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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-04-30, Page 5Wednesday, April 30, 2014 • News Record 5 www.clintonnewsrecord.com letters to the editor Reader weighs in on deamalgamation issue Dear editor, As someone whose parents immigrated here more than 60 years ago, as someone who was born in Goderich Township and have lived nowhere else my whole life, literally grew from the produce of it soils and gardens, who during my teen years discovered all of its roads and side roads, got to know them even in the dark! I have tilled its soils and walked miles of its rivers, dark- ened arkened in its sun and trudged its snow banks. I now have five children doing the same and attending its schools. I have seen some of my closest relatives, dear pets and prized livestock returned to its soils. So when Mr.McHale talks about "the People of Goderich Township," he is talking about me. When he says we don't want outsiders telling us what to do I am in complete agreement and therefore must point out that in this discussion I am a resident and one of the people, he and Ms. Moyer are not! Sure politicians make promises every election Mr. McHale! But they never come flying in my lane asking me to put down my mark right then and there and tell me who else did too. After poli- ticians are done making their promises we are allowed time to consider and given a neutral location with neutral staffers to make our final decision, which is exactly what I had suggested in my letter as a fairer way of doing this petition. Itis also our democratic duty to question politi- cians as to how their promises will work, at what cost, in dollars and in human turmoil and have them show us the proof. That was exactly the crux of my whole letter, is that this whole process is started without any idea of whether it could or would fulfill the spirit of the idea, itis only about rushing off to the Queen to get it done. While Mr. McHale speaks to me so sternly about democratic rights, I should like to remind him that there are two main ways of one express- ing their democratic freedoms. One is by taking part in an open and transparent election process and voting for those candidates that will best rep- resent your views. The other is to let your name stand for that public office which you feel is not being well represented. As I have said publicly in the past, to those who have issues with how we are represented - put your name on the ballot! If you know now exactly how we should have been govemed 23 years ago or sixyears ago or even last year and if you have all the exact answers for what our local government should be doing and you are attending all the council meetings any - ways to tell council how it should be done, then allow yourself to be elected! Iwillvote for you! I want someone who recognizes that it is their duty to do exactly as the people with the power see fit at any given time! "Goderich Township had elections ("four years dictatorship and two months of democ- racy" Mr. McHale quoted News Record March 26, 2014), "a Reeve, and Council without tur- moil:' Mr. McHale lectures in last week's letter. Those residents still do! The only turmoil on council came after this issue was raised; it was not the cause of it! The residents of Goderich Township also did indeed have all the services mentioned, I in no way said that they didn't or implied that they couldn't have again, I only asked the obvious question that those advocat- ing lower taxes should easily be able to answer -at what cost? The marriage has happened long in the past and what is being requested by "de amalgama- tion" is a legal divorce and I have yet to see where a snow blower that had cleaned a shared drive was still used by both parties after the divorce. So, what exactly does smaller, self-govemment entail? Details in Mr McHale's rebuttal to me were sadly absent. 200 years ago when Goderich Township was created, the population of Canada was 2.5 mil- lion people. There was no Internet, no cars or paved roads or drinking and driving, no trains or rail cars, no planes or airports, no firearms any- thing like today, no sophisticated illegal drug industry, no health care, no Charter of Rights, etc., etc., etc . Today, the population of Canada is 35.5 million and we have this complex society. So if someone is advocating for smaller govem- ment or self-government, explain to us first what exactly this means? Which laws have got to go? What part of government will you reduce? Do we eliminate government support of renewable energy as well as nuclear, hydro elec- tric, coal, natural gas and biogas and all the industries associated with them, which never would have come about without government support in the first place? Do we eliminate gov- ernment overnment support of public transit, airports, the ethanol and biodiesel industry? Does it mean, speaking of unfairness in tax bases, that we will reject Federal payments to Provinces or Provin- cial transfer payments to municipalities? How big of an area will we designate that must be self reliant from only taxes it collects within that base - no more high population areas send- ing funding to lower ones for what? Anything? Re: your comments on Clinton vs. Goderich Township? Quite contrary to Mr. McHale's implications, it is I who am standing for our small local govem- ment and it is most curiously our smallest, clos- est to the people, level of government that these petitioners seek to dismantle. The provincial gov- emment is many times far larger than the local government and the federal government is many times larger than that. So why does someone against big government attack the smallest? Most interesting is that the very PC party that now touts itself so boldly as being for rural Ontario and returning powers to local municipalities and for whom some of the very people behind this petition, in the last election, just couldn't pound in campaign signs fast enough - is the