Different ‘scopes’
Dear Editor:
RE: “Misremembering,” Aug. 13.
The Centre Wellington Heritage Committee is a very hard-working committee, which has great value because we live in an amazing community with many amazing heritage buildings and bridges worth saving.
Recently there was a letter addressed to the editor with concerns about “misremembering” and I feel that these concerns should be addressed.
It should be pointed out that Centre Wellington Heritage Committee (November meeting) did not offer an official opinion that was intended to be brought forward to council. These types of opinions or recommendations from committees would normally be brought forward in a staff report to council. The discussion at Heritage Committee was verbal and revolved around the parameters of what the committee should consider and the committee agreed that financial implications should not be in their scope.
It is true that I did not bring to council the fact that the Heritage Committee rejected the consultant’s finding based on financial implications because it is very clear that the Heritage Committee should not be considering such things in their scope of work. What was not pointed out in the letter is that council had a fulsome discussion about the heritage attributes of the bridges in question and council’s discussion followed the same pattern as the Heritage Committee discussion.
I am also quoted as saying “Jean feels the committee was bypassed.” This refers to the fact that the Heritage Committee still wanted to have their official report on the file without the financial considerations. I did encourage the committee at their next meeting to generate an official report that could go back to the council chambers for more discussion. Both staff and council were found willing to repeat the discussion in a following council meeting and the outcome remained the same. This second round of discussions happened because council and staff respect the work that is done by all committees and felt it was appropriate to engage with the bridge report a second time.
I do find it disappointing that we now face a Part II order requested, as this could stop the bridge replacement process by a year or more and these bridges are already at risk of closing. It may also cost the township up to $60,000 in excess of the actual bridge cost which will need to be spent in order to deal with the Part II order.
I do believe that the Heritage Committee, staff and council all have a strong desire to do what is best for our community but sometimes our opinions differ based on the scope of our responsibility. These bridges are slated for replacement because council’s scope of information to balance is wider than that of the Heritage Committee’s and thus the outcome may not satisfy all involved.
Council has now dealt with this matter twice with the same decision reached. Unfortunately, the residents who use these bridges will suffer the most while they wait for the Part II order to be completed.
Councillor Steven VanLeeuwen,
Centre Wellington
Fight ‘hidden quarry’ too
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
On July 29 in Milton you responded to a question regarding the proposed Campbellville (Reid) Quarry as follows:
“I am not in favour of that. I believe in governing for the people. And when the people don’t want something you don’t do it. It’s very simple. I know the mayor he doesn’t want it, no one wants it. I don’t want it. We are going to make sure it doesn’t happen one way or another.”
On Highway 7 in Guelph-Eramosa Township, just 20 kilometres from the Reid quarry, another proposed quarry is waiting for a licence to be issued, the so-called Hidden Quarry, proposed in 2013. It is a direct parallel to the Campbellville case:
– citizens of Guelph-Eramosa, Halton Hills and Milton donated $800,000 and countless volunteer hours over seven years to say “We don’t want this quarry!” It’s that clear;
– Guelph-Eramosa council voted on April 15 that the municipality doesn’t want it;
– our neighbour, the Region of Halton and the Town of Halton Hills, actively opposed it;
– MPPs Parm Gill and Ted Arnott were fully apprised of the community concerns.
What we got for all this was the interim approval of the quarry by a single arbitrator from the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal, which included an arrogant dismissal of the people’s concerns: “There is no question that a quarry will result in some disruption to the area during its operation. Twenty years is not a short duration.
“A generation will grow up during this time when, compared to today, there will be regular blasting and more noise and trucks. And yet in the longer-term horizon, 20 years is short . . .”
If your statement in Milton is not just hollow words, if you really do “believe in governing for the people” and if you are true to the commitment that “when the people don’t want something you don’t do it,” the citizens of Guelph-Eramosa and Milton (Nassagaweya) are looking to you to make sure the Hidden Quarry doesn’t happen!
