HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-07-20, Page 81
pension creates
ial mess
1,
rich Port enston.
e have another "industrial area". I
e it has become a reality. The
wn in Canada snuffs out what by
National Geographic has called
st one of the top seven places in
or sunsets". Imagine barns, huge
e warehouses and perhaps any
of industry that wants to locate on
there.
a cement plant right in front of or
Falls, or an asphalt plant in
e Louise, or any manufacturing
way up the mountain at whistler
er natural attraction/park/water-
.
nk of ).
harks, we have "natural environ
lg to protect our green lakefront
beaches etc. Are not the views of
ters and rules of beautiful lake
idle day) and famous sunsets a
'foment worth protecting? How
ne put anything in 'front" of. Or
rid class attraction? 'Perhaps
s will look back and see this day
" of devastation of Gaderich's.
rtant natural asset.
jobs, But construction jobs come
other 150 jobs could be located
ise, but surely not to the devasta-
of the most glorious vistas and
the world and our very own. Of
I 'owe would be delighted. It's his
e taxpayer is funding it, and the
'ng to his expansion plan&
new under the sun. Pity.
Richard Roberts
Vioednesday, July 20; 201 1 boderich Signal -Star 7
www.goderidsignalstarcom
letters to the editor
Lifestyles and expectations have changed shopping
Retailers need local
support to remain viable
and open
To the editor,
There is nothing like a flaming headline
and an ambitiously worded article in the
paper to raise assentation on one side and
scathing comment on the other. What is
the old adage, no. news Is good news? Bad
news is good press and so on.
As Manager of the Downtown Goderich
Business Improvement Area here is an
answering editorial to the July 13, 2011
article in the Goderich Signal Star entitled
"Downtown isn't being murdered, it's sui-
cidal" by Gerard Creces.
Around town this week I have heard
people wholeheartedly agree with this arti-
cle and the comment made "about time
someone spoke up" as well as the opposite
reaction by retailers who state that if you
have never been in retail you don't know
the half of it.
On the one hand, for many retailers the
overhead costs of staffing, hydro, and rent
compared to the total sales for the daydo
P
not make it feasible to open seven days .a
week. As well for small independent retail-
ers a day off is necessary. I owned my own
store for seven years while living in Bay-
field and I remember only too well long
Sundays in an empty store having visitors
drop in and observe that none of the stores
were open. This dilemma exists outside of
Goderich as well.
On the other hand, shoppers do get
upset when they want to shop and stores
are closed, or they want to eat and restau-
rants are not open. I have watched people
being politely turned away from our down-
town restaurants when they were about to
close mid-afternoon. I have spoken with
Goderich visitors who came in larger
groups who were disappointed not to be
able to eat and shop downtown.
Our lifestyles have changedand; peoples'
expectations have changed. Weexpect to
find retailers open seven days a week, open
after 5prn and before 9am. We expect res-
taurants to be open throughout the day
and evenings. Change is occurring. In
some cases Sundays have become the bus-
iest day of the week for downtown
retailers.
Change is tough and growing pains are a
sign of change. Goderich is a tourist town,
a retirement town, a creative town, a peo-
ple town and as such it is important to lis-
ten if customers are complaining. There -
are always two sides to an issue. There is no
quick fiic to this discussion of store hours
and this is not a new debate. We are not a
mall and as such ,independent retail own-
ers set their own hours.
What will the next 20 years look like in
downtown Goderich? We can decide the
answer. We can make a plan, we can ask
how better to serve our customers. We can
examine store hours and customer service.
And we will do this with some thought,
some cohesion and without bitter diatribe.
Gerard raises a relevant point and to that
end I close as 1 opened, with a cliche,
Rome wasn't built in day.
Social injustice taking place under green veil
'unding will not corse off the
tax base- see page 11)
was a spirit on
uare Sunday
r,
ere I go people are telldng about
they liked the spirit on The
Sunday when the flea market was
and the Art Martin the park,
convenience for the traffic.
itors getting caught up in the
't more businesses stay open
g advantage of this centre of
aps even the Farmer's Market
the street with picnic tables in
Iks also thought the live music
to the spirit.
1 he Square more pedestrian
lout disrupting traffic, I'd like to
sswalks from the park to each cor-
street And let's have newbusi-
)wn, the kind that attract tourism,
d. Elora or Niagara -on -the -Lake.
Indy a beautifully unique town
waterfront.
Sincerely
Phyllis Durst, Goderich
Liberal -Ministers Choose
to Support only one kind
of constituent, an
Industrial wind Supporter.
Dear Editor,
Enough is enough.
Since the first industrial wind project
star t ed in ()Mario Inure riding of Grey
Bruce held by Liberal Carol Mitchell, con-
stituents have been begging her to do
something about the serious harm to their
health. They asked for help plain and sim-
ple. Help did not come. What did come in
buckets was criticism ofpeople suffering
unbearable health problems becuse win
turbines were operating near their homes.
Innocent people In rural communities
were abused by their government who
called them NIMBY's. Wind promotors
implied that victims could be lying to get a
buyout from their family homes. The pre
mier continuously stated that Ontario had
the best regulations.
Ontario has the only regulations.
Nowhere else in the world are wind tur-
bine developments legislated into law.
Nowhere else are communities told they
have no choice. Where else could the wind
industry get to do what it wants- where it
wants, without answering to the concerns
of citizens?
In a fashion that is looking all too famil-
iar, Ms Jutta Splettstoesser a vocal sup-
porter of wind turbine installations pro-
nounces now that she is the one being
victimized. How dare she?
I once had a conversation with Ms.
Splettstoesser. She had every right in a
democratic and free society to voice an
opinion. But sh e did not have the right. to
go in front of our council (May2, 2011) and
p disrespect, discredit and dsmiss. the 11
members of hercommunity who have
Y g help.
consistently asking for h .
There are no words to describe the social
injustice taking place under a veil of
'green:
As a Mother and a partner, I constantly
asked anyone who would listen, If you
saw these severe health changes in your
loved ones what would you do?"
Dr Robert Y. McMurtry has said over and over.
There are two competing claims. One side says
that there are health problems, the other says
there aren't. Do the silence.
No one expected wind turbines to cause
problems. I didn't. But my home and my
family were turned upside down with mis-
ery when they started operating. I kept a
3 -inch binder of the symptoms t had, and
Susan Armstrong
the emails and phone calls records with
the Ministry of Environment begging for
help. I was rushed to the emergency with
serious heart problems.
My neighbors' lives and personal Toss
were/are also unbearable.
Victims of the harm inflicted by indus-
trial wind complexes do not have to prove
anything. The fact is, what is happening in
Ontario is happening around the world...
in Australia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden,
the United States, Japan, France, Great
Britain, Spain and so on. Yet Ms. Mitchell
and all of her liberal colleagues have failed
to support their constituents advocating
for health and safety.
I am not a political person, but on Octo-
ber 6th the Liberals and their wind part-
ners must go so we can return to the peace-
ful and safe communities we love.
Many believe that wind turbines will be
an economic disaster. Others believe they
will be the savior. To me it doesn't matter.
Wind turbines too close to homes Is a dis-
aster and the longer it takes for the leaders
of the free world to accept this, the worse it
will be in the long run.
Enough is enough.
Sincerely,
Sandy Macleod (Victim)
Formally of Ripley, Ontario
www.goderichsignaistarcom
Community news: Dominique Milburn
e11181l: gssnews@bowesnet.com
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