‘No benefit’ from ATVs
Dear Editor:
RE: Wants ATVs on trails, Sept. 7.
My wife and I, both young geezers in our seventies, are ATWers (avid trail walkers) and would like to thank our municipalities and the OPP for keeping our hiking trails free from ATVers!
Admittedly we are ignorant and a little doubtful of Jim Machen’s “facts,” claiming that ATVing is the “fastest growing sport” or that it brings “countless jobs” to our communities.
I maintain – please prove me wrong – that writing letters to the editor is the fastest growing “sport” in Canada and can also be done while sitting down without any physical exertion.
Our physician thinks that these butt-bouncing, back-breaking and brain battering infernal internal combustion ATV machines do nothing for our physical and mental well-being – and she should know since she has studied medicine.
Furthermore, she claims, and she is probably correct, that there is no benefit from operating ATVs, other than adding to environmental pollution with dust, exhaust fumes and whining engine noises.
She also suggests that simple hiking and observing nature’s slow changes throughout the year will definitely improve our physical and cognitive well-being, much more than sitting on our derrière and mindlessly racing through nature.
Finally, believe me, nothing is sweeter and better for you than an after-hike afternoon nap, not even a visit to Tim’s.
Joerg Schnabel,
Guelph
The real ‘fun-killers’
Dear Editor:
RE: Wants ATVs on trails, Sept. 7.
Oh dear. Sorry, but a resounding “No” to Jim Machen’s plea for ATVing on our trails. Certainly not the Elora-Cataract and similar trails.
Who are the “fun-killers” in this instance? Those of us who take pleasure from a peaceful stroll or cycle ride in the fresh air, along our precious trail resource … or the selfish polluters who apparently can’t get any fun in their lives without burning fossil fuels and making noise?
It’s bad enough that the tranquility and air quality is ruined along our trails by the snowmobiles during winter months (getting shorter due to the lack of snow… through fossil fuel induced global warming, maybe?). Must we now suffer for all the rest of the year from ATVers roaring up and down what are, after all, mostly straight line trails? How boring.
As an ATV owner myself, why should I have the right to inflict my exhaust fumes and noise on peace-loving pedestrians and cyclist trail users?
How about joining your other septuagenarian friends and buying your own secluded acreage far away from everyone else, where you can roar up and down some straight lines of your own? Maybe even create some bends, muddy swamps and rocky obstacles and have some real ATV fun?
Roy Pegg,
Orton
‘Developer cronies’
Dear Editor:
RE: Two down, one to go, Sept. 7.
Advertiser publisher Dave Adsett was right on the mark that, following the resignations of staffer Ryan Amato and then Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, Doug Ford also needs to resign over his government’s Greenbelt betrayal.
While the Greenbelt betrayal is sufficient reason for Ford’s resignation, let’s not forget his attack on development charges, which benefits no one except Ford’s developer cronies. If developers don’t have to pay all their development charges, the costs of development will be shifted to the rest of us – the taxpayers.
It doesn’t end there either. Ford has undermined the conservation of built heritage in the province through changes to the Heritage Act. No one benefits from that except Ford’s developer cronies.
Ford has also undermined community planning in the province by practically forcing municipalities to approve development schemes, no matter how opposed the local community is and no matter how detrimental the development scheme is. It is now much more difficult for local communities to appeal bad land use decisions. No one benefits from that except Ford’s developer cronies.
On top of which Ford has undermined the definition of affordable housing, thereby making it easier for developers to build housing under the guise that it is affordable. Again, no one benefits from that except Ford’s developer cronies.
So if I hear the lie one time that this is all about providing affordable housing or even housing in general, I think I may be sick. Talk about creating a crisis.
There is more than enough land already identified to meet residential housing needs. The Greenbelt lands are not required for that purpose, nor are all the other changes that only benefit Ford’s developer cronies.
Dan Kennaley,
Rockwood
Corruption, favouritism
Dear Editor:
I felt it was important to say thank you for the editorials Wading in (Aug. 31) and Two down, one to go (Sept. 7).
