Mail bag: 02/26/26

Don’t cut OSAP

Dear Editor:

Premier Doug Ford has just cut the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) from 85 to 25%.

It takes 10 to 15 years in school in Ontario to become a licensed doctor. We desperately need doctors in Ontario.  Why do we not  want to support our young men and women who aspire to be doctors, and want to serve in medicine? 

Many have lived their whole lives in a community only wishing to be of service in medicine and often to that very community.

Is it only for the very rich to proceed to become doctors? Why not give some financial incentives for students to go into medicine instead of cutting OSAP and increasing tuition at the same time.

We should be trying financially to help our future doctors  to enter and to stay in school and to train to look after Ontario residents. It makes no sense to cut back their OSAP.

There are 2.5 million Ontarians without a doctor. We need health care professionals and doctors desperately.

Doug Ford, you say you don’t want to support basket weaving; my question to you is do you want to support training doctors? Students  in bio med? Students who wish to serve in medicine? Students in medical school? Students who will eventually save lives and care for people?

If you help these students financially, I promise you will help every Ontarian, as every single person eventually needs a  doctor – even  your family.

Don’t cut. Step up and support this field of study!

Brenda Chamberlain,
Elora

‘Another poor decision’

Dear Editor:

RE: Erin council green-lights Hillsburgh gravel pit remediation, Jan. 29.

In this article Erin Mayor Michael Dehn has come out in support of filling a spent pit in Hillsburgh despite decades of citizen opposition to these activities in our town.

It’s a betrayal of our trust that our council would allow for such a carbon-heavy, road-destroying disruptive activity that will probably do more damage to the roads than that paltry $250,000 deposit will ever cover.

We have had the unfortunate experience of living on a road below a site that was accepting fill – three trucks in and three trucks out, all day long and sometimes on the weekend, when there’s no one available to police these activities

I can say firsthand that it’s a horrendous experience and absolutely disruptive of one’s peaceful enjoyment of one’s property. The noise, dust and diesel fumes are outrageous.

We know a load of fill is worth hundreds of dollars but a contaminated load is worth thousands. I’d like to know what the sophisticated methods are that can track a dirty load buried, spread and quickly covered – and that remediate such activity.

And the poor people of Hillsburgh will have to put up with this for two decades. That’s right, not the two-year max that residents fought for in a bylaw, but 15 to 20 years.

We could lower development charges, stimulating sales in the stalled subdivision and avoiding the Ontario land tribunal case coming up; we could reduce staffing and trim costs generally in what I would consider is excessive staffing for a town of 12,000. 

But no, our mayor betrays us again, as he did with the attempt to remove our shamrock from thetown’s logo.

It’s another poor decision by this council that doesn’t reflect or respect the citizens of this town

Tom Carroll,
Erin

‘Inefficacious bystander’

Dear Editor:

Cuba and its people have been collectively punished for decades by the United States for freeing themselves from a dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who was collaborating with American businesses in maximally exploiting Cuba for their mutual enrichment.

More than 60 years have passed since the Cubans fought for their freedom, and the economic sanctions not only remain, but are being intensified.

Recently, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made it their mission to cause economic (or potentially physical) harm to countries that provided Cuba with oil to power their electrical grid, namely Venezuela and Mexico. 

With the commercial export of oil halted, only a trickle of it can arrive in Cuba via humanitarian aid. Schools and hospitals in the country can only operate at limited capacities because of rationing. It’s a cruelty.

Canada has had good relations with Cuba despite American hostility. Many Canadians have enjoyed traveling there for tourism. But with no oil being imported, air travel services will have to either land planes in another country to refuel for the return trip, or cancel flights outright, hurting an important economic and cultural vector.

When asked about Cuba’s situation in the House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand only expressed concern for the safety of Canadian citizens on the island. Did that response seem to imply that the Canadian government would be an inefficacious bystander to anything that occurs in the future?

As Canadians, we shouldn’t be letting this carry on. Tell your member of parliament that Canada needs to be concerned about Cuba’s future. There are non-profit groups that are collecting donations for humanitarian aid shipments, such as the Canadian Network on Cuba. There are even public demonstrations in front of the American consulate in Toronto, if one has the time to go there.

And don’t listen to anyone who watches Cuba’s jeopardy with glee.

Dylan Clarke,
Centre Wellington

‘Gem of another kind’

Dear Editor:

Thank you to Payton Curtis and Julianna Cox, who owned and ran the landmark Elora Gorge Cinema from July 2017 until July 2025. 

During the pandemic, Payton Curtis valiantly sold popcorn, pop, and confections as part of their stewardship to keep the theatre going as a venue for showing films. I read previously that those COVID-era sales only covered about five per cent of the actual costs. They sold movie posters, too, as a way to keep the legacy of this small-town theatre alive (I was lucky enough to be able to buy a poster of Downton Abbey).

Before the partnership of the talented animators, Curtis and Cox, John Chalmers and Deidre Whittaker were co-owners of the Elora Gorge Cinema from 1991 to 2017. Such conscientious stewards are so critical to keeping the historic heritage of Elora alive for the locals and visitors alike. 

