![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||||||||||||
![]() |
The SVAO: Dedicated to the
protection and preservation of Specialty Vehicles
|
![]() |
![]() |
Attention: (Car Club
recipients) Please ensure that this newsletter is forwarded to your club editor
for reprint in your club publication. Any and all content of our newsletter may
be reproduced and we encourage you to do so. Text files are available by email
in Word format. Call the hotline or email r.g.spencer@rogers.com
Ray Spencer - Editor |
We will be reporting the minutes of our AGM plus an overview
from the NAAACCC AGM. Hello to all of the rest of you car nuts out there. As I plunk away at this with my best two-fingered method, I am telling the rain Gods that I've had enough and would like a break so the dirt roads can dry up and the Nashes can roll down the highways and byways. I like living "out in the boonies" but mud roads are a drawback. Just a couple of things to jog your memory on over the coming months. One is to get all of us to properly license our vehicles so that the SVAO can continue to try to get a "specialty" tag or plate that will recognize all that our vehicles contribute to the living history of our country. Those few dimwits who misuse the historic plates don't help us at the negotiations table in our attempts to make life better for everyone. While the SVAO does not wish to become involved in the policing of these few lame brains I would personally encourage you to report these infractions to your local police or to me personally if you feel uncomfortable with the first suggestion. Secondly, I had a few worried telephone calls on federal bill C-32 that our good friends in the NAAACCC have been keeping an eye on. Please see the following from one of their reports. Let's all help them in their work on this bill and its regulations. NAAACCC Report - April 2002 On March 30th Environment Canada published
the New On-Road Vehicle Emission Standards in the Canada Gazette. This document
can be viewed on the Canada Environmental Web Site http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/the_act/
under the The new proposed On-Road Engine Emission standards call for cleaner vehicles to be available in Canada starting September 1, 2003. The measures would result in progressively greater annual emission reductions of pollutants that form smog. It is estimated that in 2020, the proposed regulations will contribute to the following emission reductions from new on-road vehicles in Canada: nitrogen oxides (-74%), particulate matter (-64%), carbon monoxide (-23%) and volatile compounds (-14%). These new regulations will complement previously announced cleaner fuels initiatives including the proposed low sulphur diesel regulations and the existing low sulphur gasoline regulations, as well as the Benzene in Gasoline Regulations which are also part of the governments clean air agenda. These new emission standards do not apply to existing or vintage vehicles, but we can expect the government to take some action on older vehicles as they work their way down on their priority list. The NAAACCC is prepared to work with the government, on any proposed regulations that would impact our hobby, before the proposed regulations appear in the Canada Gazette. The NAAACCC has already initiated contact with Representatives in Environment Canada to participate under the Public Participation Program. Please
pay close attention to the beginning of the first sentence in the last paragraph.
Enjoy the summer but please check that your club has sent in the renewal for this
year's membership. Numbers talk when dealing with governments - Chris Whilans. Web sites Mike
Eddenden, the Lotus Club newsletter editor sent me this. Turn your sound up and
remember, it's an insanity test - you're not supposed to laugh. Environmental
Happenings Many years ago when the earth was young, Shelby Mustangs roamed the earth and the muser was in graduate school, a conference was held in Toronto by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I was ecstatic because I had the opportunity to drink beer with Ken Arrow, Paul Samuelson and other of my heroes at the time. Economic theory ruled the world and Vietnam was forgotten. But on the "pure" scientific side, much was made of a relatively new concept - the greenhouse effect and global warming. It was a complete bust as far as the press and the great unwashed were concerned. Just not sexy enough. The skin-out biologists were shattered because not one person was interested in their postulations. You have to remember that a lot of really big things were happening including Watson, Crick, Vietnam and DNA. Global warming was so far in the back seat it was behind the rear licence plate on the trailer. Fast forward a few years and all of a sudden global warming, emissions and the Kyoto Accord are the flavours of the month. Rain forests have been decimated to provide the paper for the environmentalists who inform us all that we are destroying the environment. Experts claim that mankind is destroying the earth. Other experts, eminently qualified, are of the opinion that the changes do not signify destruction but normal cyclical patterns. Who is right? Are we getting a true perspective on the issue or have the radical tree huggers usurped the media for their own propaganda at the expense of truth? You sure don't see much in the popular press refuting Kyoto. The scientific press is a different matter. But who, other than scientists and students, read the scientific press? Newspapers have to sell to in order to produce advertising revenue. Doom and gloom sells more papers than rational thought. Lorne Gunter, a columnist for The Edmonton Journal and a member of the Editorial Board of The National Post wrote this article for the March 3rd issue. Little evidence to back Kyoto: Even if computer predictions are accurate, changes may be natural There is a supreme irony in the rush to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to avert catastrophic global climate change: The same supercomputer climate models that are our principal source of "evidence" of manmade global warming show little if any impact on that warming from Kyoto. Even if adherence to Kyoto were airtight, the Earth would be spared less than