The record, 13 décembre 2011, mardi 13 décembre 2011

A lame diplomatic letdown Francois Tanguay from Durban, page 6 THE RECORD The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 The story of St.George’s lican Church Page 2 75 CENTS + TAXES PM#0040007682 Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Famham to hold Townshippers' Day 2012 COURTESY OF TOWNSHIPPKRS’ ASSOCIATION The Townshippers' Day 2012 core committee posed for a photo after their first planning meeting, held earlier this fall.Planning for this unique, annual event will resume in January, 2012.Read the story on page 5 in today’s Record.Quebecor chief encourages focus on aiding young entrepreneurs By Evan LePage Lennoxville council Dam talk, trash and squatters By Corrinna Pole For their last council meeting of the year, Lennoxville Borough President David Price, and councillors Bill Smith and Mark McLaughlin held a noontime session, which attracted a handful of residents with questions and concerns about the Huntingville Dam and squatters living in a damaged house.Bruce Durrant, whose son Michael sits on the citizen group Friends of the Huntingville Dam, which is trying to save the dam from being altered by its owners Boralex, asked the council if there was a progress report from the City of Sherbrooke.With guest Suzanne Bergeron, who sits on Sherbrooke’s urbanism commission, the council informed Durrant that the dossier continues to be on the city’s ! radar and that representatives from Boralex have requested to meet with the borough council.Durrant requested the council express to Boralex its support of saving the dam.After Price commented that Sherbrooke has been dealing with the dam in a speedy manor, the council informed Durrant that Sherbrooke’s urban planning department plans on meeting shortly with the citizen group.Trash talk Resident Wendy Durrant once again expressed her frustration with the first sparse garbage collection of the winter.Despite the extra trash produced during the holidays, the City of Sherbrooke ConTd on page 4 Providing young entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to start their own businesses is the key to bringing Quebec’s entrepreneurship back up to par according to Quebecor president and chief of operations Pierre-Karl Péladeau.The media mogul, whose company owns Videotron, TVA, all Sun Media newspapers and countless other media sources and businesses, spoke to members of the Fleurimont Chamber of Commerce in his capacity as administrative council president of the Entrepreneurship Foundation at a luncheon Monday.Péladeau spoke on the subject of “investing in the future of Quebec," ConTd on page 3 UdeS breakthrough on cancer research Page 3 Student athletes make bullying video Page 7 Page 2 Tuesday, December 13, SPS hosts eight annual blood drive The Sherbrooke Police Service will be holding its annual blood drive this week with an objective set at 150 donors.Winnipeg Blue Bombers professional football player Pierre-Luc Labbé will be the guest of honour at the event, which will take place in the basement of Saint-Boniface Church Wednesday, December 14.This will mark the eighth straight year the SPS hosts a blood drive.The church is located at 75 Morris Street, and donations will be accepted between 1:30 p.m.and 8 p.m.But if you would like to meet Labbé, the CPL player will be present at around 1:30,4 and 8 p.m.Domino’s Pizza will also be offering free pizza for all donors.Weather TODAY: CLOUDY FLURRIES HIGH OF 1 LOW OF-8 WEDNESDAY: SUNNY HIGH OF 0 LOW OF-5 THURSDAY: RAIN HIGH OF 7 LOW OF -7 FRIDAY: CLOUDY HIGH OF 2 LOW OF 2 J SATURDAY: MIX SUN AND CLOUD HIGH OF-7 LOW OF-12 2011 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record St.George's Anglican Church in Perryboro and in Ayer's Cliff The story of St.George’s did not begin in Ayer’s Cliff but started in the small hamlet of Perryboro.In this community there was a small dedicated congregation that maintained the church until the last settler relocated and it was decided to move the church to Ayer’s Cliff.It was used as the Anglican Church in Ayer’s Cliff from 1906-1914 when the present church was built.Many artifacts were removed from the church and placed into the new church; the old church was sold and became a private residence which still exists on the corner of Strathconna and Maple Streets.In the late 1800’s there existed a small community called Perryboro which was located between St-Herménégilde and East Hereford in Barford Parish.This small English community consisted of many small farms, a saw mill, several other mills and a cheese factory.In the 1870s the community started holding Anglican Church services in the school building with the minister.Reverend Murray, travelling from Coaticook or a local person taking the service.In 1891 the local settlers donated their time and money to construct a church measuring 18 feet by 30 feet at a cost