Destroying a legacy?
Dear Editor:
Ontario’s conservation authorities and the Greenbelt are an extraordinary legacy for the province of Ontario.
Forward-looking, they provide essential environmental protections, significant knowledge resources and contribute to both the economy and the quality of life for communities.
The conservation authorities were created out of the environmental and human disaster that was Hurricane Hazel in 1954. The Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt was created in 2005 to prevent further loss of farmland and natural heritage and to restrict urban sprawl.
The Ford government’s Bill 23 proposes to drastically erode these visionary environmental protections with housing initiatives which are not visionary, but cookie-cutter repeats of the sprawl that has eaten up much of the best farmland in Canada, and which risks damaging precious water resources and habitats at a time when climate change is bearing down on us.
Bill 23 is a make-do solution to housing needs, with an eye to removing environmental considerations and public involvement. It is time for the province to take a serious look at imaginative, efficient, high-density and community-building housing solutions.
It is not time to put aside the best of our province’s environmental legacy.
Linda Sword,
Rockwood
A ‘twisted, nasty trick’
Dear Editor:
On the morning of Nov. 16, a group of about 40 people gathered outside our MPP’s office in downtown Fergus to point out the power overreach by the Ford government through Bill 23.
While this bill is supposed to be about improving the housing supply, it does very little to actually do that.
What it does do is reduce the involvement and ability to plan or appeal of municipalities and their citizens, the conservation authorities and local planners.
This bill had no consultation with First Nations or municipalities. In fact, it was announced on the Friday afternoon after the municipal elections so that councils were in their lame duck period and were unable to respond at all!
Doug Ford, prior to the last election, promised to protect the Greenbelt by saying: “we will not in any way entertain any proposals that will … open the Greenbelt lands to any kind of development.” He is attempting to break that promise!
This bill strips protections from 7,400 acres of farmland and natural areas, attacking the environment and democratic process at the same time, while pretending to expand housing while paying off developers! Quite a twisted and nasty trick!
Please call your MPP, send emails to Ministers Steve Clark and David Piccini stating your opposition to disempower municipalities, citizens, conservation authorities, and environmental groups while giving voice to utilities and aggregate companies in the appeal process.
Let us see if democracy can prevail!
Donna McCaw,
Elora
‘No mandate’
Dear Editor:
I strongly oppose Bill 23 and urge Doug Ford to scrap it.
He has no mandate to decrease the Greenbelt, nor to undermine the rights of citizens to participate in democracy, nor to change laws about flood control.
Annerose Schmidt,
Elora
Grateful vet’s daughter
Dear Editor:
Thank you everyone in Wellington County and surrounding areas for your beautiful Remembrance Day tributes and displays.
Your displays helped us remember how grateful we are for all our veterans’ sacrifices, and they helped us remember and respect our war veterans like my father. Thank you also to all the Legions for the long hard work they perform in organizing such respectful services at the cenotaph.
My husband and I had the honor of attending the cenotaph service in Mount Forest. I could feel my dad smiling down at this service as it was so well organized and respectful. Thank you to everyone who participated in the service to make it so special for my dad and myself.
My dad would have felt so honored by the amount of school children that took the time to show their respect by attending the cenotaph. Your attendance was so touching to the families of our war veterans like myself. A huge thank you goes out to the schools and teachers who took the time to teach our younger generation the importance of honoring Remembrance Day.
I also appreciated the Wellington Advertiser newspaper for providing us with the dates and times of the services in our communities.
Your Nov. 10 newspaper was such a delight for me, with the beautiful coloured Remembrance Day photographs and articles showing how other communities expressed their appreciation and honored our war veterans like my dad.
I am so proud to be part of a community who gathered together to thank my dad and other war veterans for their service and for the freedom they gave us.
Suzanne Yates,
Minto
Life worth living
Dear Editor:
It seems like just a few short years ago, Zack Morris would sit on the edge of a desk for a PSA after an episode of Saved By The Bell.
These PSAs were about various topics geared toward teens; suicide or drugs etc. I remember he would talk to us about suicide prevention. I remember seeing many ads on TV about suicide prevention. Perhaps I am aging myself, but these PSAs and ads seem like a thing from the past. These days we hear of suicide encouragement.
Did you know that as of March, MAID (medical assistance in dying) will be extended to all those with mental illness. In the past one had to have a terminal illness to be allowed MAID. Doctors were not allowed to bring it up, it had to come from the patient. Now, doctors can suggest it, and as of March, one doesn’t even need to be terminally ill.
Back when MAID became legal many people cautioned that it was a slippery slope. How far we have slid …
When did suicide prevention become a thing of the past? Why is suicide now encouraged? A man from St. Catharines, Amir Farsoud is requesting MAID because he has physical limitations, cannot work and his affordable housing is being sold. He said he must choose between housing and death. How sad is it that suicide is the preferable choice? Where are the resources for those struggling with mental health? Where is the concern? Where are the suicide prevention hotlines?
Please email your MP to discuss this concerning change in MAID.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts – reach out to someone, a friend, a stranger, a church or even me; and know that your life is worth living.
Catie Leistra,
Guelph/Eramosa
More tax breaks?
Dear Editor:
RE: Profits vs. carbon tax, Nov. 17.
According to thee International Energy Agency, the oil industry after expenses will have a net income of $4 trillion, double that of 2021. The Canadian government’s subsidizes the oil/gas companies $4.8 billion. The oil/gas companies are asking for $50 billion in subsides and tax breaks.
At the COP27 meetings the oil/gas companies did not agree to any new restrictions.
Chris Woode,
Fergus
‘Remember taxpayers’
Dear Editor:
I have worked in the private sector for most of my working life I have also been a councillor.
