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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, Mar.-1, 1978 Editorial Comment fp SPA Carrs En A a re A Se rp A in aman RR Ge SEREER a " CR SR a oo AS ee -- SA Sn a AAS olan rn ~ a Re LT ro aa Es Shes oS by John B. McClelland SPRING MADNESS Here it is the month of March (finally) and a kind of madness is just about due to sweep across this frozen, ice-bound land known as Canada. While the snowdrifts still tower high above the concession roads, and Lake Scugog remains thick with winter ice, the days are beginning to lengthen slightly, and there is a tiny bit of warmth in the noon-day sun that seems to be getting a little stronger and brighter every day. And this year along with the usual silly antics that Canadians take part in to herald the demise of another long winter, we are going to witness a different kind of madness, one that comes along only once every four or five years. There is no doubt about it. As sure as flowers bloom in May, we are in for a federal election, and the odds-on-betting by people who supposedly know about these things, puts it some time early summer, maybe the first week in June, maybe earlier than that. And while the date has yet to be annouriced, the leaders of. our parties leave little doubt that for all intents and purposes the campaign has started already. The Liberals over the last weekend held a big shin-dig in Ottawa. They called it a national policy convention, but this year it was little more than a cheer-leading rally designed to do two things: whip the party faithful into action and fine-tune the organiz- ations at the grass-roots level, and at the same time sgt the fighting mood by displaying Prime Minister Trudeau at his belligerent best. The Liberal convention, complete with an uncon- ventional hands-on-the-hips speech by the PM cap- tured national attention. And the Tories, who also sense that something is blowing in the spring winds are, seeking to steal a little bit of the thunder. Joe Clark is on a fast tour of the friendly western provinces, stumping and main-streeting through the small prairie towns where conservatism is a way of life = But the main battle is yet to come. With the Liberals solid in Quebec and the Tories the same way west of the Manitoba border, the 1978 federal electionis "going to be won and lost in Ontario, the heavily populated and politically fickle heartland of this Both parties are seeking to attract some 'big guns" to run in key ridings in Ontario, and once the battle lines have been established and the warriors chosen to carry the banners, watch for all three leaders to start wading into Ontario voters with fast-moving and hard-hitting campaign whirls. And what will be the outcome of this spring madness once the last ballot has been counted some warm night this June? My guess is the Liberals with a slim majority. The Tories can't win in Quebec. the Grits can't win out west, and the people of Ontario (some of them anyway) know that Pierre Trudeau is; wo Pn I TH still the only real counter-balance to Rene Levesque and his threat of Quebec separation. ee THE WRECKERS If you have been in the Star office lately, you've probably noticed that a few small changes are taking place. No, I should correct that and say that the changes are rather substantial. In fact those who remember what the old office looked like will be in for quite a shock when they walk through the door. For the past couple of weeks we have literally been under the wrecker's hammer, and as walls and 'partitions come crashing down around us, the task of turning out a newspaper every week has become a little arduous, to say the least. The editorial offices, for example, have been moved completely upstairs. Which is fine, except for the fact that as I write this, there are no stairs. They went out this morning, as did part of the ceiling and there is now a gaping hole where the new staircase is supposed to go. Getting to and from the office has been a bit of a chore, expecially for someone who isn't all that fussy about aluminum ladders, even in the best of times. Anyway, amid the noise and the confusion, the dust and the debris, the screech of a power saw, the clatter of falling two-by-fours, and the hammering of nails, life for all of us here at the newspaper must go on. But if you should happen to spot a few commas out of place, if the syntax in some of the articles seems a little more twisted than usual, and if there is the odd spelling mistake, don't blame us. Blame the wreckers. Nick Rensink, his son, Jan, and Harry Piersma are the three guys doing the job on us, and when it comes to tearing things down and' putting things back together again, these three won't take a back seat to anybody. When they get going, the nails and the sawdust fly. Bam, bam, bam. Turn around and a wall is gone. Bang, hammer, bang, clatter. Turn around a couple of minutes later and half the ceiling is missing. I have this secret fear I'll go out for lunch one day and come back an hour later and find a parking lot - where the whole office once was. And