Mail bag: 05/28/26
‘Off-loading’
Dear Editor:
RE: County eyeing switch to cart-based garbage collection system, May 7.
I am concerned about the impending introduction of wheeled waste bins to both the urban and rural parts of the county.
I am familiar with these bins since I have used them for years at my part-time residence in a large urban municipality. In that context they’re fine; I wheel them back and forth to the street down my 10m walkway. They hold lots, roll easily, are sturdily made, and the lid keep the contents dry. But they are also large (even the “medium” sized ones we need there) and quite heavy, even when empty.
At my other part-time home in Wellington North my house is located down a 300m gravel laneway from the road. I currently load my light-weight blue bins, garbage bags, and small organics bin into the back of my mid-sized SUV to take them to the road on collection days.
If the current luggable blue bins, garbage bags and small organics bin are all replaced by larger wheeled bins I know from personal experience that they will not fit into my vehicle, that they will be too large and heavy to manually roll up my laneway to the road and so I will have no practical means to move them back and forth from my house.
I have been told by my county councilor that this change is not the result of residents’ requests. It is the result of the waste management company’s difficulty in hiring and retaining staff to do the current “manual” collection, and the incidence of injuries being claimed by their staff. Apparently the bins will permit them to automate the collection process; the drivers will operate a mechanical arm to manoeuvre the bins.
It seems to me that what these bins are really doing is off-loading a large part of the physical effort (and apparently the risk of injury) from the firms that are paid to do this work to the residents of the county and that this will burden those with remote homes.
I urge the residents of rural parts of the county to consider how they will manage this change, and if they too are concerned to contact their ward’s councillor.
Steve Bowley,
Wellington North
‘Gross over-reach’
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Town of Erin mayor and councillors.
I have recently been informed about a commercial fill contract being awarded to a pit operator in Hillsburgh. This contract is alarming in so many ways and could jeopardize our water table irrevocably.
What are the legal repercussions for the town after the contract with the pit operator expires? There appears to be no recourse to hold the pit operator accountable if there is environmental damage to the water table.
The imminent increased heavy use of local roadways will open the truck traffic corridor – Trafalgar Road and others – to damage that the Town of Erin will incur the expense of repair.
This most concerning issue is the long-term environmental risk to the water table. What realistic accountability is there to insure all fill loads are safe? Toxic fill loads can be deadly and without supervision from an outside source, there is a chance that unacceptable fill will be dumped amongst the high volume of loads.
Why was this contract extended to 2045? This is unheard of in any municipality. Why is there no clause to release the town from the contract on a bi-annual or five-year. renewal? This is standard in environmentally sensitive contractual agreements.
It appears this issue has struck a nerve in the community. This opposition has nothing to do with resisting progress in the Town of Erin. I welcome the residential development and growth in Wellington County.
There is a great responsibility for the Town of Erin; not only in the short term, but in the decades to follow. These decisions will affect generations to come.
This pit operation deal is grossly in favour of the pit operator, and the revenue won from this contract will be minuscule in comparison to the damage that will be done.
In the event the water table is contaminated, that repair expense will be on the Town of Erin.
If anything, I would say this is a clear signal that the public sees this as a gross over-reach of power given to an outside corporation, with little to no accountability after the fact. Given the current and upcoming opposition to this project, will council rescind this contract ?
With the ground swell of support being organized, I hope council is prepared to respond to these questions and requests.
Of course, I look forward to someone from the Town of Erin responding, in good faith.
Laura Levitt,
Erin
‘Deeply disappointed’
Dear Editor:
Fifteen years ago a number of residents including myself delegated to Erin council on the importing of fill to our town. It was covered by the Wellington Advertiser on Oct. 6, 2011 and titled “Erin residents have had their fill of town site alteration bylaw.”
