I just rolled my eyes, ignored him and moved on with my day. But then I heard about the petition – signed by 900 residents presumably not inebriated – presented to Minto 91���Ѽ calling for “neutral” public spaces.

The petition is vaguely worded and does not specifically mention Pride banners or rainbow crosswalks. I suspect this was done purposely to garner more signatures of support. In fact, several people have come forward to say they were duped into signing a document they were told was about “safety.”

Clearly, support for the petition has been exaggerated by its proponents – by how much we may never know.��

“This has nothing to do with hate or discrimination – this is about rights,” one petition organizer told Minto 91���Ѽ.��

Then why deceive people? And how can a crosswalk or a banner possibly infringe on anyone’s rights? It’s nonsense. Also, just because someone doesn’t think their own actions are hateful or discriminatory, doesn’t mean that won’t be the end result for others.

A sudden, unquenchable desire for “neutral” spaces is surely not the true impetus for this petition.

As the editor of two newspapers covering Wellington County, I know that every June I’ll receive calls and emails objecting to the raising of Pride flags at schools or other public properties. The complaints always start out with concerns about flag etiquette, fairness or “neutrality,” but if I keep them talking long enough the complainants always reveal their true feelings about the Pride flag and the community it represents.��

One man emailed me in 2020 to cancel delivery of his newspaper due to all the coverage we were giving Black Lives Matter protests and 2SLGBTQIA+ events (of course�� that’s not how he described either topic). His email actually concluded with this revealing and supposedly rhetorical question: “Why can’t we just go back to the way things were?”

Whether they admit it or not, I suspect the people who organized the Minto petition, and many who signed it, may share that same sentiment.

I don’t get it. Not once in my entire life, even as a dumb kid, have I been upset about the raising of rainbow flags. Like every other straight person, I’ve never been subjected to hate, discrimination and bullying (or worse) because of my sexuality. That’s the difference.

Ironically, the only thing proven by petitions like the one presented to Minto 91���Ѽ last week is that Pride flags and events are necessary – vital even – for the foreseeable future.

The post Live and let live appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

Twilight of Democracy – The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism had sat on our shelf for months. It, along with other such titles of similar sentiment, recommended on one of our favourite Sunday morning news shows, suggests the best days of democracy are behind us. The theory is we are plunging into a time where “strongmen” (in the poorest sense) are taking over and the public is unaware.

We have no secrets when it comes to our times dealing with Americans abroad. Listening is far better than talking or offering opinions on that country’s horribly polarized politics. What we picked up in casual conversations was instructive but, in the end, not at all surprising.��

The vast majority of those chatting poolside and at various receptions have made the conscientious choice to avoid politics. Impatience, distrust, incompetence and lack of inspiration are several factors in choosing to unplug. Add in some talking heads and opinions designed to entertain rather than inform, and we can see plenty of people throwing up their arms in disgust. But, that is how government gets worse and that is how authoritarian operatives take root.

The least surprising point that several guests mentioned was how shallow the pool of candidates for office has become. In the U.S. they have President Biden and former president Trump – in Canada we have Prime Minister Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre. Are we to believe these are the best and brightest minds forging the future of democracy, or are they merely managing its decline? Where does wisdom and experience enter the conversation, let alone competence to manage such an unwieldy organization that is the federal government?

A functioning democracy takes work. To meet with success, a free press is a necessity, and an engaged public is paramount.

Let’s all do our part.

Long weekend ahead

Most residents find themselves in a predicament this coming weekend. To vacation or work is the question.

With an unusually wet spring, gardeners and farmers alike are well behind this year. Very few windows of extended sun to work land up and plant are to be found, but hopefully this weekend everyone gets a chance to make good things happen on their property.

Whether one chooses to work or take advantage of a long weekend, we hope people make good choices while travelling. Recognize though that people are busy and that includes the farm community, which shares the roads with travelers. As tempting as a pass might be due to agricultural equipment holding up traffic, be certain of that choice. Similarly, farmers should think a little too, when it comes to navigating between fields on major roads and peak traffic times. Safety concerns everyone.

Here’s to a tragedy-free weekend – enjoy it.

