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Letters to the Editor
LINDSAY
ADVOCAT E
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Advocate fan enjoys articles, letters
Your magazine is so informative, nicely presented, good quality stock, enjoyable to read.
“Business Upfront” in your magazine led me to Lori Mitchell, acupuncturist, on page seven and I booked her immediately. Keep up the good work — the letters to the editor were especially interesting.
Carol Orr, Lindsay
Our lives are richer for volunteer efforts
How nice to see the photo of my friend Valmay Barkey on the front page of the March edition of The Lindsay Advocate, celebrating the efforts of many of the women volunteers in our community. I have had the privilege of serving with Valmay as well as several of the other women referenced in your article and can readily attest to the level of care and commitment of these fine citizens. Kawartha Lakes is blessed with so many organizations dedicated to preserving our heritage, culture, and way of life — and even essential services related to health care, education, housing, and feeding the hungry.
Our lives, and those within our community, are truly richer for these efforts and it is important that they not be taken for granted. As your article references, “Volunteering gives Valmay Barkey profound satisfaction.” Indeed, we should be profoundly grateful for the shining example set by all these volunteers. And this fine article serves as an excellent and timely reminder!
Mark Doble, Lindsay
We don’t need Highway 413
Using the pandemic for political cover, the Ford government is fast-tracking a new Highway 413, cutting through 55 km of prime farmlands, conservation land, waterways and protected areas. The corresponding urban sprawl will destroy some of Ontario’s most productive farmland. There has been no formal agricultural impacts assessment of the proposed highway and the government wants to avoid a full environmental assessment, opting for a streamlined (faster, less thorough) version. Based on an expert panel report which concluded that the highway was “not the best way to address the region’s changing transportation needs,” the $6 billion project was cancelled in 2018.
Why should residents of Kawartha Lakes care? 1. Food security. As domestic food production is decreased by destroying farmland, we become more dependent upon expensive imported food. 2. The highway cost will be borne by taxpayers. 3. If protections can be waived to expedite projects elsewhere, the same shortcuts could bring irreversible environmental, economic and social effects to Kawartha Lakes as well. 4. Agriculture, food processing, tourism and recreational industries are being put at risk, endangering jobs and billions in economic activity. 5. Increased traffic will produce more greenhouse gases putting climate goals at risk.
Development in Ontario must benefit the majority of Ontarians and enhance quality of life. A government that claims to be “for the people” probably isn’t. Actions speak more loudly than words.
Elizabeth Turner, Concerned Citizens of Haliburton County
Let’s begin by enlightening Barry Snider (letter to the editor, Advocate March edition) to the fact that there is a difference between denialism and skepticism. We all know that the climate is changing and can accept the probability that CO2 emissions play a part in the process. But the question remains, to what extent? Snider asserts, “the forcing that far outweighs all others ... is our carbon emissions” (not to be confused with CO2 emissions). But how can we be so certain? From all the forcings Snider enumerates, let’s just take one example: clouds. Dr. Chris Fairall, lead investigator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ATOMIC project quips about cloud science, “Cloud science is not rocket science ... It’s much, much harder than that.” A new study published in Science Advances states, “Cloud feedbacks and cloudaerosol interactions are the most likely contributors to the high values and increased range of sensitivity in (climate modelling results) CMIP6.” Given that 70 per cent of the globe is covered by clouds at any given time, it’s no surprise they play an integral role in regulating the climate. The challenge is to figure out which types of cloud will increase, and which
decrease, and what the net effect will be on cooling or warming as the climate changes. Is all of this just a part of the “silly argument,” as Snider suggests? Carl Sweetman, Lindsay
Connecting to a GO bus should be simple task
Sadly, once upon a time there was a local transit advisory group that solved many transportation problems. But the mindset of council and staff at the time said no. This was during Mayor Rick McGee’s time. The short version was that Lindsay Transit would put a bus on to meet GO at Hwy. 35 & 115. This required permission from the Minister of Transportation to cross the municipal boundary by 500 metres. We were assured that it was a simple process; the City of Kawartha Lakes said it was not interested. We also offered route maps to cover most towns and hamlets twice a week with transit, with help from Community Care. The City of Kawartha Lakes also said no to this. The reason given was people would be on the bus too long. These trials would have been paid for by gas tax dollars, not from the city. As all of this fell apart Fleming College put their own student bus on to connect Lindsay to Peterborough. I still feel that connecting to GO is a simple task.
Mark Lowell, Burnt River former transit advisory member
Accept change; don’t fear it
“Cancel culture, cancel culture, cancel culture” ... we keep hearing it over and over in diatribes about how it’s “taking over” common sense. I get it; there’s always fear inherent in change. It’s a natural part of the human condition but ... we used to hang in trees too — literally. There was a time when we never cooked what we ate, there was a time before writing, there was a time before cities, there was a time when we drove horse and buggy, then we drove cars and now it appears we will likely soon drive electric vehicles almost exclusively in the near future, if something else more exciting doesn’t come along. Change. Change is also literally a part of the human condition ... so yes, we can respond with fear, frustration, anger, hate — or perhaps, just maybe we could instead have understanding that change is inevitable, change is what makes us better. And for some things that we have been dragging around for so long isn’t it about time for change? I don’t fear it; I welcome it. I don’t have so much self-importance to think that my childhood, however wonderful, is the one and only perfect model of what the world should be. I still have my childhood memories; they haven’t been stolen from me. But I for one intend to be looked back upon as someone who accepted the challenges of change honestly, not someone who lived in the past. Change is good. Scott Hodge, Lindsay
It’s all politics
Your magazine has become very politically motivated.
Your “Our Vision” paragraph states “We care about the social wellness of our community and our country. Our vision includes strong public enterprises mixed with healthy small businesses to serve our communities’ needs. We put human values ahead of economic values and many of our stories reflect the society we work to build each day.”
Does this also encompass political wellness, which does seem to be the platform of this magazine? Especially a Liberal Party platform. Almost every time I have had this magazine in the past, it includes many anti-Conservative half-truths that seem to show a disdain for any other political party except the Liberal Party.
I am not a party faithful person. I am an independent thinker. I read all the party platforms and I read about the persons seeking any leadership roles in our community, our province, and our country. Plato said, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Heather Green-Leddy, Kawartha Lakes The Advocate does not align itself with any political party. Columnists have their own independent views, which they are free to express but which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organization as a whole.
We regret that the Advocate’s feature story in the March edition inadvertently referred to one interviewee by last name only. We extend our sincere apologies to dedicated volunteer Valmay Barkey. A corrected version is available online.
We want your letters! Send us your thoughts to be featured on this page.
The Lindsay Advocate welcomes your Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or length. Simply email kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com. Please keep your letters to 200 words or less.
