‘A valuable asset’
Dear Editor:
RE: Dual roles don’t put Adams in conflict, Nov. 17.
Having run in the last town council election I found the majority of candidates to be sincere and committed and the overall mood was one of collegiality. I also learned that some candidates had conflicts in their personal interests verses that of their role as councillor, there were personality conflicts, some misrepresentations and backstabbing (which will colour my perception of future councils actions) however none of which being newsworthy.
I found your article on the potential conflict of Jennifer Adams as to her role as a newly-elected town councillor and her new job as county clerk to be informative and balanced.
The article’s impetus seemed to be contained in the statement that her roles “raised some eyebrows in the community, with some believing it shouldn’t be allowed” however did not cite any sources(s).
I believe it is important to cite these sources. Were there calls to the reporter from concerned citizens, letters to the editor or a single source seeking to raise the issue? Given the dysfunction of the last council and the resultant innuendos and uninformed perceptions I feel it is important to be clear on the source of these type of concerns in order to avoid a repeat of the last two council terms.
I would like to state that I had never met Jennifer Adams prior to this election and that I found her to be forthright, sincere and generous with her time. I believe that her commitment and knowledge will be a valuable asset to both the town council and to the county.
Raymond Trafford,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: The Advertiser received several inquiries about Adams’ situation, both at our office and via social media.
‘Handcuff, bulldoze’
Dear Editor:
By now even the meagre 41 per cent of Ontarians who actually voted for Doug Ford must be tired of his missteps and broken promises.
Remember, that is 41% of the 43.5% of eligible voters who actually cast ballots, hardly a robust mandate.
His latest move is to handcuff local municipalities and conservation authorities so he can bulldoze through legislation that essentially dismantles Ontario’s Greenbelt protections, and numerous other anti-democratic actions. Bill 23 is being rushed through to limit citizen opposition.
In 2018, after the media discovered and reported that Ford was planning to chop off sections of the Greenbelt to enrich his developer friends, there was a massive public outcry, and he retreated. “We won’t touch the Greenbelt,” Ford promised. “The people have spoken. We won’t touch the Greenbelt.”
Four years later that earnest promise is about to be broken. Clearly, in 2022, the soon-to-be-even-richer developers who will be granted building permits on Greenbelt land must have much louder and more alluring voices than us lowly citizens of Ontario.
Perhaps it is time we made sure that the premier continues to hear all the people of Ontario. On his Queen’s Park website, Ford invites us to be in touch. Let’s make our voices loud and clear!
Sue Braiden,
Erin
‘Smacks of cronyism’
Dear Editor:
I’m proud to live in a democratic country, but lately, the Ford government has made me question the political ideals we hold dear. Under the guise of creating affordable housing, Bill 23 “More Homes Built Faster” undermines the public, the environment, and the future.
There are already existing plans to create affordable housing designated in areas that will not irrevocably harm the environment on which we depend. There is more than enough land earmarked for development for the next 20 years.
Thirteen times more gravel is mined in Ontario than the province uses. But Bill 23 promotes more extraction, urban sprawl, more commuter traffic, and pollution without protection.
Bill 23 favours private over public interests and smacks of cronyism.
I am disturbed that these plans ignore the climate crisis entirely. They are financially and emotionally disastrous because they will contribute to increased weather disturbances … floods, fires, landslides, sink holes, tornados, drought. The Ontario Conservatives, by supporting this plan, will be instrumental in loss of housing due to disasters they will have helped cause.
We don’t have to choose between housing and the environment. These plans are unacceptable. Instead of more homes built faster, we need more planning done smarter and with long-term ideals. Indigenous cultures project their planning into the seventh generation. The question is, do we want a future for our children and their children’s children?
Happily, we still have the freedom to protest decisions that are dangerous and detrimental to our health and happiness, but if Bill 23 is passed, residents and conservation groups will lose their right to appeal municipal decisions that undermine community and environment. Doesn’t sound like a democracy to me!
