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BETTER BELL SERVICE NEEDED
For over a year, we have been requesting better signal coverage, from Bell, for our cellular telephones North of Omemee, Ontario. Over a year ago, Bell said, “We are building a new tower closer to your area and it should be ready in one year.” Six months ago, I checked again and was told the same story and that it would take a year to build. I challenged that statement by saying, “You told me the same story last year!” From that point on the signal strength in our area has degraded to the point where we do NOT receive incoming calls and find out, later, that the callers observe that the call goes immediately into voice mail, if at all. This, then, translates to our discovering calls much too late in order of importance. To compound the problem, most of the time, we cannot make outbound calls. The screen shows “Not registered on network”. This is ridiculous. In view of the fact that we are seniors, being able to reach medical facilities and/or doctors is imperative. I have mentioned this to every Bell representative I have called -- just about every day for the last six months. Over that six-month period, we have had Bell technicians try to change, tweak, adjust and reinstall every program relative to the problem, but to no avail. We need a closer relay tower! The neighbours we have talked to have been experiencing poor signal coverage also, but I guess they are not as vociferous as I am. Believe it or not, most of the time, we have to drive to the highest hill in our area to have solid cell-phone communications. Bell is such a large monopoly that they just do not
seem to care, even if their lack of service could cause a loss of life – i.e., such as developing health problems in senior citizens. J. Baldwin, Omemee
MY EXPERIENCE WITH MANOOMIN
I am writing in response to a call out by Larry Wood to people on the Save Pigeon Lake (SPL) email list asking for feedback on the “safety” of wild rice beds. This is a matter close to my heart and therefore I feel I must respond in detail. First, let me explain who I am. From April to November, I live on Bass Lake in the Trent Lakes Municipality and I am on the Board of the North Pigeon Lake Association (NPLA) as well as an active member of Truth and Reconciliation Community (TRC) - Bobcaygeon and Community Voices for Manoomin (wild rice). Let me say from the start that I have never experienced any incidents relating to Manoomin (wild rice) that I would consider unsafe in my 25 years of canoeing and kayaking on the lakes, rivers and creeks of this region. In fact, my experience is quite the opposite. What I have learned about Manoomin and its importance to First Nations communities in this region and the beauty I have seen as I participated in some of the ceremonial paddles and workshops alongside Indigenous elders, harvesters and community members in the past two years has been an incredible experience. The greatest threats have come from excessive speeding by sea-doos, speed boats and even pontoon boats in our lakes - and on our shores, the unsafe actions of a few ATV operators churning up lakes and even entering private property (an incident I recently reported on to the Mayor of Trent Lakes). This can create a huge noise disturbance as well - and continues throughout the summer. I am a participant in the Kawartha Lakes Stewards Association (KLSA) testing of our lakes for e-coli and am very pleased that our recent 2020 testing has shown that the water in Bass Lake is cleaner than ever before. The resurgence of Manoomin in our region is also an indicator that the waters here are returning to good health. In my view, the revitalization of Manoomin will support a sustainable eco-system for Indigenous people and all of us in this region. There are now more than 9,000 signatures on the Declaration on Manoomin (gathered by Community Voices for Manoomin), indicating a great deal of support from members of this community and other regions for the rights of Indigenous peoples to tend and harvest Manoomin. I believe that Save Pigeon Lake should also proceed in mutual respect, truth and understanding and refrain from inflammatory statements like rice beds are an “accident waiting to happen”. I would ask members to respect the Nation to Nation process that is continuing between the First Nations and the federal government and in the meantime, begin to develop meaningful relationships with First Nations communities in this region as other organizations are doing. B. Wall, Trent Lakes
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October 16, 2020 - The Kawartha Promoter
