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SA info & events in
Ontario and Canada
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GREEN ROOFS
Toronto, which had 18 smog alert days between June and September this year,is looking to get greener and is starting with a top-down approach. The development of green roofs on existing buildings - an ecological trend already established in European cities - has taken root in Canada to try to help reduce energy consumption, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The roofs are formed by a bottom waterproof and root-repellant membrane covered by a layer of cloth then matted down with a layer of soil. Toronto suffers from a phenomenon known as the "urban heat island effect", which means its temperatures are often four to 10 degrees C higher than surrounding rural communities.
"A green roof provides several ways to mitigate the heat through the roof. This requires residents and businesses to consume more energy to cool buildings and homes, which leads to increased air pollution in the form of smog and sulphur dioxide. The federal agency Environment Canada, the National Research Council, the city of Toronto and two environmental groups have established two green roofs - including one on top of city hall - to monitor and demonstrate the value of roof-top plantings. A study showed that even a minimal number of green roofs - about six percent across the city - can reduce summer air temperatures by one to two degrees Celsius. And a one percent decline translates into a five percent drop in the demand for electricity for cooling and refrigeration, creating savings of over a million Canadian dollars (about R6,4-million) in energy costs per year, it said. The study said the green roofs would also remove an estimated 30 tons of pollutants from the air.
PET PASSPORTS
Dogs and cats from the United States and Canada will be allowed to enter Britain without enduring the dreaded six-month quarantine - and just in time for Christmas travel. The government announced that from Dec. 11 its "pet passport" plan for vaccinated animals from Western Europe and some other countries will be extended to cats and dogs from the United States and Canada. The strict quarantine, long-established to keep rabies out of Britain, was lifted in 2000 for pets from Western Europe that were tagged with an identifying microchip, vaccinated and blood tested before they travelled to Britain. In 2001, the plan was extended to more countries, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Bahrain joined this year.
Now, after a scientific assessment concluded that there is little risk of importing rabies, the welcome mat has gone out for dogs and cats from Canada and the United States. "Many people in the U.S.A. and Canada have the opportunity to come and live and work in the U.K. "But some refuse because they cannot bear to be separated from their cats or dogs for the six months they must stay in quarantine," said Elliott Morley, minister for fisheries, water and nature protection. Extending the program will also help British residents who want to travel in the United States and do not want to leave pooch behind in a kennel. Now pets won't have to go into quarantine on return from vacation.
Discussions are still underway with airlines about approved routes and appropriate certification for the animals. Until that is settled, U.S. and Canadian dogs and cats will have to go into short quarantine, usually two to three days, while the microchip and paperwork are checked. The government also said microchips from the United States and Canada are different from European microchips, and this might create some difficulties. Since February, 2000, more than 75,000 dogs and cats from Europe and rabies-free islands have entered the country without quarantine, Morley said. Explanatory leaflets for pet owners and U.S. and Canadian veterinarians are available on the Web site of the British department for the environment at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/
 
 INTERESTING LINKS / BEKYK GERUS HIERDIE SKAKELS:
*www.e-klets.com
*Taalgesprek - www.groups.yahoo.com/group/taalgesprek
*Buying property in Canada - www.relocateontario.com/world
*SAFCAN - South African products available on line - www.safcan.com
*24/7 Radio - www.radiokansel.co.za or www.radiopulpit.co.za
*South Africans in Ontario - www.members.tripod.com/saontario
*Voetsek! - www.voetsek.co.uk.
*Nederlandse vriende - www.everson.info
*Kletshoekie vir Suid-Afrikaners in die buiteland
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/afrikaansexpats
*Breytenbachs verskaf volledige regsdienste aan
Suid-Afrikaners en ander burgers wat hulself in
die VK bevind / Breytenbachs provide complete
legal services to UK and commonwealth citizens
in the UK. - www.breytenbachs.com
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