‘Dooming our ancestors’
Dear Editor:
RE: The Advertiser’s editorial cartoon on March 31.
In our riding, the prime minister can do no right, so its an easy win to slag him.
However, your cartoon is also saying that any action to fight climate change is bad, especially if it costs us anything. Promoting that populist position just means we are dooming our descendants to a worsening existence.
But, as I once saw in another cartoon, “What have future generations ever done for me?”
Ken Lancaster,
Rockwood
Save it but leave it as is
Dear Editor:
RE: Township moving ahead on preservation of ‘cultural heritage landscapes’ but won’t declare Pierpoint Park one until all research complete, March 31.
This park needs to be saved! A variety of trees, wild flowers, wildlife and birds can be seen in that area within walking distance of town. An oasis of traditional river valley conservation, exactly like the Grants envisioned when they donated a 10-acre parcel to the township.
Not really sure what Kween means by “the shabby condition of the property”; maybe she means that there isn’t cut grass and picnic tables. Like we need another park like that in the area, and if you do go down the river to Confederation Park.
The state of the plaque is a travesty and probably could be expanded upon with more recognition given to the man the park was named after. A veteran of several conflicts, organizer of a settlement, and a leader in every aspect of his life.
That doesn’t mean we have to change the park; leave it as the conservation area it should be!
Brad Park,
Fergus
‘Simply wrong’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Pretty simple’, March 24.
Mr. Peter Hopper offers a simplistic viewpoint in his letter, suggesting that the wearing of facemasks achieves nothing in reducing transmission of COVID-19; and like all simplistic answers to complex issues, he is dead wrong.
Trials in the UK using hamsters (apparently a good test animal for COVID-19) show conclusively that masks greatly reduce, but do not totally eliminate, the spread of COVID-19.
Hopper’s argument is somewhat akin to the wearing of seatbelts. If I go around a blind bend on the wrong side of the road at 150km/h and go head-on into an 18-wheel truck, my seatbelt is unlikely to save me; but in the great majority of car accidents, seat belts greatly reduce both death and injury.
Hopper seems to suggest that because mask-wearing does not give 100% guaranteed protection, we should not bother wearing them at all; in his words, “it’s pretty simple”.
Agreed, it is pretty simple; simply wrong.
David Brewer,
Puslinch
‘Useless list’
Dear Editor:
RE: 2021 ‘Sunshine List’ includes 106 local municipal employees, March 31.
Am I the only taxpayer that thinks the “Sunshine List” is utterly useless and a waste of taxpayers’ money?
I did a search for how much it costs to tabulate it and I couldn’t find the answer. Apparently, the purpose of the list is to provide accountability and transparency, requiring “organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario to disclose annually the names, positions, salaries and total taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more in a calendar year.”
Okay. So now what? How many of these people, since 2014, have been shamed into requesting a pay cut? The results of my search didn’t reveal anyone! I believe they just laugh when they see their names listed and keep taking whatever raise they are offered.
The people that deserve a $100,000 income are senior frontline law enforcement officers, firefighters and health care workers. They also should not be on this useless list!
It’s time to inform our MPPs to tell our premier to do away with this waste of money once and for all.
Mike Benson,
New Dundee
‘Great prospects’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Fake heritage’? (March 24).
I would like to address the comments raised by Paul Taylor.
Elora has been advertised as the most beautiful town in southern Ontario and as a “must” to visit. However, having resided in Elora for the past few years, I do not see the attractiveness in terms of tradition and heritage. I do see many run-down buildings and some new/modern buildings that are eye sores when trying to see Elora as a picturesque town.
When I see a couple willing to investing $30 million in the town by improving the buildings facades at our main intersection, it raised my spirits and I just thought, “Wow, finally someone is really vested to improve this town’s visual appeal first before pushing for dividend return in their investment.”
This is not creating heritage where it does not exist.