Thank you for voicing your viewpoints and saying point blank “Ford himself needs to go.” Whether a person cares about the Greenbelt or not, the lies, corruption and favouritism should make everyone angry and in favour of kicking Ford out on the street.
I hope we will soon see our Ontario Parliament cleaned up so that it can be respected once more.
Again, thank you.
Karen Waschinski,
Mount Forest
What is affordable?
Dear Editor:
The people of Ontario are at a crossroad with what is affordable in Ontario. Steve Clark, municipal affairs and housing minister, last week promised a new definition of “affordable.” He plans to introduce new legislation this fall with a new definition of affordable.
In the Ontario land use planning document, affordable defines housing costs no more than 30% of the gross annual household income.
This 30% is too low in major urban areas of Ontario. In reality it may be over 50% in these areas. This does not include household food costs which have been subject to major inflation the last few years.
If a car is owned, fuel cost and all the related costs have increased. Some people cannot depend on public transit to get to work.
Several major and future projects have taken affordable housing units from the inventory and no new units were built to replace these lost units.
This has directly caused more homeless people on the street.
The Ontario Line subway system in Greektown in Toronto will have the same or greater effect. Neighbourhoods are being eliminated. Metrolinx is a major negative factor in many cities, affecting vulnerable housing options.
Levels of government cannot remove housing units from availability inventory. Replacement units should have started years ago.
Ross Kirkpatrick,
Mount Forest
*Editor’s note: Steve Clark resigned last week as housing minister in the wake of the Greenbelt land swap scandal.
Not just houses
Dear Editor:
An open letter to the federal and provincial governments.
Please start building and funding more long-term care facilities, more hospitals, more day cares and more hospices.
While both these levels of government are busily building houses everywhere, important supports and services are not being built!
It’s difficult to get everything from a doctor to a lawyer, nurses … and the list goes on!
We need to open up our medical schools and have more placements for our kids to get into medical school and to be trained for our future needs of this mass population boom that is being mandated by both levels of government.
Locally a big mess is brewing with things like parking being an impossible situation in both Elora and Fergus.
If you are going to add so many homes, all levels of government must step up and add services and train our young Canadian youth in schools to help look after all of this new population. Open up the medical schools and train more nurses and build more brick and mortar buildings to support all Canadians.
When the new Groves hospital was built, the provincial government was begged to allow a larger hospital, more beds. Fergus was denied because the province said we did not have the population! This was very short sighted by the province because in two years we have over-capacity and need.
So please fund the services and train our kids for the jobs that are needed now and into the future and don’t just have this frantic push to build houses!
Brenda Chamberlain,
Elora
‘An important skill’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Questionable’ focus, Sept. 7.
It may surprise Jane McFadden to learn that children with dyslexia who need the help of an educational therapist (outside of the school system) actually learn cursive writing as part of their therapy.
My son worked with an educational therapist and practiced rhythmic writing, a series of swirls, loops, waves, etc., which was the lead into cursive writing. His writing is so clear and legible, and he much prefers it to printing.
Cursive writing creates pathways in the brain which then lead to other motor functions and capabilities. Removing it from the school curriculum did a disservice to many students.
While Ms. McFadden’s experience was unfortunate, and I imagine common for left-handed children in the ‘70s, ‘80s and possibly even ‘90s, it does not negate the fact that cursive writing is an important skill to learn.
Amanda Philip,
Amaranth
The green that matters
Dear Editor:
To politicians and profiteers everywhere, ask yourself this one important question: when the trees are all gone, what will you do for air, to breathe?
Sense, not dollars. Nature is the only green that truly matters.
Do the math – one planet, one chance. Take care of the land, so that the land takes care of us.
Start with our home and native land. Don’t let “Oh, Canada!” become “Ugh, Canada!”
Barb Baszczynski,
East Garafraxa
Carbon not only factor
Dear Editor:
Potential climate change from carbon emissions isn’t the only factor at play right now. No amount of media “climate-change-only news” can ignore them. The forest wildfires, many of them being set by arsonists, are directly related to cyclical drought conditions.
In Alberta alone, one person has been charged with setting 10 of them along with dozens of people charged with the same thing in the Greek wildfires.
