‘Spineless politicians’
Dear Editor:
RE: Speed cameras worked, Nov. 6.
I thought Joanna Mullen’s open letter to Erin council and Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky was absolutely spot-on! Ms. Mullen makes an excellent case to retain the automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras for the safety of her children and everyone else’s!
I can speak from personal experience that I was caught by an ASE camera doing 41km/h in a 30km/h zone. I gladly paid my fine and now drive on that street and all others at the speed limit. It’s effective to slow down drivers!
Unfortunately, Premier Doug Ford, and therefore his lackey Racinsky, don’t get it. They cave to pressure from their base on important issues like this, rather than doing the right thing for the safety of our children, pedestrians in general and cyclists.
This is not on their radar, like healthcare and education under-funding. Yet, they continue to lead the polls, because that’s what it’s all about with them, and their base blindly continues to support them. Incredulous!
So Ms. Mullen, I’m disheartened to inform you that you’ll stand alone on that morning they turn the ASE cameras off!
Those spineless politicians (I only direct this to the politicians named in her letter) will not have the courage to show up and stand with you.
David McCormick,
Guelph
‘Sitting and chatting’
Dear Editor:
RE: County’s speed camera pilot program hits red light as province forces end to automated enforcement, Nov. 6.
In reading the article in the latest edition of the Advertiser, there are two things of interest. Number one, Warden Chris White suggested that the cameras allowed relocation of police resources.
That would certainly be the hope, however in a span of two weeks in mid-October, I was in Rockmosa park, in one of the parking lots two cruisers were parked side by side, driver door to driver door, having a chat.
About a week later on my way to Guelph, at the Jones Baseline/ Stone Road intersection, same scenario. I would think that there could be a better use of their time.
Secondly, Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox is disappointed because his budget included $1 million in speed camera revenue. That’s putting the cart before the horse – I don’t budget with money I might get.
Does something have to be done about speeders and reckless drivers? Absolutely, so perhaps instead of sitting and chatting the police could be out on the roads.
Jane Cullen,
Rockwood
‘Kill baby kill’
Dear Editor:
I own a cow-calf ranch near Rockwood with a herd of 85 angus cows with calves of varying ages. We pasture-raise our cattle which means during hunting season our cattle are in the same areas deer, geese and turkey’s graze.
There have been events on my property lately that have enraged me.
Last week I was putting up electric fence with cattle grazing nearby. My dogs heard an unusual sound coming from the neighbouring property (an animal calling whistle) and as all dogs do, they went to investigate. Next, I hear screaming and yelling to get out of the way from hunters in the field. I called my dogs off and screamed I was near the fence line with my tractor. Next, four shots rang out so close me that my cattle stampeded. I panicked as I had just had a calf born three days earlier. Luckily, the calf is still alive to tell the tale.
As a woman who could shoot a 12-gauge rifle at 10 years old, and a surprisingly good shooter at that, my hunter father raised me to respect both the animal shot by him and the owners of the properties that he hunted on. Ethical hunters would have stopped shooting when they realized cattle, dogs and humans were within 30m of their range. Not these hunters.
There is an attitude with hunters recently that shows to me they just want to “kill baby kill.” These individuals have good jobs, drive expensive trucks and own extremely high-calibre rifles. I am sure if I came to their place of work and carried a weapon and shot it off at their office that might upset them a little. My farm is my office, and hunters have no right to interfere with my business. Shame on the few that did this to my business and my herd.
To make matters worse, I found a dead but otherwise healthy eight-point buck today – it seems a hunter wounded it, but since the shot wasn’t fatal, the buck wandered onto my property before dying. The hunters couldn’t find him, so he died in the wild and was eaten by coyotes.
Wild animals must cope with the harsh reality of our changing planet as well as hunters, and deserve better treatment, as do farmers trying to make a living. I suggest that these hunters choose meat from animals that have been raised and slaughtered humanely, without harming farmers’ livelihoods. You can afford it.
Stephanie De Grandis,
Guelph/Eramosa
Jays not Jay’s
Dear Editor:
I have to admit that I am a stickler for spelling and grammar. I have to force myself to ignore the massive number of errors on social media platforms like Facebook.
