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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2017-02-08, Page 5Wednesday, February 8, 2017 • Huron Expositor 5 Canadians are humanitarians, and that isn't about to change It was just last year that headlines touted our local communities were taking in refugees because the same refu- gees could no longer live in their own ravished country. Why would we do that? Because that's what Canadians do. We are humanitarians, and we are compassionate. Refugees are people who have fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. They are usually unable to return home. Many refu- gees come from war -tom countries and have seen or have experienced unspeakable horrors. A refugee is not an immigrant. An immigrant is a person who chooses to settle permanently in another country. But ref- ugees are forced to flee from a county while seek- ing eeking refuge in another. News coming out of the United States over the last few weeks has shocked and alarmed many across the world. My own thoughts are both personal and professional. I thought about the smiling faces of the families who came to Column Lynda Hillman-Rapley Canada, to our local com- munities, as they visited the beach for the first time last year, and later made snowmen. I thought about a woman I have met and who I have befriended. She works locally. Her kids attend a local school and we chat about every- thing from our kids to our religious beliefs. She is Muslim. I am Jewish. Her family fled the unthinkable. So did mine. The deadly terror attacks in Paris did not lead Can- ada to change course on its two main policies in rela- tion to Syria: welcoming 25,000 refugees in 2016 and ending Canada's bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria. On Jan. 28, Prime Minis- ter Justin Trudeau reacted to President Donald Trump's visa ban for people from certain Muslim - majority countries by tweeting: "To o those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada." A day later, on Jan. 29, a lone shooter gunned down six people at their place of worship in Quebec. Speaking in the House of Commons on Jan. 30, Trudeau denounced the "act of brutal violence... This was a group of inno- cents, targeted for practis- ing their faith," he said. "Make no mistake: this was a terrorist attack. It was an attack on our most intrin- sic and cherished values as Canadians, values of open- ness, diversity and free- dom of religion. These people were brothers, uncles, fathers and friends, these were people of faith and community and in the blink of an eye they were robbed of their lives in an act of brutal violence." What strikes me about the massacre in Quebec is that the shooter is Canadian. He was born outside Quebec. He is a Universite Laval student. We know from fact checking that he is not remarkable because just about every single mass murderer in this country, in our modem history, has been a Canadian-bom, has been a Canadian citizen, and has been white and has been of a Christian back- ground. ackground. That means that the extreme vetting of immigrants or refugees from places like Yemen and Iraq would have not pre- vented the death of those six people in Quebec City. Prime Minister Trudeau decries fear and division, and embraces Syrian refu- gees. That is a fact. letters to the editor Anxieties with de -evaluation of agricultural land via unauthorized zoning changes The Huron Natural Herit- age Plan was the tipping point. As a growing number of property owners examine the Technical Document (117 pages) of the 1luron Natural Heritage Plan and Section 9 of the Municipal Act, there is a growing swell of discontent of councils violating Crown Patent of I-luron. Property owners realize no one has property rights to land, water or woods, without the land- owner's written consent. "Is Your Silence Your Approval" Huron Natural Heritage Plan has become more of a topic of discussion. I have been talking with many peo- ple. Some say "Something needs to be done" Well, I have spent time researching and looking at the technical document. I have sent emails to groups with no response. I have taken info to lending Agriculture businesses and financial lending institu- tions are also concerned with the de -evaluation of agricultural land via unau- thorized zoning changes to private property. I hope the public opinion institutions. What have you done? Maybe you could send a let- ter or email to Huron County Planners, send your concerns to council. Write a can persuade dysfunctional councils to repeal by-laws that have been applied on private property rather than wasting more public tax dol- Iars defending class action lawsuits. -Ray Storey letter to the editor, and talk to you neighbours, family and friends. I ask you, "Is your silence your approval" -Barbara Storey Twenty -seven-year-old Alexandre Bissonnette faces six counts of first- degree murder and five counts of attempted mur- der. That too is a fact. You can't blame the fatal shootings on the United States or on Trump. Islamophobia was pre- sent in Canada long before the president entered politics. At the end of the day, Canadians are generous humanitarians ready to help and support those in need. And that won't change. HAVE AN OPINION? The Huron Expositor welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and accompanied by a phone number for information clarification. It is important to note, letters will not be printed without the author's name attached. All letters are subject to editing due to possible space restriction. Letters can be dropped off at the office, mailed or emailed: The Huron Expositor 8 Main St. P.O. Box 69 Seaforth, ON NOK 1 WO Shaun.Gregory@ sunmedia.ca www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com