‘Get priorities straight’
Dear Editor:
RE: Bridges ‘debacle,’ Aug. 1.
I would like to congratulate Ian Milne on his excellent letter pertaining to the bridge closures in Centre Wellington.
Ian covered it all. He is not the only one who is disappointed with Centre Wellington council. They indulge in extravagant spending of taxpayers’ money instead of addressing real issues such as bridge replacements.
One of the main jobs of municipal government is to provide and maintain our local roads.
Time to get your priorities straight.
Peter Hindley,
Centre Wellington
Great year for Thistles
Dear Editor:
RE: Prickly yet perfect, Aug. 1.
When reading your editorial last week I thought that your Scottish thistle grew in honour of our own Fergus Jr. C Thistles lacrosse team! They have had a great year. They have won the Western Conference, beating Brantford, Barrie and Orangeville.
Next up is the series with the winner of the Eastern Conference. This winner has not been decided as I write this letter. Please come out and cheer the team on. The crowds have been large and enthusiastic. Go Thistles go!
Wendy Whittaker,
Centre Wellington
Charity, acceptance
Dear Editor:
Re: Deity direction, Aug. 1.
Doug Vanderveen’s protestations are immature: “I know you are, but what am I.” This is not profound nor worthy of publishing.
Let me be clear: I challenge Vanderveen’s and others’ similar opinions because they are tacitly exclusionary; they marginalize and stigmatize people who merely exist outside of his understanding and own worldview.
His and others’ views are intolerant because they primarily exclude those who exist beyond their realm of reference. Their view is arrogant because it assumes, from the outset, that LGBTQ+ people need some sort of fix.
We don’t need Christ, rather Vanderveen needs a lesson in charity and acceptance.
Finally, the views are not at all compassionate because instead of understanding and acceptance, he believes that we can somehow be fixed, that we are somehow impure and undeserving of basic dignity.
Vanderveen’s opinions don’t deserve the light of day.
Connor Maitland,
Centre Wellington
‘Not too late to do the right thing’
Dear Editor:
The Mount Forest pool is a sore spot for many. The inability for children and seniors to access this valuable form of physical activity and communal socialization has become a detriment to their overall wellbeing.
The state of our economy has changed for the worse since this pool discussion had commenced. In such a dynamic environment, we need to highlight our ability, as leaders, to shift and pivot as the situation warrants. Although I commend Mayor Andy Lennox for opening up the floor at the July 22 council meeting, this amounted to little more than virtue signalling.
Following this action you called for decommissioning the pool within three weeks versus the original 45 days. This decision shows you were not listening and did not have an open mind.
On June 17, 2022 your office received correspondence from the township’s then-operations director Matthew Aston. He suggested the pool should not open that year as this council had not yet approved the liner repair.
“Based on visual observation, there were no significant problems with the structural integrity of the south wall. There were no cracks, differential settlement, spalling or any other significant form of concrete delamination or degradation observed,” the memo stated.
“If council recommends repairing the Mount Forest pool, the township’s ability to adequately staff both Arthur and Mount Forest pools simultaneously is not safely achievable,” the memo continued.
“If the Mount Forest Pool were to be fixed this summer with the intention of it being opened, that would mean that the Arthur Pool would have to close.”
The existing pool is reparable for an estimated cost of $200,000, the document states; however, this council’s failure to act meant the completion date was uncertain and the township’s inability to staff the pool meant a dry summer Mount Forest.
This is consistent with a June 20, 2022 Wellington Advertiser article in which Mayor Andy Lennox is quoted as saying, “If we’re not prepared to fix it now, why would we change our mind?”
We should have been prepared to fix it then, and we should be prepared to fix it now! This council’s inability to act, staff, or make a decisions should not be at the detriment to the children and families of our community.
It is not too late to do the right thing.
Citizens cannot afford increased taxes (which your team already implemented) for an unnecessary project.
If the new pool project was estimated at $5.3 million, with inflation it’s fair to assume that has increased. And how many more dry summers do we face before this project is completed?
Over 20 companies expressed interest, but only two proposals were provided to me when I asked.
Where does this gap come from? Why would council not say “Two is not a large enough sample for consideration, what can we do to solicit more interest in this project?”
How will we achieve $2.5 million in donations without harming other worthy causes? How will we staff this facility when we could not staff the existing pool and are currently struggling to staff the Arthur pool?
Why does the Arthur pool have such limited hours on evenings and weekends?
I hope council reconsiders their position. It is a strength, not a weakness, to acknowledge an ever-changing environment and take a new course of action when prescribed.
I humbly request council solicit updated estimates of repair for the existing pool prior to its decommission and offer to assist them in doing so.
Michelle McInnis
Mount Forest
‘A great honour’
Dear Editor:
On behalf of the Love family, I wanted to thank the Mount Forest Horticultural Society for all the work they put in to encouraging and supporting gardeners in the region.
It was a wonderful experience to participate in the recent Garden Tour (July 13) and a great honour to have our family garden selected for special recognition as “Most Popular Garden” by the ticket holders that day.
It was especially lovely to have so many friends and neighbours stop by for a chat, as we don’t get out as often as we once did.
Our garden has been truly a “labour of love” since we arrived at our property on Sligo Road so many years ago. While we, along with our eight daughters and their families, have been the mainstay of the garden all these years, it’s important that we single out a few others who deserve enormous credit for their work on our behalf.
An extended family member – John Drummond of Greenbelt Farms down near Stratford – helped us envision the garden many years ago, and it was John who planted the now-mature trees and reshaped the pond for us. John is the brother of our son-in-law, Glen, and the garden we all enjoy today is one which John helped us to imagine.
Our dear friend Pat worked tirelessly in our garden in his own later years: enjoying the work, and taking some of the maintenance labour from our own shoulders as we became less able. Pat is sorely missed, but we think of him often as we enjoy our garden here.
And finally, a few years ago we were introduced to a talented professional gardener, Jennifer Hodge (Jen’s Garden Solutions) of Durham, who has been instrumental in helping us manage the garden in the past few years, and has – with our daughters – encouraged us to move to more native species. Jen worked many hours alongside our family this year to help our garden look its best for the tour.
And Andrew at Christensen Property Maintenance gave the grass a nice trim a few days before the event.
While we enjoy our garden every day, and its progress through the year is the way in which we mark and celebrate the seasons, it was very gratifying to share the garden with the larger community for one special afternoon this July.
I encourage your readers to share their own gardens if the chance arises, and to support the Horticultural Society with a ticket purchase for this annual event.
Mac and Shirley Love
Mount Forest