Bad Erin roads
Dear Editor:
Where are the graders in Erin? A few years ago the roads in Erin were considered above average as compared to other townships. That certainly is no longer the case.
A new policy was developed to save money by reducing the frequency of maintenance. We have not seen a grader for over two months and here we are closing in on the middle of August and we have not had calcium applied to our road to keep the dust down.
Caledon, Garafraxa and other surrounding townships all have had their roads graded and treated months ago. Many places on our road are worse than in the spring thaw and the washboard and ruts rattle our vehicles. Leaving your windows open to enjoy the summer breeze just ends up with a house filled with dust.
What is happening at the roads department? If we don’t maintain our roads they will continue to deteriorate. Are we really saving money? If we are going to pay to apply calcium why not do it earlier so we can have its benefits for the entire summer?
Hopefully next year a sensible plan will be implemented. Sitting at the end of my driveway looking for a grader.
Mac Yule,
Erin
‘Staring at cement walls’
Dear Editor:
Can someone please explain why Provost Lane in Fergus is shut for seating between two buildings and on asphalt? No umbrellas lately as well, but even if there were, why would you want to sit there?
Just 40 yards away the Grand River sits where a much better use for the picnic tables and you can listen to the river with its beautiful view versus staring at cement walls and baking in the heat!
Just a thought.
Brian Mackay,
Fergus
‘Compassion and care’
Dear Editor:
My husband recently spent 44 days in Groves Memorial Community Hospital in the “blue section.”
Although he chose MAID (medical assistance in dying) and is no longer with us, I want to applaud the staff. From nurses, doctors, respirologist, X-ray and CT department, lab department, food staff, cleaning staff and anyone else I have missed, everyone was so helpful.
Even though they have had a very stressful last 2.5 years, everyone was very professional but also showed compassion and care to someone on their final journey in life.
They truly are an amazing group of people and I am thankful my husband was in their care. We all should be very proud of our local hospital and especially the staff.
Heidi Pieper,
Fergus
‘Faith-based voting’
Dear Editor:
In last week’s letter subjects included voting determined by religious belief on municipal council.
Those who disagreed with faith-based voting held views opposed to Centre Wellington councilor Stephen Kitras. Would they have still felt he should not vote if he held same view as them?
If his view was based on morals, would that affect the legitimacy of his position or should we only have amoral representatives?
If an atheist voted against the hospice letter, what would be the grounds for objection?
Chris Woode,
Fergus
Costco kindness
Dear Editor:
I am writing to share with you the amazing kindness I was shown recently.
While in line at Costco I chatted with a man behind me. He asked if I was shopping for my restaurant. I explained who I was buying for. He wanted to know where to find us. I gave him the online info.
As I was digging for my payment card he slipped in front of the machine and inserted his own credit card. He paid the $524 bill for us. I tried to get his information for a tax receipt and he refused.
My heart is still beating with an amazing warmth. There are still good people out there, folks. Keep hopeful.
Jennifer Bailey,
Marianne’s Place/Women in Crisis
Mistake of omission
Dear Editor:
To clarify what was written in the Arthur 150 Centennial Book, there are in fact two living charter members of the Arthur Optimist Club.
Jack Scarrow, currently living in Guelph, was not mentioned despite being a paid up, lifelong member. Being an active member does not overrule a living charter member.
Jack Scarrow,
Guelph
‘Corruption to the core’
Dear Editor:
Doug Ford needs to cancel his plans to build Highway 413. Study after study has shown it will only save 30 to 60 seconds in commuting time.
But what would actually help major commuting time would be to force the 407 to allow big trucks on it. The company that owns the 407 owes the Ontario government over $1 billion, so Ford has leverage to make negotiations and it won’t cost Ontario $10 billion like the 413 project.
Plus this land is some of the best farm land in all of Canada.
The owners of the land are all billionaires who donated to Ford’s campaign. This is corruption to the core. Ford is not for the people. Ford is for the billionaires.
Ryan Voll,
Guelph
Values Victim Services
Dear Editor:
Have you ever been involved in some really unexpected trouble?
Suppose you see an accident has occurred and the police are not there yet,what can you do? Or imagine your horror when you see someone about to commit a crime? What do you do?
What if there is a family fight that becomes violent? What if someone near you has a heart attack?
Would you know what to do if a senile family member has wandered off? Who can you call until the busy police arrive?
There is someone: a volunteer group in Wellington county called Victims Services Wellington (VSW. They have an office with staff to serve you! Their phone number is 519-546-5691.
Keep this number in your memory for a time of need
Sytske Drijber,
Rockwood
‘Free will’
Dear Editor:
A month ago I received a call from a friend of mine that I had not heard from in a while.
Brian told me about a fellow student that my husband and I had known as students at the Ontario College of Art. Our friend, Peter, had called me after my husband had died four years ago, and talked to me for an hour about my husband Mike and old times at the college, taking me “way back when” and making me feel so much better, even though I hadn’t seen him for several years.
