THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS PLACED ON THIS SITE FROM http://www.dragracecanada.com/hotzone/news/2008/January/03.asp

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AT http://www.petitiononline.com/Snakepit/

What Can you Do?  Here is a step-by-step suggestion:

  1. At the very bottom (see below) there is a link where if you need some help with suggested text for your protest you can get it.  Just highlight that and right click + add your thoughts. 
  2. Send your protest officially to the Minister of Environment (John Baird) and copy your Member of Parliament.
  3. John Baird's e-mail address is: John.Baird@ec.gc.ca
  4. Your specific member of parliament can be found on a listing here:  www.Canada.gc.ca
  5. Suggest you also copy the two Environment Canada contacts who are:
    Lorri Thompson lorri.thomson@ec.gc.ca and Markes Cormier markes.cormier@ec.gc.ca
  6. Be positive and affirmative.  Despite what you may feel personally -- be professional in your protest
    (no expletives!)

Some points to help with your letters to Environment  Canada, the Minister of the Environment John Baird, and your Member of Parliament.

Find Your Member of Parliament Here 

First be sure you are respectful of the person you are writing to. Emotional or belligerent letters are quickly delivered to the round file. It is doubtful that your MP’s are even aware of these regulations until we bring them to their attention.

While email is fast, a printed and signed letter will get the recipients attention. We suggest you do both.

Points you could mention. (IT IS RECOMMENDED YOU COPY AND PASTE THE INFORMATION BELOW AND EMAIL THE THE THREE EMAIL ADDRESSES ABOVE PLUS YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT).

Financial implications of the ban.

IHRA currently hold three national events in Canada.

These events attract a total of $7,416,800. in expenses spent in Canada.

The economic impact in the communities where these events are held is calculated to be $29,667,200.

Since the U.S does not plan to restrict leaded fuel for motor sports in the event of a leaded fuel ban the sanctioning bodies will not be able to hold any national events in Canada. All national events would have to be open to all racers, and racers could not be expected to bear the expense of converting to unleaded for only three events.

The tracks that service these events depend on the revenue generated to survive for the year. Grand Bend tells us that their national event generated 50% of their annual revenue. If they were to lose it their business would no longer be viable.

Thus money would leave Canada, tourism would drop and jobs would be lost.

Future events that could come to Canada will not be possible restricting growth in tourism, resulting in a loss to our country of substantial revenues.

Leaded fuel ban is discriminatory.

Since only motor sports use is to be banned the bulk of the fuel will still be burned in Canada. In fact from the governments own research, motor sports only accounts for 1.5% of the total leaded fuel burned in our country, the other 98.5% is consumed in aviation. Aviation already has a permanent exemption. Somehow this seems incredibly unfair.

Environment Canada relies on no scientifically documented test data that provides evidence that increased exposure to emissions created from leaded gasoline causes adverse health effects.  In fact, there is no evidence that racing competitions result in increased exposure at all.

The U.S., U.K. and Australia have not seen the need to enact a similar ban.  U.S. race teams, which constitute a significant majority of drag racers that compete in Canada, will not convert their vehicles to compete in Canadian events.

Track closings will lead to further street racing problems.

In the last couple of years there has been a tremendous effort to get the street racers off the streets. In virtually every pamphlet being circulated regarding the problem “Take it to the track” are the watchwords. Closing tracks reduces the number of places to send these problem drivers.