Mail bag: 05/07/26
Erin ‘accomplishments’
Dear Editor:
Let’s review Erin council’s accomplishments for this term.
They tried to take away the town’s shamrock logo and replace it with a plagiarised corporate logo, without public input, but had to back down due to public outcry. So much money wasted, although Mayor Michael Dehn says he saved us over $100,000 by rushing though the new logo. He’s never revealed how this miracle occurred.
The town has not attracted new businesses throughout the whole term.
They sent Hillsburgh residents a 20-year purgatory of truck traffic to “rehabilitate” a gravel pit, as if it’s the only option.
They tried to give away millions of dollars worth of Erin real estate in the form of rural severances, which the mayor and his accomplices thought should be given to developers in Puslinch. Who does he work for?
They tried to evict the humane society only to back down based on public outcry – again without public input. It makes me wonder if there isn’t a corporate interest waiting for this now very valuable commercial corner lot – just like Puslinch developers are waiting for our rural severances.
And finally, we’re broke. We’re not going broke – we are broke. Our reserve is gone and we’re being sued at the Ontario Land Tribunal for excessive development charges and we have no idea what the financial peril is from that should we lose.
Well done, Mr. Dehn and company. You couldn’t have done worse if you tried.
Tom Carroll,
Erin
‘Double standard’
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Premier Doug Ford and Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky.
I am writing to you today as a concerned Ontarian, seeking clarity and accountability regarding recent actions and messaging from Premier Doug Ford and his government.
This past weekend highlighted what I see as a troubling inconsistency. On one hand, the premier has publicly stated that he is “tired” of relying on our neighbours, emphasizing that Ontario can no longer rely on the United States and must instead become more self reliant and resilient.
On the other hand, earlier this year, the Minister of Education directed school boards to ensure that graduation ceremonies remain “strictly student-centred and apolitical.”
Yet despite this directive, the premier chose to deliver a commencement speech at a U.S. university that included clear political messaging. Ford spoke about Canada/U.S. relations and the risks posed by tariffs.
This raises a fundamental question. Why are students expected to have apolitical graduation ceremonies, while the premier uses similar platforms to deliver political messaging? The contradiction suggests a double standard: one set of expectations for students and institutions, and another for those in positions of power.
Further, I am deeply concerned about the broader message being sent to students in Ontario.
The premier accepted an honorary doctorate despite dropping out two months into his secondary education, and at the same time his government has ended tuition freezes, allowing institutions to increase fees, and implemented changes to OSAP that reduce grant availability while increasing reliance on loans. This makes post-secondary education less accessible with greater financial burdens on students and families. It is difficult to reconcile these policies with a government that claims to prioritize opportunity and fairness.
I guess I am asking if you support double standards regarding political messaging at graduation ceremonies? How do you justify increasing financial burdens on students while celebrating symbolic academic recognitions at the highest level of government while students struggle to get real ones?
Ontarians deserve consistency, transparency and leadership that reflects the same expectations placed on its citizens.
Kristen Reilly,
Fergus
‘Megalomaniac’
Dear Editor:
It’s all about oil and ego.
Buy low, sell high, I don’t care how many die, could be President Donald Trump’s new motto. His ultimate plan, as I see it, is to use the world’s number one commodity, crude and refined oil, to take as much money as he can from the world’s population.
His theatrics throughout the war on Iran has sent the price of oil, down and way up, to buy and sell for huge profit at the stock market and the pumps benefitting himself and the extreme rich. He appears unconcerned with who or how many are hurt, left dead or destitute as a result. Even the people of the United States, those that elected him, are equally suffering (though he is president, I refrain from saying “his own country” in this respect, as I am still hopeful that Americans manage to reign him in before it is too late).
So far, from my perspective, President Donald Trump is not insane, he’s amoral. An opportunist; a megalomaniac savouring a perceived dominance (omnipotence) over the world, forcing his will.
He has been trying to bring the world to its knees, using the fear of force from a country with the largest military, and the rest of the world’s reliance on it’s economy. He has pompously been committing global terrorism, with illegal tariffs, threats of forced annexation of allied countries, kidnapping country leaders to manipulate their oil reserves, indiscriminately killing in Iran with even the claim of destruction of their entire civilization, and now a naval blockage to restrict oil coming to market from the Middle East, all to demand unrealistic concessions from the world. He has proven his threat of severe repercussions to any that defy him.
I regret the strain in the relationship with the people of the United States but we have to continue to unite with the rest of the world until they somehow manage to remove the threat of Donald Trump as president.
Paul Dunnill,
Fergus
‘Authoritarian’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Propagandization,’ April 30.
Wayne Baker mentions Barbara Frum. She was stellar and her son, David, went on to write speeches for George Bush. Then he saw the light and switched his compass, penning books like Trumpocalyse. I will address Mr. Baker’s notion of “authoritarian commonalities” between regimes. This is very important territory.
