Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 6, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba A8 Canada Winnipeg repress. Com Winnipeg free press thursday december 6, 2007 strength in numbers the Winnipeg free press is read by 56% of Winnipeg adults every saturday. Thatus # 1 in Canada among major newspapers. Janua r y Awa reness month door to door new canvasser s a r e g r e a t l y App re c i a t e d. There Are Over 18,000 Manitoban living with alzheimer res disease or other Type of dementia. Please remember them when a canvasser knocks on your door. Please Call 943 6622 or 1 800 378 6699 to make an online donation visit wow. Alth e Ime r. My. Ca by James Cowan Toronto the Federal government is about to announce rewards for Drivers who scrap their old Gas guzzling vehicles environment minister John Baird said on wednesday. Baird admitted it is a huge Challenge to persuade canadians to change their behaviour to help combat climate change. But he said the conservative government is pursuing numerous options including incentives for individuals who get rid of old and inefficient vehicles. We will have an initiative in the coming weeks on that Baird told the economic club of Toronto. Environmentalists contend a two year old vehicle produces 17 times More pollutants As one built today. Approximately five million of the 18 million personal vehicles operating in Canada today were made prior to 1995. Baird offered no details of the governments plan wednesday but the conservatives have already set aside $ 6 million As part of the 2007 budget to fund a vehicle retirement program. A discussion paper last summer outlined a number of possible incentives that could be offered ranging from Cash to free Public transit passes to rebates on the Purchase of new fuel efficient vehicles. The incentive options offered through this new program will aim to accelerate the removal of older vehicles from the Road and to encourage canadians to consider sustainable transportation alternatives the document states. Several organizations already offer vehicle retirement programs across the country including scrap it in Vancouver Cash for clunkers in Kelowna b. C., Bye Bye beaters in Winnipeg and car heaven which operates nationwide. Fatima Dharsee car heavens program manager said the government has consulted her organization As it develops its own plan. During his speech Baird said the government is pursuing other measures to reduce the amount of pollutants produced by cars including new standards mandatory for automobiles and a clean Auto pact Between Canada and the United states. If we move together with the United states we can go farther faster Baird said. The ministers comments come As International delegates gather in Bali Indonesia to begin work on a new International treaty to reduce greenhouse Gas emissions. Baird reiterated his governments position that any treaty must be signed by All the worlds major producers of greenhouse gases and that the negotiations must be kept on a tight schedule. A Irdis speech was interrupted by a member of eco sanity who condemned the minister for sacrificing future generations on behalf of big business. Can West news service by Richard foot the Federal Cabinet has issued a rare discretionary order granting Canadian citizenship to Joe Taylor the son of a Canadian War Veteran and Symbol of a generation of lost canadians who has fought a losing six year court Battle against Ottawa to regain his citizenship. At the moment it feels like ism getting married All Over again Taylor said in an Telephone interview from England wednesday. Ism told i can choose where and what Type of citizenship ceremony i want. He says hell Likely attend a swearing in ceremony in b. In the new year and plans to invite friends and family and a handful of Federal politicians who have supported his struggle. As Taylor celebrated an All party committee of the House of commons was preparing to release a unanimous report calling on the government to restore citizenship to hundreds of thousands of others who like Taylor were stripped of their nationality by a series of discriminatory rules in the country is outdated citizenship Laws. Liberal my Andrew Telegdi Vic chairman of the commons citizenship and immigration committee says he expects the conservative government to table legislation before Christmas to Deal with the problem. Citizenship and immigration minister Diane Finley told us if we produced a report that was unanimous she would adopt it Telegdi said. Although the government has said Only about 700 people have applied to have their citizenship reinstated Telegdi says the commons report puts the number of lost canadians in the hundreds of thousands. Taylor the son of a Canadian d Day Veteran and an English War Bride has become the Best known example. These people have seen their Canadian citizenship denied or unknowingly allowed to expire. Many Are children of Canadian parents who later became u. S. Citizens. Others Are children born to Canadian parents in foreign countries. Can West news service by Jered stuff co t Oronto lawyers for Canadian users of medical marijuana who want Ottawa to ease restrictions on where they get their pot wrapped up their Case wednesday by telling a Federal court judge that government approved marijuana grown by a flin flon contractor does not compare to higher Quality strains available on the Street. Patients ought to be Able to pick their own grower said lawyer Alan Young who accused Ottawa of Rushing into drafting a program in 2003 that ultimately forced patients to use a substandard product a violation of their constitutional rights. When the dust settles what you re left with is a government simply decreeing that this is the Way you Are going to get your Medicine Young said. Governments dont know How to grow marijuana and dont know much about marijuana because for 80 years they ave been trying to convince us that its harmful. But since launching its controversial medicinal marijuana program health Canada has significantly improved the Quality of its marijuana compared with earlier batches meaning the Case against the government does not stand up said health Canada lawyer Christopher seafloor. The applicants in the Case a vent tried the most recent batches of cannabis grown by contractor Prairie Plant systems Pps which is based in flin flon seafloor said. Our position is that you cant really take seriously their claim that the Pps product Isnit Good enough in terms of strength when they a vent even tried it. Seafloor said Only one applicant in the Case had tried the Pps product and that trial was several years ago. That was an Early version. A Pps spokesman said in an interview users who buy from the government Are assured of getting a More consistent product than they would on the Street. Seafloor also disagreed with the assertion the government made an eleventh hour decision in december 2003 that restricts patients from choosing their own growers. Theress actually been a Long history Here he said noting the government has been dealing with the Issue and taking direction from Canadian courts since july 2000. Seafloor also said the assertion that some strains of pot Are better for treatment than others is based on user preference instead of quantifiable data. Its not enough for patients to say i prefer this so you have to give it to me. Wednesdays hearing marked the procedural culmination of a three and half year process which Young Hopes will eventually give experienced cannabis growers the Opportunity to Supply products specifically tailored to the needs of medical users. The court could Issue a ruling by the Spring he added. The Case also has implications on the Way the government drafts and implements official policy said Young who is also a professor at York University yes Osgoode Hall Law school in Toronto. Under the current health Canada guidelines users of so called medical marijuana can either grow their own pot have someone grow it for them or buy it from health Canada. However growers can Only Supply marijuana to one patient at a time. The Canadian press Prairie Plant systems / the Canadian press archives medical marijuana grown by a flin flon contractor does not compare to higher Quality strains available on the Street patients who use it complain. Medicinal pot Case wraps up junking old car to reap Reward patients want to be allowed to choose grower generation of lost canadians regain their citizenship ;