Safety, Trump issues
Dear Editor:
RE: Battery storage issues, March 6.
I am opposed to the proposed Aypa Power battery energy storage system (BESS) facility to be situated on prime agricultural land in south Fergus.
The recent community roundtable hosted by Energy Storage Canada and Energy Safety Response Group has not changed my view. These trade organizations lobby all levels of government on behalf of their membership. Ergo they have a bias.
They provided no clear answer to a question asking whether it was best practice to locate a large-scale BESS away from residential development.
Residential development is approved to the immediate north/northeast of the proposed Fergus BESS. In case of fire, the let-it-burn protocol is disconcerting.
An article published by CTIF (International Association of Fire Services) quotes New York Senator Lanza as saying, “While I firmly believe that this type of energy-technology is the future, the implementation has to be practical and responsible. Placing a large, sophisticated machine, filled with potentially explosive lithium-ion batteries, in residential or school communities is unacceptable.
“The fires caused by these batteries typically cannot be extinguished because of the presence of harsh chemical toxins, increasing the hazard and potential damage.”
This related to a BESS on Staten Island. Why would we want anything different for our community?
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture concluded in a review: “that the Ministry of Energy prioritize the siting of all energy infrastructure on commercial and industrial land.”
On a final note, Premier Doug Ford is banning procurement from U.S. firms and urges municipalities to do the same. Aypa Power is ultimately owned by Blackstone a U.S. multi-national. Its chair, CEO and largest stakeholder Stephen Schwarzman is a significant Trump supporter.
In contrast, Alectra Energy Solutions, who has proposed a BESS near Belwood, is wholly Canadian owned.
Teresa Gregg,
Fergus
‘Evil’ invasion
Dear Editor:
Re: ‘Windbag’ spending, March 6.
Forgetting history does not bode well for the future. Doug Vanderveen writes that Canada is spending “billions more shipped overseas to Ukraine,” it seems that history is not his forte.
I was born in the Netherlands, and I am, and he should, be thankful of the sacrifices Canada made liberating the Netherlands in 1945. Is he suggesting that Canada should not have participated in fighting World War Two, a war that was started by an evil ruler?
We should heed Michael Lee, who in the same edition of the Advertiser (Sitting on the fence? March 6), wrote “please do this so that Canadians can stand tall in our condemnation of evil, as our fathers and grandfathers did against the Nazi evil.”
Although Lee wrote the statement regarding “condemning Hamas as a brutal evil terrorist organization” in his letter, the same principle applies.
Evil should be condemned, and the invasion of Ukraine was evil, and we should support Ukraine.
Hank Jager,
Fergus
‘Welcome news’
Dear Editor:
On page 36 of the March 6 Advertiser there is an interesting article telling us that support for carbon tax and belief that humans are responsible for global warming is declining.
This is welcome news as people have finally realized that no amount of any tax paid is going to reduce the amount of snow that falls or sun that shines.
Dushan Divjak,
Elora
The Silent One?
Dear Editor:
Wayne Gretzky is a great Canadian. I saw him play in Hespeler when he was 10. He was so good it was more challenging for him to pass and set his teammates up for goals rather than just score them himself.
Like his dad, Walter, he’s a simple guy that has his own political perspective. But make no mistake, he deeply loves Canada and has made enormous contributions to our heritage. Despite the convenient and misguided slams.
But he’s always been able to shake off a body check and he’ll get through this one too.
Larry Vettor,
Guelph
‘Elbows up’
Dear Editor:
I would like to commend the Wellington Advertiser and our community for the lively letter section. The week of March 3 to 7 was stimulating indeed.
Joseph Racinsky, now that you are our elected representative, we would really like to meet you.
A tax-free military salary is interesting, as is a cooperative Team Canada in Ottawa, although Pierre Poilievre may be too combative, Trump-like and divisive in his style to do that.
I had to look up that American booze is not paid for until it sells and it is now gathering dust on shelves, and the electric power to the U.S .has not been turned off but it is now a bit more expensive for those Americans.
Hamas is a terrorist organization using Palestinian citizens as fodder for the horrific genocide in Gaza as the country has been bombed to rubble by those opposing Hamas.
Thank you to the American consultant reassuring Centre Wellington that the 250 container battery storage facility that may be built on 2nd Line by Eisen’s is relatively safe unlike the fire in Brantford, those in California, Australia, England and other locations.
It was heart warming to read the gracious thank-yous to Justin Trudeau for his years in public office keeping Canada one of the safest and most prosperous countries in the world, for championing democracy here and abroad and taking steps to deal with climate change. I also wish him all the best in whatever way he chooses to serve Canada.
Elbows up and keep writing those informative and thought provoking letters!
Donna McCaw,
Elora
Fanciful tale?
Dear Editor:
Did you catch the new Hallmark rom-com? Or was it more of a comedy? I’m still on the fence.
It’s about a wealthy owner of a jewelry business from the big city who moves back to her small hometown. She buys up a large portion of downtown real estate in an effort to save the town’s struggling economy. As expected, conflict arises – this time involving an ice cream store, a squirrel, and a court case. Spoiler alert: the judge rules in favour of the mom-and-pop ice cream shop.
Now, usually at this point in a rom-com, the two main characters discover they share similar interests, realize they’re two sides of the same coin, put aside their differences, and fall in love. You know, the typical happy ending stuff. But not here.