very PC party that, so offensively to these petitioners, did indeed tell local municipalities, the last time the PCs were in power, that they would amalgamate or else! Since my implication to the monarchy was missed, I must say that the petition of right was enacted in 1628 to actually limit the powers of the monarchy head (King or Queen) upon its subjects. Now after generations of elected Cana- dian officials trying to gently wiggle our way out from under a distant Monarchy (a curious thing to petition for self -governance to a monarchy, a system where there is but one person ultimately deciding for all subjects) itis now the head of the monarchy that they will now give credence to by just such an appeal - a long way from the former Goderich Township to go for local control. Even more interesting is to consider that in 1628 this area had the smallest govemment ever, much smaller than even Goderich Township's (formed almost 200 years after this) as it was ruled by the native peoples. So how far back in time do we want to go? Anyone who wants to question our commu- nity need only go to the thank you notes of last week's News Record to see an emotional account of what an incredible communitywe have here! John M. Brand Clinton, On. Remembering the Main Street of yesteryear Dear editor, Last week on a sunny day I was walking down Main Street and my mind quickly traveled to Memory Lane. As I crossed Highway 8 and up Albert Street, I thought of the recent passing of former local business men. I remembered Bob Campbell as he stood on his step greeting all passersby with a cheery hello, while inside his partner Ken Pickett was measuring a man for a "made to measure" three-piece suit. My fond memory of Bob is how he persuaded my hubby to give up his white sports socks for colour coordinated knee-high socks - such a gentlemanly look. As I move on there is John Anstett greeting all would-be customers. He was always helpful in selecting the right gift. His motto of "one dollar down and a dollar a week" was how my engagement ring was purchased. Being spring, I look across the street and imagine Sutter Perdue where I went every spring to purchase my skip- ping rope. Mr Perdue and I would go to the back of the store where he would show me the different sizes of rope coming up through the holes in the floor and I would carefully judge the length of rope I needed, whether regular or double -Dutch skipping. Further up is the Aiken Bros. store where Art Aiken would quietly offer his men's work wear and if a bargain was wanted he would offer pants for $7.95 a leg. As a child I bought my skates there. I can almost feel sitting in the chair while I tried on the most beautiful new pair of figure skates. Also in the back of the store, the smell of leather and Willard sewing harnesses on an antique sewing machine. Nostalgia takes over and as I pass Bartliff's I remember Mr. Bartliff handing me an ice cream cone and in later years on a teen date enjoying a coke at the counter sitting on a stool. There are many memories of Main Street. The Roxy costing ten cents for a show, the need to parkyour car at the four comers on a Friday night to watch the people or the search to find enough change to buy some gas to drive up and down in a friend's car. Memories change with time and place and I know another wallc may bring different ones while other people will enjoy their own special memories. Reminiscing, Polly Powell Bayfield arena partners bringing pitch back to council Dear editor, On Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m. the Bayfield Arena Community Partners (BACP) will make our Business Plan presentation to Municipality of Bluewater councillors. We need your support, either by attending the council meeting or writing the council. You may or may not use the facility, however I am sure you know someone who does. I would even go one step further and would suggest that everyone of you will regret it's gone if we don't stand up to save the ice now. Many family Christmas or Birthday parties will have to find another option. That option will not include ice skating because every other local arena is almost always fully booked. Bluewater council has maintained all along the facility is not used enough and has a large deficit. We have discovered through our investigation over these past 6 months, that the actual cost to maintain ice is $40,000 per year. The remaining portion of deficit is overhead costs which will remain even without ice. Summary of Financial Statements and Projections of Bayfield Community Centre Annual Revenues... Annual Expenses....t Annual Deficits.... Our group has always felt that with mar- keting and our enthusiasm we could increase usage and reduce the deficit. This past winter our group was already success- ful by increasing usage of the ice. Our plan will not put anymore burden on taxpayers and hopefully with our busi- ness plan in place the projection is a decrease in tax burden by 2017. If we let our council continue on their current path, the ice pad portion of the building will sit empty for the winter of 2014 through spring of 2015. At that time, if they re purpose the building, it will cost in excess of $500,000 taxpayer dollars and they don't even know if anyone will use it. In our plan we are striving to increase ice usage during winter months. In warmer months we plan to have more shows, more culture and more sports. Our plan would disclose financial statements so everyone can help measure our success. Hopefully Bluewater Council will agree a Management Partnership is the best option for the facility. Convincing the councillors will take the entire community. We have gained a tremendous amount of support over the past 6 months and I would like to thank everyone for their backing. Now is the time to really stand up and speak to save the ice. You can help, but time is naming out, write a letter, email or call your councillor today. Sincerely, Ron Keys Chair Bayfield Arena Community Partners