Pic of the Past
VIMY RIDGE — Canadian soldiers carry trench mats used to manoeuvre over the muddy, shell-holed terrain near Vimy Ridge, April, 1917. A row of wounded soldiers and prisoners can be seen in background.
photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada |
Column -
Get ready for lifestyle change
By John Barlow
Editor
It looks as though Earth Hour was a bit of a flop locally as power usage actually went up in Calgary during the one-hour voluntary power outage on Saturday evening. Fortis Alberta monitors power usage in Okotoks, but a spokesperson said they did not have any means of tracking the impact of Earth Hour in Okotoks.
Regardless of its impact on our energy habits, Earth Hour was a timely venture and will become more important in years to come.
It is becoming increasingly clear we will all have to take a good, hard look at how each and every one of us lives our lives.
We are consumers like no other beings on Earth chewing up precious resources like we are competing in a Coney Island hot dog eating contest. The remnants of our gurgitating are just as frightening.
We are going to have to change our wasteful ways — and soon. We are going to have to look at innovative ways to conserve water, reduce waste and cut back on energy consumption.
Last week the Town of Okotoks announced after consistent decline its water usage per capita increased last year to 78 gallons per person per day — up from 72 gallons the previous year. Okotoks council is also looking at a resource recovery
program to reach zero waste by 2015. In addition, communities in the Oilfields region are discussing a curbside recycling program to reduce waste going to the landfill.
These are harsh reminders that we are “eating” ourselves out of house and home — Takeru Kobayashi would be so proud.
The provincial government has already stated it will not grant any further expansions to existing landfills or grant development permits for new ones. That means once ours is full, there is nowhere else to go.
We need to start making changes now.
I can still remember people being upset with a three bag garbage limit which, in hindsight, is ridiculous. By utilizing Okotoks’ amazing recycling centre and a composter or garburator families should easily be able to stick to even one bag per week.
Power is more difficult, but small changes can go a long way: unplug appliances when they are not in use; convert to low energy light bulbs (and follow your kids around to turn them off); turn the TV off and have a family game night even once a week; or have a family movie night so there is only one TV on instead of three.
As for water, look at xeroscaping in your yard (means less lawn mowing and more lounging fellas) and get low-flow toilets and shower heads in those older homes.
Of course, now my son has a ready-made excuse for when I nag him to have a shower every day.
“Hey dad, I don’t need to shower today — I am doing my part for the environment.”
Yeah right, smell ya later. At least put on some deodorant because a little can go a long way.
Earth watches a million points of dark
BY SHEELAGH MATTHEWS
CONTRIBUTOR
Blink, blink, blink, blink, BLINK, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, BLINK, blink, blink, blink, blink…
Yep, that’s what millions of us Canadians did on Saturday, March 29. At 8 p.m. local time all across our land, we blinked. We blinked out our lights to participate in Earth Hour 2008, an event that had citizens, businesses, and governments around the world turning off their lights for an hour to show support for action against climate change.
A poll by Virgin Mobile found that 70 per cent of Canadians had planned to turn their lights out for Earth Hour. Considering Canada’s population is almost 32 million, that’s a lot of blinks!
As for our household, we blinked. A disturbing feeling of vulnerability came over me as I realized the only remedy I had to sitting in the dark was at somebody else’s whim. All of a sudden I had a lot more respect for all the electrical workers out there, including the Wichita lineman that Glen Campbell sang about so many years ago.
Sitting at home in the dark, my thoughts wandered some more. What might life be like in the future if our supply of electricity wasn’t reliable or constant, pretty much like it is now? What if we were put on an “electricity schedule,” with even-numbered households allowed to turn on their power between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to cook their dinner, while odd-numbered households had to wait and dine at the elegant hour of 8 p.m. at night? What if electricity became too expensive to turn on more than one light at a time? What if people were fined if they used more than a certain number of kilowatts in a day?
Sobering thoughts, indeed, especially for a Saturday night.
And then, there in the dark, it suddenly dawned on me. Most of us Canadians take a lot for granted, like electricity at the flick of a switch, or clean water at the turn of a tap. Lucky for us, at least Canada has the resources to live in such luxury, well, er, at least it used to seem that way. What a shock to our collective system it would be if Canadians ever had to face unreliable, insecure, and abbreviated supplies of electricity and water, just like those who live in less developed or war-torn countries do every day.
Lucky for us, again, it doesn’t have to be this way. Surely, over a million points of dark will get our politicians and legislators to sit up and pay attention. Canadians are looking for ways to reduce their impact on this planet we call home. By participating in Earth Hour, Canadians jumped on a bandwagon of global proportions in a statement against climate change.
If Horton can hear a Who, then there’s hope that our political and business leaders will hear us. Having leaders who will make decisions and set policies to keep both our planet and our quality of life secure — now, that’s in our best interest.