Wendy Agnew,
Wellington North
Silent once again
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott.
Once again I am writing to you to protest your government’s broken promise to not touch the environmentally sensitive Greenbelt for housing development. Your leader Doug Ford swore he would not touch this protected area.
The government already has enough land to build suitable affordable housing in areas already identified for development.
We are well aware that Ford’s developer friends and contributors bought up areas of land within the Greenbelt when Ford was first elected.
Now he wants to develop those areas. Using existing identified lands in urban areas requires no new investment in infrastructure, roads, etc. Urban planners agree that building up in existing cities and municipalities, not out and sprawl is where new citizens will want to locate. This is where the jobs are and public transportation is available.
Once again, as our representative you are silent on this issue. Please let me and your other constituents know where you stand on this issue.
Gregory Bowman,
Fergus
‘Increasing damage’
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott.
The fact that Doug Ford is “representing” us as premier once again, makes me shudder when I think of the increasing damage he can do to the environment, the health care system and our democracy.
It sickens me to hear that only 43% of people in Ontario voted and thus many do not really care what happens to our province. Already the man has tried to again invoke the “notwithstanding” clause for his own use and once more he is trying to put through another omnibus bill.
These bills push things through quickly and eliminate any public discussions or professional opinions; like whether it would be constitutional to put developments in our Greenbelt or continuously make cut after cut to our health care system which is now the least effective in Canada.
He wants to put housing in the Greenbelt! He will have Highway 413 going into farmland, rivers, forests and wetlands so that he can allow developers to put in big homes for rich people along this highway (not “affordable housing”). He took away power that conservation “authorities” used to have and continues to undermine it. He tried to eliminate the power that working people have to strike with the notwithstanding clause.
He makes new laws every time he wants to do something that used to be illegal, such as making it possible to sell conservation land for housing development. He gave “strong” power to mayors in Ottawa and Toronto and promises to do the same to more cities in Ontario.
He is slowly sucking the democracy right out of our province. And we are letting it happen.
Christy Doraty,
Fergus
Savings passed on?
Dear Editor:
Bill 23 removes development charges from some homes. Does anyone think these savings will be passed on to the purchaser?
Chris Woode,
Fergus
Successful parade
Dear Editor:
The Elora Lions wish to thank the many participants in this year’s Santa Claus Parade.
We had over 35 companies, groups bands, in addition to four fire trucks and the Elora Legion Colour Guard. We are grateful for the extra time and effort of these local companies to make the parade as spectacular as it was. We would like to thank the generous residents who live along Sophia Street for allowing us to set up in front of your homes, and extra kudos to those who served hot chocolate to some lucky participants as they waited for the start time of the parade. To the many hundreds of spectators, thank you for coming out.
The Elora Lions have done this parade for many years and each year we try to make it better. We would like to have the whole parade route as free of vehicles so that all the children, young and not so young, can view the parade without having to look around a vehicle.
The Elora Lions wish all a very merry Christmas; stay safe and take care.
Josef Van den Borre,
Elora Lions Club
‘Greed’
Dear Editor:
RE: Monstrosity, Nov. 24.
A monstrosity is being constructed on the 1st Line, Elora. Who approved this project and why?
My guess would be the same people who approved the condo monstrosity on Wellington Road 7. The why would be greed.
Neil Crane,
Elora
Instagram activism
Dear Editor:
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demanded action throughout the world. The United Nations (UN) had an emergency meeting in which they decided to condemn Russia by name. Although seemingly tame, this was a major move by the UN. The resolution sent a message to Russia that not only is the international community not happy, but action will also be taken soon.
The public, especially in the west, had faced outrage over Russia’s invasion; 35% of American citizens are in favour of the American military acting, despite nuclear risks in Russia. With the rise of social media and younger audiences increasingly being online, many young adults, teenagers, and kids were discussing the invasion.
One response from the younger western public was awareness campaigns. These were distributed through Instagram infographic activism. This form of activism, although positive, is criticized for its performative nature.
