sissituation would receive at least $2,000 as part of a proposed $50 million settlement of ahuge class-action suit. Guaranteed by the Ontario government, this tentative deal also callsfor the courts to supervise the compensation for those with much higher claims arising out ofthe deaths or serious illness of a relative. (Toronto Star 30 Jan.)Bruce Davidson, a spokesperson for Concerned Walkerton Citizens, said the $2,000per person offer was grossly inadequate. During the more than six months, he calculated,the town was under a boil-water advisory, each person spent an average of three hours a dayboiling and carrying water and traveling out of town to take showers. So if you calculatethat at minimum wage, thats more than $2,000 per person, thats about $10 a day. Fourplaintiffs are seeking $250 million in general and punitive damages in a class-action suit.(Toronto Star 30 Jan.)This sends a message to the rest of Ontario that diminishes the enormity of what hashappened here, said Davidson. (Toronto Star 30 Jan.)Comparison between national and regional views:The issue of safe water was presented in both the regional, The Toronto Star, andthe national, The Globe and Mail, newspapers. It showed that the national sides concernand proposition was different to that of the regional one. The national newspaper seemed more interested in the legal side of the matter. Itmostly discussed the issue of the legislations and bills to be passed. For example, thelegislation would require the farmers to train properly, have a manure-management plan,and give government inspectors the right, without warrant, to enter the farms at any time tocheck up on the operations of the farm. The new rules would improve the way of living forthe farmers and ensure that there would always be safe conditions for the water, and mostimportantly guarantee that no more events, like that of last years, would not happen again.The regional newspaper, however, presented it...
