Opinion

TheReview Wednesday, April 11,1990 — AS. :

Three ounces could kill all of New York

VICTORIA — Last week, after
nearly a year of study, Environ-
ment Canada declared dioxins
“officially toxic,” thus setting the
Stage for federal rules to control
the emission of the chemical.

A few. days ago, I got the latest
issue of Focus, a newsletter pub-
lished by the Tahsis Pacific Region
of Canadian Pacific Forest Prod-
ucts Ltd. on Vancouver Island.

The entire issue is dedicated to
dioxins and downplays the dangers
of the chemical in a most alarming
way — which is hardly surprising,
considering that Canadian Pacific
Forest Products operates pulp
mills, considered the major cul-
prits in the dioxin controversy.

Dioxins are a family of 75
chlorinated hydrocarbon com-
pounds. A similar family, furans,
contains 135 related chemical
compounds. Dioxins are man-
made. They are created in a num-
ber of ways, including the incinera-
tion of waste, wood and fuel, and
the manufacture of pulp and paper.

They also occur naturally, as a
result of forest fires, for instance.

Under the heading of “some

facts about dioxins,” Focus states
that they “occur naturally and,
therefore, it is impossible to elimi-
nate them.” It then poses what it
calls some hard questions. Here

are some examples:

“Are dioxins really as danger-
ous as we are led to believe? Is our
fear justified or is it a symptom of
society ’s growing fear of all chem-
icals.

“Is this fear leading us to a
protection-at-all-cost mentality,
even if if means shutting down

I’m inclined to side
with the
environmentalists. |
am convinced that if
siringent standards
are set and fines
become more
expensive than the
measures necessary
to protect the
environment (and us)
the industry will
respond’

entire industries on which we
depend?

“Is there a limit to the dioxin
level we, as a society, are willing to
accept? Could we do more for our
environment if we spent the bil-
lions that are already being spent
on dioxin reduction to fight other
issues that may be more critical to

our society?”

True, dioxins have, so far, not
killed any humans, but tests have
shown that, in large doses, they kill
laboratory rats. In smaller doses,
they make them sick, cause cancer,
miscarriages, fetal deformities and
suppression of the immune system.

I'd say that even though I’m
not a rat (I heard that) and don’t
live in a laboratory, the tests on rats
Justify my fear of dioxins.

Hazardous Substances, a U.S.
reference book by Melvin Berger,
States that dioxins “are considered
by a number of scientists as highly
poisonous chemicals,” the most
poisonous of which is believed to
be tetrachloridioxin (TCDD).

“It is believed that three ounces
of TCDD could kill the entire
population of New York City,” it
goes on to say. That’s the same
stuff pulp mills release into our
Streams and lakes.

- To its credit, Focus does quote a
number of environmentalists and
medical experts, including Dr.
Richard Gallagher of the B.C.
Cancer Research Centre.

Gallagher says that symptoms
from exposure to toxic substances
may take as long as 25 years to
show in the human body. One
reason for this delay, he says, is the
time it takes for the immune

Continued from Page A7

has done a poor public relations
selling endeavor, coupled with the
Labour Party’s astute political

running interference, b) the fixing -

of the initial “community charge?
head tax, poll tax, union dues,
association fee, whatever, and c) it

should have been made abund-

antly clear that those who hadn’t

the means to pay the tax would not

have to do so. (The British Gov-

ermment’s descriptive pamphlets

on “Why’’, and on “How”,

explicitly state that “the poor”

will not have to pay!)

Dr. Walker suggested that such a
tax replacing property taxes would
create more affordable housing
and slash the cost of services. He
could have gone on to say that for
the first time such a tax would
make local government, and agen-
cies such as the CRD, assessment
authority, library boards, etc.
accountable for their spending:
that the charge for Unemployment
Insurance, Health, ICSC, Home
owner’s grant discount, etc., is the
same for all, unmindful of asset
status.

Only the income tax concerns
itself with the individual’s annual
income. So in view of the adverse
reaction to the poll tax in Britain,
and by the media here, maybe
taxing income is the way to go.

For the next six months, Solici-
tor General Russ Fraser will be
waging high-tech warfare against
speeding motorists.

Radar cameras that are activated
by speeding vehicles will be
installed in a number of accident-
prone locations on the Lower
Mainland.

The camera photographs the
moving vehicle and its licence
number, registering the speed, as
well as the time and date. The
owners of vehicles whose snap-
shots have been taken during a
speeding violation will receive a

SN Spare San) SAN Sa

After all, only 38 per cent of the

income eamers, the homeowners,

are now directly taxed each year

out of their income for the year, an

“amseen” income tax. es

~ if>then, the revenue réquired
was collected from a “seen” tax
on all income eamers, beleaguered
homeowners would receive finan-
cial relief, and the 62 per cent
majority of income eamers not
now directly taxed, would then be
contributing their fair share.

That the 38 per cent income
earners, inequitably taxed, are
forced to financially carry 62 per
cent of the income eamers in B.C.
should be réason enough for
reform. Add to this that the tax is
counter-productive, inflationary,
that it stifles the endeavor to
create, limits quality of architec-
tural design, cheapens construc-
tion, causes hundreds to lose their
homes each year, hundreds: of
businesses to go bankrupt each

J qe

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year, continually forces up the cost
of real estate, for ever pushes up
Tents, intimidates the young home-
hunters, burdens the retiree, and
surely you have more than enough
: window,

Taxing properties is discrimina-
tory, ignores one’s ability to pay,
and, one way or another, must go.

CT. Larrington
Saanichton

to throw the=-system out of the —

system to deteriorate with age.

I’m inclined to side with the
environmentalists. I am convinced
that if stringent standards are set
and fines become more expensive
than the measures necessary to
protect the environment (and us)
the industry will respond.

(MEL

COUVELIER|

WORKING FOR
SAANICH
& THE ISLANDS

Mel Couvelier, MLA for
Saanich & the Islands
‘wants to know your con-
cerns.
Please visit the
Constituency office:
2388 Beacon Ave.
Sidney, B.C. 656-6232

Mon.-Fri. 8:30-4:30 or by Appt.

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Date Amount Name
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Dec 2 $20 G. Swan
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