‘Thumbing their nose’
Dear Editor:
Let’s be clear, close to 100% of all doctors, health care professionals and immunology scientists believe the only way to get beyond this COVID-19 pandemic is for every man, woman, child and senior to be vaccinated.
Here in Ontario the numbers have taken a turn in the wrong direction. Ontario has almost reached 10,000 deaths, over 600,000 cases and a current positivity rate just creeping above 3%. At the same time we see that people who have now become infected, in the majority of cases, have either not been vaccinated or their vaccination status remains unclear.
Our doctors and the majority of healthcare workers are completely dismayed by Premier Doug Ford, his health minister and medical advisors for “supposedly” telling Ford that he need not mandate vaccinations or testing for all health care workers as it might have a negative impact on up to 10,000 workers that might resign.
I guess that means it is okay for those unvaccinated workers to potentially cause many unneeded deaths among mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, our children and other family, friends and neighbours as part of the cost of keeping these health care workers on the job.
I just wonder how many workers will quit their jobs because of Ford’s complete failure to mandate vaccinations. What if the already-fully-vaccinated health care workers were to simply say, “we are going on strike right now and will stay off the job until the premier finally decides enough is enough and mandates all health care workers, education workers and other critical employees in the province be vaccinated” or to be suspended without pay until they do so?
Of course we know these workers won’t abandon their position because they are committed to helping the general population in any way they can, even at their own peril.
Looking at the anti-vaxxers, they believe that Ford and his cronies plan to relax all restrictions on masks, vaccination certificates, business restrictions, etc. in the near future and are currently thumbing their nose at all of us who have been vaccinated in an attempt to beat this pandemic.
Now if Ford does this how will you feel about going to a theatre, skating rink, community event or playing hockey, football, tennis, volleyball, squash, pickleball or rugby knowing that the player beside you might not be vaccinated. Would you consider just leaving the event to protect yourself?
What a shameful set of circumstances we find ourselves in, thinking that all people were loyal and supportive of each other.
Have too many of us been completely brainwashed by what is going on south of the border?
Pete Anderson,
Fergus
‘Shameful’ display
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Centre Wellington’s mayor and councillors.
I sure hope you do a better job this year than last year by decorating our Christmas tree in MacDonald Square in Elora by the bench. It was shameful last year.
Let’s get it decorated before the Santa Claus parade at the end of November. May our tree shine brighter this year.
Brenda Day,
Elora
Threat to humanity
Dear Editor:
For the past 20 months, the world has faced an unprecedented and deadly crisis, namely the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governments urgently worked together with scientists and medical experts to fast-track appropriate health measures, and then funded the rapid development of vaccines to attack the problem head on.
During that time, another crisis was barely mentioned – the ongoing but ultimately just as or even deadlier, climate emergency. We have already witnessed the catastrophic effects from unprecedented heat domes, raging wildfires, flash floods and record hurricanes.
While the COVID pandemic has already killed over 5 million people, the climate crisis has the potential to make our planet uninhabitable, threatening all of humankind.
We need all governments to cooperate to solve the climate emergency before it is too late.
Citizens Climate Lobby members in Wellington-Halton Hills collected over 100 signatures on a petition to request that all parties in parliament urgently work together within the first 100 days of the new session to:
1) commit to Canada’s fair share of cutting at least 60 per cent of domestic emissions from 2005 levels by 2030;
2) establish a concrete plan to end fossil fuel subsidies and stop all new fossil fuel expansions;
3) restart the Just Transition consultation and pass this legislation as soon as possible.
Our MP Michael Chong has agreed to table our petition once the House of Commons is back in session.
We implore all federal parties in Ottawa to set aside partisan politics, combine forces with the utmost urgency, and implement the already available solutions needed to address this ongoing threat to humanity’s survival.
Gordon Cumming.
Georgetown
Very thankful for vets
Dear Editor:
We recently had to have “critical” care for our beloved cat “Fergie” and took her to our vets, Dr. Shannan Noorlander and Dr. Gary Noorlander at their Animal Hospital of North Fergus.
These two vet doctors and their staff are the most caring and compassionate people we have ever met. They treated Fergie as their own, gave us telephone updates and there were many.
We so appreciated everything – the loving care and concern they gave to our Fergie, answering all questions and concerns with honesty. They never rushed through our appointments and explained everything thoroughly.
We have so much admiration and respect for them and we are so thankful to them.
Sonia and Roy Holden,
Fergus
Still a choice?
Dear Editor:
RE: The editor’s note on a letter last week (Doesn’t like notes, Nov. 11).
I would like to present a few dictionary definitions.
From the Oxford Languages:
– force: (v)(2) make (someone) do something against their will. “She was forced into early retirement;”
– compel (v)(1) to force or oblige (someone) to do something;
– coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
Second, from the Merriam Webster Dictionary:
– force:(n)(3) violence, compulsion or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing. “Those who do not respond to kindness must yield to force;”
– force:(v)(2) to compel by physical, moral or intellectual means;
– compel: (trans. v.) (1) to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly. “the general was compelled to surrender.” (2) to cause to do or occur by overwhelming pressure;
– coercion:(n) the act, process or power of coercing. “they used coercion to obtain the confession;”
– coerce (trans. v.)(1) to compel to an act or choice. “was coerced into agreeing.”
In light of these dictionary definitions I would respectfully disagree with the editor’s note beneath “Doesn’t like notes” (Nov. 11) that states, “No one is being forced to take the vaccine against their will. It remains a personal choice that may have consequences.”
When your choice is “get vaccinated or lose your job,” if you lose your job you don’t get EI (which you have paid into) because you lost your job as a result of not being vaccinated, can we as a society, still claim that we are truly giving people a choice?
