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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-07-12, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018. Letters to the Editor Schwartzentruber critical of natural heritage plan THE EDITOR, "We absolutely have the right to pass any bylaw we want on private property." Who spoke those words? Raise your hand if you like when others impose their ideas on you. By regulations? With force? Western history (in the broad sense) provides ugly examples of using centralized power to force ideas — immediately the failed Soviet model comes to mind, complete with central planning and a Gulag for dissenters. Of necessity, that system dehumanized the people. While we might think of efforts such as the "Huron Natural Heritage Plan" (HNHP) as being quite benign in comparison to that example, we cannot escape the reality that dictatorial systems all begin with the premise that force of some sort is used to impose an ideology on the people. I have emphasized directly to the Huron County Planning Department that the objectives of the HNHP are not necessarily wrong, just that their methodology is deeply flawed, to the extent that the plan likely contains the seeds of its own failure. There has been no response to this. Fact: the HNHP will almost completely remove the management of private forests and lands from the property owners without even taking into account their own capabilities in forestry management. As a former forestry worker, I very likely have more practical experience in the woodlot than many whose qualification is a piece of paper on their wall. Many absolutely resent being subjugated by the imperialistic, unthoughtful and demeaning process that the county is imposing on us. Why does the county not look at alternatives to forcing its designs on private property owners? A better example that provides solid evidence of success is the voluntary "Alternate Land Use Service" (ALUS), an independently - administered initiative that turns fragile lands back into forested or uncultivated landscape. Past director Dave Reid encouraged a "human - based approach", saying that the focus should be on the person rather than the project, such as a wetland. Yet, a closely connected source claims that one of the reasons that the ALUS program floundered in Huron County may be due to a heavy-handed county approach to conserving undeveloped natural areas on private property. Unsurprising perhaps, in that bureaucracy tends to become tone- deaf and self-serving. Has Huron County, through its costly and de -humanizing regulatory effort, not taken the exact opposite approach as demonstrated by ALUS success? Has the Huron County Planning Department not effectively reduced the people of rural Huron County to mere dots and lines on a map? Or turned taxpayers into a bank account to fund their high-risk venture onto private property through constructive expropriation? Indeed, in trying to enforce the forestry bylaws, the county has incurred shockingly high legal bills on our "behalf' as taxpayers. Press reports indicate that their adversarial approach seems to be deeply embedded. The court records bear evidence of the failures of these unfruitful efforts. What if that money had been invested in reaching people rather than prosecuting them for alleged legal infractions of ineffective regulations? But perhaps worst of all is the human cost on those who were/ are often wrongfully dragged through the legal gulag. One farmer gets fined for rehabilitating an abandoned gravel pit. Yet, a council member quietly cleared a large chunk of land designated as "Natural Environment" on county maps without any consequence. Does this not indicate a two-tier enforcement system and Politburo privilege? All these considerations raise questions whether the Huron Natural Heritage Plan is just wrongheaded, intrusive and demeaning to the residents of Huron County. It tyrannically supersedes landowner rights while running a huge financial liability to the taxpayers of Huron County. This is being imposed on us with insufficient dialogue and largely without our consent, the men and women who call Huron our home. Huron County Warden Jim Ginn stood before a gallery full of shocked observers at a Committee of the Whole meeting and proclaimed: "We absolutely have the right to pass any bylaw we want on private property". Bev Hill responded with: "If you can do this, what can't you do?" Some councillors responded to public objections with "Let the courts decide". In other words, "We'll pass the bylaws. You take us to court to challenge them." How democratic... Does that sound like a "collaborative" effort, as touted in the NHNP, a plan stating intentions to broaden its grasp even further? Does that sound like a democratically -oriented approach to private property management? Do those words seem reasonable for a representative of those who elected him? Should trust be given to someone who essentially has declared that our rights are non- existent? When "projects" take precedence Thompson disagrees with column THE EDITOR, Keith Roulston's recent column "Don't spread misinformation", when it comes to supply management was, itself, mostly misinformation. For example, Roulston's claim — "the U.S. exports five times the value of dairy products to Canada than it takes back" is a classic example of misinformation. It's a wonder we sell any dairy products at all to the U.S. considering that we are a high-cost/high-price jurisdiction while the U.S. is not. Or to look at it another way, this complaint is exactly the same thing as complaining that Eskimos are selling more igloos to us than we are to them. While this type of data is often cited by supply management supporters as a reason to defend supply management, it simply doesn't stand up to any scrutiny or even common sense. In addition, criticism of U.S. subsidies is also based largely on misinformation. For example, a recent report prepared for the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) claimed that U.S. dairy farmer subsidies include " very substantial pass through benefits from feed grain production to livestock that benefit dairy cattle and dairy production". Yet the report's authors disingenuously did not mention that because we have an open border for feed grain between Canada and the U.S., this subsidy is also very much a subsidy for Canadian dairy farmers, thereby reducing the credibility of the entire report to substantially less than zero. Finally, while Roulston laments what he sees as antipathy in urban media toward supply management, the urban media seems to be the only media able to filter through the misinformation constantly coming from supply management. For example, a recent article in the National Post cited OECD (Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development) data showing that, thanks to supply management, Canadian consumers faced an average overcharge of 89 per cent for dairy from 2000 to 2017, yet this type of data is studiously ignored by DFC in its never-ending attempt to hoodwink the unwary. Stephen Thompson, Clinton. Knott's resignation causes complications Continued from page 1 Councillor Trevor Seip felt that hand -selecting Knott's replacement wouldn't be fair. "I know you say we're going to find out the name and it might be fine," he said. "What strikes me as odd is that the rest of the community hasn't had an opportunity [to submit their intent] if they have an interest in doing it." Seip said that, for the cost of advertising the position, a representative could be chosen sooner than the six weeks that Vincent's plan would take. Councillor Yolanda Ritsema- Teeninga said she agreed with Seip's suggestion, saying it would be more transparent. Campbell said the last time council had invited applications for a vacated seat on council, applicants had to write an essay and go through an interview process. Council has employed both methods since amalgamation. Knott was chosen to replace outgoing Deputy -Reeve David Riach several years ago, following which Knott was re-elected to serve as one of Blyth's representatives. Knott's fellow Blyth representative Brock Vodden was selected alongside Riach in 2009 via an interview process to replace two Blyth empty council positions. All three individuals proved they had the support of Blyth by being re-elected after being initially named to the position. No formal action was taken in open session regarding Knott's vacancy. over "people", then all of us are expendable. Even governments. Whose rights will next be sacrificed for the "public good"? The upcoming elections are a time for evaluation. John Schwartzentruber, Brussels Camouflaged Emmitt Shortreed found a great hiding spot during a game of "Shepherds Tag" at the vacation Bible school held this week at the Blyth Christian Reformed Church. Unfortunately for Shortreed, organizers of the game quickly told him hiding wasn't an option in the particular variant of freeze tag they were playing. (Denny Scoff photo) • Colour Printing • Posters • Letterheads • Envelopes • Business Cards WE CAN • Business Forms • Brochures • Flyers • Carbonless Forms • Labels DO IT ALL!