 |
|
| TRADING POST(S) |
|
Support Canadian publishers, home businesses and non-profit organizations! Visit Straight Goods' classified ads to buy and sell, or to find out about activists and other groups.
|
|
|
| VISIT SG'S FREE FEATURE: OUR USEFUL URLs PAGE! |
|
The folks at SG have created a set of categories that amount to a guided tour of the Best of the Web. You'll find hundreds of suggestions in these new listings. What a service!
Whether you are new to the web, or an inveterate surfer, the
Straight Goods
Useful URLs page
is worth bookmarking as a springboard to the Web. There are surprises here for everyone.
|
|
|
| Health and Safety NewsWire |
|
|
|
|
Canada is developing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Under the rubric of the National Climate Change Secretariat, Joint Ministers of Energy and the Environment have created 16 different "issue tables" to develop options to reduce emissions. One of these, the Transportation Table, co-chaired by Ken Ogilvie of Pollution Probe, and Ron Sully of Transport Canada, has recently released its Options Paper. The Options paper includes a proposal to allow LCVs (multi-trailer trucks up to 50% longer than standard) throughout Canada, causing concern for Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways (CRASH).
These longer trucks do not meet national safety performance standards. They are more difficult to pass and are more likely to go outside their lane or go out of control. The U.S. Congress has banned any expansion in the use of LCVs since 1991 on the grounds that they are unsafe.
The trucking industry says it would only operate these longer trucks on divided highways, but CRASH's reading of the Saskatchewan experience suggests to them that once these LCVs are on divided highways, the industry is able to successfully lobby to operate them on two lane roads.
According to CRASH, allowing these longer trucks would reduce emissions in the trucking sector by a minimal amount (0.04% to 0.1%). A far more promising contribution from the trucking industry would be the installation of electronic devices to limit truck speeds and conserve fuel.
CRASH asks that Canadians voice their opposition to longer trucks now. Input is to be incorporated into the Table's comment report on Options. The Climate Change Transportation Table will be holding cross-country consultations on its options paper in February. See list of places and dates below. For more information about participation at the consultation meetings, you should contact:
Andrew Spoerri
Transportation Table Secretariat
613 990 1377
613 998 5173
spoerra@tc.gc.ca or giglior@tc.gc.ca
|
Tower C Place de Ville 18th flr
Transport Canada
Ottawa ON
K1A 0N5
|
Whether or not you attend, please send your written comments to the above. Also send a copy of your letter to CRASH (Box 1042, Sta B, Ottawa K1P 5R1 or crash@web.net), your MP and your MPP or MLA.
Vancouver, BC, February 7th
Calgary, AB, February 9th
Regina SK, February 10th
Winnipeg, MB, February 15th
Toronto, ON, February 17th
Montreal, QC, February 21st
Halifax, NS, February 23rd
St. John's, NF, February 24th
For more information about the longer truck issue contact CRASH at 1 800 530 9945 or visit the web site at www.web.net/~crash.
To obtain a copy of the Transportation Table Options Paper go to www.tc.gc.ca/envaffairs/english/ climatechange/ttable. To obtain a copy of the companion report to the Options Paper go to www.tc.gc.ca/envaffairs/ english/ttableconsultations. Or phone (613) 998 5173.
|
|
|
