‘Enough is enough’
Dear Editor:
Congratulations to Wellington North council for rejecting a request from a private business to increase the contribution of public money to the cost of a traffic intersection in Mount Forest for the construction of a new grocery store.
The original council allocation of taxpayer money was $405,649 and the private business wanted an increase to $607,459.
Enough is enough in spending public money for private business.
Bryan Hughes,
Mount Forest
Residents ‘betrayed’
Dear Editor:
On July 12 “the rubber met the road” – and I mean literally, as Puslinch council voted to betray the residents of Aberfoyle and voted in favour of rezoning 128 Brock Road to industrial!
This is now permitting even more large 52-foot transport trucks to invade our lovely community on a daily, if not hourly, basis.
Apparently council did not agree with our vision to keep Aberfoyle and it’s entry point beautiful. They instead fell to the threat of government regulations that they felt ill equipped to deal with.
Clearly they did not hear the messages of each of the hundreds of residents that were adamantly against this move.
We will make it clear to them at the next election how important this vote was to us all. We hope they have enjoyed their time on council. I do not look forward to saying “We told you so” when our community is looking back and saying this traffic mayhem and decay could have all been stopped had only the community leaders listened to the residents they are here to serve.
It was a very sad day for Aberfoyle and Puslinch.
Sue Daniel,
Aberfoyle
‘Totally destroyed’
Dear Editor:
RE: Changed for the worse? (July 13).
Yes, Elora is changing, It is being turned into Disneyland. I live on Wellington Road 7 directly in front of the five-storey monstrosity that is being built.
My quality life has been totally destroyed by this. The builder keeps telling me that the wall of the monstrosity is 23 feet back from my property, yet I can basically touch it. I will have zero privacy when people move in. Not to mention that it over towers the whole town.
The developers do not care about the height, it’s about the money. I cannot even begin to imagine what Elora is going to look like in a few years. It won’t be a quaint little town anymore, that’s for sure.
Neil Crane,
Elora
Grateful for help
Dear Editor:
A letter to the kind people who were shopping at Zehrs at lunchtime last Friday (July 14).
Thank you most sincerely for all your help when my cart hit a pothole in the parking lot, crashed, fell over and tripped me.
Several of you saw the incident and came running to assist. I’d hurt both shins and my hand (a bleeding leg and white slacks don’t make a pretty combination). People picked up the groceries which had scattered, put things in my car in the accessible space, fetched BandAids, got me a drink of water and the strong young man collecting for Bikes Against Bullying was helpful in getting me on my feet again.
Although the only names I got were Sue and Noah, I am grateful and pleased that the town I chose in 1984 to be my new home is still the same warm and friendly place it was back then.
Thanks to you all; I am very, very grateful!
Helen Marucci,
Fergus
‘Horror and disbelief’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Mockery’ to veterans? (July 13).
I read Comrade Manley’s letter about the sign across the road from the Fergus cenotaph and decided to go over and look at the sign in question.
Attempting to keep an open mind, I stood reading some names on the cenotaph and then turned to face the roadway. I did indeed feel a surge of horror and disbelief.
The sign’s coloration of mainly black with letters in white, are reminiscent of some kind of dark foreboding event.
Certainly, the person that dreamed up this idea needs to spend a couple of weeks in Normandy, taking a look at some of the quite dramatic war cemeteries, with grave markers stretching as far as the eye can see.
Certainly, something needs to be done here. This is not the place for this kind of thing.
Malcolm McCulloch,
Fergus
Plot care a priority
Dear Editor:
Elora Legion Br.229 places Canadian flags on known veterans’ graves at the Elora and Catholic cemeteries prior to Canada Day and Remembrance Day each year.
This year 265 flags were used prior to Canada Day. Flag planting and retrieval provides an opportunity to assess the condition of each veteran’s plot and the cemetery in general.
This summer a number of plots have become untidy and weed infested. The township and Catholic Diocese responsible for both cemeteries do a great job but are limited from the personal care required occasionally at the grave site. This normally falls to a family member, relative or an arrangement for tending.
The Thorning Revisited column on July 13 is very timely. The subject was Decoration Day and it described the activities here in Elora associated with the event. Elora Legion Br.229 was formed in 1932 and for many years supported Decoration Day with the parade to the cemetery. For several years now it has not been held officially.
