Prevent disaster
Dear Editor:
RE: Board of health concerned about recommended lab closures, March 21.
Just 24 years after the deaths and serious illnesses that resulted from poor drinking water protection in Walkerton, we have another Conservative government putting Ontario’s drinking water at risk!
The Clean Water Act of 2006 took steps to protect municipal drinking water but did nothing for private well protection. This is a major gap in water protection policy as our ousted former environmental commissioner pointed out to this government.
Wellington County is full of private wells, not only in rural areas but within urban boundaries also.
Let this government know that they must leave those labs with water testing available or risk another public health disaster!
Call, email, write to MPPs to prevent yet another disaster!
Donna McCaw,
Elora
Keep it independent
Dear Editor:
The Ontario government is refusing to meet with organizations representing thousands of lawyers to discuss Premier Doug Ford’s desire for “like-minded judges.”
The Doug Ford-led Conservative, provincial government is refusing to meet with anyone, including professional law organizations within Ontario regarding the government’s recent changes to how judges are appointed.
This is one of the most dangerous things that they have ever done. Independent appointments are key to keeping a judicial system that works for all of the people of Ontario and not for a political boss. You only have to look south of our border to see a farce of a legal system where there is no “one justice for all” and how non-independent judges can totally train wreck the personal lives of all of their citizens.
I call on our provincial representative to object to this and vote against it. I also remind our federal representative to never consider a similar move federally.
Governments are to work for the people, not the politicians.
Thomas Althouse,
Fergus
‘Too simple’?
Dear Editor:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to institute a “National Food Program” to provide “nutritious” meals for students .
In some manner, the children will be given meals at school.
Would it not be much simpler to give the parents the funds and let them supply the “nutritious” meals each morning ?
I guess that’s too simple for federal politicians.
Jim McClure,
Crieff
‘Nonsense’
Dear Editor:
RE: Show us a plan, March 28.
It gets tiring to hear when those who say the Conservatives have no plan.
The last Conservative government brought in industrial plan for climate change. Some experts state that plan does the most for climate protection. Heavy industry has done much in this regard whether it’s in steel manufacturing; some agricultural.
All of this has been done by either technology or changing to natural gas for production of electricity. Past climate conferences world wide identified natural gas as a targeted clean technology for electricity production.
The current Conservative Party still emphasizes these methods as a climate plan. So stop saying they fail to have a plan. What they’re planning is to not tax individual Canadians.
It seems strange that the current government accepts plans from BC and Quebec without question but rejects mostly Conservative-governed provinces’ plans for climate and definitely the energy-rich ones. How convenient that they do not meet the Liberal standards. It shows utter disdain for those provinces, particularly Alberta, who have paid for most of our social programs for decades.
The smart money would be on a party who sees that Canada is rich in resources, has only a 1.5% of the world’s carbon footprint and could be providing natural gas to our allies and many developing countries to help if the want to get off coal and other dirty methods of creating electricity.
And if the current carbon tax is doing such great things in our PM’s words – it’s working, it’s been here since 2019 and even he says that the climate events (fires, floods, etc.) are getting worse each year. Hardly testimony that his plan is working.
Finally, in what world can anyone accept that you’re being taxed but we are giving you more back? That is nonsense.
And yes, I’m perfectly okay with getting rid of the tax and losing the rebate, thank you.
Doak McCraney,
Guelph
‘The DEI agenda’
Dear Editor:
Thank you for informing us that our tax dollars are paying for menstrual products for all federally regulated employers. This is just another example of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agenda that is soaking the taxpayers of this post-national country.
DEI has infected the Supreme Court, too. On March 8, Justice Sheilah Martin referred to a woman as “a person with a vagina” in a written judgement. We are now defined by one body part. A man is now “a person with a penis” by the same logic.
In order for “equity of outcome” to reign the government needs to put in place a program similar to pharmacare that provides all Canadian “persons with a vagina” their needed menstrual products free of charge. After all, “persons with a penis” don’t have the same expenses. And, to provide these products to just federally regulated employees is not “equity.”
While I think my logic on “equity” policy is correct, on second thought I think I would rather have our tax dollars spent on equipping the military with up-to-date ships, planes, tanks and whatever else is needed to get our borders back.
