At Home: Ottawa couple warns about plan to get the lead out
As if the debacle playing out on Parliament Hill isn’t enough, more signs of government incompetence have shown up in Ottawa’s lead pipe replacement plan.
As the CBC reports, the city’s program will ?replace lead pipes under the street and sidewalk in front of a home? on the condition that the homeowner hires city contractors to replace the pipes on the inside of the home (as opposed to hiring a private company to do the work).
Ottawa residents Susan Hoy and Twan Huynh decided to opt in to the program even though the city contractor’s estimate was $1,000 more than others?a substantial amount for most households, and especially so since Hoy is expecting a child.
The only problem is, the city never told Hoy and Huynh that the lead pipes under the street had already been replaced with copper, information that would have freed them to choose a less expensive contractor. As Hoy told reporters, ?It was actually more costly for us. And it took us longer.?
Now Hoy and Huynh are warning others that the extra expense may not be necessary, and are also requesting the extra $1,000 they paid back from the city, money that Hoy feels ?has gone down the pipe.?
?The city should know whether the pipes have been replaced,? she reasoned. ?And if they have, they should disclose that to people.?
In Foreign News: Pakistan students vow to defend against aggression
Following the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Antara News reports that over 2,000 students in Pakistan have vowed to defend their country ?against any aggression amid growing tensions with India.?
Students from Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba (IJT) staged a ?Defence of Pakistan? rally in front of the country’s parliament building. The protest included denunciations against India, the United States, and Israel, including shouted slogans such as ?Those who befriend America are traitors.?
One of IJT’s leaders, Zubair Safdar, is reported by Antara to claim that the attacks in Mumbai were actually orchestrated by India as a means to initiate war against Pakistan. Safdar asserted that Pakistan’s youths were prepared to defend their country against such aggression.
?India wants to occupy Pakistan on the pretext of the Mumbai attacks. Our students will defeat this conspiracy by India, America and Israel,? he said.
For its part, India claims that stateless ?elements? in Pakistan were behind the attacks in Mumbai, and is demanding that Pakistan hand over 20 suspected terrorists. The attacks targeted civilians in public places including hotels and a train station, and left 188 people dead.