Letters_11-07
Back to HomeLetters - February 17, 2011Letters: February 17
How a real community responds, Rod Harris-Lowe
Re: Kicking Up their Heels in Arden, Audrey Tomkins
Bill C-393, Sylvia Powers
Re: 10% of what, Mr. Premier?, David Hahn
Wind Power, Michael Wise
How a real community responds
On the evening of Feb. 8, I managed to bury my car in a snow-filled ditch on the Holleford Road. I called the CAA and settled in for a bitterly cold wait of 45 minutes. A few minutes later a lady and her son drove by, turned around, and came back to ask if I needed some assistance. I explained that I was waiting for the CAA but she expressed some concern about the length of time. She then thought that perhaps the car might be able to back out with the aid of a push from them, but to no avail. About that time the CAA called with apologies to say that it would still be 45 minutes and the lady decided to call her husband, who she thought would probably be able to pull the car out with his truck. Shortly after, a number of vehicles and people arrived at the scene. I again mentioned that the CAA was coming but soon realized that they were simply not going to leave an old man stuck in the ditch on a bitterly cold night. They then set about the task of hauling me out, which was accomplished in very quick order. I tried to say thank you to everybody but I know that I missed many.Although my wife and I have lived in the area for 16 years, we have always felt somewhat like outsiders relative to the many residents with long family roots in the area. However my experience on Tuesday night has shown me how a real community responds to someone in trouble. I would like to thank all those who came to my assistance, especially the lady and her son who were the first to stop.
Rod Harris-Lowe
Re: Kicking Up their Heels in Arden
The Arden Line Dancers are very appreciative of the article on their activities (Kicking Up their Heels in Arden, Frontenac News, Feb. 10/11). Unfortunately, one of our members, who has been with us since the inception of the programme, had her name inadvertently omitted from the write up. When our regular leader, the late Rosemary Wadham, spent her winter months in Florida, Diane Nicolson took over, and whenever she was also unavailable, Berry Clark was persuaded to jump into the gap. In this capacity she led us whenever Diane was away, and this for a number of years, wherein we all enjoyed Betty’s inimitable style of teaching, with much merriment. Betty always ensured members’ birthdays were noted by providing cards for us all to sign, baking monthly birthday cakes, and organizing occasional luncheons and get-togethers.
Thanks so much, Betty.
Audrey Tomkins
Bill C-393
On Jan. 21, we were thrilled to see Democracy in Action in Parliament. Thanks to the many people who contacted their MPs and the thousands of people who signed an on-line petition, the procedural obstacle to Bill C-393 getting to a vote was overcome. It needed a unanimous vote by the MPs to allow sponsorship of the bill to be transferred to Paul Dewar. Despite their initial misgivings, the Conservatives all joined with the other parties to allow this to happen so that the vote could take place in a few weeks. Thank you, Scott Reid. Now we need you to actually vote to support the Bill in its original form on March 9.
Bill C-393, a Bill to fix Canada’s broken Access to Medicines Regime (or CAMR), will allow people in developing countries who are dying
from treatable diseases access to affordable and life-saving drugs. The members of Parliament have a real opportunity to save millions of lives by passing Bill C-393 without putting in a sunset clause. Besides saving lives in other countries, this bill will allow for generic drugs to be produced in Canada, creating hundreds of jobs, will give some profits in royalties to the drug companies, and not cost us taxpayers any money. PM Stephen Harper talks about his government's commitment to maternal and child health. Without affordable medicines, mothers will pass their diseases onto their babies and both will die agonizing deaths. Many of the health care professionals will also die. Children will either have no one to care for them or be left in the charge of elderly grandmothers. Here is our chance to make a difference. Let Scott Reid know that Canadians want this bill passed and CAMR reformed.
Sylvia Powers, Grandmothers by the Lake
Re: 10% of what, Mr. Premier?
Recently Premier McGuinty announced a 10% reduction in Hydro bills through the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit. This is to help Ontario families, farms and small businesses through the transition to a much-needed cleaner, more modern electricity system.
On Feb 10, my friend Jim Beam wrote a letter (10% Off What Mr. Premier, Letters, Frontenac News, Feb 10/11) in which he complained that Premier McGuinty’s Clean Energy Benefit in his $277 Hydro bill only came to $4.82. He quite reasonably couldn’t make 10% come to $4.82 any way he calculated it. I experienced the same reaction when I saw my $3.46 credit on my $178.51 hydro bill. I too was furious! But then I dug a little deeper. I could find nothing to help on the bill itself. However the bill did direct me to the website www.ontario.ca/cleanenergyplan for full details on the new 10% reduction in Hydro bills. The most important fact here is that the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit applies to all electricity charges incurred over a five-year period beginning January 1, 2011. My bill covered the period from Dec 6, 2010 to Jan 6, 2011. Six days of the billing period were in January after the billing Energy Benefit was applied. Thus 19 % of my bill of $178.51, or $34.55 accrued in January. Ten percent of that is $3.46, which is precisely the amount of the benefit that I received. When on equal billing, as Jim is, the calculation will be done a little differently but the result will be a 10% reduction in all electricity charges from Jan 1, 2011.
I certainly would agree that Hydro One could have communicated how this benefit was calculated in a better way. But I do think it would be wiser to get all the facts before one challenges the integrity of Premier McGuinty.
David Hahn
Wind Power
Last Friday’s announcement that the Ontario government is placing an embargo on the installation of offshore wind power projects, pending further study, is the first sensible decision to come out of Queens Park for some considerable time.
Dare we now hope that Dalton McGuinty will take the time to read his government’s recently distributed brochure warning of rapidly escalating hydro costs? That he will come to appreciate the hardships this will inevitably cause the people of Ontario? And that he will place an embargo on all high cost wind power and solar ”feed-in-tariff” programs until their environmental, economic and social impacts have been properly studied?
Michael Wise
