Dignity for all
Dear Editor:
I would just like to congratulate the leadership and the members of the union representing Air Canada flight attendants, the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
I was pleased to see the unwavering resolve demonstrated and the solidarity of fellow labour organizations. Because of their faith that what they were fighting for was fair and right, they were able to win satisfactory concessions from the airline, and I applaud them for that.
In a recent interview on BNN Bloomberg, the CEO of Air Canada admitted that their strategy was expecting that the mediating Canada Industrial Relations Board, which is currently administered by a former corporate legal counselor for Air Canada (talk about conflict of interest!) and the Canadian Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hadju, would enforce broadly interpretable laws to rule that the union’s strike action was illegally disruptive, and that the flight attendants would go back to work at the terms of their pre-bargaining contracts.
Specifically, there’s a clause in the Canada Labour Code, Section 107, that says the minister has the power to personally direct the decisions of the CIRB. So even if the CIRB had ruled in favour of the flight attendants’ union and forced Air Canada to pay their workers fairly, the minister can reverse that ruling. That sounds pretty unfair to me. If the interests of the government mediator are controlled or influenced by the values of members of the management class of major employers, and there’s also a kill-switch that the minister can use, then can they ever be fair and impartial to the arguments of the working class?
This didn’t need to become such an embarrassment for Air Canada and the federal government. And now there’s a new negotiating strategy for unions who had de-escalated their strike threats when CIRB or the minister had ordered them to do so.
I hope to see more improvement to the lives of my fellow working Canadians. Whether members of a union or not, we all deserve dignity.
Dylan Clarke,
Elora
Late to the table?
Dear Editor:
RE: Council concerned about parking in Rockwood subdivision, Aug. 21.
The Bonarrow subdivision is completed and the town is preparing to assume it. Now all of sudden council has an issue with the parking?
I believe a year or so ago there were issues with the parking; owners wanted to expand their driveways and couldn’t because of bylaw restrictions.
I’m assuming that perhaps more than one family is living in a house or a basement had been renovated for a “legal” apartment and guess what, everyone needs a car, where do you think they are going to park?
So who approved the original plans, who approved “legal” basement apartments, etc.?” What did you really think was going to happen?
I have driven through that subdivision and quite frankly it’s a nightmare. Trailers on driveways, commercial vehicles, etc.
So now that the barn door has been opened how do they expect to close it?
Jane Cullen,
Rockwood
‘Very disappointed’
Dear Editor:
I was very disappointed to see that Drew Adams, a local U13 lacrosse in Centre Wellington who recently won a gold medal at the National Championship in Halifax, received only a small mention in your coverage, on page 28 to say the least.
This is a remarkable achievement, not just for Drew but for our entire community and it deserved more recognition.
Winning a national title requires years of dedication, sacrifice and hard work. It is an accomplishment that should inspire young athletes in our area and highlight the talent that comes from our community.
A more prominent feature would have celebrated not only the athlete’s success but also the values of perseverance and commitment that such a victory represents.
I hope in the future the newspaper will give greater attention to the outstanding achievements of local athletes who bring pride to our community on the national stage.
Andrew Taylor,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: There is an article on Drew Adams’ accomplishment on page 4 of this week’s newspaper.
Special placement
Dear Editor:
RE: Reel it in, Aug. 14.
I agree with the comments made by Dave Adsett in his editorial regarding speed cameras.
Speed cameras are just another enormous tax grab, not because our politicians lie awake at night worrying about the safety of our students and the general public.
Speed limits are set so low in order to snare more drivers. The difference between 50km/h and 40km/h is 6.2 miles per hour. I don’t believe that someone driving just 6.2 MPH more is going to endanger anyone. A bad driver may, and maybe the politicians should be concerned with making sure we have safe drivers on our roads.
Why are drivers that have been charged with careless driving and DUI still on our roads?
In my letter to the editor of July 31 (Frivolous politicians), the point I was trying to make is that 2024 was the first time in history that we are paying more in taxes than our living expenses. The Fraser Institute reported that in 2024 we paid 42.3% of our income on taxes and 35.5% on housing, food and clothing combined.
Maybe we need to reduce the number of politicians, eliminate duplicity and frivolous spending in all levels of government. Then we can reduce the amount of taxes we are paying.
I remember in the past when our local politicians hired an out-of-town consultant to show them where to place a sign! I would have told them where to place it for free.
I leave it to your imagination as to where I would have told them to place it.
Steve Di Pisa,
Centre Wellington
‘Stay out of it’
Dear Editor:
I recently saw a video about fact checking Canada’s Conservative leader on electric vehicle (EV) mandates.
I totally agree that all politicians, including our prime minister, carefully choose words and leave out details. But all major North American car companies have asked Canada to drop EV mandates. The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association has also asked Canada to drop the EV mandate. That includes the Japanese car manufactured here.
That should be clear enough. In the U.S. car companies have severely cut back EV production.
One of the major problems faced by the EV industry is there is a portion of younger people who want EVs and cannot afford them or even a new gas powered vehicle.
The people of older generations who can afford EVs don’t want them. The market is dictating a pretty simple solution.
Politicians and special interest groups should stay out of this and stop trying to dictate outcomes.
Doak McCraney,
Guelph
‘A true hero’
Dear Editor:
Retired Gen. Rick Hillier attempted to upgrade the Medal of Honour to the Victoria Cross (VC) for the heroic actions of Private Jess Larochelle during the Afghanistan war.
And now, a recent motion in the house of Commons by Nipissing—Timiskaming MP Pauline Rochefort has once again brought to the forefront the issue of our present government’s unwillingness to award the top honours to a true hero in every sense of the word.
Veterans such as myself and others are tired of the weak excuses reiterated time and time again. Excuses such as, “he didn’t meet the level required for the VC” or “more than 2 years has elapsed since the event.”
The reality is that the government just doesn’t care. The reality is veterans injured in Afghanistan still have to fight their own government for benefits they have earned.
To award Larochelle the VC “posthumously,” which was done in the past many times, would go a long way to help boost recruitment and retention today.
A quick refresher on the actions of Larochelle’s actions that fateful day … he volunteered to man an observation post which was attacked by a Taliban force of 20 to 40 equipped with rocket-propelled-grenades (RPG) and small arms. His post took a direct hit from an RPG. Two were killed instantly and three more were gravely wounded.
Jess was seriously wounded with broken vertebrae in his neck and back, a detached retina and a blown eardrum. In pain, partially deaf and with limited eyesight, Larochelle nevertheless mounted a brave and aggressive defence.
He got the damaged machine gun working again, but soon ran out of ammunition, turning instead to the post’s M-72 rocket launchers.
In total, he fired 15 of the 66-mm rockets at the enemy insurgents. His actions helped save his wounded comrades and the Taliban were eventually unable to reach the bivouacked rifle company, thereby saving many lives.
The same day, he received the Star of Military Valour and was medically discharged from the Canadian army and returned to Canada to start the much dreaded fight with the government for benefits.
Larochelle suffered from poor health due to his injuries, both physical and psychological (PTSD). He died at his home at the age of only 40.
Jacques De Winter,
Rockwood