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24 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE * Wednesday, October 3, 2007 Challenges continue for manufacturers ForWa!erloo Region manufacturers, the proverbial term of "what next?" has dominated business over the past month. Already contending with dramatic changes originating from lowâ€"cost forâ€" eign competition and declining Ameri can demand, the Canadian dollar recently reached par with the U_S. for the first time in 31 years. For exportâ€" dependent industries such as manufac turing, the dollar‘s escalation means products being sold into foreign marâ€" kets are increasingly expensive to the buyer. For local manufacturers in automo tiveâ€"related indus tries â€" estimated at 450 companies employing over 10,000 people â€" another crisis loomed when the United Auto Work ers recently comâ€" menced strike Continued on page 25 Something doesn‘t smell right. Ontario is shutting down its coal plants and fastâ€"tracking natural gas generation â€" a plan that will send energy bills skyrocketing. They say natural gas, intermittent renewables like wind power, and unpredictable conservation will meet our energy needs through 2014. But with nuclear supply and new transmission lines hung c Ontario‘s current energy plan is full of gas. POWER WORKERS‘ UNION A woice of reason up with lengthy approvals. it‘s the riskiest gambit. We can have affordable electricity prices. reliable service. environmental safeguards and abundant supply if we 1) finish retrofitting our coal stations with proven, readily available clean â€"coal technology; 2) coâ€"fire biomass like they do in Europe; 3) expedite nuclear supply. For the full story visit ; www.aberterenergyplan .ca