of $600 which was consecrated by Bishop J.W.Williams and was called Church of the Advent.Even though the population appeared to be shifting away from the village it was decided in 1899 to add a chancel to the church and to reconsecrate the church as St.George’s.By 1905 most of the farms had been sold and the congregation was depleted.It was decided to move the church building to Ayer’s Cliff and land was donated by Mr.Clough and Mr.Rexford.Mr.L.J.Moulton was the only one willing to undertake the task of moving the church the 22 miles and so he was given the contract for $450 to move the building.He commenced work in August 1906 and finished it by November.According to the Church Society Report of 1906 “the Consecration Service was held on December 8, 1906, a day that long will be remembered by the people of Ayer’s Cliff.After the service there was a reception for the Bishop (Hunter Dunn), neighbouring clergy and others who came to take part in the proceedings of the day.Despite the inclement weather, 20 degrees below zero, both the Church and the County Hall were well filled and five of the neighbouring clergy attended.” By 1913 it was felt that a larger AU PHOTOS COURTESY St.George’s Ayer’s Cliff 1914- Inside the old St George’s Church in Perryboro circa 1900.Notice the pews, altar chair, lectern and windows which are in the present St.George’s Ayer’s Cliff.¦ ¦ ijx&iSS Inside the old St George’s Church in Perryboro circa 1900.Notice the pews, altar chair, lectern church was needed and so the present St.George’s was built and consecrated in 1914.We were fortunate to receive some old photos of the church in Perryboro and if we compare the picture of the inside of the Perryboro church to St.George’s Ayer’s Cliff we notice several pieces of furniture that were kept, such as the pews in the choir section, the square chair near the altar, the lectern that is used to read the lessons and the three stained glass windows.It is so interesting to hear how dedicated people were to the church community and to be able to see traces of our past congregations within our church today.The congregation of St.George’s may not be large today but its dedicated congregation works hard to keep the traditions and memories of the former parishioners alive while working for the future of the church.Plans will be forthcoming for the year of 2014 to celebrate 100 years of worship at St.George’s Anglican Church, Main St George’s Perryboro 1891-1904 St., Ayer’s Cliff.what an exciting time that will be! Submitted by Greta Nish Ben by Daniel Shelton (tV AGAIN, 06N*' i gijT ITS THE MICVLE OF 1 V THE AFTERNOON' ( y / H// WHY PONT TOU y GET SOME CHRISTMAS [ Shopping done 'u PONT LEAVE IT ’ THE LAST , MINUTE.' ?HI k The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Page 3 Local N EWS Péladeaudid praise the government of Jean Charestand their decision to pass a policy in mid-November which will see $450 million be put towards promoting entrepreneurship.Quebecor chief Cont’d from page 1 something he believes needs to be discussed by business collectives like the foundation and the chamber of commerce, since he does not think the province is in a favourable position at the moment.“There are numerous studies that demonstrate that for many years, Quebec and Quebeckers are behind in the creation of businesses.We are fewer and fewer people becoming entrepreneurs,” he said.“If this tendency maintains itself, how will we overcome the challenges of recovery inside businesses, and the creation of more businesses in the years that come?” Part of the reason for this state, Péladeau said, is that young entrepreneurs are leaving for environments that are more accommodating, more helpful to them in terms of financing or even advice.“Too often we see companies from here acquired by businesses from elsewhere,” he said.“If we do not occupy ourselves with assuring the success of local businesses, other businesses from abroad will do it for us.” He also added that he thought “that in the past few years a climate has been created where success isn’t sufficiently rewarded, and sometimes even questioned.” Contrary to young businesses, Péladeau said that existing entrepreneurs are in a great position thanks to advances made by their predecessors, and thus it falls on them, on the business and entrepreneurial collectives, to maintain the quality of the economy by putting the effort into offering tools to young entrepreneurs within Quebec.