OPINION
Your Community Newspaper
EDITORIAL
We all need to be aware of drought dangers
A
s the region bakes in the midst of a particularly intense heat wave, we all need to be wary of the dangers posed by successive days of hot, dry weather. So far this year we’ve experienced more than two weeks worth of days where the mercury has risen above 30 C. We’ve seen fewer than 20 millimetres of rain in the past month. The Mississippi Valley and Rideau River Conservation Authorities
have issued a Level II low water conditions warning and Renfrew County has activated a water response team. And there have been brush fires breaking out due to the tinder-dry conditions. All of these factors mean residents need to be aware of the consequences of this ongoing heat wave. These things may seem obvious to some, but we’re currently experiencing conditions uncommon to this area, making it worthwhile to consider the
risks we’re currently facing. It’s often mentioned when heat or humidex warnings are issued that we should be mindful of the young, elderly and the infirm. They can’t handle extreme heat conditions like the rest of us, so be a good neighbour and family member and be sure your children, parents and grandparents, friends and neighbours are OK when the mercury spikes. Remember pets get hot too – make sure Rover has plenty of fresh
water and don’t leave him in the car on a hot day. That’s the easy part. When it comes to drought it’s a different story. We’re not really used to such an acute lack of rainfall. When things dry out, they become more likely to catch fire. A carelessly discarded cigarette butt on a parched lawn could cause a fire that quickly spreads to a home, as happened in Ottawa last week. Or in the country it could cause a forest fire with the
potential of wiping out several homes. Dry conditions aren’t just a fire danger. Low water levels in area rivers and the water table pose a threat to both the quantity and quality of the water we use. While it appears there is plenty of water flowing by in the Ottawa and Madawaska rivers, the drought dropping levels, affecting everything from recreation and fish habitat to power generation. The dry spell is also af-
fecting well levels, especially those with shallow wells. So think of your neighbours when considering whether to wash your car, drench your lawn or power wash your house in these arid conditions. As responsible citizens we need to stop and think every time we go to turn on a tap or flush a toilet. The challenges faced in a drought are just as daunting as those in an ice storm. Both are extreme weather occurrences posing threats to life and limb, requiring us all to be vigilant and look out for one another.
LETTERS
Let the kids skateboard on sidewalks To the Editor: I read the article regarding skateboards and such being banned in Arnprior (Chronicle Guide EMC, July 5). Being banned from the said “downtown core� is an issue in itself, never mind the entire town. Skateboards, rollerblades, coasters, bicycles, toy vehicles, etc. are a form of transportation, which does not pollute the air, gives physical exercise and gets a lot of our young people out of the house and into the outdoors. What about the person who gets their groceries, etc. on their bike (because that is their only means of transportation)? Do they need to park outside of the downtown core and carry their purchases through town before they get back to their bike before heading home? What about the grandmother going for a bike ride with her grandkids in the evening and can’t stop in at Shoppers, Klics or the Ice Shack to get a drink or ice cream anymore for fear of bylaw giving her a $65 fine. What about the kids that use a skateboard or rollerblades as their transportation to school? Do they need to leave 10 minutes earlier because they have to take a new route around the centre core to get to school? What about the three-year-old on a tricycle? Or Dad taking the little ones for a ride in the wagon? Are these banned as well? This town is for all of us, young, old and inbetween. It is the youth that will be making the town in the future. We need to give them respect in order for them to learn respect.
Street hockey has been taken away from many of them now. This is a disgrace as hockey is a part of Canadian Heritage. All my kids grew up playing street hockey and spent many hours outdoors. Rollerblading and skateboarding was a big part of their outdoor activities. Didn’t the Ontario Government spend big dollars on promoting ‘Participaction’ and now here in Arnprior it is being sabotaged. I was happy when I heard that the skateboard park was being improved. We need more things for the youth to do in this town. If the persons using the new skateboard park have to walk from one end of town to the other to get there, than I afraid that the park will not be used to its potential. Let them skateboard to the park regardless of where they live. Coun. Lyle Anderson stated that: “It’s a public safety issue.� Then none of us should be even walking on the sidewalks, as anyone could trip and fall. There are a lot more people using the sidewalks than skateboarding or rollerblading. We voted into council people that we thought would represent our thoughts and wishes. There are more important things around town that need to be looked after (like garbage on the streets and parking lots, vacant lots, etc.) rather than taking away from our youth once again. In my opinion the bylaw 5140-03 needs to be totally removed and the bylaw officer may need to review the bylaws.
people in these countries become precarious labourers on land they once owned, or they must leave the land and hope to find work elsewhere. In Canada, land-grabbing is facilitated by agriculture policies that lead to farmers becoming burdened with unsustainable debt loads. This is due in large part to Canada’s singleminded focus on expanding trade through increased exports instead of ensuring Canada has a sustainable and equitable food policy that allows us to be able to feed ourselves, and for our farmers to make a living. A key struggle for today’s farmers is to stay on the land and make it possible for the next generation of farmers to take their place. Dave Mackay, President Renfrew County National Farmers Union
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Poll Results
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION Are you excited about the Summer Olympics starting July 27?
What do you think of the current dry spell?
Dot van Leur Arnprior
Land-grabbing endangers family farm To the editor: The National Farmers Union, as a member of La Via Compesina, joined other farm organizations around the world to mark April 17 as the International Day of Peasant’s Struggle. This year the NFU and other like-minded organizations drew the world’s attention to the issue of land-grabbing where wealthy corporations and foreign countries purchase large tracts of farmland, taking control of the land out of the hands of local farmers, usually evicting the farmers and their communities. Such land is then used to grow crops for biofuels, to grow food for the exclusive use of the investor country’s population, to hold for speculative purposes or as a revenue stream for absentee investors. Farmers who once raised food for their own
Web Poll
Published weekly by:
Distribution Supervisor #HRIS 0AVELEY ADMINISTRATION: #RYSTAL &OSTER ADVERTISING SALES: 3ALES -ANAGER #ARLY -C'HIE CMCGHIE PERFPRINT CA
A) The dry spell will continue this summer. 43% Brace for water shortages and one of worst local crop seasons in a decade.
B)
This is just a hiccup in the regular weather cycle. Sun-lovers and cottagegoers, enjoy it while you can. Rain’s just around the corner.
on the hard fairways and great putting on greens kept up to par.
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8 Arnprior Chronicle-Guide EMC - Thursday, July 19, 2012
30%
No, I’d rather be spending time outside enjoying the summer weather, heat and all, doing my own exercising.
C) Yes, I won’t be able to watch all the events I’d
We’re going to see a lot more summers like this in the coming years. Climate change, for the worse, will be a continuing reality.
D) It’s good for our golf games. Long drives
for the full two-plus weeks.
B)
27%
C)
A) Yes, I’m going to be glued to the television set
0%
like to as the time difference makes it too inconvenient for someone who works, but I’ll be cheering on our athletes.
D) No, the Olympics was once a worthwhile endeavour that brought countries together in healthy competition, but it’s been ruined by politics, security concerns, poor sportsmanship, bribery and performance-enhancing-drug scandals.
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