If Toronto loses out on its Olympic bid in Moscow come July 13, blame it on overzealous activists on the Toronto Bid Environment Committee.
In their obsession to "green" the games as they did in Australia, Greenpeace activists on the local committee have proposed a ban on a plethora of Canadian products with false environmental claims. Unfortunately, tin is on the hit list and tin is a necessary component for the bronze medals which play an important role in the decoration of Game athletes.
Canadians will be shortchanged if restrictions on Canadian lumber, steel, tin, vinyl, chlorine, energy and a host of other products are enforced.While industry leaders may now be in the know, it is uncertain if the leaders of various trade unions have been brought into the loop about the restrictive, job-killing clause.
The clause, penned by David Cherneshenko, which can be found under Human Health, is posted on the Internet (Toronto Olympic Policy, Appendix one, pg. 5)...."Toronto 2008 is committed to avoiding all toxic and hazardous materials and compounds, including: CFC, HCFC, HFC, PCBs, PVC, asbestos, tin and cadmium. Eliminating or, if not technically feasible, minimizing use of chlorine in swimming pools for aquatic sports. Encouraging the IOC, appropriate sports federations and/or provincial/municipal governments to make any necessary regulatory changes. Promoting the use of alternatives to chlorine for treatment of drinking water, landscape features and irrigation. Promoting the use of locally-grown, organic food in the Olympic Village, media and officials' accommodation and by hotels, restaurants and vendors."
When heavy rains and flooding endangered the safety of Walkerton's water treatment, the utility's manager failed to increase the chlorination. According to public court records, he said he'd "heard that chlorine is bad for people." In Lima, Peru, where activists also convinced the authorities to stop chlorinating the drinking water, more than 2,000 Peruvians died in the resulting cholera epidemic--most of them children.
A closer look at the fine print shows that the Environment Committee of the Toronto bid composed largely of activists, including Coun. Jack Layton and prominent current and former Greenpeace members made recommendations that virtually shut out most Canadian industry.
As much as 98 per cent of Canadian timber would be banned, the use of vinyl, cadmium and tin in the Games' construction and operation would be eliminated. Although local bid organizers boast public imput, none of the industries affected had been consulted, prior to the decisions to restrict or ban the materials.
With the Environment Committee going so far as to ban the element, tin— an essential ingredient of bronze—the prospect that the Bronze Medal will not be permitted if Toronto wins the bid is a reality. Tin is a giant in modern day food canning (as in tin can) because it is non-toxic and protects steel cans from corrosion.
The Committee has also banned cadmium, one of the elements in nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries that are used for a host of purposes including cell phones, power tools, emergency power, camcorders, laptop computers, etc.
In their zeal Toronto Bid Environment Committee members may have unwittingly boosted the games going to Beijing, whose environmental policies are said to be more practical.
This is not the first time Toronto lost out on the potential of Olympic game-generated jobs, courtesy of activists. Left-wing politics poisoned the ill-fated 1996 Toronto Olympic Bid when a group of activists in the group Bread Not Circuses travelled twice to Tokyo, staging their protests in the lobby of a prominent hotel.
In 1999, Toronto Bid CEO John Bitove told Toronto Free Press he would be "adamantly opposed" to allowing an anti-industry clause for Toronto similar to the one that was ultimately deemed unworkable for the Sydney games. A few days later, Bitove telephoned to say that David Crombie did not agree with a TFP May 1999 story entitled "Greenpeace Tentacles Reach Toronto Olympic Bid", adding that Crombie had suggested that there was some doubt about the story's veracity.
On the job as Bid CEO for only a week, Bitove was reminded that he did not have to take Crombie's or TFP's word on the story, as the Greenpeace-generated clause for the Toronto bid was available on the Internet.
Toronto bid officials have been warned by experts that there is no scientific justification for the restrictive clauses.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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