“All together, when we share the common goal of the médiatisation, the revalorization and the demystification of the role of an entrepreneur and of economic activity, that will make so that we can keep, in the years to come, what our predecessors gave us,” Péladeau said, “and what we should, as citizens with moral obligations, leave to the generations that follow us.” Despite his view on the current position of Quebec, Péladeau did praise the Quebecor president Pierre-Kari Péladeau only briefly mentioned the recent efforts of convergence undertaken by his corporation during a speech to members of the Fleurimont Chamber of Commerce Monday, saying this type of move was necessary in order to respond to technological advances.Two Quebecor newspapers in the region, the Journal de Sherbrooke and the Journal de Magog, will see their offices merged into the office of TVA television station on King Street West.government of Jean Charest and their decision to pass a policy in mid-November which will see $450 million be put towards promoting entrepreneurship among the province’s youth over the next three years.“I think it’s an essential initiative, and I would congratulate those in the cabinet who worked to elaborate this policy,” he said.“It’s a very good signal and, more than a signal, we feel that on the side of the government a real desire to develop entrepreneur-ship.” While he spent some time discussing the large number of jobs Quebecor had created in the last decade through, among other things, its dozens of new newspapers, including the Journal de UdeS prof, takes cancer research one step forward Sherbrooke and the Journal de Magog, Péladeau only briefly mentioned the recent efforts of convergence undertaken by his corporation, a phenomenon he said is occurring across the economy of the Western world.He did not address the recent announcement that Quebecor would be converging the operations of those two newspapers into the TVA television station’s building on King Street West.The move, placing the three media sources in the same building, follows similar convergence in Saguenay and Trois-Rivières.When asked about the changes following his speech, Péladeau said “Technology has evolved.We know well that when we face the multiplication of information and entertainment sources, we need to assure that our work methods, the way we do things, our processes fit into that ecosystem,” he said.“That’s the reason we thought it was unavoidable to make so that we could optimize the best of our resources.” Optimizing resources will thus mean the news sources can share information but fit it specifically to their medium.“The public have shown that news that is interesting or important to someone could be important to someone of another generation,” Péladeau said, adding that while it is referred to as convergence, it could equally be called “integration.” The president also confirmed that Quebecor had made an offer to buy Co-geco’s recently closed radio station, but that the offer seemingly had been refused.“We looked at the file and we deposited an offer, that’s all I can say,” Péladeau stated, explaining that he could not speak on the specifics due to a confidentiality agreement.Péladeau also said they would be waiting to see what the CRTC’s stance on the situation was before considering further action on acquiring a radio station in the region.Researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) and the Université de Montréal (UdeM) have had a breakthrough in the study of cancer, with the announcement that they are now able to film, in real-time, the interaction of cancer-spreading enzymes with enzymes in living cells.In last Friday’s edition of the Molecular Cell journal, researchers, lead by Ray-mund J.Wellinger, published an article detailing how they have developed an advanced microscopy technique which lets them view how telomerase, the enzyme that causes cancer cells to multi- ply, interacts with the telomere enzymes in living cells.This was accomplished by “tagging” telomerase with fluorescent proteins, making them visual within single living cells, according to a statement.Wellinger, a professor at the university’s faculty of medicine and health sciences as well as a researcher at the CHUS’ Etienne-Le Bel clinical research centre, in collaboration with UdeM researcher Pascal Chartrand used the microscopy technique to discover that the two enzyme-types only interact stably in a specific cell cycle period, a narrower- BEST BUY On the December 9 flyer, page 1 and 27.these products: Bell and Virgin Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phones (WebCode: 10186528/ 10186331), were incorrectly advertised with an LTE feature.Please be advised that these phones do NOT have the LTB specification or network available to them.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers time period than previously believed.The discovery for the first time explains some of the cancer-spreading enzyme’s behaviour, information that could in turn have a significant impact on cancer treatment."As a point of attack, telomerase is a good target,” Wellinger said in a statement.