Activism for each and all

Prior to passing a law banning smoking in cars carrying children in Ontario, Dalton McGuinty's Liberal goons claimed they would not approach that slippery slope, but predictably, the slope got even icier. The promise not to raise taxes has been a boon to taxspenders, the latest windfall being the new recycling "fee" that will inevitably be passed onto consumers by the evil makers of what they desire. Soon, The Gimp hopes to ban not only cell phones in vehicles, but all electronic devices that could potentially distract drivers, despite previous assurances that existing laws for dangerous driving were sufficient. "I know what they've done in other provinces and other states: they've just dealt with one item, the cellphone," Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday. But police say drivers tapping addresses into a car's GPS system or emailing on a BlackBerry have big distractions, too, McGuinty said. "What about the next gadget that they haven't invented yet?" McGuinty said he has asked Transportation Minister Jim Bradley to look at some form of "next-generation legislation" that would cover existing electronic devices like cellphones and future gadgets. "I talk to the police and they say ... there's more than just one item (distracting drivers). I've asked Bradley to take a look to see if there's something we might do, which deals with distractors generally, and I think in particular, electronic distractors," said McGuinty. (The Red Star) Short of banning cars, the next best step is to get people ready for a province wide ban on plastic bags. First stop, the LCBO: Ontario wants to lead by example when it comes to protecting the environment by having government-owned liquor stores across the province stop using plastic bags, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday. McGuinty said he doesn't expect to see a provincewide ban on the use of plastic bags by all retailers, but he would like stores to follow the Liquor Control Board of Ontario's example and voluntarily phase out plastic bags in favour of paper bags or reusable cloth carriers. "I don't see that (provincewide ban) happening," he said. "We have some control over the LCBO and we can provide some direction on that score, and we can lead by example. I would encourage all of our retailers to take a look at what they can do to reduce plastic bag usage." Next stop, the opposition: Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said McGuinty should tell the LCBO to immediately stop using plastic bags and recycle any stockpiles of them rather than letting stores continue handing them out to consumers. "He should be saying right now, if plastic bags aren't the right thing to use in the LCBO, let's stop using them," Tory said. "He professes to be a great leader in these kinds of things, and I think he if was, he'd say ban it now." Just never mind that the science is far from settled. May the best lobbyist emerge victorious! cp: The Broom