Doug Tripp,
President, Concerned Residents Coalition, Rockwood
‘Don’t do it’
Dear Editor:
On July 29 Premier Doug Ford, speaking on Milton Now 101.3 FM radio station about the Reid quarry in Campbellville, declared, “I am not in favour of that. I believe in governing for the people. And when the people don’t want something you don’t do it. It’s very simple. I know the mayor he doesn’t want it, no one wants it. I don’t want it.”
A similar situation has been evolving in Centre Wellington for the past five years, namely the attempt by a foreign water bottler to obtain a permit to take 1.6 million litres of water daily from the Middlebrook well on the edge of Elora.
During these five years the community has steadfastly fought this incursion and township council has passed a resolution that “the Township of Centre Wellington is not a willing host community to any new commercial water bottling operations or the taking of water for that purpose under any circumstances.” The mayor, on many occasions, has repeated this statement publicly.
The actions of the community forced the previous provincial government to take heed of the random issuing of new permits to take water and place a moratorium on the practice. Mr. Ford’s government, when it took power, extended the moratorium so that studies could be concluded.
These studies have determined that Centre Wellington is at “significant risk” of not having sufficient water to meet future population estimates and the municipality’s own Water Supply Master Plan has determined that up to four new municipal wells will be required to meet demands.
The government plans to end the moratorium on Oct. 1. New policies will be announced soon.
The foreign water bottler, Nestlé Waters Canada has since stated that it is selling all of its Canadian spring water holdings, including Middlebrook, to Canadian-owned Ice River Springs.
If the premier truly believes in what he said in Milton in July, surely he must recognize that the rights of the people of Centre Wellington are as legitimate as those of the people of Milton. For five long years the people of Centre Wellington have made their thoughts widely known. They do not want the Middlebrook well to be pumped for water bottling purposes.
To reiterate from Mr. Ford’s Milton statement, “When the people don’t want something you don’t do it.”
Mike Shackleford,
Belwood
‘Keep it green’
Dear Editor:
The time has come where we are forced to examine our daily routine, prioritize our needs and redefine almost everything we do – and make it work as safe as possible for each other.
It’s not news that the pandemic created significant political, social and economic change. Many employees (ie. first line and essential workers) had to adapt overnight, other businesses halted for a re-think, some will never recover. Altruism and volunteerism increased as people helped people.
It was terrifying when we could not work to earn our income, grocery stores and basic foods were more restricted, families had to stay inside. It was a slap in the face to realize how dependent we are on our lifestyle of “things”.
The pandemic shake-up forced us to recognize how vulnerable we are, if we do not re-prioritize our values that extend toward caring for our Earth – the quality of the air, soil and water that supports our food, our health, the future of our children’s growth, learning and development, our business practices, and more.
Currently, parents, teachers, and kids too, worry about potentially going back to school in September. I listened to Ontario Today (CBC radio on Aug. 18) debating this contentious issue. Ideas are flying for a plan to keep kids, their families, and teachers safe. A popular idea is outdoor classes. Yes rain or shine and even in the winter! Some schools have previously successfully tested this. “We live in Canada after all.”
A great idea, however I feel a disconnect with Wellington County programs that support kids and learning that already exist, and yet remain closed. These disconnects are missed opportunities.
For example; when downtown Fergus was closed to vehicle traffic on weekends, customers complained that many of the stores were not open or had shorter hours of operations. The same issue exists with kids starting back to school. There are great opportunities for kids to learn outdoors about their environment and their world.
Before COVID most Wellington County schools from Grade 1 to Grade 12 accessed The Green Legacy Program for learning how to grow seeds, the value and outcomes of nurturing our land, interpretive nature hikes through trails and forest, attending presentations, gaining hands-on experience and volunteer hours. The space is there to carry on experiential learning for classes. The value of these programs is more important than ever.
I wish our school administrators and Wellington County would take another look at how they can connect and support each other, to build a better future, to keep our families safe, to strengthen our children’s growth, and an understanding of how environmental protection supports the political, social and economic issues of the day.
Pandemic lessons: Share the knowledge and resources that are available. Be creative but keep it simple. Help each other. Keep it green.