“But how to attack it, that remains to be identified.” Travel Vaccination Service • Hepatitis A and B • Typhoid • Update your immunization schedule This is a new services available at Marie-Claude tapninte, Sylvie Lussier & François Maltais Thursdays 2 p.m.to 6 p.m.Su Jean Cou tu Sfi 147 Queen Street Lennoxville On appointment only.Other services: Blood tests Monday mornings.For more information, the team from the laboratory will be glad to help you.819-569-3601 Page 4 Tuesday, December 13, 2011 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Récord Students denounce tuition hikes Université de Sherbrooke students sent premier Jean Charest a spirited message about tuition last week in the form of a Christmas tree and Christmas card.On the night of December 8, the students decorated a tree near Charest’s office in Sherbrooke with usual decorations as well as brown envelopes.The message on the night was that the province’s student community would not let the premier “se faire passer un sapin.” a French expression meaning essentially “pull a fast one.” The university’s students have been holding demonstrations and various forms of protest all semester in response to new tuition increases totaling $1,625 over the next five years.The students have continually argued that education is a right, not a commodity, and that the increase will decrease accessibility to higher education.The UdeS students, along with students from the CEGEP de Sherbrooke, were among thousands that convened in Montreal last month for a massive protest against the hikes.As for the Christmas tree in front of Charest’s office, the decorations were removed.The students returned to the office on Friday, December 9, however, to bring the premier a Christmas card, letting him know that their biggest wish on Christmas was the cancellation of the tuition increases.Dam talk Cont’d from page 1 has scheduled only one garbage and compost collection this month in the borough.The garbage collection takes place during the week of Dec.12 to 16, well before the peak holiday period.Squatters make hoarding house home Despite a court order to vacate and board up the worn down house on William-Paige Street, the home is still accessible and possibly inhabited by squatters, area residents told council.After a decade of problems and a court imposed clean up last March, resident Terry Moller was ordered to vacate and block off the home, which is owned by his eighty-year-old parents, Frank and Elisabeth June.Years worth of hoarding has devalued the property and caused extensive structural damage.The century home is slated to be torn down.Tired of the present conditions surrounding the property, Jacques Chénard and a young family complained about having to call police to respond to the noise and bottles being discarded around the site.Area traffic alerts Traffic will be reduced to one lane on route 249,420 meters south of Châtaigniers street in Sherbrooke from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m.Dec.13 and 14.Flaggers will direct traffic while Transport Quebec conducts drilling.Two bridge inspections on Route 108 and Highway 10 are expected to cause traffic slowdowns over the next two days.An inspection on the Route 108 bridge crossing the Massawippi River in Hatley Township and Waterville, will reduce traffic to one lane from 8:30 a.m.to 1 p.m.on Dec.13.Flaggers will redirect traffic.On Dec.14, traffic will be reduced to one lane, in one direction at a time, as the highway 10 bridge crossing the MMA railway in Magog is inspected.Business Directory Shop locally* sS.— Wort , t,WsseS ArboExcellence Stephen Goddard, prop.Certified Arborist ISAQU-0W3A j4> 25+years of experience yjfjfj Professional Services > Tree pruning • Tree removal ' Stump removal ’ Hedge trimming > Shrub shaping ¦ Cabling & bracing > Fertilization ' Planting ¦ Lot clearing Forestry • Firewood Member ISA & SIAQ • Consulting Free estimate - Fully insured Tel.:819-S62-1642 Cell: 819-821-0425 mbo telephotofotosource.com i-F Télé ' photo—i B foto source 4x6 digital reprints archival quality 218 Alexandre Sherbrooke,Qc __ 564-0033 B90Ki|V)ot$ [Yj Livres d'occasion We sell USED BOOKS more than 15,000 books (French & English) $2.°° REBATE with the purchase of $10 or more on presentation of this coupon 1 coupon per customer.Valid til December 23,2011 70 Place du Commerce, Magog (enter by Principale St., to end of parking lot on the right side) 819-868-4232 • www.bookimots.com n Price took the complaints seriously and said they would be transmitted to the city’s legal department.Council approves cash The borough pitched in to help the Lennoxville Volunteer Firefighters Association cover the costs of their annual Halloween night and Santa’s Visit events by authorizing a financial contribution of $400 for each of the events.Skating If all goes as planned, Lennoxville El- ementary School’s track will be iced over by Christmas for public use as a skating rink.The borough has signed an agreement with the school and is hopeful the weather will cooperate enough to allow ice to be made.Seasons greetings Before closing the meeting.Councillor