Dear Editor:
RE: Councillor joins ‘End the Lockdowns Caucus’, Feb. 11.
I find it disgraceful that a councillor doesn’t know better than to be part of an extreme-right group, the “End the Lockdown Caucus”.
A response to the COVID-19 pandemic is not a violation of the Charter of Rights given the national, if not a global, crisis to eradicate COVID and its variants.
Instead, Centre Wellington councillor Steven VanLeeuwen should be more outspoken on Premier Doug Ford’s substandard job for his endless lockdowns that could have been avoided if he listened to real medical experts.
Looking at how New Zealand and Australia handled the pandemic; they took immediate action and only opened up once the cases were truly under control and daily counts were in the single digits and contained. If new cases pop up, they take immediate action, unlike Ford, who waits until it is a crisis before taking action.
Centre Wellington councillor Steven VanLeeuwen should also be more focused on why Premier Doug Ford has ignored the LTC crisis and unsafe back-to-school plans.
Australians and New Zealanders are back to a near everyday life, unlike the seesaw effect we have experienced here. Premier Doug Ford has failed Ontarians in every which way with the pandemic and every Ontario resident’s well being.
We need smart leadership at all levels during this pandemic, not the “End the lock-down” nonsense that does nothing to help eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, so we can all return to everyday lives.
There has been a lot of noise about vaccines’ availability, which they blame on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The shortage is not unique to Canada but a global problem. PMJT has ordered enough vaccine for Canada to choke a horse and then some. In time, Pfizer and Moderna will deliver as promised, and we need to be understanding that some things like delivery are out of our control. For one, I believe that in time, we will get our vaccination once Pharma delivers what our government has ordered.
Centre Wellington councillor Steven VanLeeuwen should be more focused on these things than the “End the Lock-down Caucus” nonsense.
I applaud Mayor Kelly Linton’s move to remove VanLeeuwen as deputy mayor.
John Akermanis,
Palmerston