Would you hang a beautiful painting on a wall leaving an ugly canvas edge showing or would you find the nicest frame possible to showcase it? This is what this couple is doing’ they are “framing” our town in the best light possible.
Look at the Elora Distillery, it’s not a heritage building but it definitely looks like it fits the surroundings (do the residents of our town consider this to be fake heritage as well?).
Is this considered creating a “theme park” out of Elora, I think not. It’s preserving the character of a town that, at the moment still looks a bit “run-down” and needs TLC but has great prospects in the near future, especially when there are those who are willing to invest in it.
Joao Da Silva,
Elora
‘Let’s not delay’
Dear Editor:
Let us recognize that more fossil fuel expansion ensures more years of harmful global warming.
Not far from where I live in Guelph there are fields and fields of wind turbines – great to see.
As well, we urgently need solar and tidal energy systems.
Let’s not delay – we know the need for the coming generations.
Helen Hansen,
Guelph
‘Time to ditch them’
Dear Editor:
For a long time the fossil fuel industry has held us hostage. And now in our time of need they are making record profits.
It is time to ditch them; let’s put all our money into renewable and clean energy and leave those greedy mongers behind.
Cornelia Smele,
Fergus
‘An easy solution’
Dear Editor:
An open letter to our leaders, energy producers and media.
If Russia continues its war on Ukraine, spring planting may not happen, which could result in mass starvation in the Sub Saharan and some middle eastern countries. There is a solution.
Ukraine is one of the major breadbaskets of the world. Even if crops are planted and harvested, which looks doubtful as much damage has been done to the country, Russia can block the Black Sea ports from which it is shipped to Africa and the Middle East.
The western world will have to make up for the shortfall in wheat and other grains to feed North Africa and the Middle East. An easy solution would be to dedicate all the land now growing corn, wheat and barley used for producing the ethanol added to gasoline to growing food for people. Canada can easily produce more oil to make more gasoline to replace the ethanol.
This may not be the whole solution but it certainly would help. You can avert this possible disaster by planning ahead and getting the leaders of other countries to do the same.
Jane Vandervliet,
Erin
Also 100
Dear Editor:
Re: Centenarians, March 17.
In response to Sytske Drijber’s quest for other centenarians in Wellington County:
I am living in Peel now, but I attended public and high school in Rockwood from 1928 until 1940. Born in northern Ireland in 1922, I plan to dance the Irish jig on Oct. 12, 2022 at age 100.
Alexander Graham,
Brampton
Don’t let newspaper go
Dear Editor:
We have all lost a number of important things in the last few years and suffered through many unprecedented and heinous occurrences.
The murder of George Floyd by a policeman in broad daylight in front of a crowd of people and then the wonderful Black Lives Matter movement; the discovery of over 5,000 Indigenous children’s remains buried without ceremony or markings of any kind; the bold attack by a mob on the White House; the trucker’s convoy that held the people of our capital city hostage for three weeks; and worst of all, this attack, slaughter of innocent people and destruction for no reason by a madman in the Ukraine. All of this made even more difficult to stomach with the pandemic dogging us all for two years.
All these events were covered by our papers, looked at from our point of view, and sorted out from our vantage point, so that we could each try to help in any small way that we are capable of.
Our paper covers all the issues, letting us know what’s going on here and in the world at large. Our editorial pages are diverse and show both sides of every issue. It tries very hard to be fair.
We lost the Guelph Mercury. Please (publisher Dave Adsett), try not to let our paper go.
Christy Doraty,
Fergus
‘Double standard’
Dear Editor:
Too many Ukrainians – mainly women and children – have fled their homes for safety in countries which border theirs. The media has been there covering the war between Russia, the instigator and the Ukraine, the defender of its territory from the aggressor.
Once again, we are reminded of war, and other more recent asylum seekers, those who receive sympathetic media coverage and those who don’t.