Smith wished those gathered a happy holidays and President Price added his wishes for all to enjoy a happy new year.Baby food blender gets new safety advice A safety hazard with Baby Bullet Food System has Health Canada encouraging consumers to download the product’s updated instruction manual after a piece of the machinery dislodged and was found to mix into the food.The agency issued the notice after it received four reports of incidents and learned of two additional cases reported to manufacturer Baby Bullet.None of the cases caused injuries.The new instructions show users how to ensure the system’s silicone gasket is properly installed to avoid the gasket coming loose and being chopped up and mixed into food.Although the agency says the pieces are not toxic, they pose a choking hazard.The instructions - found at www.babybullet.com - also suggest hand washing the blade assembly, other plastic parts and gaskets to prevent the parts from coming loose.Health Canada reminds consumers to inspect the gaskets to check they are in good condition before use, ensure the gasket and blade assembly are carefully and correctly installed, and inspect the gasket after each use.The company has since updated the product’s instruction manual and added additional labelling to the Baby Bullet Food System, which are sold online and at various retailers.For more information about this advisory contact the Public Enquiries Line at 1-866-225-0709.Health alert: Fontaine Santé salads Retailers and the public are being warned not to sell, use or consume various types of Fontaine Santé brand pre-packaged and clerk served bulk salads over concerns of a Listeria contamination.The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Ville Saint-Laurent based manufacturer Aliments Fontaine Santé, are recalling the salads that were primarily distributed in Quebec and Ontario and bear Best Before dates up to and including 2011 DE 26 and lot numbers 315-339, No illnesses associated with the products have been reported, however the Listeria bacteria can cause symptoms including high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.Infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.Consumers who may have purchased the salads up to and including December 10, 2011, but are unsure if they have the affected product, are advised to check with their place of purchase.The full list of recalled products, including container size and UPC code, can be found at the Fontaine Santé website www.fontainesante.com under News.For more information, contact the manufacturer Aliments Fontaine Santé Inc at 1-888-627-2683 ext 234, or the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342. The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Page 5 Townshippers’ Day 2012 the past, the present and the future Farnham: Townshippers’ Association Townshippers’ Association is pleased to announce that the municipality of Farnham has been selected to host this year’s Townshippers’ Day festivities.This popular annual event, scheduled for Saturday, September 15, 2012, aims to strengthen the cultural identity of the English-speaking community of the Eastern Townships by contributing to the vitality of its cultural and social life.On this day, visitors will be invited to explore the municipality of Farnham and enjoy the food, entertainment and exhibits that traditionally accompany Townshippers’ Day.Farnham’s proposal to become the host town of Townshippers’ Day met with a good deal of local support, both at the municipal and at the community level.Thus, the four organizers -Pauline Mercier, Ruth Potvin, Ron MacPhail and Claude Chiasson - will bring together twenty outstanding volun- teers in all sectors of the community and cultural life of Farnham to ensure the success of this day.One of these volunteers will be Denis Riel - a prominent member of the business community in Farnham, owner of Meubles Denis Riel, Meubles Avantage and Ashley Home-store, and an active member of the Farnham Lion’s Club - who will chair the T-Day 2012 organizing committee.Ingrid Marini, Executive Director of Townshippers’ Association, said she is “thrilled that Farnham will be hosting the 2012 edition of Townshippers' Day!”