Cathy deWitt,
Arthur
Columnist nailed it
Dear Editor:
Once again, Kelly Waterhouse has nailed it for me and probably many others.
Flu hit me too, though not as hard, but dragged on for a month, right through what would have been my 50th anniversary if my husband had not died four years ago. He loved hockey and baseball and scary movies and definitely would have taken advantage of the fact that I was ill by overdosing on both.
Her next week’s column did it for me too! Christmas hanging over her head like a lead balloon. And of course, the pandemic makes it worse. Serious, but with irony, humour, in depth character development, blatant honesty and originality.
Most importantly, she made me feel better.
Christy Doraty,
Fergus
Just hang up!
Dear Editor:
Lately our household has received a significant number of prank calls from people purporting to be from government, technology or credit card organizations. I imagine many other readers have also received these calls. While these callers like to sound very urgent and forceful, their claims are strewn with errors in logic.
Please consider the following:
– there is no such thing as a Visa / Mastercard Control Centre. Indeed, Visa and Mastercard are competitors and would never be combined within a single organization;
– the only company able to monitor your credit card usage is the bank that issued your card. They are also the only organization empowered to offer you any discounts. Your bank will occasionally contact you if they suspect fraud, but they will always know who they have called;
– nobody would ever suspend your SIN number, because your SIN number is only used within the Canadian government to uniquely identify you. Aside from tax records and access to the Service Canada site, your SIN number has little value. Service Canada does not have a legal division.
– Nobody is monitoring your computer for possible virus activity. Who would be paying for such monitoring on a 24/7 basis? This cost is not included when you purchase MS Windows for your computer! How could anyone tell remotely that your computer has a virus? In most cases, your computer has no record of your phone number. This is a scam. Do not allow anyone to remotely connect to your computer.
– duct cleaning services calling you from offshore are merely looking for your credit card information if you agree to a down payment. Hang up on them!
Steve Hornett,
Rockwood
Questions raised
Dear Editor:
The pictures on the front page of last week’s paper brought two things to mind.
The eleven children were all wearing store bought costumes. What happened to homemade ones?
The second picture was a little more subtle.
The drawing shows trees in the background, not the Pearl development. It also shows the river at full width. This is not what it looks like most of the year.
Chris Woode,
Fergus
Education vs highways
Dear Editor:
Please find enclosed my letter of concern in present day Fordland.
Let us begin with a little game show and work on the premise that we have a rather large pot of money on the table at Queen’s Park. To be specific, that pot holds $6 billion.
I am asking your readers how they would prefer to see the spending of the money in that pot:
a) $6 billion to be shared by taxpayers to the benefit of the majority?: or
b) $6 billion to be used for one highway and a bypass to the benefit of a few?
Two issues currently facing Ontarians are huge cuts to public education as in $1.6 billion. These cuts are estimated to eliminate thousands of jobs for principals, teachers, early childhood educators and custodians.
Secondly the ongoing negotians with Ontario optometrists and the Ford government are not being addressed. Anyone receiving OHIP payments for eye care in Ontario are not eligible for care as of Sept. 1, 2021.
The people affected are seniors and children. If any service is covered by OHIP the government will not allow service providers to charge extra to cover their costs of offering service.
Currently, Ontario optometrists have been making up the difference between OHIP coverage and cost of service by about $40 to $50 dollars per visit. In any business that is not sustainable.
Well in Fordland we are going to build a Highway 413 at the estimated cost of $6 billion as well as the Bradford Bypass.
In Premier Doug Ford’s own words, “It is very simple, We are going to build the highway.”
These highways will cause environmental destruction and degradation of water source for millions of animals and people.
The Bradford Bypass will destroy some of the most fertile soil, 27 waterways and 39 hectares of wildlife habitat (Leadnow).
I have had people say to me this week, “The government is broke so people just have to pay out of pocket for services needed.”
Seems that in Fordland, at this moment in time, that applies only to those individuals who need eye care and quality education for our future generations, but not to building of highways for a few to save a few minutes or seconds on a commute regardless of the damage to environment and continued disregard for climate change.
My vote is for option “a”.
Burna R. Wilton,
Elora
Loving reminder
Dear Editor:
How can you find a way to really remember this day?
Pinning on a poppy is not difficult enough
For if you really truly set your mind
On the very true bleeding Sacrifice,
That this tiny poppy of red, represents
Then it should really hurt!
Why?
In Flanders where men fought and fell out in the fields
Where the poppies grew everywhere
And when the men fell
They grasped for help ,
And so in their cold dead hands
Were found the crushed and mangled dry remains
Of their very last treasure – a poppy
Now can’t you see this lone poppy
As a truly loving reminder
Of that cold and lonely soldier
Of that soldier who died for you?
Sytske Drijber,
Rockwood
Rare experience
Dear Editor:
My wife and I moved to Drayton three years ago – loving it.
As a retiree of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (42 years) one of the most interesting (and newer) initiatives of the orchestra was the screening of Hollywood movies in Roy Thompson Hall on a big screen with the orchestra playing the sound track.
One of the best, and my last, was West Side Story. This season they are showing the following: Home Alone with performances Dec. 3 (7:30pm) and Dec. 4 (2pm and 7:30pm).
Some may still be available but not for too long. Call TSO Patron Services at 416-598-3375
Trekking into TO can be a chore but for this film would be well worth it. Hearing a live, major league orchestra playing the sound track in a real concert hall is an experience you shouldn’t pass up. It would also make a fantastic and unique Christmas gift.
Don Kuehn,
Drayton