Nancy McFater,
Fergus
Green bin concerns
Dear Editor:
The “green bin” aspect of recycling is a 100% commendable undertaking by Wellington County. This program not only extends the life of our waste disposal facilities, but also puts this otherwise unusable garbage to a second viable life.
Commendations too for the efforts the waste collection employees put into this new endeavour. There are times when this new component to their job must not be the most pleasant task, but they do their job to the best of their ability in sometimes the harshest of weather.
There is one aspect of the program which must be frustrating to the collecting staff. To the general public, what we see are dark stains and trails of excrement from the green bins on the roadway several days after the pickup. My biggest concern besides the look of the roadway is the fact that this residue is a breeding ground and food supply for flies and other unwanted insects and rodents.
I am left wondering if the county put the cart before the inevitable horse. It seems that the desire to participate more fully in the benefits of recycling was undermined by the failure to ensure the trucks and equipment were in place to handle this quasi-liquid waste properly.
To ensure worker safety in this COVID endangered age, I don’t believe staff should be required to physically handle and dispose of this waste manually. Spills and leakage is inevitable given the current protocol. Coming recently from another county, collection of this sort is handled mechanically by trucks with appendages so that the driver never has to leave his/her cab.
Bravo for the initiative! Let’s be sure that we treat the folks that do the work are safe, and our streets are sanitary and clean in the aftermath.
Ron Johnson,
Mount Forest
Wear a life jacket
Dear Editor:
To the rafters who enjoyed an afternoon trip down the Grand River through Fergus on Aug. 22.
I applaud that the children were wearing life jackets. However, the adults were not.
In the past, I have enjoyed whitewater canoeing and kayaking, and I am very aware that any river can present unexpected nasty surprises, and that wearing life jackets is the only sensible thing to do.
Also, what kind of role model are you for your children?
There have been far too many preventable water-related deaths – I do not wish to hear about more.
Five years ago this month, I wrote another letter to the Wellington Advertiser, and I ended that letter by saying:
“I am also a retired physician, and I am well aware how quickly tragic events can happen – that not all tragedies can be prevented, but some can be prevented.
“Seatbelts for cars, helmets for bicycles, and life jackets for watercraft are all no-brainers.”
Millie Cumming,
Fergus
‘Complicated’ process?
Dear Editor:
RE: Puslinch takes first steps in Transportation Master Plan, Aug. 20.
This article mentions that Mr. Oliver Van Gerwen submitted a letter with a petition from residents on Boreham Drive asking for a couple of speed bumps on their street, or a sign.
Why does this matter have to be subject of so many delays, complicated criteria, parameters, Roads Traffic Volume Study and Roads Condition Index Study costing $62,500?
CAO Glenn Schwendinger seems to have an excessively complicated view of resolving a simple request by the citizens. A traffic volume study on one street is a simple, effective way to find out if the bumps are justified. Safety is a concern for everyone.
Why not accommodate the concerned citizens’ simple, straightforward request without a lengthy complicated and unnecessary process?
Agnes Belosic,
Guelph-Eramosa
‘Entitlement’
Dear Editor:
RE: Panic not a plan, Aug. 20.
Like Judy Wiebe, I too feel that I can no longer stand by in silence. I too find the attitude of Doreen Henschel to be galling.
Yes, protecting our democratic rights must be honoured. However, at core we must be mindful of each citizen. We must protect the most vulnerable among us. Many in our community has, or is dealing with, health challenges often invisible to us.
I am assuming that Doreen Henschel and her partner chose the pub in Waterdown because it met health and safety standards. These protocols were developed by doctors and scientists as is the directive for contact tracing.
Staff are being tasked with one more job in an already stressful business environment. I am confident in thinking that all health care workers are saying “thank you” to these folks.
We are all aware that our personal information is “out there”. Google, Facebook Twitter openly mine that info. To object to leaving your name and phone number at a pub seems very small indeed and begs the question, why would anyone patronize a business that didn’t meet provincial health and safety guidelines which, for now, includes contact tracing?
Those that stridently object, citing that it is their democratic right not to comply, represent to me the arrogance of entitlement.
Cinda Martin,
Fergus