Choker lanes a joke
Dear Editor:
Here we go again, another lousy idea from our council.
Firstly, the pictures accompanying the report are a joke. How can you compare a quiet residential street to a busy main street to say the choker lanes are appropriate for Arthur?
Secondly, the picture of Arthur is not a true representation of the traffic, which is usually bumper to bumper with a lot of transport and delivery trucks.
The street in Arthur may be called George Street/Smith Street but it is still Highway 6, a main artery to Owen Sound and cottage country, plus there are three sets of traffic lights between the south and north ends of Arthur, which prevent speeding and congestion.
There is only one lane in either direction so if choker lanes are installed I can just imagine the traffic congestion as the drivers try to get around the choker sections.
Due to the amount of driveways entering Highway 6 in Arthur the choker sections will eliminate much of the curbside parking, which the merchants and handicapped drivers rely on.
I don’t expect council to take notice of my opinion – after all we got an unwanted roundabout on Frederick Street and a median on Frederick at the corner of George Street which eliminated the turning lanes – but I have to get my opinion on record.
Lesley Morris,
Arthur
CPR suggestion
Dear Editor:
RE: Centre Wellington firefighter receives medal for off-duty heroism, Jan. 14.
When Centre Wellington firefighter Jamie Hiller suggested that everyone should know CPR I could not have agreed more.
As a matter of fact, I have been telling my wife, family and friends for over 20 years that I have often thought that all children should be taught a St. John Ambulance CPR class in school.
Just think of how many lives could be saved if every child got the course and grew up knowing how to save a life.
I understand that you have to be re-certified every year or so for the St. John’s course, but once you are taught you never forget how.
Thank you, Mr. Hiller, for smashing windows and jumping into cars to save people, I am not sure we all have that in us. You obviously were put on this earth for a reason.
You really hit the nail on the head with your CPR suggestion.
Dennis Ransome,
Mount Forest
Wonderful ladies
Dear Editor:
I just wanted to publicly say thank you … to what I call the “wound clinic “ in Fergus.
These wonderful ladies are there seven days a week, bandaging serious wounds, after a severe injury or surgery. These ladies are kind, compassionate and caring. We are so very fortunate to have such a clinic!
We truly live in a wonderful part of the world, where people will help us to heal.
David Chamberlain,
Fergus
‘Just the facts’
Dear Editor:
RE: Started with Harper, Jan. 7.
I would like to say thank you for bringing to my attention that it was the Harper government that initiated training exercises with the Chinese Communist Party. I am not impressed with either; not the Conservative Party nor the Liberal Party.
This “bill” could have been vetoed like so many other initiatives that PM Justin Trudeau found distasteful, but it wasn’t until our “two Michaels” had been kidnapped by China that our Canadian Armed Forces cancelled any further training, much to PM Trudeau’s chagrin.
Training did occur contrary to what Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan stated. Minister Sajjan, apparently an exemplary military man, has made the odd false statement as well. Sajjan proclaimed – and later retracted and apologized – that he “engineered” the Canadian-led NATO offensive against the Taliban during the Afghan War, the largest such operation in decades. This was false.
All parties need to be truthful and transparent. So does every journalist and news outlet. Just the facts ma’am (and sir) … just the facts.
They owe this to every Canadian.
Delsie Drover,
Belwood
Hates new slogan
Dear Editor:
I have given great thought to the debate over the new Mount Forest signs. I have heard arguments and counter arguments, but there is one thing that remains.
We have lost some of our identity and individuality, and, with the talks about redoing the water tower, now is the time to speak up.
I have only been a resident of this wonderful, amazing, spunky, town for the last 17 years, give or take a few months. However, in that amount of time I have come to realize a few things.
1) This town prides itself on its history and on its foundation.
2) They pass things down from generation to generation and the people who have had their families here through the generations can tell you things that most would have long forgotten.
3) It’s a small town, and it prides itself on small-town charm.
4) That slogan “High, Happy and Healthy” means a lot to a lot of people (more than 60 years ago Jack Johnson, a former mayor and MPP suggested it in a slogan naming contest).
People identify Mount Forest with that slogan and by removing it you’re taking away part of our individuality and our heritage and our history. You’re taking away part of what makes Mount Forest, Mount Forest.
