4 - Sunday, September 4, 1988 - North Shore News IT’S A strange feeling, throwing a switch and realizing you are tapping into a nuclear reactor. But here in Toronto, that’s ex- actly what happens. During the winter, the main energy-drain was the furnace throbbing day and night. During the hottest summer on record, it was the air conditioner going 24 hours a day. And the toaster going on and off, And the oven, the fridge, the TV, the dishwasher, the clothes washer, the dryer, the coffee- maker, the radio, the lights, the three waterbed-heaters. And the word processor and printer and coffeecup-warmer and shaver and front door bell. And the iron and the vacuum cleaner and the answering machine and the electric lawn mower and the electronic guard system. And what about the cable and telephone? I feel guilty, of course. Asham- ed. Every time | turn around it seems I am taking another energy-slurp from the nuclear teat. There are 20 nuclear reactors either already operating or under construction in Ontario. It makes me nervous, It is a bit, I suppose, like living in an earth- quake zone. You are just slightly on edge all the time. Every time I hear about an in- coming out-of-control Russian rocket or satellite, | automatically think: ‘Gee, supposing that hits the Pickering reactor?”’ Goodbye Hunter family gonads! I admit to nuke-phobia. | do not like the fact that I am temporarily being kept alive by an enormously complicated power grid that can generate 28,000 megawatts of elec- tricity at peak periods, but which depends for that on nukes. And still it’s not enough, accor- ding to Ontario Hydro. CR PaNSEr: pura f only remember one brown-out all summer, and that was during an all-too-brief electrical storm. Nevertheless, here was Hydro assuring me that things would ‘‘get back to norma!’’ once the corpora- tion’s estimates for new construc- The letter was a blatant political move by Hydro, trying to generate pressure instead of just power. Talk about dirty pool! Right now, you see, Ontario Hydro is facing a provincial inqui- ry into whether the Crown cor- poration has underestimated the costs of providing nuclear power. You can bet your sweet bottom they did! Nuclear power would be bad enough under any circumstances, but when the reactors are run by a Crown corporation, an organiza- tional monster famed for bending reality tu suit its own internal agenda, this isn’t paranoia: you have a serious problem. Repeated studies of Crown cor- N: uclear power would be bad enough under any circumstances, but when the reactors are run by a Crown corporation, an organizational monster famed for bending reality to suit its own internal agenda, this isn’t paranoia: you have a serious problem.’’ A letter came from the giant utility the other day, apologizing for the brown-outs which had been happening ‘‘too often."” That’s amazing, I thought. I do my writing at home so I am fre- quently down in the basement at my word processor during (he day. porations show that they inevitably come to put the interests of the staff, management included, ahead of the welfare or goals of anyone else, i.e. the public, including any would-be political masters. Crown corporations are bigger by far than all but the biggest po- litical parties. And in many LIONS GATE RACQUETS CLUB IS The Lions Gate Racquets Club oF has established a Junior Tennis Academy. The Winter ’88 program will commence September 15, 1988. A limited number of Junior Tennis Academy memberships are available. au te Sues KA, roy eg iS ~s ge am’ LOCATION i 6 respects, they exercise far more clout. lt doesn’t matter what kind of widget or service they're dealing with, Crown corporations will start an empire-building process in mo- tion every time. In nuclear power, you have a widget and a service, the perfect Crewn combination plate. if we needed any proof that Crown corporations are quasi- independent fiefdoms responsible only unto themselves, the recent revelations that Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. had hired private in- vestigators to spy on environmen- tal groups settles the matter. This isn’t a publicly-owned utili- ty looking out for the best interests of the citizenry. This is a gang of corporate pirates trying to get some dirt on their enemies, using Nixonian tactics, While Ontario Hydro and AECL have their separate cor- porate identities, they are both beneficiaries of advertisements published by the Canadian Nuclear Association aimed at promoting public confidence in the nuclear industry. The ad says: ‘‘The core issue is trust.”” Indeed. But how can you trust an outfit that uses taxpayers’ money to unleash snoops on legit- imate private organizations? How can you trust an outfit that tries to con you into believing there is some kind of power shortage, when there isn’t? There was only one day in the entire summer when the public at large had to be asked by Hydro not to use ‘‘non-essential’' elec- trical appliances, like toasters. It wasn't suggested for a moment, however, that anybody turn their air conditioner off. Some emergency! A zillion air conditioners left huffing away. Ours included, of course. So our sin is writ large. Merely by living in a Toronto suburb, we became part of the problem. I, nuker! @ 3 racquetball courts 3 international squash courts Free weights and exercise equipment Tanning room Masseuse (by appointment) Saunas Licensed lounge — open 7 days a week Convenient parking Lessons and programs ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS Single adult Adult couple (including school age children) Junior member - Tennis Academy Pay as you play — squash and racquetball — per hour Pay as you play — tennis per hour Access to the Lions Gate Racquets Ctup i quick and easy because ot ls central locaton Westound an the Upper Lérveis ust tum ngnt onty Lioyd Avenue East bound. continue past Llovd and tutn ett at the fightinto Westview Shoppmng Centte Turn back onto the Upper Levels westbound. hen turn nt altloya Thare 1s membersiig parking for 72cars LIONS GATE Pelice to step up speed enforcement BOTH NORTH SHORE police departments are stepping up speed zone eufurcement in school and playground areas when school is back in session this week, and children will once again be riding bicycles or walking to school. Police are asking drivers to use increased caution when ap- proaching school zones. The first week of school will also be the first trip to school for many children, and they may be unfamil- iar with the area. Parents are asked to go over pe- destrian safety rules with their children and make sure the route they take to school is the safest possible. PROTECT YOUR DON’T SMOKE EXPECT EXCELLENCE " a SSA EELS MARYLIN TOWARD | offer experience, en- thusiasm, and ability proven by aconsistently successful sales record. i (Suss Bus: 925-2911 Sussex Res: 926-5890 uss6x Group-S.R.C.Realty Corporatio INTRODUCING WINTER '88 JUNIOR TENNIS ACADEMY Commencing mid- September 1988 Call the Club for further particulars ACILTTIES AND SERVICES tennis courts (4 indoors (available on a limited basis) $600.00 $900.00 $300.00 $ 10.00 $ 2700 RACQUETS CLUB 1185 West 26th Street North Vancouver, B.C. Telephone: 980-5734 nA Boulevard Sports Corp.