Peter had always been a fireball, full of energy and vigour; passionate about his art; always positive and excited about life. He also loved sports of all kinds, and even as a young student, took good care of himself. He played football with a group from our class in the Grange Park behind the college.
They also went on painting trips together (like the Group of Seven). He became a teacher at the Ontario College of Art while at the same time, had a successful career as an artist.
Brian told me that Peter, who had been up north at his cottage a few months ago, had dove off his dock into the water and hit his head on a rock. This action made him a paraplegic. He lived for six weeks and then asked for medically assisted dying.
Who among us would have told Peter that it was against God’s wishes to allow him to go through with his decision? The God I know certainly would not have deprived him. After all, wasn’t it God who gave us all a free will in the first place?
In my opinion medical assistance in dying should not be accessible for children, teenagers or people with depression. In my own family there were four people with depression in their youth, including myself, and we have all recovered and have become happy, well adjusted, productive members of society.
Christy Doraty,
Fergus
Doesn’t believe Ford
Dear Editor:
RE: Wants action from MPP, Aug. 4.
The Ontario government is doing little to deal with the crashing health care system. With one in three nurses planning on leaving the profession because of burn out and salary caps, and the limited number of spots in nursing programs to train new nurses, the remaining nurses are required to work overtime and ER services have to be closed because of insufficient personnel. The government was aware that this would happen, but failed to take preemptive action.
In 2021-22, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) noted that the Ford government had spent $1.8 billion less on health care than they had planned. It seems they thought it was more important to brag about reducing the deficit than addressing the health care crisis!
The government claimed that some of the bills had not arrived when the FAO released the figures. What, maybe $1 million of the $1.8 billion hadn’t arrived yet?
Premier Ford says his government cares about the workers and the little guys. I don’t believe him.
Ron Moore,
Hillsburgh
Straight, to the point
Dear Editor:
I oppose the building of Highway 413.
Susan Buchanan,
Guelph
‘Let go of old ways’
Dear Editor:
I am saddened and angry to hear that Doug Ford plans to go ahead with the environmental disaster known as Highway 413. To be blunt, we don’t need another highway. Adding more highway does not reduce traffic; in fact, it promotes more cars on the road and will quickly fill up and become just another congestion nightmare.
What does reduce traffic? Disincentivizing driving (by making it more difficult/costly), and promoting other forms of transportation, like trains/rapid transit. In this time of rapid climate change, I am so sad to hear of our politicians supporting highway development.
We need to let go of the old ways and plan for a future that we’d actually want to live in.
Peggy Lucas,
Guelph
Pave over green space?
Dear Editor:
We cannot afford to pave over any more green spaces. Many creatures and insects are already in a major decline.
We also do not need over 17 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years.
A major highway all to save 30 to 60 seconds?
We need to increase green spaces; build affordable houses/apartments and create affordable, clean transportation facilities. For example, increase Via Rail/Go Train service.
Les Bird,
Guelph
Get heads out of sand
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Climate emergency’, July 28.
I wanted to send out a “hip, hip, hurray” to Ron Moore of Hillsburgh for pointing out the insanity of protesting federal carbon reduction initiatives, which cost the average person very little (if anything), while cheering on subsidization of the fossil fuel industry (which costs the average person quite a bit, both at the pump and through taxes), while we are living in a climate emergency.
The Ontario government insists on closing their eyes to this reality, and instead aims to dupe the average person into believing that carbon-intensive highway initiatives (that will plow over sensitive ecological areas while saving the average car driver very little time. if any), and smoke-and-mirrors “buy your vote” initiatives like licence plate refunds, serve the needs of the people. Totally false!
The well-being of people, workers, and the environment – which is the foundation of our economic and social health – is best served by a just and sustainable transition to carbon-free living, infrastructure, and economies.
Let’s all get our heads out of the sand and demand that our elected officials work toward systems-change that builds our resilience in a climate-uncertain future, rather than lining the pockets of fossil fuel giants and construction industry cronies.
Lisa Mychajluk,
Hillsburgh
‘Hysteria on steroids’?
Dear Editor:
The “crisis climate emergency” rammed down our ears daily is merely hysteria on steroids … or is it?
The Global Warming Petition Project has been signed by 31,487 American scientists including 9,029 with PhDs. These scientists do not think there is a climate emergency.
The site states: “These scientists are instead convinced that the human-caused global warming hypothesis is without scientific validity and that government action on the basis of this hypothesis would unnecessarily and counterproductively damage both human prosperity and the natural environment of the Earth.” There is also a detailed scientific article explaining their position.
The United Nations and world governments will not even consider that they are wrong about anthropogenic climate change but instead promote this narrative with hysterical force.
Why? The German economist and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) official Ottmar Edenhofer said in 2010: “But one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy. Obviously, the owners of coal and oil will not be enthusiastic about this. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole.”
What appears to be hysteria is a cold-hearted plan to make us into a Third-World country. They are well on their way to succeeding with rampant inflation and economy-killing climate policies.
Jane Vandervliet,
Erin
*Editor’s note: Over 90% of climate scientists believe global temperatures have increased during the past century and that human activity is a significant contributing factor.