QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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Let’s face it, the Legion membership is aging, money is tight, and a lot of our members aren’t able to come in. We aren’t seeing enough membership support to pay our utilities. Legion Branch 78 vicepresident diane Kennedy on its recent decision to seLL its BuiLding.
WEEKEND WEATHER
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lowe’s to phase out sales of harmful pesticide products
Lowe's Retailing Stores announced recently that it will phase out the sale of products and plants that contain pesticides linked to deaths of honey bees and other pollinators, becoming what is believed to be the largest retailer to take such a move. The company's announcement comes days after the release of a study by the European Academies Science Advisory Council that said the agricultural use of neonicotinoid pesticides is harmful to a range of helpful insects and organisms, not just
honeybees. The paper joins a long list of studies critical of the pesticides currently banned in Europe but widely used in North America. Lowe's has said that even though the studies on neonics are inconclusive, it was taking steps "out of an abundance of caution." Shouldn't this be the attitude of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture whose decisions are responsible for our future food production and our health? Agricultural groups and the chemical companies that make the pesticides
A MCHAPPY DAY
TODAY High
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There is no probability of precipitation projected in today’s weather forecast.
FRIDAY High
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A mix of sun and cloud is anticipated with no chance of precipitation expected.
SATURDAY High
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A mix of sun and cloud and a 30-per-cent chance of showers is forecast for Saturday.
SUNDAY High
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A 30-per-cent chance of rain showers is projected for Sunday.
LETTERS POLICY
The Picton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor of 500 words or less. The letters may be edited for clarity, legal ramifications, length or general taste at the editor’s discretion. We also reserve the right to refuse to publish submitted letters for the same reasons. Letters published do not necessarily reflect the views of the Gazette, its publisher, or staff. Submitted items become property of the Gazette.
MAY 7, 2015 7
The Picton Gazette
Gazette sales representative Shelby Larner, right, joined Ruth Ostrander to work the drive-thru during the morning rush at the Picton McDonald’s yesterday for McHappy Day in support of the Quinte Children’s Foundation. (Adam Bramburger/Gazette staff)
say that they are safe and effective protection against harmful insects if used properly and that honeybee populations are thriving. But some beekeepers and scientists say the chemicals are killing bees and other insects by compounding the effects of virus-bearing mites and other threats. Ontario plans to have rules in place by this summer that would reduce 80 per cent of the use of neonics on corn and soybean by 2017. The regulations would restrict prophylactic use of seed treatments in an effort to ensure they are
used only in areas prone to crop destroying insects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said last week it will no longer approve new uses for neonics pending further study of the effects of bees and other pollinators. Newcastle University's Dr. Geraldine Wrights latest study published in Nature Magazine, shows that bees cannot control their exposure to neonicotinoids in food and implies that treating flowering crops with IMD and TMXneonicotinoids presents a sizable hazard to foraging bees.
Wright continues to say that industry has the tools to find new remedies, shouldn't we all be working together to find the solution? For a great read on a more ecologically sensitive future for agriculture, Google “Declaration for the International Forum” for Agroecology and join us on May 16 at the Wellington Market to purchase your Bee Friendly sign for just $10 or order one at 613-4766265 . Lynne Rochon Athol
New York State’s approach not appealing
In his recent presentation venture capitalist Conrad Guziewicz informed the County's community development commission that "New York State is offering new technological businesses 10 years without business, corporate, property or sales taxes, and no income tax for the company or its employees," as well as much lower energy costs. Guziewicz then asked, "Who would look at (New York's plan) as not being appealing?" Well, me, for one. Why would any area want to attract companies who are drawn to and excited by the prospect of not having to give anything whatsoever back to the
community? Someone has to cover the cost of all the tax-funded services these companies use. Why would any area want companies who are attracted by not having to pay the true cost of the energy they use? This cost includes far more than anyone on earth pays today for their energy consumption. It includes doing what it takes to restore the environment to the way it was before the energy sources were extracted and expended. It must be paid if we hope for life on this planet to continue, and as a nation we have already run up an almost insurmountable debt. If today's companies,