Editorial-
Time to put the fires out boys
It seems as though grass fires on Crocus Hill are an annual rite of spring in Okotoks.
Each spring the Chinook winds turn the Kinsmen Park area into a tinder-dry powder keg and it is happening again this year. However, grass fires on Okotoks’ east side are much more dangerous than they have been in years past.
There have been three grass fires already this month and last weekend’s snow fall may provide Okotoks firefighters with a few days of respite.
However, the Okotoks fire department is likely more thankful no one has been hurt rather than the fact they have been given a few days rest.
The major concern for Okotoks fire chief Paul Kaiser is the fact the recent grass fires do not seem to simply be an act of God.
Kaiser said last week all three fires in Okotoks are being treated as suspicious, meaning the fires could have been deliberately set.
Fire investigators found a lighter on the walking path near the spot where they believe the most recent grass fire started.
One would have to be naive to think some of these grass fires over the years have not been started by someone rather than something.
In years past setting a fire on Crocus Hill probably seemed like harmless fun to some youth. After all, it was a large open field and the fire bugs could sit on the hill and watch their handiwork flicker through the dry grass until the fire department (which is only a few blocks away) could rush over and douse the blaze.
A grass fire, especially during the dry spring, is never a laughing matter, but for the most part, past grass fires have been no harm, no foul — other than some tired volunteer fire fighters.
Times have changed and a grass fire on Crocus Hill is no longer a laughing matter.
Okotoks is no longer a small, rural town with a quaint population of a few thousand.
Where there was once nothing more than a field of native grasses and weeds there are now a few thousand homes. Subdivisions such as Drake Landing and Crystal Ridge dot Crocus Hill, not to mention numerous businesses and a state-of-the-art baseball stadium at the bottom of the hill.
Last week the grass fires came perilously close to several homes and some even sustained heat damage to the siding.
That may not seem like a big deal to some fledgling pyromaniacs, but it should be. It should be a harrowing wake-up call that the consequences of starting a seemingly harmless grass fire could be substantial — perhaps even fatal. Hopefully, if indeed someone is starting these grass fires, they see now their afternoon mischief could have profound consequences and the frightening ramifications of their actions could haunt them for life.
It is an old cliche, but it holds true — if you play with fire you will get burned. Or, more accurately, if you play with fire, someone’s home could get burned.
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Annual trade show great showcase
The Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Trade Show next weekend (April 11-12). This year’s event is the biggest ever. It is sold out and will have displays in both arenas at the Recreation Centre. Mark it in your calendar now and bring the family for some fun next weekend. The best part of all is FREE parking and FREE admission. You go to the one in Calgary at the Roundup Centre and a family of four has to spend $12 to park and $14 each to get in before you start looking around. Come one come all!
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Well, the City of Calgary failed the Earth Hour test last weekend. We were the only area in Canada that had power consumption actually go up during the hour rather than down. Some cities saved close to 10 per cent of their normal use. Why did the redneck capital of Canada have an increase? Simple, the Battle of Alberta was on. Edmonton won the hockey game 2-1, but Flames fans could not shut their TVs off during that match. Sorry Canada but next time pick an hour during a live opera presentation and the results will be better.
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Talking hockey, will the Flames even make the playoffs? If they plan on playing like they did on the weekend against Vancouver it won’t really matter as they will go out in the first round. I’m hoping for a minor miracle and the Flames to come alive and play their hearts out. My Flames flag is washed and set to go.
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Just had a quick tour of the new Okotoks Municipal Centre and it looks almost ready to go. The council chambers are very nice with plenty of space for the public to attend. The work stations within the centre are adequate but surely not extravagant by any means. I for one am happy to see this facility stay in the downtown core.
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Iraq: Maliki’s Gamble
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The rhetoric is triumphalist, and the story line is simple and consistent. “We have made up our minds to enter this battle and we will continue till the end. No retreat,” said Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Thursday.
“As we speak, Iraqis are waging a tough battle against militia fighters and criminals in Basra, many of whom have received arms and training and funding from Iran,” said President George W. Bush in Dayton, Ohio. But the reality is less persuasive.
The offensive in Basra could only have been launched with the support of the United States, since Prime Minister Maliki has admitted that he “cannot move a company of troops” without American consent. It is really aimed mainly at the Mahdi army, the militia that backs Moqtada al-Sadr. And it is not likely to succeed.
Moqtada al-Sadr is the main rival to Maliki’s Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and its associated Badr militia for the loyalty of Iraq’s Shia majority. Basra is a key battleground for this struggle, not only because its two million people are almost all Shia, but because most of Iraq’s oil is produced nearby and exported through Basra. The militias need money, and Basra, with its flow of cash and oil, is the best place to cream it off.
The Mahdi and Badr militias have been waging a low-intensity battle in Basra for control of these resources for more than a year, and you can see why Maliki would want to use the army to tip the balance in favour of his side. You can also see why the Bush administration wants Maliki to win, for his party supports —indeed, depends on — a continued U.S. military presence in Iraq, while Moqtada al-Sadr insists that all U.S. troops go home.