Thorning’s column described the veterans’ families and general population’s devotion to the upkeep of the cemetery plots. Many are carrying on this practice today, but there are a few sites that require some loving attention.
If a veteran’s plot requires attention and you are unable to provide it yourself, contact the Elora Legion at 519-846-9611 or email to info@eloralegion.ca.
Jim Paterson,
Poppy Chair, Elora Legion
‘Control agendas’?
Dear Editor:
RE: Time to ‘wake up’? (June 22).
It is time to get educated about climate change.
The media has done us a huge disservice by tagging “…and climate change” to just about everything they report. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “Canadians only have to look out the window to know we have to continue stepping up our fight against climate change.” Wow, how simple?
We are told that the wildfires are unprecedented by the media and the Liberals, but if you check with the Canadian National Fire Database (CNFDB) and the Canadian Wildfire Information System, you will find that it is not unprecedented at all.
Even Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has gotten into the game. In an interview on Talk1010 where he said, “if we build on the Greenbelt, how do we expect to prevent extreme weather events.” Wow, that’s all it takes? Talk like this proves that the only place we should get our info is from scientists and not politicians.
Canada’s emissions represent a mere 1.6% of man’s CO2 emissions. We live in one of the largest, coldest countries in the world. Transportation and keeping ourselves warm is our crime according to those pushing the doomsday agenda like Ron Moore, saying that we must reduce our small amount of CO2 to give our kids a chance at a livable future.
Seriously, we are looking at a future which is not livable? Does anyone in their right mind believe that if Canada reduced it’s emissions from 1.6% to zero, it would have an effect on climate change and only then would Canada and the rest of the world be livable?
I choose to rely on science for the truth and not politicians who take advantage of people’s ignorance. The truth is out there but you will not get it from media sound bites and politicians with control agendas.
Peter Mandic,
Fergus
Dragging our feet?
Dear Editor:
Ontario’s extra needs for energy can be met by combining local solar, local battery storage, energy efficiency programs, and strategies that respond to the demand for energy.
Ford must not end the contract with Hydro Quebec but should import more hydroelectricity from them, which is extremely cheap and abundant. Is there a good reason for not doing this? Has the Ford government been able to offer a clear explanation for saying no to clean, cheap electricity?
The government needs to lower peak demand by offering incentives to use power outside of peak hours. It needs to invest more in energy efficiency and conservation. These measures would drastically diminish our consumption.
Ontario’s gas plants have joined the province’s worst greenhouse gas producers If Ford expands the plants, extends their contracts, or uses them at greater capacity, he will dramatically increase their emissions. If he builds new gas plants, it could lead to abandoned production sites in the near future which we will have to clean up with our tax money.
Alternative energy production will provide a fully clean electricity grid, and will attract new businesses to Ontario. Many companies now want access to clean power and are making the commitment to 100 per cent renewables. They see the writing on the wall!
With outrageous ease, the Ford government cancelled conservation and renewable energy programs just a year after they were first elected in 2018. We have lost five crucial years!
The recent projects that qualified for Ontario’s next phase in energy production do include some renewable energy, but the current plan heavily relies on existing natural gas plants. This cannot be tolerated.
To meet our 2030 climate targets Ontario must increase its renewable energy assets. These clean technologies help us keep our fridges cold and the lights on! Ontario must examine ways to benefit from more connections to the Quebec grid.
Green jobs have outpaced and will continue to outpace oil and gas jobs. An insightful report calculates that the second-biggest job generator in Canada will be clean energy. Several reports by David Suzuki, the Toronto Atmospheric Institute and academic experts, show that in Ontario, supplying clean energy will produce 130,000 jobs by 2050, in wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, tidal, and electricity grid infrastructure.
Will we, in Ontario, be the leaders or will we drag our feet behind more enlightened provinces who will be leading us?
Gerry Walsh,
Erin
‘Thugs, miscreants’
Dear Editor:
RE: Cherish it, June 29.
After reading this editorial – which noted “persuasive arguments are often supplanted by screeching demands” and “politicians and their parties have focused on their differences rather than shoring up common interests” – I looked at a parliamentary gathering with Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre alternately speaking and I was appalled.