If we cannot keep the slogan on the water tower, which at the end of the day is what most people are requesting, then I graciously request that Arthur and all those under your jurisdiction have their town slogans that are true to each town replaced with the same one we were given.
After all, we are all located in Wellington North. “High-Happy-Healthy” was replaced with “Simply Explore” which is used in Wellington North tourism marketing.
Mayor Andy Lennox told the Advertiser on Sept. 18 that, “It’s incredibly unfortunate that someone chose vandalism as their way to express their dissatisfaction with the sign change.”
Well, Mayor Lennox, I hope the emails that you are receiving are not going to fall on deaf ears. We are standing up, and we are choosing to email and contact you to request you keep our slogan alive! “Community pride at its best,” Lennox stated. Well, Mr. Mayor, this is it. This is pride in our community. Just the way it is. With our same old slogan.
If we have to lose some of our identity, we should all stand in unity under one slogan.
Kayla Young,
Mount Forest
Be considerate
Dear Editor:
I am writing to point out a safety point which could be solved by those people who are piling their garbage and recycling containers on top of the snowbanks in the community.
It cannot be an easy task for those picking up these items to have to climb a snowbank and maintain their footing in the snow and ice.
Most people have driveways in which the bags and boxes could be placed (after they have left for work or as space provides). Please give some well deserved consideration to these hard working people.
Len Creary,
Fergus
Kind trucker
Dear Editor:
Recently when driving home from our daughter’s place in Waterloo, we had an issue that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.
We pulled our car to the side of the highway and I carefully got out and tried to flag down help. Three cars went zooming by at a fast speed, but low and behold a trucker pulled in front of our car and came to see if he could help. Indeed he did and soon we were on our merry way.
It was heartwarming, in these days of rushing folks here and there, that he would take the time to stop. Truckers have always had the reputation of being good drivers, obeying the rules of the road.
We wish all of you safe driving and good health, peace and plenty of joy now and always.
Bob and Mary McIntee,
Mount Forest
Fortunate community
Dear Editor:
We are very fortunate to live in this community, which becomes more evident as this crazy COVID virus has taken hold of all our lives.
It is very reassuring to know of all the people from medical, police and fire and small businesses that are “there” for us.
In the late spring, my 96-year -old mother passed away peacefully at the retirement home where she had resided for the past eight years. She was able to stay in her own room as her health declined.
The medical care she received and the emotional, informative support our family received was exceptional, from her family doctor to the nursing staff and all other support staff at the retirement home, LHIN, CarePartners and Bayshore palliative nursing. Their caring and professional expertise was sincerely appreciated. Everyone seemed to be “one step ahead” of what was needed. Thank you again!
We have exceptional help in this community and aren’t we fortunate!
Karen Townsend,
Fergus
Seniors’ fitness
Dear Editor:
Kudos to Centre Wellington council and staff.
I wanted to express my appreciation to council for allowing the senior’s centre in Fergus to offer free Zoom fitness classes during the COVID lockdown.
The staff are great at organizing classes and allowing for safe pickup of small items for exercise. The instructors are very good and describe ways to alter a specific exercise for participants that may have a physical challenge.
I have also heard several seniors express their gratitude for not having to walk or drive to the centre during icy, snowy winter months. An added psychological bonus is the few minutes of socializing before a class starts. This helps promote positive feelings and a sense of belonging to a group with the purpose of staying healthy and happy. Well done!
Cathy Novosad,
Fergus
Better system needed
Dear Editor:
The failure to keep the COVID-19 virus out of long-term care homes shows that a better system of care needs to be developed.
Most of the people who die from the virus are associated with long-term care homes. Workers are bringing the virus in. Warehousing dozens and in some homes hundreds of vulnerable people in one building was a recipe for the disaster we see unfolding in Ontario today. How can we prevent this horror?
One idea that may work is to pay relatives to care for their elders at home. This is an option in the U.S. Of course, the pay must be adequate and respite available.
Another option may be to severely restrict the size of long-term care homes and make them all not-for-profit accountable to the residents and/or their guardians.