.According to Marini, “this will be the first time that Townshippers’ Association will have T-Day in Farnham - the doorway into the Townships! With such a rich history that demonstrates the pure essence of the Townships, this active community will be an exemplary host for this important day!” While the vast majority of current citizens in Farnham (about 95 per cent) are French-speaking, the situation was very different when the town was founded in the early 19th century.Loyalists laid the foundation of the first community in 1800, after fleeing the United States in order to remain faithful to the British Crown.During the following century, other English-speaking immigrants joined them.Farnham was the site of the first hospital in the Townships, St.Elizabeth’s Hospital, a fact that is very important to medical history in the Eastern Townships.The municipality is also known throughout Quebec for its important military camp (used primarily by the Canadian Forces Leadership & Recruit School and local militia) and a disused railway station, which was once an important part of the Canadian Pacific Railway.The year 2012 also marks a special milestone in the town: the Farnham Lions’ Club will be celebrating sixty years of active community involvement.Holding the 2012 Townshippers’ Day festivities in Farnham will allow the Lions’ Club to celebrate this very special an- niversary with residents of the community of Farnham, as well as with thousands of other Townshippers.Each year, Townshippers' Association organizes Townshippers’ Day to celebrate the English-speaking community of the Eastern Townships and its heritage and culture, as well as to promote friendly relations between Francophone and Anglophone communities in the region.A secondary goal of the event is to promote a corner of the Eastern Townships to visitors and, for this reason, the host municipality changes every year.This year’s Townshippers’ Day will mark the 33rd anniversary of this beloved annual event.For more information about Town-shippers’ Day, visit www.tday.ca, or contact Jessica Fraser at Townshippers' Association’s Sherbrooke office, 819-566-5717 (toll free: 1-866-566-5717) or ta@townshippers.qc.ca.Nez Rouge in need of volunteers Sherbrooke’s chapter of the Nez Rouge holiday driving service is struggling to find enough volunteers to accommodate the demand.According to a statement released Sunday, Nez Rouge has fewer volunteers this year than last year, but are facing a slight increase in use in Sherbrooke and the surrounding region.The service says it needs a minimum of 200 volunteers to drive people on Friday, December 16 and 150 volunteers for Saturday, December 17.The service has had 181 volunteers respond to just under 1,400 calls from the public in the two weekends it has been Sherbrooke plant expansion for Neptune Technologies and Bioressources Press release Neptune Technologies and Bioressources announced the official start of its Phase I plant expansion Tuesday, generating an additional production capacity of more than 150,000kg per year.“The existing facility in Sherbrooke, Quebec will undergo a 40,000 square-feet expansion representing an additional annual production capacity of 150,000kg, totaling a capacity in excess of 300,000kg per year, in order to meet the increasing demand for Neptune’s products.Neptune’s plant expansion, which is expected to be completed by fall 2012, should create new jobs in the Sherbrooke region and its economy.The project is expected to employ approximately 40 new workers directly and will result in the hiring of approximately 90 to 100 persons during the construction period,” said Eric Simard, Director of Science and Development and in charge of the expansion project.“Neptune has always been innovative using state of the art technology, in order to reach the highest level of productivity and efficiency,” he added.Josée Blanchard, Director of business development for Life Sciences at Sherbrooke Innopole, adds : “Great economic benefits will come from this project because not only will it create specialized jobs, but it strengthens the position of Sherbrooke as an important player in the Life sciences cluster, a strategic economic development sector.Everyone pulled together to bring this project to life and we are extremely happy with today’s announcement.” “We have planned and structured a creative financing model, with the support of many parties as well as our bank,” said Frédéric Harland, Director of Finance.“Today’s investment allows for new process improvements at our manufacturing facility, strengthening thereby our manufacturing position based on our patent and industrial secrets, and enabling Neptune’s capacity to provide its customers a reliable supply of the world's leading Neptune Krill Oils,” said André Godin, CFO.“This new production line will secure supply for the increasing demand, allowing for incremental gross margin, as well as providing additional production capacity for new products currently under development.This increase in production capacity will be completed without any interruption of the existing production line.Neptune’s team has extensively worked on this expansion project; it is an exciting moment and a further reaffirmation of our growth action plan strategy,” added the CFO operational so far this season.Nez Rouge operates on Saturday and Sunday from 8 p.m.to 4 a.m.If you would like to use the Nez Rouge driving service this holiday season in Sherbrooke or surrounding areas, you can do so by phoning (819) 821-4646.If you are interested in volunteering for the service, you can phone coordinator Marie-Ève Dugas at (819) 821-8000, ext.62542.In the weeks leading up to Christmas, The Record and Brome County News will publish several shopping guides highlighting gift ideas available in the Eastern Ibwnships.Our small business community provides thousands of jobs and essenti.il services that contribute to our quality of life.Please help keep our communities strong and vibrant by shopping locally this Christmas.If you are an artist, merchant or service provider, let Townshippers know what you have to offer by contacting one of our sales representatives.r Jo-Ann Hovey 81 f )-.r>( >< M )32 jhovcy@sherbrookcrecord.com RECORD Michel Duval 81 ‘ >-."