A Swiss man named Rudolf Wolf Gleissberg discovered the 88-year solar sunspot cycle droughts which are to peak in North America in 2025. The last time the Gleissberg Cycle peaked was during the dusty and dirty 1930s. With the aid of lightning strikes and arsonists we can look forward to at least another five years of huge forest wildfires. It is sad to see so many trees burning up knowing how beneficial they are to our climate and atmosphere.
The weather of erratic rainfalls and cold/hot temperatures of 2022 and 2023 have been intensified by the eruption of the Tonga island volcano in January 2022. This volcano is predicted to increase global air temperatures for the next three to five years by 1.5 degree Celsius.
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has accepted this data on top of what carbon emissions might already be doing. I believe them to be a reputable organization.
Michael Freiesleben,
Fordwich
‘Time will tell’
Dear Editor:
RE: Myth, nonsense (Aug. 31) and “Tunnel vision” (Aug. 31).
Richard Giles and Ron Moore need to learn that “science” is not a consensus. It is based on facts. There are plenty of scientists who do not believe the crisis climate change scenario.
I am accused of “tunnel vision.” I can retort that crisis climate change believers have climate computer model illness. All dire predictions are based on flawed computer models because scientists can’t actually run whole Earth experiments. Climate computer models all run too hot and do not reproduce actual data.
The climate is complicated. For example, how do we know if the extra heat in some areas was due to human produced CO2, El Nino or the huge increase in water vapour produced by the Hunga Tonga volcano blowing up last year?
The U.S. and Ontario had a cool summer. The weather varies from year to year all over the Earth. And the Earth has been warming for a long time.
Climate effect statistics need to be total world, not just Canadian. The cold really does kill more people. The 600 people who died in B.C. because of a heat dome is an indicator that we need to adapt better to Earth’s natural warming; in other words we should look after our old people better and make sure they have air conditioning. And those dying of cold need a warm home.
There is no space to address all the issues Giles and Moore make. Time will tell whose myth and nonsense is right.
Jane Vandervliet,
Erin
‘Doubling down’
Dear Editor:
A few weeks ago I wrote a letter (Parroting talking points, Aug. 24)in response to an Advertiser article quoting Perth–Wellington MPP Matthew Rae (MPP says government responding to issues raised by Greenbelt report, Aug. 17).
In my letter I took a shot at Wellington–Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott for his lack of a public statement regarding the ongoing scandal over the removal of land from Greenbelt protections. In hindsight I regret doing so and I would like to publicly apologize.
I am quite aware of the tradition in Westminster style parliaments of the neutrality of the House Speaker, which Mr. Arnott is at Queens Park. My remark was gratuitous and did nothing to enhance my argument.
However, the time is fast approaching for each of the PC members of the legislature to ask themselves, “Do I really want to continue to support a premier that puts the interests of a few select developers ahead of those of the majority of Ontarians?”
As to the primary subject of my previous letter, it appears that Doug Ford is now doubling down on his dismantling of the Greenbelt. His appointment of Paul Calandra to replace former minister Steve Clarke would appear to indicate that Mr. Ford has learned nothing from the auditor general’s and the ethic commissioner’s reports.
Although admitting that the process that removed the land was a flawed one, Mr. Calandra is emphatic that there will not be a reversal of that decision.
And Premier Ford just can’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth. He seems to have absolutely no idea of the purpose behind the creation of the Greenbelt or the lengthy process of public consultations that was followed to arrive at its’ current state. Perhaps he believes that food is something you get from the drive-through window at the local fast food restaurant or that clean water comes out of a plastic bottle. His direction to Calandra to review the entire Greenbelt is nothing more than a backhanded way to further open up the Greenbelt to development.
Ministers of Environment, Parks and Conservation and Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs should be aghast at what is taking place. Yet it appears they share Premier Ford’s desire to pave over the entire province with McMansions and four-lane highways.
From the backbench we get silence or rehearsed talking points. Perhaps they have not taken the time to read the AG’s report. Maybe they are unaware that there is already more than enough land outside of the Greenbelt, serviced or more easily serviced, to build the housing units needed to meet their goal of 1.5 million by 2032.
Michael Vasil,
Fergus