‘Losing record’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Carney not our friend,’ May 8.
I find it disappointing when I read letters to the editor like those written by Doak McCraney, wherein they can carry on for more than 10 paragraphs without identifying one concrete piece of evidence as to why Carney is not our friend.
The whole content of McCraney’s diatribe is only related to partisan sentiments such as: always voted Conservative, or my business friends always vote Conservative, or Liberals are running with an issue that doesn’t exist, or Liberals still have the same faces, or Liberals playing a shell game, or, their most desperate whine, blaming Rhinos in their own party for not supporting the tribe; and all of it reads without providing the reader with any information to support the topic of their letter.
However, I can easily come up with a list of reasons as to why Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is not our friend. Items on that list include: endless rhetoric of division in his speeches; mindless populist tropes about taxes, crime and Canada being broken; crypto nonsense; supporting the convoy; etc., but the pièce de résistance was losing his own seat in the House.
Despite Poilievre’s losing record, it appears that Liberal generosity will allow him to resume his stagnant career in Canadian politics, so I will diligently continue to try to find reasons why Poilievre has any value in being “our” friend.
In the meantime, I encourage McCraney and readers of this letter to remind themselves about concrete evidence that supports why Mark Carney is indeed our friend. His record of being our friend, guiding and protecting Canada, begins decades before he entered politics. Remember, an irony surely lost on Mr. McCraney, is that Carney’s exemplary record began as a Conservative appointee!
And now that Carney’s first official act on the world stage is in the history books, all Canadians have another major piece of evidence to illustrate why Prime Minister Carney is “our” friend. And it is a record of true friendship that is much more successful and constructive than anything in Poilievre’s history.
David Fast,
Ariss
PM will ‘ruin Canada’
Dear Editor:
I am a 7th Grade student at John Black Public School in Fergus and the one thing I could change about Canada is this: I would change the Prime Minister.
In my opinion, I think the Conservatives would be so much better and here are a few reasons why. First, Prime Minister Mark Carney printed too much money and the UK’s pound fell sharply and it created instability in the economy.
He is going to ruin Canada for the teenagers about to be adults. Every young kid’s dreams could be crushed just because of a prime minister. For example, just last week Canada had a warning that its credit rating was going to be downgraded. Fitch said our debt was going up and our GDP was headed down.
Conservatives haven’t done anything wrong. In my opinion Mark Carney is very defensive in interviews and Liberals have already been there for 10 years! It would make sense if people considered the time they have had already. Crime in many cities went up. Also, the Liberals allowed in way more people than even they thought was a good idea.
Finally, it wasn’t like Donald Trump was our prime minister for 10 years.
Juliette Benton,
Fergus
Bill 5 ‘a disaster’
Dear Editor:
Bill 5 is a disaster for the environment and our democracy.
“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” sang Joni Mitchell. This is a wake-up call to us all that if we don’t act, we may lose much of what we value as Ontarians and Canadians.
The riding of Wellington-Halton Hills is blessed. We’re surrounded by the Greenbelt, fertile farmland and the magnificent Niagara Escarpment.
These natural assets store carbon, cool the atmosphere and absorb flooding while providing critical habitat for diverse species, including humans.
But a new piece of particularly egregious provincial legislation is threatening that, namely Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. A more accurate title is Unleashing Havoc on the Environment and our Democracy Act.
If passed, this omnibus bill would repeal the Endangered Species Act, largely wiping out protections for the habitat of endangered and threatened species. It would give Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet sweeping powers to exempt any area or project they choose from any existing provincial or municipal laws, for any reason.
Under the guise of fighting Trump’s tariffs, cutting red tape and growing the economy, Schedule 9 of this bill is an undemocratic power grab, straight from Trump’s playbook.
Schedule 9 allows the government to designate “special economic zones,” “designated projects” and “trusted proponents” to be defined later by Cabinet. A minister can hand-pick corporations and exempt them from having to comply with provincial and municipal laws and regulations.
The government is putting business interests above the environment, communities, workers and democracy.
If we want to preserve what we have for ourselves and future generations, we need to forcefully oppose this destructive and undemocratic bill. Time is of the essence. The bill has passed second reading in the legislature and is going to committee May 22 and 26.
Contact our newly-elected Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky and visit Halton Hills Climate Action to learn about more actions you can take.
Jeannine d’Entremont,
Halton Hills
‘Damaging, injustice’
Dear Editor:
An estimated 4,000 vehicles could be added to the streets of Elora, twice a day.
An application has been made to amend the official plan to include 200 acres of agricultural land in Salem, between Gerrie Road and Irvine Street, for the development of approximately 2,000 residential homes by Cachet Developments.
This property has been excluded from the official plan due to its geographic location. The limited number of roads and bridges crossing the Irvine and Grand Rivers cannot feasibly accommodate the logistics of high-volume traffic. There are limited opportunities for employment in this area and new residents would likely be commuting to Guelph or Waterloo for work.
