Tax ‘hurting people’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Suck it up,’ April 13.
I loved your cartoon on the carbon tax. I will get back $488 this year in carbon tax. It is costing me $100 per month carbon tax on my $500 propane heat bill, plus the price of propane went from $0.52 per litre to $0.80 which adds up to $1,250 for the season.
Groceries are up due to carbon tax as truckers have to pay more to deliver.
About 600,000 people in Ontario accessed Ontario food banks last year. Yes it is hurting people. Ontario food banks are in crisis.
Janis Aubut,
Rockwood
Families come first
Dear Editor:
An industrial site next to country homes? What township would ever consider this?
Every municipality wants to look after their residents, it’s job one, and the wonderful people of Aberfoyle are counting on just that. They need their mayor and councillors now more than ever to step up and support them and turn down an application to rezone a piece of land on which a major trucking firm has applied to build a huge truck terminal – literally right next to their family homes.
Seems a no-brainer; pollution, noise, waste, paved-over fields and major truck traffic in a small town is a bad idea. Residents and families were here first and settled beside land zoned for residential.
Families of Aberfoyle need to come first!
Eiji Daniel,
Aberfoyle
Keep Aberfoyle beautiful
Dear Editor:
Stress and worry have been brought to the doorsteps of the residents of Aberfoyle, brought on by the application to rezone a parcel of land directly adjacent to the residents lovely homes. How can this even be considered?
Who would want to have their children board a school bus or walk their dogs along lovely Gilmour Road if it becomes ridden with hundreds of cars each day brought, on by rezoning a piece of land industrial directly beside residents’ homes. And who wants more trucks on our already-busy roundabout and Brock Road?
And all this so close to our residences. Who would ever want this next to their home?
Residents of Aberfoyle are speaking up loudly to say “no” to the rezoning application south of Gilmour Road, which if approved would clear the way for a truck terminal, bringing with it more traffic, noise and pollution. We need our community leaders’ support to ensure this does not pass.
Let’s keep our beautiful Aberfoyle a town we are all proud to call home.
Susan Daniel,
Aberfoyle
‘Budget will hurt kids’
Dear Editor:
Premier Doug Ford’s new budget will hurt students. No matter how you look at the numbers, the Ford government is letting schools fall further behind.
School boards across Ontario have been clear: cutting pandemic education funding will mean less support for kids that need it. Ford’s budget cuts that funding by nearly $1 billion, even though the pandemic’s impacts are still being felt in our schools.
Now more than ever, we all know keeping up with inflation should be the bare minimum. But next school year, the Ford government’s public education spending won’t even come close. In fact, they’re over $1.5 billion short.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
This year, the Ford government has $20.6 billion in extra revenue. They’re spending $8 billion on corporate tax cuts and subsidies. If Ford valued public education, he would have made the investments our kids and their schools need.
At the end of the day, Ford’s budget will hurt kids.
Joan Drinkwater,
Fergus
Concerned about scams
Dear Editor:
It would be a community service if the Wellington Advertiser would accept reports of scamming from the area and have a small section in the newspaper where people could read about the scams.
It is heartbreaking to watch on YouTube stories of women and men being scammed and how organized this scamming is. One woman in BC killed herself in desperation to get out of the mess of being scammed.
I have first-hand experience where I heard by way of speaker phone, a scammer ordering my husband to go up and get his Visa/bank card immediately. The person on the phone turned into a harsh intimidating character which made me very angry. I imagine a vulnerable person at the other end becoming intimidated and frightened and doing what they ask. This is wrong, corrupt and evil. We get regular calls from scammers who we do not respond to.
Secondly, Marketplace is reporting a scam that attacks vulnerable Canadians, the aged and those with disabilities. They approach door-to-door and offer services to repair thermostats, floors, maintenance problems and then get the vulnerable to sign an agreement which allows them to take out a mortgage on their house at a rate of 25% with the goal to take over their home and they have done so to many people.
Will you please look into this and report on it in your newspaper? Marketplace reported a number of places where people have already been scammed and are in some cases, losing their homes to these crooks. They also do terrible maintenance jobs and left one woman without a spout in her bathtub to take a bath, others gaps in their backsplash at the top.
These are elderly people or in one case, an elderly person and a military man with PTSD. It is shameful that the Trudeau government is not going after this organization. They call themselves the Black Axe and they are worldwide but have centres in Toronto and Vancouver. They listed many places where people have been scammed already like Barrie and Collingwood.
Please research it yourself. You can see the reporting on You Tube.
Thank you for what you have done in reporting these injustices and warning local Canadians about the scams that are destroying Canadian lives.
Carolann Krusky,
Fergus
Agri-food system at risk
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Premier Doug Ford.
I, on behalf of the Ontario Farmland Trust, am writing to you today to express our organization’s concern about the future of Ontario’s agri-food system.
As you may be aware, Ontario farmland is being lost at a rate of 319 acres per day, a tragic loss given the limited amount of prime farmland in the province. Equally concerning is the projection that 40% of Canadian farmers are going to retire in the next 10 years.
These are significant concerns. Not only are we losing the knowledge and expertise of our farmers, but also the next generation of farmers may not have the land base and resources needed to provide a sustainable and prosperous agricultural sector and local food supply.
A robust agricultural sector is the foundation that ensures resiliency of our communities. It plays a critical role in food supply, economies, and ecological services critical for adapting to impending climate challenges.
Food production and a secure society are inextricably linked. However, we are at a critical moment where the future of our agricultural system is at stake.
I am urging you to pay attention to this risk to our society and to take immediate action to protect agriculture and invest in farmers.
Farmland needs better protection. The path of permitting urban sprawl on farmland should not be taken lightly, as this will have long-lasting impacts on the availability and quality of our food supply.
By protecting our farmland, we can ensure that we have a reliable and sustainable source of food for future generations.
The future of agriculture needs you to think and act for the long-term by investing in the next generation of farmers. Food production and equitable distribution is what allows civilizations to remain resilient.
The future of Ontario’s agri-food system is at stake, and we cannot afford to delay action any longer. Immediate action is needed to protect our farmland, invest in farmers, and support the next generation of farmers.
Martin Straathof,
Executive director,
Ontario Farmland Trust
AccessAbility Week
Dear Editor:
National AccessAbility Week is May 28 to June 2.
As a passionate advocate for others with abilities that may differ from ours, I want to educate and bring awareness to National AccessAbility Week.
I am the proud Mom to a young woman who uses a power wheelchair and daily experiences barriers in almost every aspect of society.
Unfortunately, these barriers are in every community and the most detrimental barrier is that of attitude. As a parent as well as an educator, my goal is to bring awareness, change perspectives and make daily improvements in our society.
We advocate daily and have been doing so for several decades helping to create Canada’s first boundless park (EveryKidsPark -80% accessible), having automatic doors installed in elementary and high schools, educating and providing suggestions for recreation, libraries, housing, transportation, and businesses.
National AccessAbility Week is unfortunately not known to many people in our communities. Please find further information and resources online.
I would like to challenge individuals, schools, businesses, and all aspects of communities to learn more regarding National AccessAbility Week, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and strive to make a difference in our cities.
Even something as simple as a smile and a friendly hello to others who are viewed as different by society is a wonderful way to begin.
Rosemary Christensen,
Guelph