I have a major concern about the push for public sector workers to increase their wages and benefits.The private sector taxpayers who pay all the bills have had two-plus years of trying to keep themselves and their business operations open.
Some have gone bankrupt and most are hoping to look forward to a better future, so if you wish to strike remember the private sector taxpayers.
Kenneth Chapman,
Belwood
Sidewalk issues
Dear Editor:
It has started to snow again, and Centre Wellington Township is doing its usual awesome job of maintaining the roads. But not the sidewalks.
It snowed last Friday night and all the roads in Elora were back to bare asphalt by early Saturday morning, but only a few key sidewalks were maintained at all. Which means that by the evening, many sidewalks had been reduced to icy and slippery conditions.
With every passing year, we have more and more older people in our community, including a decent percentage who have some mobility challenges. We also have lots of young parents who still want to roll their strollers down our sidewalks all year round.
The township has done a stellar job of generally improving and widening sidewalks and did a lot of repairs this summer to remove and replace sections that had heaved and created hazards. We have new crosswalks this summer, and ever more trail signage.
But then winter comes, and the vision fails. There clearly is no consistent performance standard in place for sidewalks in winter. Last winter, weeks of consistent neglect by the township led to most sidewalks in town being turned into impassable skating rinks for many weeks. A lot of our older community members were seen in my area walking down the centre of the road, because that was being maintained properly and was the only (not really) safe place to walk.
We have the equipment to fix this. The people in charge are just not using it as heavily and frequently as they use the equipment that is maintaining our roads so effectively. That is a choice that is being made by someone.
If you’d like to know what better would look like, just walk over to the Station Square complex in Elora, any time in the winter. All the sidewalks throughout and around that complex are maintained by a private contractor. All winter long, no matter what happens, they are always as safe and dry as the roads in Elora are – in sharp contrast to the other sidewalks in town.
I’m hoping the new council can put this on the list of things to be fixed before we get too much further into this winter.
Paul Taylor,
Elora
‘Monstrosity’
Dear Editor:
A monstrosity is being constructed on the 1st Line, Elora. Who approved this project and why?
T. MacGregor,
Elora
Light show is back
Dear Editor:
Once again the 3rd Line Lights are back on in Centre Wellington. The large, free computerized Christmas light show is at 6067 3rd Line at Sideroad 30. We are accepting donations for the food bank and humane society.
We run nightly from 5:30 to 11pm. You can listen to the music from the comfort of your vehicles. From the Hendersons and Tosos, we wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas and happy holidays!.
Lance Handerson,
Centre Wellington
‘Radical makeover’
Dear Editor:
Every Ontarian who cares about democracy and leaving a livable province for our children and grandkids should be up in arms about Premier Ford’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.
Among its truckload of shortcomings, this bill steals precious land from the Greenbelt, even though the government doesn’t need to expand a single urban boundary to meet future housing needs – that’s a Doug Ford-manufactured myth.
Bill 23 also silences local conservation authorities and citizens’ groups with legitimate concerns about issues like gravel pits, and it overrides municipal planning decisions right across Ontario. And experts say it won’t deliver the affordable housing we so desperately need.
Plus, in this age of increasing climate havoc, Bill 23 will almost certainly wipe out green building standards in cities and towns where they already exist, and it will prevent other communities from mandating strong new standards.
This legislation also curtails municipal councils from collecting development fees that are so crucial to funding the capital costs of infrastructure and services for new housing, and financing other improvements to their communities, including action on climate change readiness.
So, fellow citizens, even if you have never raised your voices before but appreciate democracy, yearn for more affordable housing and want to leave your kids an intact Greenbelt, now’s the time, as Mr. Ford is rushing to get this done by mid-December. Google “fight Bill 23” to find many organizations taking action.
Bill 23 has got to go – or at least go back to the drawing board for a radical makeover.
Liz Armstrong,
Erin
‘Heavy-handed’
Dear Editor:
I am beyond despair as I try to understand the very heavy-handed Bill 23.
This bill is beyond belief in its scope to change the face of Ontario on so many levels. I am concerned that with the tremendous impact that this bill will have on municipalities we are going to lose sight of the importance and absolute need to protect the environment, wetlands, wildlife corridors, natural green spaces, habitat diversity and the extinction of many wild things who call these spaces home. The attack on our conservation authorities is reprehensible. What makes me very frustrated is that many conservation authority properties were left as gifts to be held in trust to prevent further urban sprawl and loss of habitat.
Jim and I had a lovely end-of-fall walk at Guelph Lake Conservation Authority. The sun in the tree tops of the golden tamarack was a sight to behold. And as a tribute to poet Mary Oliver there was a grasshopper on the trail. Further along a very, very tiny black snake sunning in the late afternoon sun. All three sightings so needed in this hurting world.
I am appealing to each and every person to think very seriously about this Draconian Bill 23. I pose this serious question. Do each of you not want spaces left untouched so that your great, great grandchildren will be able to stand awestruck before these miracles?
Each and everyone of us is part of the interconnected web of all existence and humans must stop working and behaving as it they are the only species on the web!
Stop Doug Ford and Bill 23, now.
Burna Wilton,
Centre Wellington
‘Heal first’
Dear Editor:
Re: Bring back health care, Nov. 17.
I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize how much we take our healthcare for granted. Adding an extra half a million immigrants to our population of 15 million with our health care in their current situation, it might just be that straw.
We need to unite our health care together and fix our shortage problems before we can add a heavier workload to our already overloaded frontline workers.
Shortages, pressures, overworking of the healthcare system, surgery backlogs and cancellations, are frustrating for residents of Ontario and the care-providers amidst the staffing shortages.
We as Canadians are coming out of a nation-wide health crisis and we need to heal before we can start our ambitious prehistoric, mass admission of immigrants.
Gavin DeBoer,
Centre Wellington