It’s déjà vu all over again
The issues are the same as they were then and it was our efforts in collaboration with a council that took citizen imput seriously that led to the bylaw that this council has just amended to allow for the Hillsburgh pit and that will open the door for other pits in Erin.
The issues are the same now as then: noise, dust, property values, contaminated soil, road damage and potential remediation issues.
In the article: “council’s solicitor suggested the municipality does not have the expertise or the tools to regulate it. Council was also told once soil is contaminated it may be classified as hazardous waste and dealt with accordingly.”
Councillor John Brennan, the only current councillor who served at that time and voted in favour of this new fill in 2026, was quoted as saying at the 2011 meeting there appears to be a number of insurmountable problems. On the issue of policing this he said, “We can’t. We don’t have the resources and never will have the resources. To police this properly, your taxes will skyrocket – and that’s not what we want.
“Once you get contaminated fill, the problems escalate wildly. I don’t believe we can require a security deposit big enough to remedy the problem.”
In 2026, Brennan, despite knowing all the above and personally helping to develop a fill bylaw, voted in favour of the Hillsburgh fill project. I am deeply disappointed.
Tom Carroll,
Erin
‘A view of walls’
Dear Editor:
I see that Provost Lane at the ScotiaBank in Fergus is once again closed off for seating with picnic tables and umbrellas. Although this may sound like a good idea, I believe we are missing the point as Fergusites.
Right across the street on Menzies Lane, we have a beautiful view of the river which is very much underutilized. I have written once before about Beatty Park and its location after the investment, and it looks great. However, no one knows it’s there and no one visits.
Why don’t we close off the laneway between Menzies Lane behind the library, pick up Beatty Park and move it behind the library along with the picnic tables and umbrellas where locals and tourists can enjoy the Beatty Park information and setup all the while having a fantastic view of the river at one of the best spots along the Grand!
Having sat between two cement buildings on asphalt with a view of walls I don’t believe it is attractive enough that people would go out of their way to buy a coffee or order something from a local restaurant/bar and sit down to eat and have a refreshing drink. Especially when it is 30-plus degrees C and 90-plus per cent humidity. Cheers!
Brian Mackay,
Fergus
‘Failed to inform’
Dear Editor:
RE: Public health updates tick precautions, May 21.
Mr. Phil Wong, health protection operations director with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, failed to inform the public that Babesia odocoilei is present in blacklegged ticks (ixodes scapularis) in the local health unit catchment area.
Human babesiosis caused by Babesia odocoilei is an infectious disease carried by blacklegged ticks.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer is legally obligated to inform the public that this red blood cell parasite is cycling in nature in the local environment. Importantly, local independent researchers have found this blood parasite throughout the area, and have published their findings in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Dr. Mercer has failed to inform the public about this serious, tick-borne zoonotic disease.
Mr. Wong stated that the Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is here but did not mention that human babesiosis caused by Babesia odocoilei is also here.
John Scott,
Fergus
‘Out of control’
Dear Editor:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once penned: “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.”
I would like to ask Dushan Divjak (‘Not helpful,’ May 21), what kind of world are we leaving to our children? I have said in earlier letters that it is very easy to criticize; it is quite another thing to propose solutions to the problems being criticized.
My argument is not about the bloated “Sunshine List,” my argument is about the bloated bureaucracy being supported by our tax dollars. What I find morally reprehensible is the fact that by not addressing our deficit and by extension our debt, we are choosing to tax a population that has absolutely no say about the taxation they will be facing. I am referring to our children.
Bureaucracy is like medicine. Just the right amount of medicine will do its job properly, too much and it very quickly becomes dangerous. Similarly, a bureaucracy in just the right amount is sustainable, and can dynamically contribute to the well being of our society. When bureaucracies become self-perpetuating monoliths with little or no accountability and require more resources than a reasonably taxed population can sustain, then we have a serious problem on our hands.
One of the most subtle yet obvious symptoms of an out-of-control bureaucracy is Divjak’s obvious thorn: inflation. Other indicators are ever-increasing costs to our public services with ever decreasing services.
