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~uju~ Orno Wekl-mixes.Wdeay by Gord Mils Can.you look back and remember a time when some- thin g dreadful almost hap- pened that sent shivers down your spine? Most of us can. For me it was just looking back at the last Federal Election, and the thouglit of electing a Reform Governiment in Ottawa. Them and'their commitment to the reintroduction of the death penalty ti Canada did it for me.' Just thlng for a moment that if Preston Manning and the ReformParty had their way, Guy Paul Morin, David Mlgaard and Donald Marshalll, would ail have been put- to deatli for crimes that none of them did! Isn't that enougli to send a shiver up your spine? 1Across Canada in recent weeks we have read of the reluctance of those whose duty It is to serve and proteet us, refuse to acknowledge D.NA. testing results.' The police in Saskatoon are still reluctant to say that David Milgaard was innocent of the crime for whichlie spent, 23 years in prison for. In fact it was ornly when the case was lianded over to the RC.M.P. that the person identified by D.N.A. testing was arrested. Prior to that, the Saskatoon police remained unconvinced that they liad convicted tlie wrong man. Can any of us forget the case of niurse Susan Nelles? After mucli humiliation, aIl charges againist lier were dismissed, but lier lawyer sald there are stili police involved on the case who believe she was responsible for the deaths of those babies at Toronto Sick Children's Hospital. Closer to home here in Durham, we have one of the lead police officers in the Guy Paul Morin inquiry, saying that lie "accepted" the fact that Morin was innocent, a tifle short of a full apology. Recently, the Durham Police Chief offered a full apology, although the evidence was thee that Mr. Morin wasn't guilty of the murder of Cliristine Jessop two years earlier! The Cliairman of the Durham, Regional police Board even went as far to say lie didn't see any need of any costly enquiry, yet the infor- mation coming out of tliat enquiry In regard, to the, actions of the organization lie heads up on 'our belialf are surely enougli tobe of great concemn to even the most law- abiding citizen amongst us. I for one, am very glad that the Refom, Party did not form the government in Ottawa. t just sends shivers up my spine thinking about tliem, and their agenda. 1 have no doubt the riglit wing element of society would ail clap their liands with glee over the prospects of a returri to the deatli penalty. I'm sure too. they would say of course there are winners and losers, just like dabbling on the stock market. so what's different 'eh?7 I don't want to slip back into the l8tli century? 1How about you? I hope not. We're chocking on Harris' environmental smokescreen took huge steps in the right direction. The law made it much easler for public scruti- fly of government policles that affect our air, water, soul and ecology. Years later, though, head- ing in the riglit direction has become heading in the riglit- wing direction, which is not the same thing! The day after the CEC's report, a devastat- ing account of the Impact of the Harris Conservative gov- emnment on the environment was released by the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. It's a 150- page litany, chapter and verse, of the crazy reduction in environmental protection in Ontario. The report shows that vir- tually every law in the land that proteets our environ- ment lias been changed by the Harris government to weaken environmental pro- tection, give minsters more power to do as they please, shut the public out of envi- ronmental decision-making, and permit the very indus- tries whose activities tbreaten the environment to police tliemselves. Talk about a con- flict of înterest! To top it aIl of, twvo of the ministries brit hardest by eut- backs are Natural Resources, and Environment and Energy. With far fewer researcliers, scientists, inspectors, rangers, and other public servants to stand on guard for our environ- ment, we've got a recipe for a ..see no evil, hear no evil" atti- tude from the government who will argue that problems don't eist because they don't have the staff to detect them. 0f course, these cutbacks are deeper than they have to be bec-ause the province must offset revenue it lost wlien it eut income taxes. The next time officiais issue a smog alert or warn you not to drink the water, ask yourself if it's worth it. New C'laringlon business Mayor Diane Hamre and the Members of Council are proud to announce the open- ing of a new Clarington busi- ness. We would lîke to take this opportunity to invite al Clarington residents to par- ticipate in t he Grand Opening of ACCENT on Advanced Driver Training on Friday, August22, 11997. Nancy Noyes and Annette Kukemueller 1invite Clarington residents to visit their office located at 160 Bas eline Road East, Bowmanville. Accent on Advanced Driver Training offers custom-designed train- ing programs including Ladies Maintenance, Mature Driver Refresher Course, Skd School & Winter Driving pro- grams. Nancy and Annette indicate that nervous and anxious drivers are their spe- cialty. Join Nancy, Aninette. and Mayor Hamre for tlie Official Rbbon Cutting Ceremony and refreshments. ANOTHER CLARINGTON BUSINESS SUCCESS STORY - BE A PART 0F IT! Why are women ighting up? Haîf of young women in Durhiam Region smoke. They started as teenagers and 80%/ believe that their lieaith will suffer because of smoking. Haif have tried to quit smok- ing, unsuccessfully. Wliy do tliey start? Wliy can't they quit? Most smokers start in their teens, wanting to be accepted by a certain social group. Women see smoking as a way to deai witli stress and may be lessconfident in their abil- ity to quit. Their reason for smoking. may be quite differ- ent from their maie counter- parts as weil as their reasons for choosing not to quit. The Durliam Region Healtli Department wants to help womnen control, reduce and ultlmiately quite smoking. Since social acceptance is an important factor, a cessation support group lias-.proven effective in lielping women successfully quit. Toijoin, cal the Durham Health Connection Uine at 723-8521 or 1-800-841-2729, ext. 2158. A series of 7 sessions explaining wliy you smoke and liow you can eut down or stop is just a phone cali away. BALLS RADIO&T.V. REPAIR REPAIRS TO MOST MAKES STEREOS, COLOUR AND B&W T.V.s AND V.C.R.s P.O. Box 27 R.R. 2, Orono, Ont. (905Y 983-5721 i Column from Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton regarding the threat to envi- ronmental protection posed by the Hanris Conservatives. Maybe Mike Harris figured nobody would notice the, damage lis government is iflictig on our environment. With ail the anxiety in the land about econoic securi- ty, and our kids' chance of landing a good job, miaybe the Premier thouglit he'dI have a smokescreen to pull it off. Trouible is, people are cliock- ing on the Mike Harris smokescreen, as details come to liglit of liow our environ- ment is being sacrfficed in the name of the "Common Sense Revolution." l'Il give you a real example. When fire broke out at a plas- tics recycling plant in Hamilton- on July 9, the Ministry of the Envronment's mobile poison control unit didn't arrive on the scene f'or 12 hours. Thegoermt -knew the plant contlniued 2010 tonnes of polyvinyl chlonide, whicli wlen bumned gives off dioxin, one of the most toxidc of ail substances. Is tolerating this kind of response to an enviromnentai em-ergency the Harris govemnment's idea of "ýcutting waste"? We A were concemned to hear that Ontario is one of the biggest poluters in North American, as a report by the Commission on Environmental Cooperationi (CEe) revealed last month. Frankly, ît's a disgrace, and it points to the need f or touglier laws. better enforcement of those laws, and adequate 1ev- els of staff and funding so the public.can be alerted to prob- lems before tliey become dis- asters. If we forgo the ounce of prevention, we'll just have tpay for the pound of "cure" . The previous NDP govern- ment brouglit in thie Environimental Bill of Riglits, hailed by en'vironmentalists as the most significant eii ronmental legislatiori enaçt- ed1 in Ontario ti decades. This was not a panacea or a rea- son to becomplacent, but it STOP We pick it up You write it off The Kidney Car Procram aceepts a miotor vehlicle in any condition. Youi receive a tax receipt and i's towed frece of charge. Cal the Kidney Car Hotline for mnore information. 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