Letters

Jeff Green | Jan 12, 2006

Letters to the Editor

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Letters to the Editor

Letters must be signed

-The Frontenac News Staff

Liberal TrackRecord

An examination of some of Paul Martin's, and Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell's, voting record on some vital farming issues over the past few years, exposes the lamentable Liberal record in standing up for Canadian farmers.

In 2005 both Martin and Mitchell voted against a motion to remove the deposit requirement from the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization Program. In 2004 both

voted against providing assistance to farmers hit hard by the mad cow crisis. In 2003 both Martin and Mitchell voted against sending an all-party delegation to Washington to work to reopen the border to Canadian beef. In 2002 both voted against a motion to provide assistance to Canadian farmers to support them against foreign subsidies. In 2001 both Martin and Mitchell voted against a motion to provide $400 million in emergency aid to Canadian Farm Families.

This is a shocking track record. Canadian farmers should not support the Liberals because the Liberals have not supported the farmers. It's time to give Stephen Harper and the Conservatives - who have always cared deeply about agriculture - a chance to put their plan for committed support for farming and farm families into effect.

- Eldon Hamilton

Re: Mayors consider their futures

Mayor Lake is running again? This is a surprise considering the turmoil and controversy South Frontenac has endured over the last two years. There was the trailer issue, the ATV issue, Mitchell Creek bridge, and the obvious territorial infighting among the councillors resulting in Council’s own admission of not functioning as an amalgamated council.

In spite of this, not only does the Mayor feel so confident to run again, he expresses pleasure that the most controversial, publicly opposed decision this township has encountered, the Sydenham water project, is coming to fruition. What a good example of the Mayor’s lack of sensitivity towards the citizens of Sydenham. Once again, after reading the Mayor’s comments, I’m left with more questions than answers.

The Mayor reports that he tells people who are unhappy about the project (this is 92% of the people affected according to the last petition!) “Talk to me in five years, you might think differently then.” This begs the question ‘What good things are in store for us in five years and why haven’t we heard about them yet?’ We already know that we will be thousands of dollars poorer, some of us will be forced to move, our taxes will be higher AND we will have ridiculously expensive water bills. It seems to me the Mayor’s paternalistic attitude of ‘I know better than you’ is old school and degrading to the people he is supposed to be representing.

I wonder, IF re-elected, will Mayor Lake continue to make questionable in-camera decisions while ignoring the wishes of the people? And is the rest of this township satisfied with this status quo old school mentality? Considering the Mayor is on record as saying that Sydenham is just the first community to receive a water system, I imagine the folks in other communities including Battersea, Inverary, Harrowsmith and Verona are wondering if they are next in line to be forced to pay for an excessive ‘Cadillac’ solution to their water problems.

So, the Mayor (and a handful of others) may be pleased to see the Sydenham water project come to fruition, but this is at the expense of NOT LISTENING to the vast majority of people. If South Frontenac is going to function as a prosperous amalgamated township, we need leadership that values the people who elected them. Gone are the days of the ‘old boy’s club’. It’s time for fresh, progressive leadership that puts THE PEOPLE’s needs first.- Cathie Waugh, Sydenham

All Candidates Meeting

Myhusband and I recently attended one of the Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington All Candidates’ Debates.Over the years we have found these to be both interesting and enlightening, and sometimes they even contribute to how we will vote. It is always informative to hear and watch the candidates perform, and assess if they are just grandstanding for the election, or if they are actually communicating with the constituents they hope to represent. When watching and listening to the candidates, it is the depth of their commitment to us, the voters, that matters most to myhusband and me.

Thus we emerged from the recent All Candidates’ Meeting reassured that our best interests will continue to be well-served by our current Member of Parliament, Scott Reid.Scott Reid has a sound track record and he continues to talk with, not at, his constituents, regardless of their political persuasion.Scott Reid's integrity, sincerity, and commitment are exactly the qualities we need in our federal representatives.

- Sheila Lee

Political Signs

Why am I being subjected to Geoffrey Turner, grinning at me from the roadsides? I've read letters in this paper about the MTO, via Cruickshank Construction, threatening people with fines and prosecution for erecting yard sale signs for a day, citing safety issues. Perhaps drivers craning to find a deal might leave the road, or these signs block the driver's view on corners. Why are electoral candidates, whose signs will remain in place for weeks, treated differently? When will MTO goons wipe Mr. Turner's smarmy Liberal grin from the road allowance.

Scott Cox

Support for Leo Ladouceur Re:Letter to the Editor, January 5, 2006 by Leo Ladouceur Re:Letter to the Editor,December 15, 2005 by Leo Ladouceur

A few of us would like to say thanks to Leo for saying itlike it is:

Roger and Sharon Lyons; Phil andBev Chapman; Bob and Bev Jones; Martha Brouse; Tony and Tanya Lyons; Gerry and Joy Martin; Andy and Linda White; David and Betty McKittrick; and Harold and Pearl Lyons.

- Sharon Lyons