I pity the unfortunate children who have to endure our public education, or the person/family without a doctor, or an individual requiring non emergency police assistance. The standard response to the lack of services is overwork, but how much of that work is actually productive, and how much is the result of a non-productive bureaucratic infrastructure which is more intent on self preservation than what it is actually paid to do?
The solution is obvious: introduce competition. Parents are given the right to determine how the funds to educate their children will be allocated. Introduce parallel public and private health care, along with allowing more doctors to be educated. Allow individuals the right to defend themselves with no fear of repercussion.
Wayne Baker,
Wellington North
Advice for ‘Timmies’
Dear Editor:
RE: Township issues legal notice, brings in police for traffic behind Mount Forest Tim Hortons, May 14.
The John Street stopping in Mount Forest has indeed been a problem for decades, but how much of a problem and why choose now to address it? Perhaps that would’ve been prudent prior to the John Street construction to try to explore any possible options?
The fact that social media is basically free and local news outlets certainly don’t charge much for “news” announcements, I’m left to assume that it will apparently cost $5,000 to actually get the OPP to do their job?
Tim Hortons, here’s a couple of suggestions from a rube. Get rid of the curb and grass areas. Maybe relocate the trash cans? Look at twinning and then merging the drive-thru lanes? Perhaps no exit to John Street?
And, stop putting items on your menu that take forever for your underpaid employees to prepare. Keep the drive-thru menu very basic. It’s a simple suggestion that not only applies to Mount Forest but corporate-wide.
But I’m pretty sure marketing is of more importance to Timmies than actual service, so there’s that.
Peter Beilke,
Arthur
‘Enjoyable, educational’
Dear Editor:
On May 13 Huron County Historical Society members visited Elora to learn about the history of the area. We would like to thank everyone who helped to make the day a success.
Kathleen Stanley and Roger Dufau at the Drew House created a delicious spread of coffee and pastries for us in their beautiful historic coach house. Gary Bryant and Al Koop led our group on lively historical tours of downtown Elora. Dominique Wild and her staff warmly welcomed us to The Wild Tart for a terrific lunch that her chefs had prepared. We were saddened to learn that the restaurant closed shortly thereafter because the food was wonderful and the service was second to none!
Thanks also to Rob Fleming and Ernie Kalwa for assisting with bus logistics, and to Ben Rosebrugh of the Elora Gorge Conservation Area for facilitating our visit to the Hole in the Rock where we got to experience Elora’s breathtaking natural environment up close.
We are also grateful to Karen Wagner and Katie Clarke and their staff for providing enlightening behind-the-scenes tours of the Wellington County Museum and Archives. It was a most enjoyable and educational day and many of our members are planning a return visit.
David Armstrong and Elysia DeLaurentis,
Huron County Historical Society
Best choice of a bad lot
Dear Editor:
I can think of a lot of reasons to be disappointed with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, including his open apparent disdain for his federal Conservative counterparts – enough so that if he were still on next ballot I’m not sure I would vote at all.
However and do I find it bothersome that in some items it appears that he may lean towards friends to him or conservative-minded entities. Therefore I agree with the critique on the issues mentioned.
However, they all do it in the same blatant way, provincial and federal. Look at our current prime minister, who has so much conflict that he cannot recuse himself from. It’s the old analogy: elect a PM with a resume with enormous business connections, which at many points is going to be conflict, or elect a career politician who, if you’re lucky, will act on what’s best for all even if tough decisions need to be made.
At least when Ford runs against people’s desires he changes course. That is admirable. On the other hand, when the federal Liberals make a mistake, not only do they not listen, they double down on it.
What choice could we make in Ontario for leadership? A leaderless party (ie. – Liberals) that has no vision or the NDP which has no direction?
Be careful what you wish for – we have played those songs before.
Doak McCraney,
Guelph