Sign vandals
Dear Editor:
A brief word to the individuals who vandalized (mostly red) election signs in our riding.
Whatever you are trying to accomplish, it is not working. In fact, the only thing you are achieving is to make yourselves and those you support, look really bad.
And if that is not enough, damaging or removing election signs can result in charges under the Criminal Code of the Canada Elections Act.
Better to act on those great Canadian values of tolerance and respect. Give that a try next election.
Peter van Vloten,
Fergus
‘Carney not our friend’
Dear Editor:
I have voted Conservative since my early 20s. I am now over 70. Although he is not in my constituency, I want congratulate Michael Chong for once again representing our neighbouring riding (Wellington-Halton Hills North).
Like many conservatives, I was obviously disappointed with the federal election results as it appears that Canadians chose a different path.
Maybe I am naive but at no point did I see this as a Donald Trump-threat election. I give it to the Liberals; they took that issue and ran with it. Trump will come and go, maybe in two years or possibly the full four.
But all the same problems we have had for years will still be here and unless I’m stupid, the new Liberals have the same faces behind them.
Some things to keep eye on are the rising federal debt, programs we cannot afford on top of new hidden climate taxes, keeping prices high on everything.
It’s been a well-played shell game by the Liberals. But what really puts a sour taste in my mouth is when what should be a supportive party – the provincial PC Party – publicly goes against its federal counterpart in a not-so-subtle way.
When you have lunch with Freeland and Carney as the writ is dropped and both premier and his prior campaign manager come out more than once against the federal Conservative leader, that’s wrong.
I have many staunchly conservative friends, some belonging to large organizations who also are conservative leaning, who will no longer support Doug Ford and who will spoil their ballots in future Ontario elections. Now we are just few hundred, but think of the spread.
Perhaps our premier is more red than blue. Then he should switch to the other team. I am also writing to the party leadership and I truly hope if our premier had aspirations of federal politics he and his campaign manager shut that door on themselves forever.
As for Pierre Poililevre, I hope the party gives him a long period of time. I hope he stays on as leader.
And hopefully our premier and Nova Scotia’s premier reflect and realize Mark Carney is not our friend, as we will soon find out.
Doak McCraney,
Guelph
Election musings
Dear Editor:
The federal election last week was about strong leadership.
Why did ridings like Windsor, Sarnia and two in Hamilton, all hard hit by tariffs, vote Tory?
I think to win in Canadian politics, Conservatives have to move closer to the political centre.
Unfortunately, Canadians are starting to believe that Tories in Ontario and the west are looking more like their American right-wing Trump counterparts in the US. This is scary.
Too bad the NDP leader is resigning. He did a lot of good for many Canadians in his day.
Why did the big French population in New Brunswick vote and elect Tories? It was formerly a strong liberal province.
Jim McDaniel,
Elora
Bit in the butt
Dear Editor:
RE: “Fear mongering,” May 1.
It made me smile when I read the letter from Savannah Sinclair, how she laments the loss of Pierre Poilievre, and the future of our nation in Liberal hands.
Does she not recognize that Prime Minister Mark Carney shows a resolve to work towards our country being less dependant on the U.S. and making trade deals elsewhere?
My hope would be that all our parties will be progressive enough to work together to achieve this goal.
Could it be that Poilievre’s message (of 10 more years of Liberal rule) was said far too many times and perhaps his own constituents wondered “are we going to give him 20 more years?”
Sometimes our own words come back to bite us in the butt.
Bill Snyder,
Harriston
‘Bodily autonomy’
Dear Editor:
RE: “Anti-vaxxer insanity” and “Do our part,” May 1.
I have never fully understood why those who question the safety and efficacy of vaccines are treated with such vitriol. After all, don’t we Canadians pride ourselves on our tolerance and inclusivity? Isn’t bodily autonomy a fundamental human right?
So, before you find yourself mindlessly insulting a so-called “anti-vaxxer,” I thought I’d list some basic facts that may help everyone better understand why some people might have questions.
Vaccine manufacturers are not liable for any injury (and they do happen) caused by their product.
Infectious diseases were steadily declining for years before vaccines were introduced. This is widely attributed to massive public health initiatives in sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and labour laws.
Pfizer, the top vaccine company in the world, has paid out $2.3 billion in fines to resolve criminal and civil allegations related to false claims, fraudulent marketing of medication and off-label promotion.
Vaccines are classed as biologics and therefore do not undergo the same regulatory processes as drugs.
Most vaccine trials do not use a true, benign placebo (ie. – saline). Instead, the control group is usually given another vaccine. This may be an earlier version of a similar vaccine or a completely different vaccine.
According to Stats Canada, more people died of COVID-19 in 2022 than they did in 2020 – one year after 90% of our population had been vaccinated.
It is not “insanity” to question vaccines. It is not “conspiracy theory” to ask why our children are getting sicker. And it is not “disgraceful” to support those who want answers. We are all on the same page here – we all want to be healthy and to raise healthy children.
This is not a political issue. So let’s put an end to the mudslinging and name calling and start figuring this out. Because the status-quo clearly isn’t working.
Sue FitzGerald,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: Some infectious diseases had begun to decline before vaccines were introduced, but in general vaccination made a significant contribution to their control and prevention – and in some cases, eradication. The Pfizer fines noted in this letter came in 2009 and had nothing to do with vaccines. Biologic drugs, including vaccines, require more regulatory oversight than chemical drugs. The World Health Organization has supported the use of a different vaccine as a control and in some cases testing a new vaccine against a “benign placebo” (such as saline) is considered unethical. The year 2022 was dominated by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which displayed increased transmissibility and immune evasion.
Trap, taxation
Dear Editor:
RE: County council approves new speed camera revenue policy, May 1.
Wellington County’s new policy on speed camera revenue guides them to spend money on studies to identify streets that have speeding problems.
Didn’t the county raise $1.5 million in four months and yet they predicted only raising $1 million in a year? What does this data tell us? Our county staff is not aware of the breadth of our speeding issues, and we have speeding issues on four roads in Wellington County.
This new policy also says staff could spend money looking for more roads in the county with speeding issues and spend money on capital projects fixing them.
That’s similar to our local food bank spending money they raised looking for places to help while a line up of people in need are at their door.
If speed camera roads, like Belsyde Avenue in Fergus, don’t get needed design changes that fit a 40km/h road, then I am starting to feel that maybe speed cameras are a trap and a form a taxation.
I typically trust the intentions of our local government but this change in how I feel matters.
This new policy, I hope well intended, demonstrates how government can sometimes make things too complicated and this complication makes us distrust government, which causes a whole host of other problems.
So, keep it simple: build Belsyde better and build it now so we can see that you really do care about safe streets! That is good governance getting things done.
John Scott,
Elora
‘Tree museum’
Dear Editor:
Last Sunday evening we were treated to a most beautiful, extraordinary sunset; otherwise, it had been a dull, grey, dreary sky all day. The sunset then, was an amazing gift, a sight to behold.
I witnessed it heading north between Puslinch and Guelph. I crossed over Maltby Road and suddenly on the horizon poking upwards in front of this sunset was the outline of a nearby industrial building momentarily blocking my view. All the trees were removed from the land and the hills and valleys laid bare.
A reminder that “progress” is coming soon. Like a monster on its belly with huge arms extended clawing it’s way towards us … like an old Joni Mitchell song: take all the trees and put them in a tree museum.
Liz Hughes,
Puslinch