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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-06-03, Page 5Wednesday, June 3, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5 1 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com letters to the editor Mayor asks should council have the right to refuse and review new information? Dear editor, At a council meeting earlier in the spring, there was a report on a sug- gested action that council might take. Based on the information that was received, reviewed and discussed, by council, a large majority of council voted against the motion, including myself. Shortly after that meeting, I was concerned we may not have received a detailed enough report to make an informed decision. Some of the statements were vague and may not have led to a correct conclu- sion. As the mayor I requested a meeting with the company representa- tive that supplied the information, and further explained specifics of what I thought council was requesting. I received a verbal update that was much more favourable and, in my opinion, was probably information that council would want to review. During a closed session of council I informed coun- cil verbally and also included what I believed the new number to be. Council appeared both interested and concerned. They were interested because there was a cost to the municipality that was only about 60% as what they had been previ- ously informed. That also gave them the concern of how the first report could be off by that much. Church to lead bell ringing campaign Dear editor, Is there any more wonder- ful sound than the bell of a Church being rung? The bell is rung to call people to wor- ship, to welcome the newly baptized, to announce the newly married and to mark occasions of community cel- ebration or mourning. For those who have died, the bell is tolled. In remembrance of mur- dered and missing Aborigi- nal women in Canada, the National Indigenous Angli- can Bishop Mark McDonald and The Primate of the Anglican Church of Can- ada, The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz are calling for a spe- cial ringing of church bells across the country for 22 days from May 31—which marks the beginning of the final national event of Can- ada's Truth and Reconcilia- tion Commission in Ottawa—to June 21, the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer. To ring the bells is, first and foremost, an act of remembrance. Since 1980, 1,017 Aboriginal women and girls have been Based on this new information council, again in closed session, requested that staff bring a report to the next coun- cil meeting. The purpose of this report was to con- firm or deny the informa- tion that I verbally had presented to council. I was quite happy to get the report in my council package as it not only confirmed the financial information that I had given, but it was even more favorable than what I had reported. What I couldn't understand was why David Blaney, Ray Chartrand, Diana Diehl, John Lowe, Joe Steffler, and Kevin Wilbee voted to not review or discuss the report with the rest of murdered and 105 have been classified by the RCMP as missing under suspicious circumstances. To ring the bells is to pray for their families. For some, there has been some conso- lation in receiving the body of their daughter, sister or mother, to hold it with love and bury it with dignity. For others, there has never been, and may never be, an opportunity for such clo- sure. They live in the anguish of a hope continu- ally pierced by despair. To ring the bells is to call Re: General Dallaire's visit to Huron -Bruce Dear editor, I was deeply inspired to hear General Dallaire's recent presentation in Kin- cardine on the occasion of his recent visit to the federal riding of Huron -Bruce. Mr. Allen Thompson, the Liberal candidate for Huron Bruce, introduced him as one of the greatest humani- tarians that he had ever known. As General Dallaire shared his life's story, one had to agree that he was a man of a great compassion, humility, intellect and vision. He is a man pos- sessed of a deep caring for all human beings, regardless of colour, religion, faith and social status. Despite being a retired military man, he lamented the vast amounts of money being spent by the world's leaders on arms and the military. As I listened to his story unfold, I was convinced that he would much rather council. As a result of that vote, a report that was requested by the council and paid for by the municipality was not even debated by council. Huron East has been threatened with double digit increases every year for the last three years, and next year will be the same. Is this council will- ing to review municipal operations and make changes to save taxpayers money? Brussels is requesting an upgrade to the arena. This upgrade is estimated to cost between 1.2 and 1.5 million dol- lars. If we are not willing to look at current service levels, how can the rate- payers afford to have us add new costs to the tax attention to this national tragedy and a trend that shows no sign of reversal. According to the 2014 fed- eral government report, Invisible Women: A Call to Action, "Aboriginal women and girls are among the most vulnera- ble in Canadian society. They are three times more likely to be the target of violent attacks than non - Aboriginal women and girls." Many Aboriginal women and girls are traf- ficked and exploited through the sex trade. To wage peace than wage war. He drew attention to fact that Canada has lost its reputation as a nation of peacekeepers, and that Canada, as a middle power, could have a greater emphasis on peace keeping, if only our national leadership chose bill? The savings, over the next decade, from the report that council never got to discuss, would have covered most of Huron East's share of the Brus- sels arena project. I'm not opposed to updating the arena, but where is the money going to come from? Who can afford to pay more? In all my years on coun- cil I have never commit- ted my vote prior to the council meeting where more information might arise. I have never pre- vented a group or individ- ual from voicing their opinion even if I don't agree with it. I met with the deputy mayor a couple of days after the council meeting. I ring the bells is to break what is essentially "a silence" about this tragedy. To ring the bells is to hon- our the demand for a national inquiry. To ring the bells is to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities in their cries for increased policing, protection and emergency health care ser- vices, for increased provi- sion for safe houses and programs for counselling. The churches of the Anglican Parish of the to do so. As the next fed- eral election draws near, it is important that Canadi- ans discuss with candi- dates the need for Canada to reconnect with the United Nations in order to restore Canada's hith- erto first class, interna- tionally wanted to explain to him that I was concerned that council had not followed due process. Joe and I had a great conversation for over an hour. Joe pointed out to me that, although this motion would have saved the municipality money, there have been lots of suggested areas of savings over the years that council has chosen not to pursue. Instead of review- ing them one at a time we should see if council is willing to address all of these concerns at once. Huron East ratepayers need a break and this council needs to work on it now. Bernie MacLellan Mayor of Huron East Holy Spirit, St. Paul's in Clinton and St. Thomas in Seaforth will be ringing our church bells at midday for the 22 days to remem- ber these 1122 murdered or missing Aboriginal women to date. If you are interested in learning more about this Canada - wide event please visit the website 22days.ca The Rev. Karine Snowdon Rector of The Par- ish of the Holy Spirit St. Paul's, Clinton & St. Thomas, Seaforth respected reputation as a peace -loving and peace- keeping nation. In so doing, each one of us can help to keep General Dal- laire's vision of a more just and peaceful world alive. Jim Hollingworth MD, Goderich. LET'S MAKE CANCER HISTORY For information about cancer, services or to make a donation 1 888 939 ! 3333 • w w.ca n cer.ca Canadian Cancer Society Saclike` canadieane du cancer