who profit greatly from their energy expenditures, do not take on this responsibility, our children and grandchildren will be paying the debt through crippling expenses and quite possibly through unimaginable suffering. New York's initiatives are about transferring public wealth to private companies, and offloading corporate fiscal responsibilities onto the people. Let's hope the County community development commission does not embrace venture capitalist Guziewicz's way of thinking. Rosalind Adams Milford
Nine leading mystery writers confirmed for In The Library With a Penknife
Mystery book lovers are in for a treat as nine of Canada’s leading mystery authors gather for “In the Library with a Penknife” on Thursday, May 14 at 7p.m. upstairs at Books & Company. The library fundraiser, spearheaded by writer Vicki Delany, will include fellow Crime Writers of Canada novelists Steve Burrows, J.D. Carpenter, Barbara Fradkin, Janet Kellough, Hilary MacLeod, D.J. McIntosh, Mary Jane Maffini and Andrew Pyper. Delany is perhaps most well known for her Constable Molly Smith series, the first of which was published in 2007. Since settling in Prince Edward County in 2008, Vicki has had books published in three different sub-genres as well as a title for adults with low literacy skills. Her latest work is By Book or by Crook, written under the pen name Eva Gates. Delany’s other recent work, Juba Good, has been nominated for an Arthur Ellis award for Best Novella by the Crime Writers of Canada. Steve Burrows is a past recipient of a Nature Writer of the Year Award from the BBC’s Wildlife magazine and a former editor of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society Magazine, as well as a contributing field editor with
INSIDE THE LIBRARY Christine Renaud
Asian Geographic. His first book of fiction and first in his Birder Murder Mysteries, A Siege of Bitterns, was recently nominated for Best First Novel on the Arthur Ellis shortlist. His newest novel, A Pitying of Doves, is due out later this month. J.D. Carpenter’s first novel in the Campbell Young mystery series, The Devil in Me, appeared on the Globe & Mail’s bestseller list and was nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award. His most recent book, Twelve Trees, was praised as “smartly handled” and “impressively done” by Quill & Quire. He is currently working on a
new novel, the plot of which we hope he will reveal at the May 14 event. Barbara Fradkin is best known for her psychological detective novels, which have twice won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel from Crime Writers of Canada. Her most recent work, None so Blind, is currently on the shortlist for best novel. Fradkin recently embarked on an easy-read series for reluctant readers as well. Janet Kellough is an author, storyteller, playwright and performer with deep Prince Edward County roots. She is a member of the Writers Union of Canada, has served on the board of directors of the Crime Writers of Canada and has been a judge for the Arthur Ellis Awards. Kellough's latest novel, 47 Sorrows, is the third in her popular Thaddeus Lewis mystery series, published by Dundurn Press. The fourth in the series, The Burying Ground, is due out in June. Hilary MacLeod is a writer, broadcaster and author of a mystery series set in a small Canadian fishing village named The Shores. MacLeod refers to the genre of her novels, filled with both quirky characters and murder, as “village noir”. Bodies and
Sole, her most recent mystery is the fifth book in the series. “Lots going on at The Shores,” wrote the Charlottetown Guardian of her latest. “However the tangled web is easy to unroll. When you’ve done so, you have a well-written mystery, with some spookiness and plenty of fun.“ Writer D.J. (Dorothy) McIntosh is a Toronto based writer of novels and short mystery fiction and a strong advocate for press freedom. Her Mesopotamian trilogy includes The Witch of Babylon, The Book of Stolen Tales and The Angel of Eden. The Globe and Mail recognized McIntosh’s The Witch of Babylon for its “stellar research” and “superb writing,” while The National Post wrote, "A book so good you should buy it twice!" Mary Jane Maffini is the award-winning author of three mystery series and nearly two dozen short stories. Her latest series, the Charlotte Adams mysteries, has five titles featuring a professional organizer from New York State. Maffini is also behind the Victoria Abbott mysteries, a collaboration with the funny and creative artist, photographer and short story author, Victoria Maffini, who is Mary Jane’s daughter. Andrew Pyper is both a
writer and a lawyer, though he’s never put his law degree to official use. His novel, The Demonologist, won the 2014 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a number one bestseller in Canada. His latest book is The Damned. “An intense and satisfying supernatural story…The novel underlines Pyper’s growing reputation as one of the most talented successors to the inimitable Stephen King…Creeping dread infuses every page,” wrote the UK Daily Mail. “As you can tell from the line up,” says Library chief executive officer Barbara Sweet, “The ‘In the Library with a Penknife’ evening is going to be an exceptional one, and we so appreciate all of the authors coming to support the library, and especially Vicki for pulling it all together.” Refreshments will be served at the event and the library also thanks The Grange of Prince Edward for their generous donation of wine for the evening. Tickets are $25 and each includes a $10 voucher toward the purchase that evening of a book by any of the presenting authors. You may purchase tickets at Books & Company or by cash or cheque at any branch.