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‘ A View from the Grass knots 'ai"iuiueshre1reiLirtstiut, . .591 it“?! r'. La, WW Chroma. ofttt:q a mom: on 2nd ttoor ot Waunoo Square's Othe- Yaw Enw w: m an" mums. - tho Longhorn autumn Macaw owes-to the cad mop) or from tho Waco! Ion! band. "I. T-D Bank We the “onto! to the 2nd nttttr and you are there . One of the worst poisoning disasters in history occurred over the last 20 years in Japan where hundreds of people died from what has come to be known as Minamata disease -L" the incurable mercury poisoning known by the name of the industrial town where it was first identified. Here in Canada, the Native people of two northwestern Ontario reserves and those along the edgeof James Bay in Northeastern Quebec whose ancient fishing grounds have become pol- luted with mercury, could bedacing a disaster of similar proportions. The disease is grotestue- 1y deforming, affecting the central nervous sys- tem and culminates in brain damage, paralysis and death. But after more than five years of extensive tests, both levels of government still insist, de- spite medical evidence to the contrary, that symptoms of poisoning shoiiring up in a number of individuals may be related to other illnesses and "more proof is needed." As far back as 1970, the Ontario government moved to protect its tourist industry by advis- ing sports-fishermen'to "tish for fun only" and not to eat their contaminated catches. Yet the Indians of Grassy Narrows and White Dog re- serves in the Kenora area are still eating the fish from mercury polluted waters as the main source of their food. And it was in the same year that the province issued control orders on 11 companies ordering them to stop dumping mercury waste into the waterways. But mercury requires up to 100 years to be dissipated from polluted waters. And no control order was issued on mercury dispelled into the air, where quantities are still anyone's guess. The provincial government did promise alter- native supplies of food by providing two large freezers and a smallsubsidy to truck in fish from unpolluted lakes. The federal department of Indian and North- ern Affairs offered to move the people from their reserves to other areas to get them away from the polluted water. These attempts to" alleviate the situation in- dicates an utter lack of understaqding. The Na- tives who live in these areas have‘mgntire cul- ture, a lifestyle, based on fishing in their lakes and streams. July lst, 1976 has come and gone. For some it was a holiday. As a National Birthday Party it wasa flop. Irreparable damage may already have been done to residents of these reserves but continued inaction or inappropriate action will have the effect of a major human and environmental dis- aster. Our newspapers and television programmes dwelt at great length on the American Bicenten- nial. Sailing ships on the Potamac River and a Queen's visit. The Liberty Bell and all that. On Parliament Hill the only evident disruption of the daily routine was a temporary fence erected to control angry farmers demonstrating against the federal govermment's dairy policy. ' Mercury poisoning 'nitrite-t every "My by Palm! PM. a division of Kim-Vim Record Ltd., owner. 225 Funny Rd. s.. Kitchener. Ont. adttge" cum to Waterloo office: Waterloo Square. Waterloo. on. telephone some Publisher: James M. Boland Editor: Mary Stupart subscriptions: $10 a year in Canada. " a year in United States and Foreign Conan-its ennui“ W rifut"iiGiGa- Nor does anyon} else who really knows anything about will have the this country, or who has fought in one of the two bid wars. . The Canadian identity is just as real, and present. and ronmental dis- prickly. as thorns on a rose. United Church I haven‘t much of a punch any more. but if anyone sug- [Damn "t"'rr"'""f On a recent evening. I watched on television two elderly gentlemen being interviewed. In both cases. the result was an excellent testimony to the human spirit. And in both cases, the old-timers echoed something rve believed for years - that Canada is the greatest country in the world in which to live. First of these indomitable elders was Conn Smythe. wide- ly known for years in this country as the irascible. out- spoken manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. when that hockey team was a by-word in Canada. He detests whiner and layabouts. as most of us do, but he doesn't mind saying so in public. He doesn't like a lot of the things that are going on in this country. and