Daily Archives: June 29, 2009

06.29.09
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Navistar set to slash staff, production in Canada

Posted by Ian:
We’ve been down this road in St. Thomas with Sterling Trucks, and now Chatham is about to find out there is no turning back when head office wants to shift production to Mexico. Today appears to be the beginning of the end for Navistar in that city as the once bustling plant becomes little more than a kit shop.

TORONTO, June 29 (Reuters) – Navistar International Corp (NAV.N) is set to significantly reduce its presence in Canada as it shifts much of its heavy-duty truck production to more cost-competitive locations in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

The company, which has been producing vehicles in Chatham, Ontario, since 1923, is set to cut its staff there by about 90 percent, the Canadian Auto Workers union said on Monday.

“We’re amazed that this company continues to do this,” said Sonny Galea, who represents office workers and technicians for the CAW at the International Truck and Engine Corp plant.
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06.29.09
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Ontario Lauded As North American Wind Power Leader

PR-Logo-Businesswire

TORONTO, Jun 29, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Ontario, Canada was hailed as North America’s wind energy leader recently at an international conference in South Korea, where George Smitherman, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, accepted the 2009 World Wind Energy Award.

The World Wind Energy Association presented its annual award to Minister Smitherman for his “outstanding achievements in making Ontario the leading wind energy jurisdiction in North America.” The international association also recognized the Minister’s role in championing Ontario’s Green Energy and Green Economy Act, calling the recently adopted legislation a decisive step toward establishing a strong domestic wind industry in the province and making it a worldwide green leader.
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06.29.09
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Who Has Heard the Wind – Do Wind Farms Produce Noise Pollution?

Standing in a home a kilometer away from the nearest wind turbine –one of seventeen at the Pubnico Point Wind Farm in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia –Tony experiences a sensation that he describes as “similar to being close to a high power car audio sound system playing drums. Both situations cause problems that I would say resemble arrhythmia.”

Wind farms have obvious advantages over more conventional power sources. Unlike nuclear reactors, there’s no radioactive waste to dispose of, no risk of catastrophic meltdown. Unlike coal-fire plants, there are no greenhouse gases to choke the atmosphere, no open-pit mines scarring the countryside. And unlike hydro plants, there are many more suitable locations compared to the relatively few available for dams.

Yet, no system is perfect.
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