The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Rl a SEE 2; NN i SAREE ER "(utp you co Uke THIS ? |p LIKE TO SHow Er AT HOME -- JILEGAL BREAK-INS KNOW NO BOUNDARIES I" ~ChatterBox by John McClelland A couple of weeks ago, I took the opportunity to visit the C.N. Tower, that massive structure of concrete rising out of the Toronto Harbour area and which is now enjoying a billing as one of the nth wonders of the world. Now I don't usually make a habit of standing in line with a lot of tourists in Bermuda shorts, but I must confess to a secret fascination with the Tower. So, get in line I did, and waited, and waited. When the waiting was finally over and the elevator rushed us up the outside of the tower, I must say I found the experience...ah...uplifting. The view of the city and Lake Ontario is truly spectacular, and as 'a tourist attraction there is nothing tacky about the place: «But after spending nearly an hour walking around the observation deck I started to get an uneasy feeling. A couple of things started to bother me. TOO HIGH First of all, the C.N. Tower is simply too damn high. Looking down from the top, there was no sensation of height. It was almost like being in an airplane making a final approach to land. There just wasn't that peculiar feeling that height brings; that weak-kneed, white knuckle feeling I've enjoyed at the top of much smaller structures such as the Peace Tower in Ottawa. In short, I didn't feel any danger at the top of the C.N. Tower. And for me that's part of Je reason for taking these trips to the top of this or t. AN ALTER The second cause for concern didn't really- hit home until I was almost ready to make the elevator trip back to the ground. Disappointed as I mentioned at the lack of height sensation I started to marvel at the capability of man's skill in building such a thing as the C.N. Tower. For putting aside any asthetic arguments one might have about its appearance from a distance, there is no denying that it is a technologi- cal marvel, an alter in front of which man the builder can bow and give thanks. And that is the problem; the sheer technology and engineering overwhelms the individual. Any kind of perspective from the level of the human being is impossible. If man can build a concrete tower nearly 2000 feet high, he can build one two miles, or even five miles in the air. 4 that it's too much, too fast forthe individual to properly come to terms with. Are there no limitations to what man can do with a slide rule. pocket cal- . culator and a few buckets of concrete? Is man indeed confined only by the limits of his own imagination? Where will technological man take us in 50 years, in 20 years, next month, or tomorrow? Technology is moving faster than capability to understand it. By the time historians, philosophers and thinkers in general have a chance to put the proper human perspective to a technological advance, it is obsolete, replaced with something bigger, better and faster. The common wheel, an immense technological advance was, after all, invented thousands of years ago. And yet driving home in the weekend traffic after my visit to the C.N. Tower it*was painfully obvious that man is still struggling to cope with the invention of the wheel. I hope it doesn't take him that long to come to proper terms with the C.N. Tower. HOLIDAY WEEKENDS _ What is about summer holiday weekends, espec- ially July 1, that seems to bring out the very worst in people? At Mosport Park, police are afraid to patrol the interior of the track because as one OPP spokesman is quoted as saying, "if we went in, we'd never come out'. . Conditions in provincial campsites have deterior- ated to such an extent that some are calling for a ban on all liquor and beer in these parks. Rowdyism, vandalism, obscene language and brawling are com- mon-place in the very areas the province has set aside where people can get a little relaxation once in a while, Families are refusing to take their young children into some of these parks out of fear for their safety. - In an indirect way I saw part of this rotten behavior twice during the past long weekend. On Friday morning I got caught in the outward-bound traffic near Peterborough as cars-and drivers snarled and honked 'their way north. It was vicious, not to mention dangerous. Coming back the same route Sunday night I was prepared for the heavy traffic, but I expected the drivers to be relaxed and easy-going "after their long weekend by the lake. Not a chance. fury exhibited" Friday night. oe - ~ tt SAR: i RE a SRE SEN More Access To Information The letter to the editor this week from the president of the Scugog Ratepayers 'Association raises some timely issues that need to be examined. Mr, Kingstone rightly points out that the use of the Order-in-Council has greatly increased, and that the process, while possibly valid in times of national emergency, essentially undermines the power of parliament to make decisions through its elected representatives. While the order-in-council is a valid case in point; it is part of a larger problem: the right of the public to documents and information at all levels of government. : N The Canadian laws governing the public's right to information are at best archaic. No justification 'on the part of the government is necessary for a decision to keep a document secret. The United States, on the other hand, has had legislation since 1974 requiring that the government justiy. a decision to keep something from the public. Sweden allows Its citizens even further rights, to the point where government mail and correspondence can be read by its citizens. The problem is further complicated by a civil service which in recent years has expanded at all levels of government and in the process has tended to become more entrenched. Arbitrary decision on what to make public ahd what to keep secret are often made not by representatives elected by the public, but by officials hired to work for the public. While the civil servant must have some protect- ion in working out policy details prior to the enactment of legislation public access to the civil service bureaucracy should be made easier. It is not only within governments that secrecy can be a serious problem. Local school and hospital boards conduct much of their business behind closed doors. Granted, the final decisions are made public, but often the process and reasons for reaching these decisions -are as important as the end product. Education and health care are two of the most important aspects of our individual lives which we have entrusted to the government for administration. And a large percentage of the individual's tax dollar goes into this administration. The workings of these administrations, should, within reason, be entirely open to public scrutiny. And this is especially so of money matters, including the collective bargaining process. ' The recent appointments to the Durham Region Health Council may be a further example. This body was set up by an order-in-council of the Ontario government. The members are nominated and the appointments - approved by the provincial cabinet. But what powers will it have? Who will it be really responsible to, the provincial cabinet? Will the business of this appointed body be conducted entirely in public view, and will the public have recourse to any recommendations the council makes? There are limitations of course as to the extent of what should be made public, such as matters of national defense and security. But the confidentiality of all other matters, large and small, that affect the lives of individuals, should at very least require specific justification. Too long! On Monday, June 27, Scugog Township Council sat down at 7:30 p.m. for its regular twice monthly meeting. The agenda was heavy with business items and several delegations were scheduled to be heard. More than five and one-half hours later council adjourned, with members bleary-eyed and a good portion of the regular business still unfinished. The last delegations to bé heard had waited nearly five hours. While obviously there were some special and extenuating circumstances involving some of the delegations, it was not a satisfactory way to conduct the business of the Township. It is not reasonable to expect councillors to give proper and thorough consideration to their business at 1:00 in the morning or even at midnight. Zz They were scrambling and clawing with the same I got the same kind of feeling a few years (260 ] when man first stepped on the moon. One can't help . but feel a sense of awe at the sheer achievement of it, but at the same time there is a nagging apprehension If the rted behavior in the campsites and the # observed Feponed on the highways re any worse, If such marathon sessions tend to become the long weekends will soon become something to dread i rule rather than the exception, council might be wise rather than look forward to. . 7 1 Consider holding its regular meeting on a weekly ' sis, ' Cl )