But it’s harder to see why they thought Maliki could win.
The Mahdi militia in Basra is well enough armed to fight the Iraqi army to a stand-still in the narrow streets of the sprawling slums where most of its supporters live. Moreover, Maliki has only committed 15,000 soldiers to the battle in Basra, which isn’t very many given how street-fighting swallows up troops. (He also has 15,000 heavily armed police available for the battle, in theory, but Basra police have close connections with the local militias and cannot be counted on to fight them.)
At the time of writing, four days into the battle in Basra, the Iraqi army’s offensive seems to have stalled, while new fronts have opened up in other cities across the south of Iraq and in Baghdad, already the scene of massive protests by Moqtada al-Sadr’s supporters. The ceasefire that the Mahdi army declared seven months ago, which played a big part in the apparent success of the American surge in troops numbers in Iraq, is fraying badly.
Unless Maliki and the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, have reliable intelligence that the Mahdi organization is less united and determined than it seems to be, this offensive doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially from the point of view of the White House.
As it was, the “surge” looked likely to deliver what the Bush administration most wanted: an apparent stabilization in Iraq that would let it leave office without having to admit failure. The more wordly-wise members of the administration would initially have seen this simply as a device to put the ultimate blame for failure on the incoming administration instead, but maybe they have started to believe their own propaganda.
The stabilization is more apparent than real, for two reasons. The new Sunni “allies” of the United States include a lot of people who were trying to kill American troops a year ago, and may well return to that activity once they have dealt with the al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia extremists who were giving the Sunni resistance a bad name. And on the Shia side, Moqtada al-Sadr was standing by to push out Maliki’s American-backed government as soon as U.S. troop numbers in Iraq fell.
Three months ago, cynical advisers to President Bush might have said, “So what?” The bad things would happen early in the next administration, which looked almost certain to be Democratic, and Bush would get away clean. But now it looks (at least to some Republicans) as though Senator John McCain has a real chance to win the presidency and continue Bush’s military commitment in Iraq.
Maybe they said to themselves: let’s not leave McCain a ticking time bomb. Let’s go after Moqtada al-Sadr, starting with his cash flow, which depends heavily on his militia in Basra. (Sadr does not get arms or money from Iran, and the Bush people must know that despite what they say in public.) So Maliki got his marching orders, and the battle for Basra began.
If this is what happened, it is a classic case of hope triumphing over experience. The Iraqi army probably cannot beat the Mahdi militia in open battle in Iraq’s big cities, and it may be left severely discredited if it tries. The U.S. army certainly can beat Sadr’s militia, just as it has done in two previous rounds of fighting, but that would be followed by a reversion to the guerrilla attacks that were causing such high U.S. casualties before Sadr’s ceasefire.
Or maybe Petraeus and Maliki know something about the weaknesses of the Mahdi army that nobody else does. They have about a week to prove it.
Letter to the Editor -
Town not short-sighted when planning RCMP facility
Dear Editor,
The March 19 column by Paul Rockley expresses surprise and concern over the Town’s apparent lack of planning and foresight in failing to set aside sufficient land to expand the Town-owned RCMP building.
As the past municipal commissioner for the Town at the time the RCMP building was planned and constructed, I wish to set the record straight as to the planning and political decisions that took place.
Firstly, it was originally proposed to place the new policing building on a piece of town-owned land in the vicinity of McDonalds restaurant. Because it was the Town’s responsibility to finance and build the new facility, considerable debt financing would have been necessary. I accordingly recommended to council that the Town sell the site at market value and apply the proceeds against the construction costs of the building to be located on a portion of town-owned reserve land on Southland Drive. The council of the day liked the plan because the reduced debt financing would
practically be covered by RCMP rents and provincial grants. The parcel was sold and a corner site sufficient to provide for the building was carved out of the larger Town-owned holding. The plan at the time was to keep the site of the new facility at a minimum and, in the future, expand into the town owned land surrounding the site.
After the new RCMP building was constructed, and after I retired in the fall of 1996, the Town was under considerable pressure to provide a registered site upon which a now defunct non-profit society proposed to build a new community centre. The Town entered into a land swap with an adjacent landowner/developer. Unfortunately, the proverbial baby was thrown out with the
bathwater, because the lands that were to accommodate the future needs of the policing facility were totally transferred to the site of the new hockey arena, while the developer obtained the commercially viable town-owned lands fronting Southland Drive.
In attempting to clarify how the Town got itself into the present unfortunate and costly dilemma, it was not my intention to criticize the Town Council or administration that engaged in the land swap, but to point out that the site requirements for the future expansion of the RCMP building were well taken care of in the initial planning of the facility.
R. (Dick) Scotnicki
Okotoks |
