A6 - Wednesday, November 26, 1980 - North Shore News ter Las Vegas The horror of the “Towering. Inferno” film came tragically to life last week in Las Vegas with the loss of over 80 lives in the MGM “hotel blaze there. It was disturbing news for the many hundreds of North Shore residents who live in apartment and condominium highrises. Municipalities are empowered to inspect such buildings and insist upon routine fire prevention equipment and devices. But this alone is not enough, as Las Vegas proved. Even the Fire Department's 100 ft aerial ladder can reach only to the ninth or tenth floor of a highrise. In some cases the con- OTTAWA (SF) - Energy Minister Marc Lalonde is convinced that Canada can become _ self-sufficient in energy before 1990, but the route he is choosing might be very short-term in value. The Lalonde theory is that Canadians must conserve as much liquid fuel as possible, while simultaneously bran- ching out irto alcohols, propanes, and liquid fuels from coal to replace much of the gasoline and diesel fuel now burned. crete roof of the underground parking is reported to be too weak to support the weight of the aerial ladder truck. In others, its access is limited — by overhead power lines or other obstacles — to one side of the building. In yet others, the stairway door to the roof, which may offer the only chance of rescue for upper floor occupants, is kept permanently locked. A recent West Vancouver questionnaire to highrise managements regarding their plans for alerting and evacuating residents (especially the elderly and infirm) went unanswered by a large majority of recipients. After Las Vegas this is simply not good enough. Rescue access facilities at every highrise must be reviewed and upgraded, where necessary, at whatever cost. the escape route to the roof must be kept open at all times. Detailed alarm and evacuation drills must be worked out and constantly maintained. Municipalities must crack the whip on uncooperative managements BEFORE the flames start crackling. Laughter helps Canada today could do with more types like the UBC engineers. On Sunday night they performed, undetected, the incredible feat of hoisting and bolting a Volkswagen to the top of the 140-foot Ladner Clock Tower to protest the parking shortage on campus. Everywhere in the country today people are protesting grimly about this or that. Only the engineers, it seems, know how to mount a protest that brings a belly laugh — and gasps of admiration. THE VOSCR OF DOCHTTH AND WEST VANCOUVER sunday news north shore news NEWS 985-2131 1139 Lonsdale Ave North Var Ouver 4 ¢ VIM 2H4 (604) 985-2131 ADVERTISING 980-0511 Publisher CLASSIFIED 986-6222 Peter Open k CIRCULATION 986-1337 Associate Publisher Editor-in-Chiet Robert Graham Noel Wright! Advertising Director borne © capedwell Classified Manager & Office Administrator Berm Hilhard Production Reh Stonetenise Faye Mc Core Croative Director Tam Foca is Managing Editor Andy f taser News Editor Chas thoy Photography bE Msweoeths Cb bee Accounting Supervisor tHharbara Keon North Shore Newa foudedtius ty eee tap peng rete eC) peaetistiercd vcdere thre tometer Tae Act os paths er bE Wer dem bay tech nanedaay Natty Sstiore bree Bens ctit med pate eatesct fo en em y Moca ae thee Nott Sofie Syare cated vevtere MAlaer be Nae bie ny Oe) Hl pees eae booties ot Ar ahs Pere Preran ctl Ab raghrsn oe VAPOV Ed cate cat one Berg reser desert cpetae rane Se Deen Be gber HO Ra OEE Ba ag ge ag Ue potoata “sation a Coney Ser eel Perec me etgaty ated Qe tes aboot weve ‘ . Loe ssLevetigoercd sched erty sarc) get ree carbene VE FAIRE OC PROWL ATION 580,870 Were AB BID ne ta, SO , a Go gs aE 4 THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE weohay “The “aim of “Lalonde’s program is praiseworthy, but it is dangerous because it is considered a_ long-term solution, rather than a stop- gap measure. It could lead Canada down energy roads that will prove to be dead ends, leaving us far behind the pack of developed nations 20 years from now. In the paper on liquid fuel options, which Mr. Lalonde released in late October, there is one half page devoted to hydrogen, which concludes that mass fuel use of hydrogen is many decades away. Tell that to West Ger- Berlin. Tell many, where Daimler-Benz is building 30 hyrodgen buses for urban transport in that to the Ontario government, which is converting urban transit GO trains and GO buses for hydrogen use. The mistake that federal energy planners are making is their point of view on CANADIAN COMMENT BY PETER WARD rogen the key to the future hydrogen. It’s on every- body’s list in fourth, fifth, or sixth place as an alternate energy fuel, but hydrogen is | not an energy source; it is an energy currency. Lalonde’s paper claims that hydrogen is many times more expensive to produce than produce through electrolysis gasoline is to “But I'm not looking for a go-getter, Fred, I'm looking for an slready-gotter.” through refining. Not s0, according to leading Canadian scientists in the field. Hydrogen energy can be produced through electrolysis of water at roughly the energy. equivalent price of $1 per gallon for gasoline. That's a bargain, even in Canada where the price of oil is held to half its” international value: Hydrogen from the electrolysis | of water con- ry iIinto— hydrogen energy. which is portable and