makes ho bones about it. , Smithe is 81. and he hasn't lost much of the tough, blunt attitude that made him respected by many. hated by some. and almost revered by others. A _ _ _ " But when he was asked whether he thought Canada as such, would endure, he just laughed. and said, in effect. that of course it would. It was too great a country. and we had too many fine people Ialthough there are a lot of "skunksO for it to disintegrate or disappear. What a refreshing change from the purveyors of woe who fill so many collimns of our newspapers and maga- zines. and so much air time. snivelling about Canada's loss/of identity. or search for it. or attempt to retain it, or something. These are the same snivellers who have been with us since Confederation. warning us that the big bogey to the south is taking us over. and that we'll wind up as a banana re- public. or a' satellite of the US. . . . Theée carpers wouldn't know the Canadian identity if sneaked up and bit them on the backside. They'd think was an American yellow-jacket, or, at least a C [A plot. One of the moit persistent critics of Canadian manners and mores is yours truly. but I sure doit go around worry- ing about. or losing any sleep over: Pt Canadian identity. Are we an ungrateful people? The drought in Europe threatens to destroy the crops. Dairy farmers in France are shooting their cattle be- cause there is no water and the hay does not grow. The record-breaking heat spell may be the greatest disaster to strike Europe since the see- ond World War. At the same time we hear that the Canadian wheat crop this year will set new records. Our problems in agriculture seem to reflect an excess of capacity and surpluses which result in deflated prices for the farmers. We have many problems in this country, many Great Canada , llill Smiley it it gested fwas a Yank, or a Lirney. or an Australian. I would be inclined to give him a punch on the nose. And I think most Canadians feel that way, whether their background is Anglo-Saxon. or Japanese. or Ukrainian or whatever. We're not less boisterous Americans. or less obnoxiOus Englishmen. or less excitable Italians. or less phiegmatic Germans. We're Canadians, warts and all. There's nothing I'd ratherbe, and there's no country in which I'd rather live. And if that sounds like chauvinism. so be it. We have our faults. and we bicker like hell among our- selves. and we may be a mongrel race. but ask 99 per cent of us if we'd like to be something else and live somewhere else. and you‘d get a resounding "N0! .. Second old-timer I mentioned was "Jackrabbit Johnson." So named because at nearly 100 years old. he was still cross-country skiing. living alone. proud and independent. He's a Norwegian who came to this country as a youth, and loves it deeply. He was asked what were the most important things in life. At 100. you aren't too much worried about what people will think of your opinions. His answer was. more or less, clean air. clean water, nature. feeling good by keeping fit. Nothing deeply original. But he added that Canada was the most wonderful country in the world. That our young people, on the whole. don't know it. That the big cities - Montreal. Toronto. Vancouver - wereytot Canada. "TGiiiiiifGra; Qith him more. Our cities are carbon copies of other big cities, or of each other. Don't expect to find the Canadian identity in them. --- - Don't huddle in a highrise. fight traffic, fence yourself in with television and concrete, and expect to get the feet of this country. If you do, and aside from the language. you might as well be living in, Tokyo or Frankfurt or Glasgow. "'53 CiiGtUGi él‘éaui airfand that clean water. Breathe Canada in mot. please, while. yqu art under water). My kids could hardly wait to get away from the mull townand off tothecity. Nowthebhoeteringsmt1yoetcette- fore it is snatched up as they hope for an invitation to come "up north." away from the city. _ _ .._ .. n A a.-‘ __I_.:‘_ -- AI... "vi/{ERR E131; his} in: ind met Stop relying on the plastic life. and get back to native. . of which will require our collective wisdom, tolerance and sacrifice to solve. Perhaps the first step would be to express our thanks and appreciation for our good fortune and for the good life Canadians enjoy. "Dear Canada: Please accept this belated Birthday greeting and wishes tot your continued good health and good fortune. 99 Mr. Habson is vice-pmsidont of the Waterloo- Cambridge Progressive Conservative Riding As- sociation, Bymdmrd [loba- '4?!