Some may say this will cost too much, but look at the result of warehousing the elderly today. Our freedom is severely restricted. Our health-care system is under siege. Our economy is partly shut down. Businesses are bankrupt and the country’s debt has ballooned. Our great great grandchildren will be paying for this.
We need to think hard about this as we all get old, but thinking also needs to result in action to create a better system of care.
Jane Vandervliet,
Erin
Super spreader Sunday?
Dear Editor:
Shame on every church who blatantly defies or plans to defy universal COVID-19 legislation. Instead of shining a light on a world that is darkened by this “power of the air”, you are an example of utmost arrogance. As opposed to an organization that is to be an example of light and life, you are contributing to the increase of darkness and death!
How does this compare with Romans 13:1-5, or I Peter 2:13-15? Or have you torn those references out of your Bibles? If you were an Object of religious persecution, then maybe you would be justified. You are not!
These are restrictions placed on all non-essential services. If you claim to provide an essential service, it can be done within the parameters already set via restricted assembly or technology.
There is even technology that enables your finances to be maintained by those who wish to donate. Currently your behaviour is encouraging religious persecution but for the wrong reasons! (1 Peter 2:20)
I plead with those who already hold a distaste for this religious institution. They are not all the same! I am thankful my church is not defying this legislation, or I would disassociate myself from it.
Michael Benson,
New Dundee
Teflon Trudeau
Dear Editor:
The invention of that magical non-stick coating Teflon dates way back to 1938, and has been around and improved over the last 80 years.
Developed by an American scientist, Roy Plunkett, it was first used only for industrial and military applications. Now, it is in every household kitchen, in many fabrics including carpeting and furniture, on the windshield wipers of our automobiles, and enveloping the façade of our current prime minister.
Designed so that nothing sticks to it (or him), political mistakes just don’t end up sticking and being the responsibility of the wearer, in this case, our prime minister.
Take for example his “blackface” and “brown face” errors in judgement which seem to have washed away with little political consequence. Consider the international embarrassment caused to Canada with his “costume party” wardrobe trip to India. Look at the SNC Lavalin affair which cost his best friend Gerald Betts his job, along with Jane Philpot and Jodie Wilson-Raybould. It was the PMO that was responsible for this controversy and favouritism to this company in his riding. He stands bright and shiny, while all the others have fallen into the scrapheap of Canadian politics.
Remember the “WE” charity affair, which resulted in Canada losing our finance minister along with the departure from Canada of the charity itself.
Now Trudeau’s princess governor general, vetted improperly by him, has shown her true colours, and now she will be sliding off the pallet of public scrutiny (albeit not without all the financial perks of the position).
How is our prime minister so able to not become stuck with any of his own poor choices or misguided decisions?
Could it be his knowledge of financial responsibility and politics? Does he have any clue that all of his multi-billion-dollar schemes must eventually be repaid by generations to come?
Could it be his devotion to Canadian industry? Hundreds of Canadian companies re-tooled their factories to make PPE and sanitizer for hospitals throughout this epidemic. He, on the other hand, bought supplies from China, often sub-standard and ironically from the very source of this epidemic.
He talks a good talk about gender equality, but who has he allowed to fall on her own sword? Do the aforementioned names, Philpot, Wilson-Raybould and Payette, not ring a bell? All his choices!
So, like Teflon, very little stain has ever stuck to Trudeau. Many others have fallen into the political scrap heap. I’m hoping that his layer of Teflon is getting thinner and thinner. With an upcoming election, Canada, wake up, peel off the Teflon, and see this self-centred man for what he really is!
Ron Johnson,
Mount Forest
‘Side effects’
Dear Editor:
RE: Vaccines work, Jan. 21.
I was confused by a couple of statements in the letter from Marg Gollinger, who mentions that the vaccine does not stop you from getting the virus and does not stop the transmission. Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated this also. You can still get SARS-COV2 (the infection) and it may lessen the symptoms of COVID-19, basically turning people into asymptomatic carriers.
I have asked various levels of governments what they expect the vaccine to actually do, without an answer from any of them. Maybe local MOH Dr. Nicola Mercer or her spokesperson would like to confirm what their expectations of the vaccine are, since you can still get the SARS-COV2 virus.