Mike Harris sold Highway 407 and with it, hundreds of millions of dollars that could have profited infrastructure, provided colossal benefit for we the woeful taxpayer. I see little difference between the parties, especially with the federal Liberals toying with privatization of airports. The global picture changes moment to moment.
Doug Ford is selling off the green belt, Ontario Place, Science Centre, and expropriating park land surrounding the Billy Bishop airport. He’s de-funding schools and health care, but is he saving us money? The deficit doubled with his last budget. We’re in a deeper hole.
Doug Ford gave $10 million out of the skills and development money to a strip club. This club owner apparently has supplied alcohol for the annual Ford picnic.
Doug Ford’s dealer days are profiled in the book, Crazy Town, or look it up at the Globe and Mail online.
Homelessness in Ontario is at 85,000, up almost 10 per cent from 2024. This amid brutal winter weather. Sixty percent of our students don’t regularly attend school. This is because of mental health issues and related issues – bullying and turbulent home life. We have never been so desperate for good leadership.
We need to wake up. The fact is we never vote parties in so much as vote parties out.
This pendulum politics is deadly. And denying access to information puts Doug Ford above the law. That’s the ultimate definition of authoritarian.
But finally, I’ve got your man.
Vote for Nobody.
Nobody will keep election promises. Nobody will listen to your concerns. Nobody will help the poor and unemployed. Nobody cares. Nobody has your back.
What more can you ask for?
David Courtney,
Belwood
Tree inventories
Dear Editor:
RE: Township will conduct tree inventory with FCM grant, April 23.
It is interesting to read Joanne Shuttleworth’s story. It’s good news that Centre Wellington is applying for close to $90,000 from the Federation of Ontario Municipalities to conduct a tree inventory and tree canopy cover analysis.
I hope the grant is approved as it will support informed management of our community’s natural assets.
This is a good time to mention that for 10 years, from 2007 to 2017, dozens of tree-loving Neighbourwoods volunteers donated their time, energy and enthusiasm to collect and record data on some 10,000 urban trees in our community.
Led by summer students funded by Canada Summer Jobs, volunteers worked in teams, taking measurements, identifying species, noting obstructions or conflicts, and recording health indicators about each tree they visited. Trees were numbered on air photo maps, data was recorded using paper and pen, then uploaded onto spreadsheets.
Thanks to volunteer Greg Wolowich, the township’s GIS manager, about five years in we shifted to an on-line mapping system which greatly streamlined and improved the process.
Neighbourwoods’ citizen science program provided rich summer employment experience for close to two dozen young people, and fostered a community of dedicated volunteers who helped educate homeowners during field work – all at very little cost to the township.
Much of this work can be found on the township’s website, although some has since been updated by township staff.
I’d like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge and thank all who were involved in the Neighbourwoods tree inventory.
Toni Ellis,
Neighbourwoods Coordinator,
Elora
‘Progeny’ will ‘implode’
Dear Editor:
A healthy, vibrant community is akin to a progeny that has been created through talent and love, nurtured into a being with a soul, not born originating from wealth and greed.
If the offspring arises from this controlled wealth of the few, lacking in spirit from a creative parent, then there will be no resonance to take the creation onward.
Without resonance, the progeny will simply implode.
Carol Williams,
Elora
Adding new barriers’
Dear Editor:
Downtown Elora has always been known for its welcoming atmosphere and strong support for local businesses. That is what makes the recent introduction of paid parking – particularly on Sundays – worth a closer look.
Many small businesses, especially restaurants, are still working to recover from the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, stability has only recently begun to return.
Sundays are often when families and visitors take the time to come downtown, walk the streets and support local shops and restaurants. Introducing paid parking during these peak times may unintentionally discourage that support.
A simple outing – such as going for dinner – now comes with added considerations: time limits, meters and the possibility of receiving a ticket if plans run longer than expected.
While the goal may be to improve turnover, it is important to consider whether this approach aligns with the needs of a community still rebuilding.
Supporting local business means making it easier for people to visit, stay and enjoy what Elora has to offer – not adding new barriers, even small ones.
Margherita Tabone,
Rockwood
‘Waiting to happen’
Dear Editor:
It saddens me to learn of the accident that seriously injured Judy Chapman and killed her guide dog Jemma. It especially saddens me to think that there is a high probability this accident could have been avoided.
My statement revolves around the roundabout in Arthur, and the county’s determination to install that roundabout in spite of massive opposition by the community.
There is an unopened road allowance that goes around Arthur known as Wells Street. For years, the community has wanted this road allowance to be opened up and thereby allow trucks to bypass the rather nasty corner at Smith/George and Frederick streets.
The rationale behind the opposition to the roundabout went something like this: 1) the township on its own does not have the resources to open up Wells street; 2) the county is planning on allocating significant resources to install the roundabout; 3) the county should re-allocate the resources dedicated to the roundabout and assist the township with those funds to open up Wells street.
At the time of the opposition, predictions were made that by forcing the trucks up Frederick Street off Highway 6, an accident was waiting to happen.
Wayne Baker,
Wellington North