Ontario’s cabinet must go A TE
LIN
DSAY
AD O C V
Paramedic care appreciated
My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. He also had two artificial hips. As the years flew by, I cared for him as best as one could. His legs continued to weaken and he was falling much too often. Our kind neighbours would come to his rescue and lift him from the floor. However, when I did have to call the paramedics, they said, “Call us so your neighbours don’t injure their backs.” They were here on a regular basis. Then it all came to a head Mother’s Day weekend last year. He fell on May 10 and paramedics Francine Scott and Bruce McKay attended him. Dear Francine saw the dilemma I was in and said she was sending an emergency message regarding my situation. On May 11 he fell in the kitchen and paramedics Kevin Sheahan and Chris Barrow cared for him. They also sent an emergency message. Late that evening he fell again, and Adam Guppy and Jon Gorniak attended him. Jon also sent a message. They made the decision to take him to the hospital to at least give me a night’s rest — a very scary time as we were in the midst of COVID-19. My husband remained in hospital for nine weeks before being transferred to Caressant Care McLaughlin Road where he is receiving the care he needs and deserves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Francine, Bruce, Kevin, Chris, Jon and Adam, my angels on earth. Francine, I’ll never forget you stopping by to see if I was doing okay. Dawn Maddock
What does BGC stand for?
It has been reported that the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes has rebranded as BGC Kawarthas. Why? “Not to be trendy or because it’s shorter and catchier,” according to the report, but rather “removing gender from the name.” One is left to wonder what BGC stands for. RBC still stands for the Royal Bank of Canada. CIBC still stands for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. TD still stands for ... well you get the point. But then, taking everything into consideration, this name change is no doubt preferable to having to include every letter of the alphabet in its name to echo its inclusive practices. Carl Sweetman
The present Ontario cabinet is woefully ill-equipped and utterly disinclined to adequately serve Ontarians during the ongoing pandemic. The package of restrictions announced April 16 met with an almost universal burst of shock, disappointment and amazed puzzlement. Clearly, the measures of police action and closing outdoor recreation facilities were not recommended by the science advisory table, nor would they achieve any significant reduction in COVID infections. Even more distressing, after several hours of discussion the previous day, the government had proposed even less action to try to flatten the third wave of infections. Police involvement and the closing of outdoor recreation facilities were measures added only after advisors raised concerns about the lack of any substantial action to curb the growing infection rate and overcrowding of hospital ICUs. The science advisory table had urged closing more businesses and provision of immediate sick pay for workers in all essential businesses. However, cabinet members are said to have rejected these options because their “constituents would object.” Protecting Ontarians during the pandemic is like a war. During wars, success is achieved by anticipating a wide range of possible outcomes and developing in advance a suite of effective strategies to combat those outcomes should they materialize. In contrast, Ontario’s cabinet evidently operates only after crises have arisen, and then only with concern for what some constituents (i.e. business owners) will say. Possible developments in the pandemic should have been identified beginning a year ago, with plans for effective measures fleshed out, ready for implementation. Ontario’s cabinet, however, has been plagued by chronic inaction as COVID rates worsened. Can we afford to wait until June 2022 to put another cabinet in place? Don Hughes, Lindsay
Are ORVs beneficial for economy?
Thanks to Kirk Winter’s report from council on the ORV question. (“More off-road vehicle access criticized in pitches to council,” Advocate online.) As the financial expert asked, how do we know this is a good thing for the local economy? It was one of my burning questions. Sandra Smith
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