-9525 mduval@sherbrookeretord.com Jessica Kinahan 4"< >-242-1 188 jkinahan@sherbroolccrecord.com Brum County NEWS Virginia Wilson 450-242-1 188 vwilson@sherbrookerecord.com Page 6 Tuesday, December 13, 2011 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record JLDITORIAL I’ve run out of words to describe the scandalous language they used, the lame grandstanding they made and the inept posturing Peter Kent took in Durban Shame on them By Francois Tanguay Ultimately they let us down, most of them.No deal at all would have been better than the disaster that has come out of the COP 17 Durban Climate Change meeting.In my over forty years of environmental work I have never witnessed such a lame diplomatic letdown by the powerful few faced with such an urgent need to act.The so-called deal formalizes a Green Fund that has no money and no clear Financing announced, it prolongs the Kyoto Protocol, but no set targets are included, just an commitment to meet again.and, not many will undertake formal emissions reductions before 2020 at best.The Europeans will most likely continue reducing their emissions, as they had already committed, the Scandinavians will get things done as usual, but aside from the.deal! They did not need Durban to act anyway! Canada?I’ve run out of words to describe the scandalous language they used, the lame grandstanding they made and the inept posturing Peter Kent took in Durban.Canadian diplomacy has suffered in a major way since the Conservatives took power and it is getting worse by the hour.Shame on them.You might read that Connie Hede-gaard, the European Climate Commissioner is happy with the result or that Christiana Figueres, the Climate Chair is exulting, but keep this in mind: Todd Stern, the chief US negotiator is happy with the outcome, and so is Peter Kent! Remember that the US didn't even join the Kyoto Protocol so they only really care about deals that will not affect them, this one will not.They pressured for no binding targets before 2020.and so did the Chinese, and they got it.Even at that, the Obama administration will have to sell this meager commitment to a Republican dominated Congress in an election year.Mission Impossible.So that is what we have, a half hearted effort that has no real bearing for at least three to five years and literally no legal effect for ten years.As a consequence there is no doubt, according to Science experts of the IPCC, the expert UN panel on climate change, that the limitation of global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, is dead.We will in most likelihood be well over 4 degrees before my granddaughter the age of 65.That is a very short time in climatic lingo, a flicker, a wink.God knows what our planet will be like by then! So now what?Well, for starters we should look at the Nordic nations for guidance and to Australia and to Stéphane Dion.What do they have in common?A global carbon tax approach.Since carbon emissions are the issue, just tax carbon they say.I recently wrote about the Australian approach of taxing high level carbon emissions, thus in fact taxing all citizens on the real cost of pollution.In exchange the country makes the turn for the more efficient, low on carbon economy and a real contribution to climate change.Same applies for most of Europe.The Scandinavians have had a carbon based tax in many sectors for a while.Norway started in 1991.Did their economy fall apart?Have they faced financial disaster?Most European nations aim to have a net zero carbon balance before mid-century, some, like Denmark, as soon as 2030.In other words, whatever emissions they will have left will be compensated by all sorts of measures that will compensate these emissions.In some cases it will involve helping Third World countries to manage and save their forests and use less imported fossil fiiels by turning to renewable sources of energy.This in turn will enable them to claim the non emitted carbon as a credit to compensate their own emissions.In all cases there is one common goal: to act and to act now, to show leadership, responsibility and political courage.All are pon existant in our Royal administration.Not a good time to be a.proud Canadian! mm, THl: » RECORD P.O.Boxl2(l09irrbrool(rJlH5Uorll)SGihls.Sin