4 - Wednesday, March 28, 1990 - North Shore News THE ONLY jurisdiction in Canada to have taken any ac- tion at all to slow the rate of global warming is the Province of Ontario, whose energy ministry has issued a discussion paper. And that's it: a discussion paper. One discussion paper! In the meantime, Nova Scotia is planning to build more coal-fired power stations and the federal government is continuing to pour money into pet- roleum-development programs like the tar sands in Alberta and the Hibernia offshore oil fietd. To make matters even worse, Petro-Canada has kicked in money to help build a road through the Chilean jungle to a drilling site, which has resulted in an influx of peasants into the area who are burning down the rainforests to make quick bucks by raising cattle for the American fast-food in- dustry for a couple of years before the soil is ruined. Against the miserable background of Canadian inaction, a coalition of 40 environmental groups has issued a 10-point plan to halt global warming. Press conferences were held si- multaneously across the country. I attended one. And afterwards ! monitored the kind of coverage it generated. My conclusion is: no wonder governments aren’t taking any decisive action. The media are so cynical, so jaded, and so ill-in- formed on the whole issue that there’s no heat on the politicians. Reporters can be incredibly ir- ritating, asking convoluted ques- tions which really amount to: ‘convince me! I’m the god you have to pitch before the message will go through to the masses, or anybody else, for that matter.’ The arrogance level is phenomenal. One reporter at the press con- ference I attended wasted everybody’s time arguing that Ca- nadians have good excuses for be- ing the worst energy pigs on the planet. To try to write Canada’s energy wastage off as being the result of cold temperatures misses the point entirely that other countries at the same latitudes use only haif as much energy as we do. We are simply accustomed to wastage — and our uiilities are so used to being subsidized that they couldn’t care less about the market forces which would otherwise tend to make us correct our wasteful habits. In this particular case, the evi- dence is already in, boys and girls. The rise of global temperature over the last century is thoroughly documented. It has risen precisely .05°C, and is now higher than at any time in history. The rate of temperature increase has been precisely calculated as JaVCGRMGTe NORTH VAN F-A-S-T COLLISION REPAIRS CALL THE PROFESSIONALS AT JAYCORMOTIVE 1959 LTD. FREE RENTAL COURTESY CARS B.C.A.A. APPROVED — A.R.A. CERTIFIED 1.C.B.C. VENDOR FOR ALL MAKES QUALITY WORKMANSHIP TRUSTWOR 174 PEMBERTON AVE. consurtarion OR APPOINTMENTS well. Every five years that passes without action to curb the emis- sions that cause the warming means a 10 per cent increase in global temperature. Yet Environment Canada — the fiefdom of the disastrous and inef- fectual Lucien Bouchard — dares to say that its computer models do not confirm a global warming trend. TL asked Phil Jessup of Friends of the Earth why this was the case, and he explained that the tiny minds at the federal environment department didn't get around to starting their research until just a couple of months ago, and so the fact is they simply do not know what is going on. They admit that Canada’s forests have been burning ata greater level of intensity every year, and that, indeed, the average temperatures across Canada have tisen in the last decade. But since they haven’t finished tinkering with their computers, they refuse to commit themselves to any particular course of action, being perfectly aware that they could all too easily embarrass their do-nothing separatist French- Canadian minister, whose real concerns are the narrow nationalist ones of Quebec. To me, it was close to nauseating to see Bouchard on the same platform as Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway at the opening of the Globe °90 trade fare. Brundtland chaired the U.N.-sponsored World Commis- sion on Environment and Devel- opment, whose !987 report, Our Common Future, clearly spelled out the dangers of continued inac- tion on the ecological front. Brundtland told the Vancouver gathering: ‘‘There will be no sanc- tuary on this planet where our children can get away from the consequences (of continued pollu- tion and waste), unless we act.’ And there was Bouchard, talk- ing abcut Mickey Mouse steps like issuing an ‘‘Eco-logo’’ to com- panies that do good stuff, The 10-point plan put forward by environmental groups trying desperately to fill the leadership vacuum calls for upgrading fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, upgrading the national building code, looking at a na- tional carbon tax, passing a na- tional energy efficiency act, reforming electricity policies, promoting industrial energy effi- ciency and establishing public transportation policies. All of it is perfectly reasonable, perfectly possible. 985-7455 Seniors’ housing crisis discussed A “TRAVELLING roadshow’’ on North Shore senior citizens’ hous- ing makes its third stop in as many months today at the Mount Seymour United Church, 1200 Parkgate Ave. in North Vancouver District. By BOB MACKIN Jr. Contributing Writer But the atmosphere will be less than festive, as affordable seniors’ housing on the North Shore is so scarce that some North Shore seniors are having to move to the Fraser Valley or Vancouver Island, according to Mary Segal, coor- dinator of the North Shore Seniors Health Planning Project. Segal said one viable alternative QW? for seniors is to live with relatives, most commonly their adult children. But most seniors, she said, dislike that option because they want to be independent. The demand for seniors’ housing far outweighs supply, particularly in West Vancouver, Segal said. **In North Vancouver, there has been no new low-cost housing for seniors in the last 15 years. There has been one new development, but that was the luxury Hollyburn House, which costs as much as $3,000 a month.”’ The previous two all-day workshops, Jan. 31 in West Van- couver and Feb. 28 North Van- couver City, featured social plan- ners from the two municipalities as well as Dr. Jim Wilson, chairman of the United Way Housing BY POPULAR DEMAND — THE BEST GETS EVEN BETTER — ® By expanding our cardio-fit area ¢ By adding Liferowers, Lifesteps, and more specialized equipment ° By adding more aerobic classes ® Aerobic classes from 6:30 am - 8 pm e Racquetball and Squash © Computerized Lifecycles * Programs, fitness testing, ongoing evaluations and nutritional counselling e Saunas, steamroom and whirlpool e Suntanning centre Committee and 4 panel of seniors housing advocates. While Segal said several in- novative solutions to the housing crunch were discussed at the meetings, she said she is more in- terested in long-term solutions, such as the proposed redevelop- ment of the St. John’s Anglican Church hall in North Vancouver City for seniors’ housing. Segal hopes the workshop series will stimulate local interest in the issue, particularly from area seniors. For more information about the Affordable Seniors’ Housing for North Vancouver District con- ference call the North Shore Seniors’ Health Planning Project at 985-3852.