Dear Editor:
An open letter to Guelph/Eramosa Mayor Chris White and councillor Corey Woods.
We are 73 years old and we both worked two jobs most of our lives. We raised our kids, paid our bills and never took a dime from the government. We built our own home with our own hands and only had help with special items.
We are now on a fixed income and with another round of taxes coming, it looks like we cannot stay in the home we built in 1995. Please, Mr. White, what do we do? We know you really don’t care; you have your raises coming and your pensions.
It is no surprise that the homeless situation is increasing. So where do we go?
Some townships are deferring property tax until the owner passes. If the property is paid for and the owner over the age of 65 or 70, even with five per cent interest, this keeps people in their homes and they are not a burden on the system. Why should we be faced with being put out of our homes for the sake of pet projects, which I could name many. The bridges that are out can stay out. We prefer it that way and traffic is still flowing.
I worked in road construction for 35 years and cannot see the cost of a bridge on a county road being in the millions of dollars. There is a better way. If you think you got a homeless problem now, well it’s only going to get worse. We must find a way to keep people of age in their homes. This is not the Canada I knew growing up and it is not the Canada I want.
My heart hurts for my grandkids and what they will face.
We love the home we built when we were kids and don’t want to leave. You really do not understand how bad it is out here.
Bob Foster,
Guelph/Eramosa