Jane Vandervliet,
Erin
A ‘strange group’
Dear Editor:
Kate Middleton’s disclosure speaks for itself and is her and her family’s business. I wish her well but there are a lot of other issues deserving of way more attention.
Perhaps the media will stop this infatuation but of course it is the fault of such interest by a strange group in our society. These are merely people thrust into weird outdated roles who end up rich and dysfunctional. In a way they are victimized.
It is beyond me why the public is so obsessed creating a market for the media. This young lady has had health issues. It is her business and why does anyone care so much? At a time when we wish to fight for democracy and not resembling old autocratic monarchies, and recognize the middle class is to be nurtured and the key to prosperity for all, it escapes me how a vestige from a lost imperialistic empire is somehow a matter of interest.
But then again I have trouble comprehending the MAGA group.
Timothy Flannery,
Elora
Taxpayers ignored
Dear Editor:
RE: Community ignored (March 14) and ‘Arrogance of council’ (Feb. 15.
Letter writers Chris McLean and Sonia Day are spot-on.
Centre Wellington council has lost their way. The taxpayers who voted them into office have been ignored from day one. They gave themselves a pay raise; we have the highest taxes of any community; and they increased water and sewage rates.
The wants or needs of taxpayers are totally ignored for council’s self-interests or the interest of certain business people and developers.
It’s time the mayor stopped taking pot shots at the previous council and look in his own backyard.
Get back to being a productive council and do the job the taxpayers elected you to do for them.
J. Alexander,
Fergus
Read more carefully
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Incredulous thinking,’ April 4.
In his amusing letter, David Fast tells us he can’t believe “there really are people like Hank Davis.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Fast doesn’t seem to have read my March 28 letter (Beliefs not shared) very carefully. Like him, I believe that libraries should house material about religion. I just don’t think they should limit their coverage to Christianity.
There’s also room on our shelves for the Quran, the Talmud, and some of the brilliant works about atheism and its place in the modern world. Make it all available. If you limit shelf space to the New Testament, you risk sending a message that Christianity is the only religion or, worse yet, the best one.
That is what I argued against, not that religion has no place on the shelves of our county libraries.
Hank Davis,
Puslinch
‘Alarming trend’
Dear Editor:
This letter is regarding a matter that affects us all: the alarming prevalence of drivers distracted by their phones.
It’s disheartening to witness the reckless disregard for safety on our roads as drivers, seemingly oblivious, veer into oncoming lanes with their attention fixated elsewhere.
Last week’s harrowing experience, where I was compelled to swerve onto the shoulder to avert a head-on collision, underscores the gravity of this issue.
It’s a stark reminder that the consequences of distracted driving are not confined to statistics but have real, potentially devastating impacts on lives.
We must collectively acknowledge that this behavior surpasses even impaired driving in its perilousness. It’s imperative that we take concerted action to address this epidemic before more lives are needlessly endangered.
Let’s work together to advocate for stricter enforcement of laws against phone use while driving, raise awareness about the dangers of distraction, and foster a culture of responsibility behind the wheel.
Only through concerted effort can we hope to curb this alarming trend and ensure the safety of all road users.
Andrew McCabe,
Rockwood
‘Hell-bent’ on ‘handouts’
Dear Editor:
RE: No free lunch, April 4.
On the nightly news I watch as the federal Liberal government desperately tries to shore up their dwindling popularity promising, with reckless abandon, all sorts of feel good programs.
Free dental, free lunches, Pharmacare, cheap child care and loans to building contractors (remember people struggling to pay back COVID-19 loans?).
Why is this government so hell-bent on making Canadians dependent on their benevolent handouts? I am not an accountant or a financial whiz, I just know you can’t keep spending without repercussions.
The interest alone generated on this pathetic attempt to woo Canadians into thinking the government has unlimited funds will never be paid off. Nothing is free and the sooner we as Canadians realize that the better.
In 2014, Trudeau said “the budget will balance itself” and he would have a few “modest deficits.”
I wonder what happened there.
Just saying.
Donna Shaw,
Mount Forest