It was like a mass gathering of thugs, miscreants and bullies. The Conservative factor would not let Trudeau get a word in edgewise. Their shouting and screeching obliterated everything he was saying. The Liberal sector was much quieter because you could certainly hear Poilievre, although everything he said was negative.
But some light shone out. I noticed in the melee that amongst all this vulgarity, there sat Wellington-Halton Hills Michael Chong with an intense look of concentration on his face; a slight frown. Then, suddenly the masses all rose in a wave on the Conservative side, flinging their arms up and shouting abuse all around him.
But Chong remained steadfast in his seat. I was so proud of him. I guess he thought it was just too much. There really was some class on his side.
I realize that the opposition party is supposed to oppose, but if it drowns out everything the prime minister or anyone else is saying, is it not negating the point of Parliament altogether?
Perhaps a look at longtime Conservative Brian Mulroney’s speech in Nova Scotia would be relevant at this time. It certainly shows you that two different political factors can get along.
Christy Doraty,
Fergus
‘Real climate action’
Dear Editor:
RE: Mental health and addiction struggles continue to grow, CMHA WW reports, July 6.
Thank you for your dismaying but crucial story about the growing waitlist for mental health services in Waterloo-Wellington.
Yes, underfunding and COVID-19 have played major roles, but after many years of going undetected, fears about climate change are emerging as a major cause for anxiety and depression, especially among young people, and not just in this region, but world-wide.
Other than extreme climate change deniers, who will never be convinced that fossil fuels are cooking us, who wouldn’t be worried sick? Example: for four days in a row starting on July 3, our planet experienced its hottest day ever recorded as regions all over the world suffered treacherous heatwaves. This is just the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of extreme weather episodes the world is experiencing in this age of global warming.
But just as disturbing as these alarming weather events is the dismal failure of our governments and other powers-that-be to do what the science says must be done to keep humanity safe and healthy. No wonder our kids are suffering unprecedented climate anxiety.
Aside from shoring up resources, the best prescription for this segment of our mental health crisis? Real climate action.
Liz Armstrong,
Erin
‘Detrimental’ rights?
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Hard-won rights,’ July 13.
Allan Berry thinks that my previous letter (‘Axe Pride, prevent hate?’ [June 29]), proffered a “simplistic solution” to the problem of increased hatred and intolerance in the schools during Pride month.
Perhaps that is because the editor edited out a significant portion of the letter I submitted, which I believe was vital to supporting my argument.
Berry is correct that the LGBTQ+ community has achieved many hard-won rights, while activists supported by the mainstream media continue to push the envelope. However, some of those rights have been detrimental to other rights, such as parental rights and our fundamental right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
Henry Brunsveld,
Puslinch
*Editor’s note: The editor reserves the right to edit all letters for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: length, false or libellous statements and speech that could be considered hurtful.
‘Wrongfully mistreated’
Dear Editor:
There are five good reasons we should oppose euthanasia as we witness the results of legalized assisted death in our nation. Statistics show that last year Canada was on track to record some 13,500 state-sanctioned deaths, a 34% rise from the previous year.
When we are vulnerable or care about someone who is vulnerable, we should oppose euthanasia for these reasons.
1) The law gives rights to medical practitioners to legally kill a person (but no one should have the legal right to justify killing). We all deserve to have proper care and support.
2) The “safeguards” only protect the doctor, not the vulnerable people. The “safeguards” are not safe and include exceptions that are wide open.
3) The physician’s role as healer is compromised. The American Medical Association Code Ethics opinion 5.7 states that, “permitting physicians to engage in assisted suicide would ultimately cause more harm than good, and would be difficult to control, posing serious societal risks.”
4) Doctors are fallible and make medical errors or misdiagnoses. According to an article by Brian Mastroianni, 12 million Americans are affected by medical misdiagnosis each year and an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 people die annually from complications related to misdiagnosis with a similar number of people who experience disability related to misdiagnosis.
5) Assisted death laws pressure physicians who then put pressure on the patient. What begins as a choice to kill or a choice to die becomes pressure to kill/die.
All these concerns have been demonstrated in our nation and many families have been wrongfully mistreated, all in the name of freedom to choose.
Pat Woode,
Fergus