Columns

By Al Lowe
Contributor

We are nearing the end of the spring session of parliament during which much of my time was spent examining and promoting various bills, including my pension security bill C-501. Every so often though I find it usefully to take a step back from the day to day work and look at the effects we have felt as a result of legislation passed in the House of Commons some time ago. Let’s take a look this week at the Harper government’s corporate tax cut and the banking industry.

After I wrote about what would be safe energy last week, I was challenged about ridding myself of petroleum products in my household. The challenge seemed pretty easy to begin with. I would do away with my gas powered lawn mower and a few solvents that I have in my wood working shop. The task seemed easily enough.
And then someone asked “Are you going to get rid of that garden hose that you use to water your lawn and flower gardens?’ I hadn’t considered the hose or many of the plumbing pipes and shutoffs in my house and cottage.

By Irene Hanson
RR Hosp. Aux.

On June 1st we had our luncheon meeting at the Roadside Restaurant with 19 members present.

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

By Jack Elliott
Contributor

It seemed like a good idea... at the time. The Pearl with her usual skepticism, had questioned the pile of wood chips partially blocking her access to the garage.

By Gary Sliworsky
OMAFRA Rep.

I have been getting a number of calls about the Harmonized Sales Tax. The following is a reprint of an article that was done last fall.

By Al Lowe
Contributor

We all know all about water, don't we? We drink it - we wash in it - we give it to our animals - we water the garden - water is all over the place.

I hope you will join me in welcoming an agreement that was reached between the Government of Canada and the leadership of the Couchiching First Nation which resolves a serious public health issue on the reserve and ended a 12 day long toll booth protest on June 1st.

When Three Mile Island nuclear generating station failed and Chernobyl in the Ukraine failed, North America balked at that technology for generating electricity. European countries and developing countries continued to embrace that method of generating electricity.
Even the damming of rivers for hydro electricity, flooding lands, causing silt build up, and preventing the movement of fish has environmentalists crying foul. Should we stop generating hyrdo electricity?