Several months ago, we were glued to our devices, watching the Taliban sweep into Kabul while thousands of Afghanis were promised safe passage out of their country if they could make it to the airport on time. They too were leaving a country and a family they loved, hoping for asylum elsewhere.
They watched as Canada and other NATO countries closed their borders to Afghani doctors, lawyers, women soccer players, veterans and too many others, while at the same time, making false promises of accepting them promptly. It hasn’t happened!
As refugees, Ukrainians are the lucky ones. They are being welcomed by the Polish – remember the barb wire along the Polish border keeping “less worthy” refugees out? If there is one thing the world has too many of, it is refugees.
They are the unfortunate and their numbers fill refugee camps in the millions around the world. Many of them have lived in them for a lifetime. Western countries – Canada is good at this – accept those refugees and immigrants who are seen as being easily assimilated. “We need you. We don’t need you.” Simple pragmatism.
Let’s not fool ourselves. The double standard of freedom loving democracies takes my breath away.
Janet Calderwood,
Rockwood
‘Lofty’ goal?
Dear Editor:
RE: High finance, March 24.
Such dire words from the pen of Dave Adsett about being fiscally responsible. Too bad nobody else seems to care (except for only one federal party that is).
The way I see it, there are two significant problems preventing any elected official from ever trying to right the wrongs Mr. Adsett so clearly highlighted.
First of all, you take away a baby’s soother and it won’t be happy. Never give it back and you’re probably going to have a wailing child. Most of us, and I’m assuming our elected officials are the same, just don’t like crying babies. The very thought of it is enough to dredge up bad memories and make us shudder. So why would any cuts or reforms be made, essentially taking away the pacifiers we were promised in previous elections?
Secondly, most Canadians these days forgot what it’s like to be fiscally responsible themselves, so why would they expect anything different from our leaders? Canada is pretty high up there on the list of household debt to GDP. We are the third highest in the world, which is absolutely ridiculous! Seeing red seems commonplace. Maybe that explains why red is the major metropolis’ favourite colour these days.
Perhaps I’m oversimplifying things, I’m certainly no economist. But, in my line of work keeping things simple is usually the best solution, so I try to use that approach for most things.
So then, if I could add just one more simple idea to Mr. Adsett’s wonderful warning (please sit down if you’re standing): if our country is fiscally responsible for what now needs to be a much longer time thanks to Trudeau, we could end up with lower taxes – imagine that!
But, maybe Mr. Adsett is right about that rationale being an age thing. After all, it certainly has been a while since the top three parties made that a priority in their platform, so the last time that happened might have been before my day. Thus letting the cyclical irresponsibility continue.
If I’m dreaming of an unattainable euphoric future with lower taxes, roads paved in gold, and free Wifi for the moose or caribou, please let me know. But, before you do, I need to ask, who in their right mind wouldn’t want that (minus the gilded freeways and antlered internet for now); is that too lofty a goal?
Doug Vanderveen,
Belwood
But what about …
Dear Editor:
In the spirit of freedom of expression, allow me a different take on Ukraine. The media tell us Putin is the second Hitler. They show us graphic pictures of Ukrainian victims. They say this is against the United Nations charter, that this is unprecedented and barbaric. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is now sending lethal arms to Ukraine to defend against the evil “rat-faced” Putin. NATO is united and acting as one against this menace against the free world and democracy.
I agree Russia should get out of Ukraine now. I am totally against wars of aggression. No country has a right to invade or occupy another country, no matter what the reason. Everyone has to abide by the UN conventions on this.
But we have to be consistent. Where was the media coverage of the maimed and killed by war of aggression by the U.S. and the West against Iraq? Libya? Syria? Five hundred thousand to a million were killed in Iraq alone? Where is the denunciation of the U.S. occupation of Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay? Where is the denunciation of the occupation and periodic bombing of Palestine territories by Israel?
Let us be fair and balanced in our coverage. Don’t insult the intelligence of the reader.
Eduardo Queiruga,
Elora