The post Tales from the Caribbean appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

Overzealous opponents of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – you know, the ones who willingly deface their prized possessions with vulgar slogans despite their rudimentary grasp of politics – will have you believe we can’t withstand 17 more minutes of his leadership, let alone 17 more months.

Buoyed by inane slogans from their beloved PM-in-waiting Pierre Poilievre, these folks have fallen for pretty much every piece of misinformation and disinformation out there, to the point they can no longer differentiate between federal and provincial jurisdictions or, in the most serious of cases, between reality and fiction.

Listen, we get it. As our political cartoon this week indicates, Trudeau is well past his best-before date – and you can make the case he never really had one.��

After close to two full terms, highlighted by innumerable scandals and fiscal policy failures, as well as a nauseating level of constant, spineless virtue signalling, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t worn out his welcome.

Yet that doesn’t stop those on the far left from spouting off about how important their fearless leader is to Canadians. For them, wasting millions – perhaps billions – of taxpayer dollars is immediately forgiven with a couple well-rehearsed sentences from Trudeau about how the Liberals “care” or with an obvious deflection to another topic or with the latest in a long line of apologies (some for behaviours that in the past would rightfully spell the end of a politician’s career).

Quite frankly, Trudeau’s likability has plummeted so far that even some longtime Liberal supporters we know say it’s hard to envision him ever again being elected.��

But Poilievre, the multi-millionaire Conservative leader who’s never had a real job in his life but pontificates about “gatekeepers” and the “elite,” is equally intolerable.

“Surely, he can’t be as bad as Trudeau,” some will say. Really? If ever there was a case of “the devil you know,” this is likely it.��

Let’s not forget what happened in the Ontario election six years ago, the last time voters decided that anyone was better than the incumbent Liberal “wasting our money,” even an extremely annoying and unqualified Conservative leader of little substance with no plans whatsoever to right the ship.��

That turned out to be a complete disaster.

So what can we do? If there was another party worth taking seriously, voters could move on from these two horrible options, but I have yet to see any evidence of that.

Therefore, moderate liberals will continue to be alienated by the most insufferable PM in recent memory and moderate conservatives by a lifelong politician with more slogans than accomplishments, all while these two divisive men court voters on the extreme ends of the political spectrum.��

With 17 months left, it’s not looking good for Canadians.

The post Horrible options appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

The issue involves a stinky water anomaly that came on strong months back. Residents were unable to bathe let alone drink water from their wells, and now some details have emerged.��

The Township of Puslinch’s water specialist, contracted to delve into the issue, believes the cause is not natural, but rather the result of a spill up the road months earlier. Harden Environmental Services issued the report to residents last week.

Obviously, the people affected are very concerned and annoyed.

Rural property owners are almost always left on their own to maintain their wells (and septic beds). Folks on municipal services typically can have great confidence in the water provided to their homes being potable and healthy. Unless rural wells get tested regularly or dwellers happen to notice a change in their supply, environmental issues like the one currently underway can go undetected.

If there is a positive in this situation, it is that the 91���Ѽ helped residents by getting their specialist to prepare a report. Armed with that, leverage can be placed on the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Transportation to do what should have been done in the first place, rather than appearing to dismiss the problem out of hand.

The trust with which citizens see government agencies has been marred and that is unfortunate.��

One would hope matters as serious as water and the environment would see those agencies going above and beyond to ensure safety.

Vapes, smokes and health

Over a dozen years ago while trolling the aisles of the Canton Trade Fair, our group came across something new: an electronic cigarette. It looked like something out of an old movie – a slim fairly long black handle made of plastic, a fake looking cigarette stuck on that, with a little light on the end to resemble a flame. One big drag produced a vapour-like steam. It was really dumb – in our opinion.

Since then, the vape market has exploded here. Flavoured mixes with enhancements seem to be the rage. And despite the war on tobacco and prices escalated to turn people off the habit, vape use is on the rise. Caught within this sphere are impressionable young people.

Stuck as we have been personally with this seriously bad habit, it would be hypocritical in the extreme to denounce choices others make. But, by golly, it is a past time best avoided.

