye are stronger and weigh half the weight of health from the practice of traditional frames made from aluminum dr hh walji rimless frames offer elegant styles and maximum comfort if you wear glasses all your waking hours if you perspire excessively or may have skin allergies to metals look for metals that will not turn green or you could wear frames made from nonallergenic plastics 6633 hwy 7 at ninth line imimm 3937 website dr waljicom email drwaljidrwaljicom 3 yearslnarow