I was so grateful that Kat Florence (Kristy Hillis) promised that the theatre was here to stay in Elora. Since the website says the theatre will reopen in 2026 following renovations, I look forward to the Elora Gorge Cinema reopening. Kat Florence is renowned for works with gems in a jewellery business and a boutique hotel. The Elora Gorge Cinema is an important gem of another kind for the community. 

Thank you to past and present owners of the Elora Gorge Cinema for their commitment to keeping the theatre alive despite challenges.

Barbara Downey,
Alma

‘Looked the other way’

Dear Editor:

Re: ‘Stupidity’, Feb. 12.

Under Barack Obama’s presidency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents also went into the streets to make arrests, including into “sanctuary” cities such as Chicago. Over three million people were deported plus another two million removed at the border under Obama.

The LA Times reported on ICE entering homes without warrants, scaring children, and doing things that today have the left in a panic. Most of the media and Democrats looked the other way.

Over the eight-year period of the Obama administration, the percentage of removals carried out without a hearing before an immigration judge averaged roughly 74%.

ICE under Trump has made about 595,000 arrests (from an article dated Feb. 6), of which 170 were U.S. citizens, and of those 130 were arrested for interfering with or assaulting officers. Forty mistakes out of 595,000 isn’t an overwhelming number. ICE under Obama made many more mistaken arrests.

Trump may have many faults, but he is fulfilling his election promise to Americans to begin mass deportation of the millions of illegal immigrants he inherited from President Joe Biden. ICE’s top priority remains violent offenders. As of January 2026, those with criminal convictions or pending charges represented 66% of arrests.

If the left allowed agents to enforce the law as they did under Obama, there would be no need for violent ICE responses. If they don’t like the law, there are democratic ways to change it.

Henry Brunsveld,
Puslinch

Pissed about poop

Dear Editor:

Come on! People (certain) who walk their dogs on the Elora Cataract Trailway, do you think that because the trails are covered in snow that means you don’t have to pick up their poop?

I walk the trail from Fergus to Elora multiple times a week and I can’t count how much dog poop I see, sometimes having to step over it because it’s in the middle of the path.

If you think that it will dissolve by the spring you are sadly mistaken. It will become more disgusting and impossible to pick up.

There are multiple people that enjoy the trails so please join the responsible pet owners and pick up after your dogs.

Beth Broderick,
Fergus

‘Enforced through guilt’

Dear Editor:

I would like to offer a perspective on tipping culture that many people discuss privately but hesitate to express publicly.

Tipping was once understood as a voluntary gesture – a way to recognize exceptional service. Increasingly, however, it feels less like appreciation and more like obligation. Prompts requesting 20 to 25 per cent now appear at coffee counters, takeout establishments and even self-serve kiosks. What was once reserved for attentive table service has expanded into nearly every transaction.

During a recent cruise, we were automatically charged $20 USD per person per day in gratuities. In addition, we purchased a beverage package that included service charges. Yet additional tipping was still expected in specialty restaurants and at bars. This layering of charges raises a reasonable question: at what point does gratitude become duplication?

I also observed service seemingly influenced by visible tipping. A guest I spoke with declined to pay the daily gratuity and instead tipped a small amount per drink. The bartender, unaware of her refusal of the automatic charges, appeared to prioritize her service. Meanwhile, those who had already paid substantial daily gratuities waited longer. This creates the perception that visibility of tips outweighs fairness.

Let me be clear: service workers deserve fair compensation. They work hard, often under demanding conditions. However, should the responsibility of ensuring a living wage fall primarily on customers? Fair pay should be a matter between employers and employees, not a source of social pressure placed on patrons.

In my own profession caring for vulnerable and ill individuals, I often went beyond my duties without expectation of additional compensation. I was paid to perform a job, and I did so with dedication and pride. Many professions operate this way.

When public messaging suggests that those unwilling to tip 25% should simply “not dine out,” the spirit of hospitality is diminished. Gratitude should be earned through quality service, not dictated by expectation or enforced through guilt.

I share this perspective respectfully, recognizing that others may disagree. 

My intention is not to criticize individuals, but to encourage thoughtful discussion about a system that many find increasingly uncomfortable.

Margherita Tabone,
Rockwood

‘Buying Canadian’

Dear Editor:

We’re buying Canadian these days, avoiding  all things American.  This includes groceries and household items, but also sports and culture.  

There are many fine Canadian athletes and teams that deserve our attention. Please write about them.

Ken Lancaster,
Rockwood

‘So kindly’

Dear Editor:

My thanks to the gentleman and the couple – woman’s name Kate – who so kindly helped me on Feb. 17. 

I could not get out of a very slushy, icy parking lot near Beatty Line. A shovel and lots of pushing finally got me mobile again. 

My apology to the man who was so upset because he could not get into the lot because a senior did something silly. Perhaps getting out to help would have made the procedure go more quickly.

Also, to those who have let me go through the grocery line ahead of them because I have fewer items, thank you.

Norma Seibert,
Elora