HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-05-16, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2019.
THE EDITOR,
We’ve all learned, to our detriment
sometimes, that silence implies
acceptance and consent. I’ve been
watching, reading and following the
news – provincially and now, more
so federally – and I’ve decided that
simply watching without speaking
out is no longer an option.
Someone way more famous than
me once said that “Democracy is not
a spectator sport”. There is no room
for spectators either here in Ontario,
or in Canada. Ever since the
Conservative Party of Canada
merged with the Reform Party, the
platform has become more extreme,
and that’s a concern, or it should be.
But, perhaps like you, I’ve been
trusting that what we’ve been
watching was all very necessary;
then I began doing some research of
my own, because what’s been going
on, somehow doesn’t feel right.
I follow American politics,
primarily because of the impact
their politics have on our own, as
well as Ontario’s and Canada’s
economy. That said, what didn’t feel
right was the fact that what’s been
going on here felt too much like a
“Made in America” strategy, and the
tactics employed seemed eerily
similar.
What got me really thinking,
leading up to this letter, among
many other issues, was Premier
Doug Ford’s decision to dissolve the
regional LHINs and replace them
with a centralized health care super
agency. I decided to check into who
might be the decision makers of this
change in direction, and discovered
some interesting facts.
The Director of Health Care
Policy in Health Care Minister
Christine Elliott’s office is none
other than Charles Lammam,
formerly an Associate Director
at the Fraser Institute. For those
not familiar, the Fraser Institute is a
very conservative, right-wing
organization, or ‘think tank’,
affiliated with similar thinking
conservative think tanks in the U.S.
In fact, it was his involvement,
which got me so very nervous. The
Fraser Institute receives significant
funding, and hence, influence,
from the United States. Several of
these organizations, in particular,
Americans for Prosperity, are
controlled by the Koch family
foundations, perhaps you’ve heard
of them, who lobby against almost
any form of government regulation,
climate change, health care, and
pretty much any social-oriented
program.
I now wonder just how many other
decisions we’ve experienced of late,
are as a result of this outsider
influence, being orchestrated by
some who may not have Ontarians’
best interests in mind.
Then I read comments from
Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff
(MPP for Niagara West) about a
woman’s fundamental right to
choose, and Premier Ford’s
reluctance/deflection to push back
on that comment. Then I read that
our provincial government has been,
at best, disingenuous at worst,
misleading Ontarians about an
easily verifiable 2017-18 provincial
deficit they claim they inherited,
necessitating all these social service
cuts. I think you get the idea.
Stay tuned Ontarians… I have a
feeling it’s going to get worse.
Greg Sarachman, Blyth.
Continued from page 3
into the local community.
The study, she said, has been
several years in the making.
Miltenburg had been working to get
the study off the ground, but with
several funding changes and a shift
in the direction of the provincial
government, it took time.
Miltenburg said she hoped the
study would conclude next February.
As far as the county’s
involvement, Miltenburg said she
was hoping to have access to
information about the county and its
faith buildings as well as the
participation of the lower-tier
municipal councils.
Chief Administrative Officer
Meighan Wark said she could raise
the issue at the next joint meeting of
Huron’s chief administrative officers
to try to bring the lower-tier
municipalities on board.
Writer fears for
health care future
Study to conclude
in February, 2020
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Yet another honour
The honours and recognition just keep coming for Blyth’s Mikayla Ansley and her world’s-best
Lions Club Peace Essay. Earlier this month at the Multiple District A convention in Walkerton,
former Lions International President Judge Brian Stevenson of Calgary presented Blyth Lion
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