It’s absolutely frightening - and shameful - to know Canada is goofing up as badly as we are on the world stage.

We cannot meet the Kyoto Accord standards to protect the environment.

As I understand it, the dangerous phenomenon of ‘global warming’ is essentially man-made, and, our prime minister seemed to off-handedly acknowledge the fact our Canadian industries were spewing out toxic and heavy airborne wastes that are destroying instead of protecting the environment of the most beautiful country in the world.  

We virtually have it all, from the marvels of the Atlantic coast with its fisheries and island provinces, to the majesty of the Pacific with the magnificent Canadian Rockies. And yet, we seem satisfied not to protect the gifts nature and geography have given us.

There is of course an answer, and it’s a simple one. The prime minister, backed by the full power of the government, simply says to these polluters…

“… stop what you’ve been doing, make the adjustments required or we’ll shut you down.”

Excuses like: ”… the changes are too costly …” “… it would take too much time …” “… we would have to build new plants …” “… consumer costs would rise …”

The answer to these objections?

“Irrelevant. What you’re doing now is destroying our country and contributing to the most dangerous situation the world is facing.”

I’m positive most of you reading this column can remember our neighbours across the border in Buffalo constantly digging their way out of waist-high snow drifts in mid-October.

I’m pretty sure many of us recall Canada geese flapping their wings as hard as they can to get the heck out of Canada before the landscape freezes over. Last week these same birds are touching down here thinking they’ve made a supersonic flight to the Carolinas.

The flowers are still blooming strong in the gardens on our condo grounds, and my wife wasn’t entirely happy about me cleaning out her flowerbeds and pots and hauling in the rose bushes a week ago.

I happened to be listening to the radio this morning and a fellow was being interviewed who was on a lecture tour in Washington, D.C. He was asked how the weather was after being told it was October cold and raining here. He said it was actually hot, not autumn-like or fall but hot.

This is wacky … this is weird … this is really quite scary.

There was a time when Barrie was considered one of the snowfall capitals of Canada.

We used to live in Toronto when first married, and on the weekends we’d save our money … it took us at least $10 to gas up the car, buy some weekend refreshments from the ‘spirit-shop’, get some snacks for a card game with friends, then drive the 60 miles to Barrie and sponge from our parents in terms of bed and board.

If the snow was too heavy, or we couldn’t get the $10 saved up, we’d have to stay in the ‘big smoke’ and that used to break our hearts.

Talking about ‘big smoke’; the next time you drive to Toronto, and, you’re gliding down the 400, take a look at the horizon above the city.

That mustardy/orange/grey colour you see hanging over T.O. is man-made pollution. We’ve gotta get a handle on this, folks. If we don’t, our bones might end up resting in the largest lifeless asteroid in the universe.

What a shame to have laid waste to a priceless gift.