Ms. Gollinger suggests that we all get vaccinated because they work. If the vaccine does not stop us from contracting and transmitting SARS-COV2 what does “they work” mean? And how after such a short and limited testing period is she sure that they “work”? Because of the 196 people in the Moderna test?
There is no mention of possible side effects, she suggests that we should just blindly roll-up our sleeves, ignoring the 33 seniors that died this past week in Norway after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. There have been others also, like the 56-year-old doctor in Miami who died around Christmas thinking that he should be setting a good example. In the past week in San Diego, there were serious allergic reactions that occurred one after the other.
Ms. Gollinger also mentions that the vaccine will produce antibodies for long-term protection. How is she able to state this when testing has been so short and no one knows how long the protection will last?
Obviously, it is a personal decision that we all need to make but be sure you understand what the vaccine will do and, more importantly, not do.
And be aware of the possible immediate side effects and the long-term side effects that the health officials do not have any data on with this vaccine.
David Bonk,
Erin
(Editor’s note: Reactions occur with all vaccines, but serious side effects are extremely rare … The Moderna trial actually included over 30,000 people … Norwegian medical officials and the World Health Organization say there is no evidence the vaccine caused the deaths of the seniors in Norway … Six people had allergic reactions in San Diego out of thousands that received the vaccine from the same batch … To the best of our knowledge, the death of the Florida doctor has not been attributed to the vaccine and is still being investigated … Anyone with concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine should consult their doctor.)
‘Lies destroy lives’
Dear Editor:
These things I am sure of:
1) Mere days after the insurrection at the capitol building in Washington, Trump was impeached for inciting an insurrection. Punished. Both Democrats and some Republicans, victims of the insurrection, impeached Trump.
2) Words matter. Lies destroy lives. Lies repeated over and over radicalize people in very negative ways. For example, Trump’s base.
3) We are all in this together. The divisive politics that pits left against right, liberal against conservative, has no place in Canada. I won’t vote for any political party that thinks it can get away with smearing the opposition at election time.
4) Singer Garth Brooks sang at the inauguration of Joe Biden. He sang Amazing Grace. He invited the attendees and the people watching from around the world, to join him in singing a verse. I got out my rusty voice, to join in. It was during that 30-second “moment”, I felt again like, hey, we are all in this together, to create a better world.
Hence my letter.
Jan Corbett,
Fergus
Just like Hitler?
Dear Editor:
RE: Unsettling pattern, Jan. 21.
I am in total agreement with Brant Watson’s letter.
The last time I checked, we have freedom of speech enshrined in our Charter of Rights. I know historically, my grandparents’ generation fought, sacrificed and died to guarantee among other things our freedom to speak freely.
Now, the Wellington Advertiser is openly censoring our ability to communicate. To quote: “the Advertiser will be renewing our efforts to ensure misinformation, conspiracy theories and hateful, divisive rhetoric never appear on our social media pages.” You go on to offer to permanently ban those making the above statements.
How dare you denigrate the memory and sacrifices of those that fought against such vehemence as what you are proposing.
Please read your history. The first thing totalitarian type regimes institute is censorship, primarily with the media, and the line of censorship tends towards the government in power can do no wrong. This is not conspiratorial, but rather historical fact; Stalin censored the media, Hitler censored the media, Mao censored the media, and Jong-un censors the media. Any two-bit dictatorship censors the media almost as soon as they gain power.
I am highly concerned when I read an editorial that justifies censorship, and am horribly frightened to think that it can happen not only in Canada, but in our own backyard with a highly respected and successful media outlet such as the Wellington Advertiser.
I would like to finish by sharing a concept I learned by listening to Jordan Peterson: the concept is that in our earlier history, disputes were settled physically (whomever was strongest, or had the biggest weapon or army always won). As our society became more advanced, we found that the above method was neither productive nor beneficial (obviously to the loser, but ultimately to the winner as well).
What we did discover was that words and the power of the pen reduced and eventually eliminated the need for the “sword.” By censoring free speech (regardless of the slant) you begin to create a type of pressure cooker with no pressure release. Eventually it will blow, and the outcome will not be conducive to a civilized society.
Wayne Baker,
Wellington North