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• • V We are the biggest wasters it hydro says O'Toole It doesn't take much to entice the deer at Orono's Jungle Cat World to snack between meals, as Alex Von Gemmingen of Pickering soon discovered on his visit last week during March Break; When asked by a show of hands, only two people in a room of 75 admitted to favouring the Provincial Government's plan to deregulate deregulate hydro by May 1st of this year. M.P.P. John O'Toole, who hosted the meeting Monday night at the Newcastle Community Centre, was then told by someone in the audience audience that there was no legitimate legitimate reason to privatize hydro and to open up the electricity markets to competition. "We never had that public debate," stated John Otvos of Cobourg. Mr. Roy Brady from Peterborough received a round of applause when he accused O'Toole's government government of taking control of our resource and giving it to looters. looters. Mr. O'Toole responded by stating, "Obviously not everyone everyone will agree, but history has demonstrated the old system was not sustainable. We've put forward our best case," he said. Ontario Hydro as a crown corporation had accumulated a debt of $38 billion over the past 30 years. The company with assets of approximately $41 billion, was technically bankrupt when it went through a financial restructuring restructuring process in 1997-1998. All energy users now pay 0.7 cents per kilowatt hour which translates to 35% of their electricity bill, to service that debt, and will continue to do so for at least the next 20 years. "We no longer have the assets, but were left to pay the bill," stated Brady after the meeting. According to figures presented presented by the Ministry of Energy's Shane Pospisil, Director of Communication, Ontario energy consumers are currently paying far more for electricity than users in California, New York, . Quebec, and Alberta - which operates under a free market system. Ontario's prices will begin to fall once new sources of energy come on line after May 1st, says Pospisil. Under the free market system, system, in the future, consumers will be given the choice to pay a premium price for green sources of energy such as wind and solar power. Under the new system, opportunities will be available to introduce these alternate energy sources onto the grid. Before the meeting closed, M.P.P. O'Toole reminded everyone that, "We in Ontario are the biggest wasters of electricity in the world." Iteacher assaulted by student A Clarke High School student student was charged with physically physically assaulting a teacher after he threw a book at her and hit her in the elbow. Ms. Donna Webber, received minor injuries during the altercation. The 12-year- old young offender was charged with assault with a weapon, causing a disturbance, disturbance, and breach of probation. probation. ITER environmental assessment premature Two items of correspondence correspondence before council Monday night regarding the proposed ITER facility prompted Mayor Mutton to state that critics of the ITER facility are unbelievable. To date Clarington has no substantial and factual arguments against the facility. In his letter to council, Ron Dabor of Cobourg asks if ITER is a $12 billion nuclear scam or an environmentalist's dream come true? ITER is an international project to develop fusion energy. Three countries, Japan, France, and Canada are seeking to host this experimental experimental facility, for which the site selection will be made by ITER International later this year. Clarington, and more specifically land adjacent to the Darlington Nuclear Power Plant, has been selected as Canada's host site for the facility. Despite the fact that a host country for the project has not yet been selected and that no formal application for a license to construct the proposed proposed facility has been made, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is proceeding with the environmental assessment at the request of ITER Canada. This move, according to Dave Martin of the Sierra Club of Canada, is premature. "Proceeding with the environmental environmental assessment at this time constitutes a waste of public (continued page 3) OMHA playoff watch Bantams 1 loss, / win Midgets 2 wins Juveniles 1 loss as of Monday, Matv/t /& : BOWMANVILLE LIBRARY 62 Temperance St. 1.1.03 Bowmanville, Ont. L1C 3A8 * c* * Volume 66, Number 11 $1.00 RONO GST Included Weekly Times Wednesday, March 20, 2002 150 YEARS Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937