These messages are often spread by and to a young audience, sometimes 14 and younger and therefore might not always be understood before being re-posted. Sharing posts has become too accessible; many do not even sign the petition or read the information before sharing it with their followers. This makes many of these posts susceptible to sharing misinformation. Few and far between cite their sources and the creators are not regulated by any guidelines like a news source would be. This is increasingly more common with the oversimplification that many decade-long conflicts are summarized in five to 10 slides. Many details are missed or misunderstood.
Instagram activism is also a form of business now with creators releasing artwork or infographics daily to promote profile engagement. Many creators will also sell merchandise for the movement they are spreading awareness about. Capitalizing off war and social movements creates new motivations to create content quicker and prioritize quantity over quality.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict was no outlier and infographics sprung in late February. Many of these posts linked to petitions arguing for the end of the war. These have been criticized for not having a clear argument and not accomplishing anything. These infographics often try to be appealing to the eye. This can downplay or infantilize the actual issues they are spreading awareness about.
Using clipart, gifs, and bubble letters can make horrific conflicts seem less serious than they are. Thousands being murdered should not be conveyed through the glitter.
Charlotte Hembruff,
Guelph
Santa wishes
Dear Editor:
I am 81 years old now and I still want to believe in Santa. The one who brought me new pajamas, some warm socks, and a table game.
There were red and green foil cones on the tree filled with hard candy and a few candy canes, too. I would have wanted more if I could have it, but I somehow understood that we got enough and we were content with that because very few of the kids I knew got more.
I wish we had a really wise Santa, one who limited how many gifts kids get and how many of them are bound to be broken or discarded before the season is over. This new Santa would keep gifts down in number and add gift cards that let children know that he donated to some really needy kids in poor countries … or our own, and that it was done in their name.
I wish he would make sure that his gifts are friendly to the planet and don’t inflict suffering upon animals or trees who all help keep our planet healthy.
In the old days, we looked forward to the season because we had time off from school to go outdoors and build snow forts, skate on the pond, have snowball fights with our friends, shouting, “Take that,” while chucking packed, sometimes sludgy, missiles at body parts protruding from the tops and sides of a hastily built forts. No video games, no TV, no smartphones.
I sincerely hope that Santa will be able to teach kids the joys of the natural world, of having a family, a home, good food, a warm place to sleep in a world where many millions don’t.
This is the beginning of the season. There is plenty of time for Santa to live up to his name and keep what really matters front and centre when making his list.
Gerry Walsh,
Erin
Late-night musings
Dear Editor:
In religious circles we hear whispers about Jesus coming back and taking his people to heaven with him, therefore bypassing the grave. This is called the rapture!
I ponder this as I lay awake in the wee hours of the morning, after making my second trip to the bathroom. We older folks spend a lot of time in the bathrooms of the world. It was an interesting endeavour to pursue the locating of possible bathroom sites during the pandemic, and still is. I had to stay within a half-hour’s drive of the nearest loo.
I have discovered that construction sites are very promising, with Portapotties dotting the landscape of Wellington County around every corner.
It is 4am and I’m up writing as I could not sleep any longer, with heavy thoughts on my mind such as the rapture and dying. What might it mean to me; is there going to be a time so wonderful as this, the rapture? Will I live long enough, if this is so, or will the grim reaper visit me some night and take me to meet Saint Peter at those pearly gates of heaven?
I would rather skip the dying part as the rapture suggests and magically wake up on the other side. Is there another chapter after our life here on earth? I hope so, after all I am a writer.
Have another cup of tea and change the subject, that is what most of us do. Maybe I won’t change the subject just yet. Time is growing short for me so, perhaps I need to sit here in my chair and ponder this subject a little longer. Oh, my tea is finished. I’m going back to bed to catch a little more shuteye.
I will visit the bathroom first. See you later, maybe.
Brenda L. Demmans,
Fergus