Traffic options would include:
– Gerrie Road to Wellington Road 18/Mill Street, crossing the Grand River at Tower Street in Fergus or the Metcaffe bridge in downtown Elora;
– Irvine Street passing St. Mary’s Catholic School in a 40km/h zone and using the David Street bridge to access Wellington Road 7; or
– passing Salem Public School in a 40km/h zone, through the congested Salem switchback, then choosing to cross the Irvine River in Salem or using Geddes Street to access the David Street or Metcaffe Street bridges.
None of these roads are intended to accommodate such high volumes of traffic.
The county has been wise in its decision to develop areas south of the rivers in order to preserve the quiet quaintness and walkable neighborhoods that make Elora a wonderful place to live or visit. Adding this land to the official plan for development would be an injustice to our community, the residents of Salem and Elora and damaging to our tourist economy.
Notice of this application was mailed only to properties with 120 meters of the subject land, which seems completely insufficient considering the impact it would have on our community in Salem and Elora.
Current residents have until May 30 to submit their opinions to the county.
Shane Lambert,
Centre Wellington
‘Tremendous success’
Dear Editor:
On May 9, Branch 275 of the Royal Canadian Legion held a special dinner commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands.
Not only was a delicious roast beef dinner served by Comrade and Chef Jay Gazzola and his team, but some other special touches added to the success of the evening for all 192 in attendance.
Guests were treated to some wonderful musical selections during the reception by the Emmanuel Christian High School band, led by principal and band leader Stephen De Boer, as well as the playing of the Dutch and Canadian national anthems to start the evening.
Grand Floral provided beautiful flowers for the tables. Made in Holland supplied delicious assorted pastries for dessert to top off the great meal.
Comrade Robert Foster, recently returned from the “In Our Father’s Footsteps” pilgrimage to the Netherlands, entertained guests with a presentation and slideshow highlighting his trip and reflecting on the contributions and sacrifices made by Canadian troops in the Liberation of the Netherlands.
On behalf of all members of Branch 275, I express our sincere thanks to all who made the evening a tremendous success.
Randy Graham,
President, Branch 275 Fergus
‘Best ever’ book sale
Dear Editor:
The volunteers and The Elora Festival and Elora Festival Singers, want to send out a sincere thanks to all the patrons who helped make this our best ever Elora Festival Annual Giant Book Sale.
Cudos to Julie Denneny, The Centre Wellington Food Bank, Rona Elora, FUNDrive, The Elora Curling Club, Swap Talk at the Grand 101, and of course the Wellington Advertiser, all of whom provided sponsorship.
Our appreciation goes to the many community donors of books, music, games and puzzles, and especially to the dedicated volunteers who work year round at the depot to collect, sort, pack and prep the items for the sale.
Cheryl Yuill,
For the Elora Festival Annual Giant Book Sale
‘Remarkable women’
Dear Editor:
While I don’t claim to be the most polished communicator, I felt compelled to write and express my deep appreciation for some truly remarkable women in our community.
Their dedication, accomplishments and selfless contributions are nothing short of inspiring.
Individuals like Jan Beveridge, Donna McCaw, Linda Lane, Barb Lee, Steph Toohill, Deb Reynolds, Resa Lent and Elizabeth Bender – just to name a few – have each played a vital role in helping our community not only function but flourish. And in many small but impactful ways!
Their efforts remind us of the strength, commitment and heart that drive meaningful change. These wonderful people make our community a proud place to call home.
To these incredible women: thank you. You are appreciated more than words can express, and I hope everyone you meet today, tomorrow and in the days ahead takes a moment to recognize and celebrate all that you do.
Julie Denneny,
Elora
Shoulder, ditch issues
Dear Editor:
RE: Council awards $1.3-million tender for 8th Line, Fife Road projects, April 17.
Based on this article, Fife Road is going to be resurfaced. It also says the County of Wellington needs “a formal detour route during Wellington Road 124 upgrades in 2026.”
Questions that need to be asked include: is the asphalt portion of the road going to take away from the width of the shoulders?
There are deep drainage ditches on each side of Fife Road – will the width of the shoulders be reduced? Will the shoulders be paved? Ditches are needed for proper drainage, as most of this area is wetlands. There is a high maintenance of shoulders due to the deterioration and run off of sand. Asphalt shoulders would make economic sense in the long run.
This section is relatively densely populated. Residents pick up mail across the road, residents walk to visit each other and for exercise, there are cyclists and people from the City of Guelph on Fife Road. There are many safety hazards. Breaking off and falling branches from the old decaying trees along Fife Road. After a windy day, it is a hazard to walk or bike because the shoulders are littered with fallen tree limbs. There is always speeding/overtaking cars.
The two speed measuring devices were installed in very questionable locations. One on the top of the hill, the other only a few feet from the traffic light – both where cars do not reach the average travelling speed.
There used to be regular clean-up of the ditches. Mosquitoes breed in standing waters, Buckthorn trees are growing in abundance.
Agnes Belosic,
Guelph