Efforts by the Ministry of Education to tame this problem are welcome in our books. By their nature a vape is far less intrusive than second-hand smoke, allowing users to take a haul in school bathrooms and other locations out of sight of security cameras. It goes relatively undetected, but it is there and needs to stop.��

As has become customary, the prospect of “rights” has come to the fore with young people talking about their rights to make choices. We understand that, but also know how difficult nicotine addiction is. Some escape it, but not all.��

Similarly, moves to limit cell phone use at school are welcome and long past due. This ministry directive will give teachers and school boards the authority and rules needed to eliminate or curb use during inappropriate times. We strongly encourage parents to support this initiative and help students understand their attention is far better spent on class lessons, than distractions found online.

Let’s give kids the best chances for learning and long-term health.

The post Trust broken appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

The former is the case with a piece I wrote in March for the Community News about a proposal to end free water testing for private wells in Ontario.

At meetings in March, 91���Ѽs within the watershed received a resolution from the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region committee asking the province not to proceed with a recommendation to phase out free testing.

In a letter to provincial Minister of Agriculture Lisa Thompson, committee chair Matthew Pearson raised the spectre of the Walkerton water crisis, which left seven people dead and caused more than 2,000 to fall ill when E. coli entered the community’s water system.

“In the Walkerton Inquiry Report Part 2, Justice O’Connor concluded the privatization of laboratory testing of (municipal) drinking water samples connected directly to the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Walkerton Ontario in May 2000,” the letter states.��

“Twenty-four years later, there is a proposal to privatize water testing once again.”

The committee’s concern centres on a recommendation in the provincial Auditor General’s 2023 Value-for-Money Audit of Public Health Ontario (PHO), which was released in December. The auditor recommended PHO, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health (MOH), update and implement a laboratory modernization plan within 12 months to streamline the laboratory’s operations.

“This stemmed from a 2017 proposal by PHO, collaboratively with the MOH at the request of the deputy minister, to close six of the 11 public health laboratory sites (Hamilton, Kingston, Orillia, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins) and gradually discontinue private drinking water testing,” stated Pearson in the source protection committee’s letter.

Justification cited by the PHO and the MOH for the moves includes mitigating rising costs of maintaining facilities and establishing “a more efficient operating model that reduces the rerouting of samples to other PHO laboratory sites.”

About 50% of the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley region population is serviced by private wells, Pearson notes in his letter.

That a body charged with ensuring drinking water safety drawing parallels with the tragic Walkerton situation didn’t generate a flood of letters to the editor and massive public outrage is, to us, surprising.

The proposed move has gone mostly under the radar. A Google search on the topic generates virtually no hits from major media sources and only a few articles in scattered community papers, plus a fairly comprehensive piece from the Cottage Life magazine website.

Among the stories that can be found, are a couple misleadingly headlined, “Ontario health minister vows not to end free private well water tests,” and “Province clarifies stance – says private well water testing will continue.”

Both articles are based on Sylvia Jones’ April 22 response to a question in the legislature, where she stated: “To be clear there are no changes to where the people of Ontario can get their well water tested for free in the province of Ontario.��

“The ministry has not made any decisions about changes to the provincial well water testing program, including which laboratories conduct testing of water samples,” Jones continued.

To take this as a “vow” not to end free private well testing would be akin to accepting at face value today, Premier Doug Ford’s oft-recanted pledge that his government “won’t touch the Greenbelt.”

One suspects Jones’ feeble assertions won’t be the end of this story.

To be clear, gratis or levied, private well owners should be getting testing done. However, the local source committee feels forcing well owners to pay a fee to commercial labs, would “disincentivize testing,” due both to the cost and the inconvenience involved.

“When water is not monitored regularly, there is no way to know the true quality of the water, which puts people at increased risk of becoming ill,” the committee letter states. “With private systems being stand-alone systems, any associated illnesses are isolated sporadic events and do not come to public attention like those seen during the Walkerton outbreak.”

Most would agree that seeking cost-saving efficiencies is within every government’s mandate. But nearly 25 years after the devastating events in Walkerton, it’s difficult to see this as a good place to look.

The post Water testing no place to seek savings appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.