One of the things that irks me the most is the rampant use of an apostrophe to pluralize a word. That’s bad enough, but on Nov. 5, I saw an even more egregious misuse of an apostrophe in, of all places, an institute of learning.
This was displayed on the roadside sign for Elora Public School: “GO JAY’S GO.”
Is it any wonder that many of the children graduating from the public school system are unable to spell? A place of learning should definitely do better!
Jim Clark,
Fergus
Concentrate on debt
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong.
Fellow Canadians , I do not find it hard to imagine our beloved country as Donald Trump’s 51st state. We’d be under the longest shut-down in history! Our CPP and OAS payments would stop, our health care and social assistance would end.
We’d be ruled by a 79-year-old who falls asleep at high level meetings with other world leaders in attendance.
Our Trump-friendly leader has stooped low with an apology to Trump after Doug Ford hurt his feelings with a 1980s video citing the fact that tariffs would not work! I don’t find myself rallying behind Ford’s policies very often, but I will make an exception here.
Canadians do not need Carney saying sorry to Trump for anything.
Carney should concentrate all his time and effort to eliminating the $143-million per day we pay in interest on our huge national debt.
Frank Yanchus,
Ennotville
Against ‘land grab’
Dear Editor:
Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberals in 2025 are allowing legally purchased land to be taken away by judges and given to Indigenous peoples.
I have family members who are Indigenous and I dearly love them and I am glad they have status and the benefits that they do with dental and school tuition, etc.
However, when I see total injustice which can affect all Canadians, I have to speak out. If the federal Liberals want to give away homes and land, they are welcome to give their homes and land to Indigenous, as the federal politicians have higher wages and investments, probably overseas, to offset their donation.
However, the average Canadian has worked and sacrificed years to own a home for their family. Richmond, BC has already had a judge give land to the Indigenous in 2025. This has set a precedent which now has Indigenous in Quebec pursuing settlements.
So, I would suggest that municipalities stop announcing Indigenous land in our communities, as it is history, not land today. Remove the statements. You are literally promoting the removal of your own home. Our early explorers built homes in Canada, too. We are not posting statements about that municipally. How come?
Our homes and land are not part of any land deal in 2025. You and I “legally,” through a lawyer and/or a legal document, purchased our land and homes and no one has the right to say the sacrifice we made to do this is meaningless and Indigenous own it because they may have travelled through the land or set up a camp hundreds of years ago.
We have to remove Liberal leadership and get a common-sense government in like the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre to bring wealth and jobs back for all Canadians and justice to our country.
I am a senior. Previous political leaders like Conservative John Diefenbaker or Liberal Lester B. Pearson would never have condoned land grabs from Canadians. It is undemocratic. It is insane.
Please voice your desire to protect your home and land while we can and speak out against the land grab for our homes. Injustice thrives when good people do nothing!
Carolann Krusky,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: Canada’s branches of government are independent and therefore politicians do not have a say in court decisions. The Richmond decision mentioned in this letter was made by the BC Supreme Court. The federal government, along with the city and province, is appealing the ruling. Quw’utsun (Cowichan) Nation officials have repeatedly stated they have no intention of displacing private property owners.
Water ‘win-win’
Dear Editor:
RE: Blue Triton sells Aberfoyle, Hillsburgh wells to White Wolf, Nov. 6.
The investment by Ice River Springs to acquire the wells in Aberfoyle and Hillsburgh is a big win for our community.
Ice River Springs employs hundreds of people in our community and the profits stay here, rather than going to multi-billion dollar global companies. Bottled water is essential – in times of emergency, disasters or when safe drinking water is not available.
Ice River Springs also runs one the largest plastic recycling operations in Canada. Where does all that plastic go that you put in your recycling bin? Most of it ends up in being recycled by Ice River Springs and turned into new bottles in a closed-loop recycling system.
This a great outcome and a win-win for our community.
Michael Pearson,
Fergus
‘Functional’ additions?
Dear Editor:
RE: Council doubles Belwood Hall renovation budget; cost now exceeds $1.8 million, Oct. 30.
I was pleased to see this news in the Wellington Advertiser. My main question is why weren’t these issues brought up in the previous budget?
