Mail bag: 07/16/26
‘Disastrous’ plan
Dear Editor:
RE: Former Wolverine property eyed for possible AI data centre campus, July 9.
After reading in the Advertiser that Spur Innovation is considering building an AI data centre in our community I want to make everyone aware that this would be disastrous for our community.
AI data centres use as much electricity as 100,000 homes which will result in all our electric bills going up even higher than they are now. They also use as much as five million gallons of water daily!
This will cause our water bills to go up and cause wells to dry up in the area. They also cause noise pollution and greenhouse gases from the large fans and cooling machines on the rooftops.
Yes, it will employ some people during the initial construction of the building but once established they operate on minimal manpower.
I ask that the community educate themselves and let our municipal government know that we are not in favour and prevent Spur from ruining our community.
Steve Di Pisa,
Centre Wellington
‘Grave injustice’
Dear Editor:
RE: Former Wolverine property eyed for possible AI data centre campus, July 9.
These AI data centres are known to consume vast quantities of water and electricity, but an insidious aspect, not always considered, is the noise emanating from them.
Celebrated environmental activist Erin Brockovich has noted: “The relentless humming, hissing and buzzing ... that run 24/7 drives local residents ‘mad’ and causes them to feel like they are ‘going insane.’”
I would add to her apt description that the noise pollution has a tonal characteristic that permeates walls and closed windows. My wife and I, along with neighbours in Fergus have been on a 15-month saga of suffering caused by a local manufacturing facility.
Being motivated to get in the car and drive to a park or a rural setting to gain restorative energy, when such joy was formerly available by simply walking out one’s back door, is both sadly ironic, as well as a grave injustice.
Late in the evening, on considering sleep (which isn’t exactly a slam dunk in the context of the relentless racket), a thought frequently troubles me: that my family and I are very small fish in a big pond and the big fish generally hold sway.
This company has cunningly and callously shifted their burden of duty to comply with environmental norms onto us in terms of lodging complaints.
This news article provides residents within earshot of this proposed centre with time to mount an opposition, if they so choose.
We were not given no such warning with the noise pollution being sprung on us as a fait accompli which I deeply resent.
Allan Berry,
Fergus
‘Causing such division’
Dear Editor:
I can’t imagine why Prime Minister Mark Carney is so fascinated with 24 Sussex; this country is hemorrhaging money on all sorts of causes.
It certainly can’t be for his use because he lives in New York. I think we need to look inside to our own people and our needs at this time, not refurbishing some old building for millions of dollars or dipping into our pension fund to prop up other countries. That should never be touched.
I still don’t understand this condo deal and why we should be buying condos to bail out the builders who stuck their neck out and are now finding what it’s like to be in real life. Can you imagine buying one of those condos a couple of years ago and now you’re going to house the homeless? Whatever equity you had is going to be gone.
There is some slight of hand going on with this pipeline we have; I just wish we would get it going. I don’t know why we can’t get it to Ontario and refine it for the rest of the world. We live in a very rich country and our people love our country but Carney is causing such division. It’s not the same country I recognized 10 years ago.
I know Carney is Trudeau on steroids and he can spend money like no one else.
He stepped out of a New York-style lifestyle, where his family is still living, and he has moved his business south of the border as well.
But soon he will be gone and we will be left with the mess. Thank you very much, Mr. Carney. I hope you disappear as fast as you appeared. You can go now.
Scott Rae,
Hillsburgh
Losing too many trees
Dear Editor:
RE: Controversial severance approved for Arthur forest, June 25.
We loved seeing the results from your recent weekly poll that found a whopping 89% of respondents said that municipalities should do more to protect woodlots.
Wellington North council, are you listening?
Further to this, our organization is researching compensation options for the loss of a tree. There are several approaches; some are based on the diameter of the tree and some are based on the volume of wood lost in the trunk. Suffice it to say, the typical practice of two new trees for one removed tree does not come close to replacing what is lost, nor the resources needed to grow new trees.
Imagine the land, effort and money required to replace a woodlot? Factoring in the environmental, social and health benefits afforded by our trees, it is far better to preserve what we have: when it comes to big trees, when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Toni Ellis,
Executive Director, Tree Trust, Elora
‘Jarring experience’
Dear Editor:
An open letter to the hopeful candidates running for mayor of Centre Wellington.
You have a monumental job ahead of you if you win. I’m sure there will be many situations demanding your attention.
As a taxpaying resident of Fergus, I would like to bring to your attention the condition of the side roads of Fergus.
Number 6 Highway has been under repair, it feels like forever. Driving on it recently has been a jarring experience.
I would like to know is anyone paying attention to the side roads? No need to put in speed bumps. The potholes will do it all! Is there a candidate who will put in place a plan to repair our side roads?
Please do not start by hiring a consulting business to analyze the conditions of the roads. That will just use up most of the money that could be put toward repairs. A few wise people actually going out and evaluating what has to be done would get the job done.
Starting with the roads that need it most, I think priorities could be set and the residents of Fergus could start enjoying smoother rides and cars with less repairs.
David Pero,
Fergus
Done with ‘division’
Dear Editor:
Somewhere along the way, politics has stopped feeling like people trying to build a country together but more like people trying to tear each other apart.
Every speech seems to need a villain. Every interview needs someone to blame. Every campaign seems to be built on convincing us all that the other side is dangerous, incompetent and beyond redemption.
And somehow, we all seem to be accepting this as normal behaviour and this seems to be happening everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong opposition is important. Governments should be challenged. Questions should be asked. Bad decisions should be exposed. Accountability is key. But there is a difference between holding people accountable and making division your entire personality.
It feels like too many politicians have discovered that outrage is easier than solutions. That anger spreads faster than hope. That pointing fingers gets more headlines than extending a hand.
Whether it’s Pierre Poilievre spending more time highlighting failures than explaining how he will help find solutions, or Doug Ford repeatedly facing criticism for decisions that many Ontarians believe favour powerful interests over ordinary people, or Danielle Smith walking a careful line while often speaking in ways that deepen provincial divides.
Leaders from every party in our country, from across the border and from across the globe are choosing political victories, deception and division over meaningful collaboration. The names almost don’t matter anymore because the strategy is the same.
1. Find an enemy.
2. Fuel the outrage.
3. Repeat.
Meanwhile, the people they were elected to serve are left standing in the middle, watching politicians score points while housing costs climb, healthcare struggles, affordability worsens, and communities become more divided than ever.
Imagine if our leaders spent half as much energy solving problems as they do finger pointing. If they measured success not by how loudly they defeated an opponent, but by how many lives they genuinely improved. Imagine if the goal wasn’t to divide us into teams, but to remind us that despite our differences, we’re all Canadians first.
Maybe some will think that’s naive. But maybe it’s exactly what we’ve all forgotten. Because history won’t remember who had the cleverest insult but it will remember who united, who built something that lasted.
I think we can and should expect better from our leaders but perhaps we should also expect better from ourselves.
Because politicians may write the speeches, but ultimately we decide whether we are okay with a divided country. Maybe, if enough of us stop applauding the outrage and start rewarding cooperation, we’ll remind our leaders why they were elected in the first place.
Not to divide a country, but to serve one. Something to think about.
Kristen Reilly,
Fergus