one-tenth of one Celsius degree of warming over the coming century. If every developed nation followed Kyoto's rules to the letter, and no factory moved from an industrial nation to a developing one to escape Kyoto's regulations, we would save 0.1 C by 2100. It's hard to imagine if Earth is going to be devastated - floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires and spread of tropical fevers -- by the predicted rise of between 2.5 C and 4 C, that it wouldn't be just as devastated by a rise of 2.4 to 3.9 C. But that is all the supercomputer climate models predict from Kyoto -- less than one-tenth of a degree reduction in warming. First of all, I'm not worried about the predicted warming because the computer models have yet to prove themselves very reliable predictors of anything. Several of them were recently given the task of recreating the 20th century's climate record. They couldn't do it. Climate is a very sophisticated process made up of thousands of inputs. Scientific understanding of even the major ones, such as sunshine, ocean currents, air pressure, evaporation, precipitation and so on isn't all that complete. For instance, water vapour in the air absorbs solar radiation as fast as carbon dioxide, perhaps faster. Yet we have very little understanding of water vapour's role in climate change. And if the major inputs still elude us, the minor inputs confound us entirely. So when the scientists who operate the major global warming computers attempted to program their models to reproduce last century's climate, they couldn't do it. They don't understand all the inputs well enough to program their models to replicate the 20th century's weather record. If they don't know enough to "predict" weather that has already occurred, how can their computer models be relied upon to predict climate change that hasn't happened yet? Second, even if the computers are right, and significant change is coming soon (or has already begun), it may be entirely natural. At the turn of the last millennium, 1,000 years ago, it was 2.5 to 4.0 C warmer than it is now (and there were no SUVs to blame). There were vineyards in southern England. The southern coasts of Greenland were inhabitable. While perhaps not green (that may have been some Viking real estate developer's overstatement, like "just 15 minutes from downtown"), Greenland did support prosperous communities for about three centuries during what climatologists used to call the Medieval Optimal, before describing global warming as "optimal" became politically incorrect. The great calamities, such as the Black Plague, the wars of the Middle Ages and the disappearance of the Mayan, Aztec and Inca civilizations, did not occur until after the planet began to cool, when resources, crops and arable land became scarcer. So it's entirely possible the warming, if it is occurring, could be both natural and beneficial. But let's pretend for a minute the computer models are correct. The warming is on its way. It will bring hardship or even disaster. And we caused it with our industrialization. Therefore, we can stop it by changing our ways. Kyoto doesn't produce that stop. Even if we devastate our economies to adhere to the Kyoto Protocols, even if we all accept a reduction in our standard of living and tens of thousands of us are permanently thrown out of work, our climate still turns on us, according to the supercomputer models. Now here's the supreme irony: When the supercomputer models predict climate catastrophes from industrial activity, the United Nations, Environment Canada and all the NGOs and other assorted friends of big government (and foes of capitalism) rush about warning us that we must listen, or perish. But when those same supercomputer models demonstrate that the government interventions in Kyoto will have no impact, we hear not a word. If, in the first instance, our reaction is supposed to be "My God, the climate will change; we must do something," shouldn't our reaction upon learning the latter be "My God, Kyoto will do nothing to stop climate change; we must do something else"? The only reason I can think of that the same people who are alarmed by the first are not equally alarmed by the second is that between one and two, government stepped in to "save" us. Most global warmers have supreme confidence in government and profound skepticism of markets and the rationality of individuals. So long as governments and the UN are involved everything will turn out all right, even if their own "evidence" predicts otherwise. Hi, it's me again. I'm all for a clean environment. I hate zebra mussels and the folks who pollute the lakes. I believe in all emission controls, even automotive ones, although I'm not sure if I'm in favour of the added cost on both the acquisition and maintenance sides. I do not, however, believe that our vehicles, with their limited use, should be classified as gross polluters, blamed for greenhouse gasses and banned from the highways. There is great concern in some quarters (especially British Columbia) that Bill C32 and the Kyoto Accord ratification will mark the end of our community as we know it. People, we cannot allow our favorite pastimes to be destroyed by the media seeking profits and politicians seeking votes and publicity. If push comes to shove, and it might (only might at this stage - the sky is not falling yet) SVAO will fight. But we need the backing of the entire hobby. If you know of any clubs that are not yet members, get them aboard. If things go the way the doomsayers predict, we will need every ally and asset that we can muster. We need recognition! Hon. Sheila