In addition to the current improvements, I believe there is an essential feature that should be considered – a shower facility. This provides a place for those struggling and/or in case tragedy hits their homes like a fire or tornado, they could potentially crash there like a shelter. This would make it a multi-use building.
I fully understand that this project is moving in the correct direction by adding washrooms, wheel-chair accessibility and many other beneficial things, but with this big increase you can do more; it does not need to be excessive, but just functional.
But I strongly encourage the council to add things that are functional if there is space/ room to add it. Something that benefits all needs of the town of Belwood.
Alexis Taekema,
Centre Wellington
‘Desperate’ for signs
Dear Editor:
I live on Forfar Street East. We are in desperate need of two-way intersection signs. There was another car accident at the intersection of Forfar Street and Victoria Terrace Street!
New people do not realize it is a two-way stop not a four-way stop!
Tracy Coneybeare,
Fergus
Canada ‘in decline’
Dear Editor:
There have been 48 applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in Canada since 2010 and 24 have been approved.
Only one large-scale plant was built in 2017, none since. GM and Stellantis have put almost 10,000 auto sector jobs on layoff this year, despite Stellantis receiving hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars over the past few years.
Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and fifth largest production. Our production is less than 50% of the top four producers and we have basically one customer, which is due to the fact we have no pipeline to tidewater. Our lumber industry is in crisis; one of our largest companies just filing for bankruptcy. Yes, tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump haven’t helped, but Canada has been in decline long before Trump.
Canada, under the Liberals, is like a family where the wife is a heart surgeon, the husband a criminal defence lawyer and they both choose to volunteer full-time at the food bank. You know, so they can virtue signal to their friends, while their kids go hungry.
Mark Brown,
Elora
Let farms ‘flourish’
Dear Editor:
RE: Farms are small businesses too, and they need less red tape to grow, Oct. 23.
I strongly agree with this recent opinion piece. Too often, people picture farming only as a way of life, not as a business that requires financial planning, risk-taking, marketing and constant adaptation. Yet farms feed our communities, create local jobs and support countless other small businesses through purchasing supplies, equipment and services.
Unfortunately, unnecessary red tape continues to hold farmers back. When a farm wants to expand or make improvements, the approval process is slow, complicated and expensive. These delays make it harder for farmers to innovate, remain competitive and pass their operations on to the next generation. Government programs and grants are supposed to help, but if the paperwork becomes a full-time job, many farmers simply give up on applying.
Northern Ontario farmers face even greater challenges, from long distances to weaker infrastructure. If we want young farmers to stay and invest in rural communities, the government must make it easier, not harder to grow a farm business. The government should continue to support local farmers which fuel our local economy instead of importing foreign products. They also continue to support the farmers’ exports especially as tariffs on Canadian dairy would be devastating to local farmers.
Small Business Week was the perfect reminder that farms contribute greatly to Ontario’s economy and deserve a fair chance to succeed. Supporting local farmers means stronger communities, secure food supplies and more resilient local economies. It’s time to reduce barriers and let our farm businesses flourish.
Kevin Kottelenberg,
Wellington North
‘Tough topics’
Dear Editor:
RE: School boards, public health help youth make healthy choices around technology, substances, Oct. 30.
Choices Rewired is a new campaign organized by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board aimed to help parents and guardians in supporting their children’s proper use of technology and substances.
As a student currently in Grade 12, I love this initiative. It is important for guardians and parents to have open and honest communication with their children. Sometimes the necessary conversations can be difficult and uncomfortable.
The statistics provided in this article are concerning and should produce an urgency for parents and guardians to engage with these tough topics in their everyday conversations with their children. These discussions are made easier through Choices Rewired.
As youth look forward to post-secondary life, it is extremely important for parents and guardians to teach their children invaluable life skills. Boundaries, proper use of technology and substances, and initiative in personal health are priceless qualities in all walks of life. I recommend that Choices Rewired publish and advertise their content directly to students themselves. Students should be informed of the dangers of technology and substance abuse, but equally to the benefits of boundaries and healthy choices.
With this information, students can support each other, further promoting a compassionate and connected community.
Loraya Westrik,
Guelph