storable. In effect, it means the hydrogen is the world’s first truly effective battery. Canada can make portable hydrogen fuel from nuclear power electric generating Stations and enter an age where there are virtually no limits on the energy available. It can happen by the end of this century. Yes, we might need some of those other alternate energy forms to bridge the gap, but we should be putting most of our research efforts into hydrogen energy systems. People, not the media, decide The current uproar about the constitution and Western separatism is producing some widely neglected lessons about Canadian history and some strange viewpoints about the role of the news media in shaping it. This week we offer a couple of pertinent headings. The first comes from a recent issue of Beale's Letter, an international newsletter circulated to the resource industnes by Colin Beale of North Vancouver. “An initial glance at the pages of history,” says a forest industry contnbutor, “shows Canada was created out of Brntish military and colonial expediency It wasn ta deliberate intention to found a trans-continental, multi cultural nation covefing more of North Amenea than the Amenecan states “Britain didn't intend the independence Canada acquired so carly Amenca didn't cxpect the four provinces of 1867 to survive much less capand west to frustrate a lS) land link to Alaska “The Canada of 1980 ts a miracle from which one can conclude the BNA Act has served Canadians Blomously and uo ats fund mental peinciples arent shattered the nation wall achieve a destiny the miracle foretells TWO PRINCIPLES "A second glanee back in time shows the foundation of two incompatible cacial and religious Cultures has held together for Tit} years because the Constibution contains €Wwo mayor prin ciples } Like Britaan oan oun written bul of rights forced parhamentary Commitment lo oppose state over the cttizens and thus preserve individual freedom supremacy items under these two 2. The separation of powers between federal and provincial parliaments forced compromise that caused both levels of government to serve people more ef- fectively than if one or other enjoyed supremacy. “The constitution must be modernized to recognize we're a diverse continental nauon. the 1840 concept. which provided equal representation for ‘two founding nations’, can no longer be used to jusufy Quebec and Ontario having semionty — the mght to dictate both national destiny to the exclusion of the provinces that jyommed after 1840 and (to dictate) that a French English cultural identity must have primacy over the merging cultural amalgam of more than 40 ethoic nghts.. “The pohtical and cor porate coahtion centered in Quebec and Ontano, whose histor control over the federal government has been more secure than of established by law must be extinguished lts) second requires its demuse Ihe survival oof (Confederation demands it INSULT 1O PUBLIC I nd oof quote It offers good healthy sou in which to cullivate a genuinely new Canadian constitulion in func with the ttmes Un fortunately its also sonoin which the weeds of western Sc paratism are be ginning to sprout whach brings us to the second item Noel Wright According to Mr Trudeau and his henchmen westerm separatism is all the fault of the news media If they would only ignore it. away it would go This of course. is rank Bonsense which grossly insults the intelligence of the general public The task of the news media is to inform people as objectively as possible about significant happenings and developments so that people ean form ther own con clusions But as “promoters” of pohtical causes no matter how much ank those causes receive the news media (thank heaven!) consistently doa lousy yob There was no shortage of support AMong Varlous Quebeo media last spring for sOvercigaty association. but the May referendum brought afirm (no vote The majyonty of (Canada’s leading newspapers formally endorsed Joe Clark in the February 1980 election) Mr Clark was clobbered. The U.S. news media, while far from enthusiastic about President Jimmy Carter, unanimously declared that the race with Ronald Reagan was too close to call. Mr. Reagan swept to the presidency with a landshde. TRUDEAU MISTRUSTED Nor does the complete absence of news media coverage stop a movement on which the _ people themselves are determined. Media blackouts didn't halt this year’s revolt of the Polish workers. [hey didn't hold back the Hunganan and Czech rebellions of the fifties and sixttes They didn't weaken the vital con- tnbution of the European resistance movement (to victory in World War Two. What's happening today in western Canada 1s_ really much simpler than = one might think from the torrent vf news reports assathng the cyes and cars 16 hours a day The vast mayornty of western Canadians want (to remain part of a united Canada But they don't want to be run any longer by Quebec and Ontano, nor to be caploited as distant colonies by Otlawa man darins And they simply don't trust Mr Trudeau to make any meaningful change tn the situation If the throat of separatism can help bong about thot change they re quite prepared to look al separatism with the belp of the media even though they may never embrace it. But the final decision as always. will be that of the people It will certainly not be made by their inky fingered news scribes