Copps Madame Minister, I am a director of the Specialty Vehicle Association of Ontario, an umbrella group that has, for a number of years, represented the province's collector car community in dealings with Transport Canada and the Ontario ministries of transportation and the environment. Rather than bore you here with a long litany of our activities, I would like to draw your attention to our web site at www.svao.org for more detail on who we are and what we have been and are doing. Your ministerial mandate, as I understand it, is to protect, nourish, draw attention to and educate the masses with regard to our Canadian heritage. The vehicles restored, cherished and exercised by our community's members are an important element of this heritage. The "hobby" is vibrant in all parts of the country, effectively bridging gaps and disparities, whether regional, ethnic or political. An example of this is the fact that the SVAO, an Ontario organization, has had members from Quebec and is regularly in contact with other groups and individuals across Canada and even in the US and Europe. The recent perceived emphasis on Bill C-32 has caused quite a lot of concern within our community. People are worried that their vehicles will be removed and that sources for parts will disappear. While the SVAO has been assured by the Ontario government (environment and transportation) and by Transport Canada that our cars are not under siege, there has been no "official" word to this effect. Our vehicles are Canadian cultural assets and federal government recognition of this fact could do much to alleviate our present fears. Collectors, particularly in British Columbia, are very concerned that the provinces will mandate their vehicles off the road. A statement of interest in our vehicles and what they represent to Canada by your ministry would make it a lot more difficult for the provinces to remove them. Much has been made in the press about the fact that our cars are "gross polluters" and that they should therefore, be removed from the nation's highways. In fact, this is far from the truth. Data gathered on gross polluters was obtained from vehicles in the last stages of their useful life immediately prior to scrapping. We believe, in fact, that the majority of the worst emission test results were obtained from vehicles turned in to the scrapping programs in the US. These vehicles were scrapped so that major corporations, notably ARCO and Mobil Oil, could apply the pollution credits gained through scrapping to offset their own requirements for emission reduction as mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. We know that you are well versed and experienced
in environmental issues and would like to emphasise that: 2.
We have tested quite a number of them and have surprised the Ontario Drive Clean
testers with their low levels of harmful emissions. We are dealing here with responsible mature citizens. As consumers we are unanimous in our concern for environmental issues but believe that our "toys" are being unfairly portrayed by both environmental activists and the media. We also feel that, in practicality, the provincial and federal governments cannot allow lower income citizens to be taken out of their lower cost transportation. Too many people, especially in Northern Ontario, Quebec and the BC interior need transport and, short of the institution of a functioning national passenger railway system, these folks have no transportation other than older vehicles. These older, daily drivers will succumb to the dreaded tin worm sooner rather than later and will be removed by attrition. The greatest problem facing our community will, no doubt, be parts availability. As in the past, however, we have to assume that parts will be available stateside or from Europe with profits from the relevant transactions following the loonies in those directions. The benefits of our community to Canada are manifold. a.
Historical and Cultural b. Tourism
c. Economic In a survey conducted by the SVAO the average cost of a restoration was reported as $8,700. This is understated as a sizeable number left blanks where specific financial information was sought. Allowance must be made in any financial data for this phenomenon. In most cases, the respondent did not want to know himself the total cost of the restoration and definitely did not want his wife to know. The average amount spent annually per vehicle on maintenance, storage and insurance was reported as $2,270. d. Educational e. Political Can we meet with you? We would welcome the opportunity of meeting with you, preferably in Hamilton rather than Ottawa, to discuss the challenges currently facing our community. Can you talk to our people? The Specialty Vehicle Association of Ontario is holding its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, April 20th, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Ford Motor Company of Canada's head office in Oakville. Would it be possible for you to attend this meeting and briefly present the Heritage Ministry's and federal government's view (if any) of our community and our vehicles? Weather permitting, we usually have some interesting vehicles turn out and I am sure that you would find the people and vehicles of interest. Yours truly We received a letter from Ottawa stating, as expected, that the environment minister would not be able to attend our AGM. The object of the exercise, however, is a meeting with the folks who can provide some recognition. To this end, we sent the following e-mail back to Ottawa. Ref: Specialty Vehicle Association
of Ontario With reference
to your letter of April 3, 2002, we are disappointed but not surprised that the
minister is unable to attend our annual general meeting in Oakville. The invitation
was a long shot and we realize that federal ministers have much higher priorities
than a small group such as ours. We wish to discuss the challenges facing our community and the possibility of ministry recognition of our efforts in preserving a part of Canada's past and in effectively bridging regional, ethnic and political gaps and disparities. The heritage
benefits to the Canadian community more than offset the small amount of pollution
caused by our limited use vehicles. These benefits include: We are providing links to the past at our own expense and enjoying ourselves in the process. Our vehicles are Canadian cultural assets and Federal Government recognition of this fact could do much to alleviate the fears created by the recent perceived emphasis on Bill C-32. We feel that Ms. Copps position as Heritage minister, combined with her experience relative to the Kyoto Accord, uniquely qualifies her as an expert in the area of our concerns. At the time of writing, April 24th,
we are awaiting a response from the ministry. I propose that we do the following: Mail ? - SVAO, 3007 Kingston Road, PO Box 142, Scarborough ON M1M 1P1 |
|
|