Nick, with that --- soft voice of his will say with a re-assuring smile, "It's OK, John. It's OK. We just moved the building down the street for a few minutes. But we'll have ev back in place by supper time." In all seriousness I must say that the changes that have taken place already and those that are currently: underway will make for a much more efficient produc- tion of your weekly newspaper. But until then, please bear with us. And if you happen to be walking by the office and see a sign on the door which says "temporarily closed for alterations", enter at your peril. The two-by-fours are flying around here, and. we may soon have to ide hard-hats PET 5 fen) HA P33 b aK Ae) ie ° At any price? Last week Durham Region called a press confer. ence to announce that it is actively seeking to locate a treatment and disposal facility for 'liquid Industrial waste in the Town of Ajax, within Durham. . The fact that the reglonal municipality Is trying® hard to set up such a facility Is a reflection of the currenteconomic hard times, and also reflects a trend that could be potentially dangerous. It was not too many years ago that municipal governments were fighting tooth and nail NOT to have such a facility located within their boundaries. An announcement that local politicians were actively working to set one up would have raised a public outcry about the threat of pollution and damage to thes environment. Any local politician with hopes of re-election would have avoided such an.issue like the . plague. Today, however, concern for the environment as a number one priority has been replaced by concerns over unemployment, and the number of votes a politician gets at election time is In most cases in direct proportion to the number of industries and [obs that he can attract and create. - The hope for the treatment facility in Ajax is that it in itself will create some employment, and also attract industries which produce industrial waste that must be treated before it can be safely disposed. In recent months there have been some rumblings from the industrial sector that environmental pol- lution controls are too strict and too costly, and that possibly for the sake of industrial expansion (read more jobs and bigger profits) some of these restrict- ions should be relaxed somewhat. There is an obvious danger in such sentiments, and politicians at all levels of government should bea taking the utmost care not to fall info the trap. Considerable advances were made in the late 1960's to clean up industrial pollution and to prevent the natural environment from sufferiig further damage. It would be a pity if we started to move backwards. The Ajax proposal is probably a good one, and if it comes abount no doubt will bring some employment to Durham Region. But that should not exclude it from very close scrutiny on the part of the general public, who, after all should have the final say about whether it is desirable and environmentally safe. The creation of new employment opportunities is one thing that almost everyone would recognize as necessary during these tough economic times. But not at any price, and most certainly not at the expense of an environment already damaged in-some areas beyond repair. The national debt The numbers are mind-numbing; almost beyond comprehension. Canada is $70 BILLION in hock and figures released last week in Ottawa show that thie year it will take $6.5 BILLION in interest charges alone just to service the debt. That, according to one account, means an average of $650. in income tax from every Canadian with a job. Itis an alarming state of affairs for a country to be so far in debt, and coupled with the news that the federal government will increase its spending this year by a further 9.8 per cent, Is a pretty good indicator of the sorry mess the entire Canadian economy is in. ~All governments, federal, provincial and munici® pal, must borrow from time to time, as must most businesses and private individuals. It is a completely acceptable method of raising capital, but only if there is a reasonable expectation that the money borrowed will generate sufficient money to re-pay the original loan and cost of borrowing. Unfortunately this obviously has not been the case with the federal government. It can re-pay the debt in two ways: taxes, or by borrowing. more money. It Is obvious what would happen to an Individual or private 4 b> SOV pany that chose the latter route to re-pay their ebts. In the case of the government debt, it all comes down to a very simple fact of life. The government is consuming more than it can produce, or has the power to produce. What will happen to the national economy if the debts continue to spiral? Is the falling Canadian dollar the tip of the ice-berg with complete economic chaos lying just below the surface? Is it any wonder there is so little confidence on the part of Canadian and foreign investors in our economic future? That national debt is a national disgrace, and Canada may be on its way to becoming an international basket case. How much longer beforg the bubble bursts? A SERRA RR A)