Instead, a second conflict emerges when local residents criticize the big city business owner on a digital forum. Feeling bullied (not unlike the ice cream shop owners, I suppose, but I digress), she threatens to sue the townspeople.
The story ends with the big city business owner opening a “snitch-line” for locals to report bullying incidents.
If you happen to have some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, I’d recommend starting a fund with the local Community Foundation. Contributions to the fund would go a long way in supporting local charities and non-profits, helping to keep the lights on and make a meaningful impact in our community.
Maddy Smith,
Fergus
‘Phantom’ MPP
Dear Editor:
A pre-election Letter to the Editor (‘Political cynicism,’ Feb. 27) opined that the riding of Wellington-Halton Hills would vote for a donkey if it was wearing PC colours.
At the time, I thought it was a joke! Now that we know that was no joke, comparing our mystery MPP to a donkey is unfair.
A better comparison would be “The Phantom” – never seen, never heard, unreachable by the press, even after the election!
We get the politicians we deserve.
Ken Lancaster,
Rockwood
‘Absurdity’
Dear Editor:
American liquor shouldn’t be pulled from the shelves. It should be put out there and we should buy it all up so the Canadian money that brought it here doesn’t get wasted. When it’s all gone don’t import another drop.
We don’t detest American booze, or any other product made by American hands. Our dispute is with the idiocy that is hijacking not only American democracy, but also the “American dream” itself.
If the absurdity is to be scraped up and pried out of the White House, the American people will have to do it. Let’s wish them strength and wisdom.
Vic DeVries,
Alma
Pierre’s like Archie
Dear Editor:
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre keeps reminding us that he has the same self-serving relationship with the truth that U.S. President Donald Trump does.
He would like us to believe that Mark Carney moved his company to the U.S. at the behest of Trump with a loss of Canadian jobs. The truth is, that it was not his company. He was the chairman of the board of directors, not the owner. He was one voice within a decision made by the board of directors and that decision had to be ratified by the shareholders. The board’s decision was made before Trump was elected and the shareholder decision was made after Mark Carney resigned as chair.
The company is still Canadian, the headquarters remains in Canada, and no Canadians jobs were lost. But Poilievre never met a truth that he wasn’t willing to bend.
Now Poilievre would have us believe that Mark Carney is running for prime minister in order to manipulate government into making decisions that will make him wealthy. The truth is, that if Carney were focused on his own economic growth instead of Canada’s, there would be easier opportunities available to him. However, there is a multi-million dollar portfolio that we should look at.
Poilievre has assets in real estate and is against the Capital Gains Tax. He holds assets in five different energy companies and is pushing for pipelines. So which one is more likely to manipulate Canada’s economy for his own benefit? Perhaps it is the one that would apply any funds raised through tariffs to a generalized tax cut that would disproportionately benefit the rich, while ignoring workers who have lost their jobs and have no income to tax.
From weird red-flooded commercials that are designed to psychologically manipulate us into feeling fearful. To commercials with lovely images of climbing a hill that devolve into sensational images depicting Canada as broken, accompanied by audio that blames everything on extreme wokeism while ignoring the effects of rising populism and the pandemic.
Interviews with right-wing media, claiming that racial tensions only exist because the woke pointed out that we have a diverse population. Through to denying the existence of Canadian citizens, because he wants to be aware of only two genders.
It is time to realize, that the home that Pierre would take us to, would have us living in an Archie Bunker sitcom.
Joanne Mitchell,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: While the shareholders of Brookfield Asset Management ratified the move after Carney left the firm, the decision by the board to move the company to the U.S. was made prior to Carney’s departure. Brookfield Asset Management’s parent company, Brookfield Corp., continues to be headquartered in Toronto, but Brookfield Asset Management did in fact move its head office to New York.
‘Greatest in the world’
Dear Editor:
RE: Trudeau to blame? (March 6).
Henry Brunsveld still does not believe in a climate emergency. In his letter to the editor last week, he refers to a report from the Fraser Institute (heavily funded by the oil industry) that complying with the Paris Climate Agreement means Canadians will experience “extreme economic hardship while only reducing global warming by less than a hundredth of a degree Celsius by 2100.”
Temperatures are already rising more than 0.20 C per decade and may increase by 1.4 C before the end of the century. Extreme weather events caused by global warming are already costing Canadians billions of dollars per year.
Brunsveld then continues to complain about the Liberal government’s wasting of tax dollars and implies that Americans are better off than Canadians.
Before going to pack your bags to move to the states, consider the following. Canadians have, in no particular order:
– a greater life expectancy;
– a higher literacy rate and better public education;
– less expensive university tuition;
– a better health care system;
– less expensive pharmaceuticals;
– a better public transportation system;
– one of the lowest crime rates in the world;
– a higher average minimum wage;
– fewer people living in poverty per capita;
– better inclusivity for women, LGBTQ and BIPOC peoples;
– a more stable and democratic political system;
– better hockey players; and
– better beer.
Canada is not utopia and our politicians are far from perfect, but I can clearly remember the words of my late father, who came to Canada in 1952: “Canada is the greatest country in the world.” Compared to what’s happening around the world today, I think he was right.
Vote for a party that values our fragile environment.
John Burger,
Orton
‘Control of Elora’
Dear Editor:
RE: Agreement in place to clean up collapsed building in Elora, March 6.
It is good to see Centre Wellington council has awoken to the fact it’s time to take back control of Elora – as the taxpayers elected them to do.
J. Alexander,
Fergus