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LETTERS: Beach decision is about re-election not people

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Beach decision is about re-election not people

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Premier Doug Ford sent Haldimand Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett and Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks David Piccini to Normandale in Norfolk to announce . . . well, nothing.

A 1.6-acre piece of Lake Erie shoreline in Normandale was owned by the MNR. Why is unclear. In 2008, the ministry declared the land surplus. Why is unclear. In March, they put it up for sale. Why it took 13 years is unclear. The locals didn’t like this and put up a howl. The county and province attempted to negotiate an agreeable price but failed.

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I assume, sensing an issue which might put Mr. Barrett’s seat in the upcoming provincial election in jeopardy, the province backtracked and is making the land part of Turkey Point Provincial Park.

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Now, with ministerial fanfare, we are told that this was done “for you, the people” and is the first expansion of the park system in more than a decade.

With these actions, Messrs. Ford, Piccini and Barrett have provided an extreme example of political cynicism. If the provincial government cared a whit about people or the environment, they would be expanding the provincial park system by tens of thousands of acres, not 1.6.

If the voters are wise, they will stop being taken for a ride and hand Mr. Ford’s Conservatives their hats in the upcoming election.

Michael Blythe

Scotland

Homestead worth preserving

It is unfortunate that the prospective sale of the Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Homestead National Historic Site has been met with silence.

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The many accomplishments of Adelaide Hunter Hoodless should not be easily overlooked.

Thanks to her efforts we have had safe pasteurized milk in Ontario for over four generations. Thanks also to her efforts young people have learned in school the skills of household management for more than three generations. Further, thanks to her involvement in the National Council of Women for more than two generations, women have accomplished much of what Adelaide set out to achieve.

Unfortunately, the Women’s Institutes, which have worked tirelessly to preserve the homestead, are now facing the challenge of libraries, television and social media to which people turn for the skills and examples that the WI used to offer, such that they are fading from view.

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If we cannot conserve the museum in our local community maybe Guelph University (where Adelaide worked with others to establish the first faculty of Home Economics) or Westfield Heritage Village would be prepared to relocate the homestead to its property for preservation.

Brian Moore

Brantford

Take climate threat seriously

David Booth in his July 2 article in the Brantford Expositor (Environmentalists should be careful what they ask for) stated “In our rush to barrel down the Tesla highway, could we be making the same mistakes again? Will our focus on CO2 reduction lead to even more unintended consequences?”

I strongly disagree. First, I would not categorize our action against climate change as a rush. Scientists have warned us for over 30 years and we are still delaying and debating climate change.

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I believe that a majority of fire victims in Western Canada and U.S. might agree that there has not been a rush on this crisis.

David Booth’s identification of the obstacles facing a transition to green are well articulated, but his suggestion that we move cautiously is extremely dangerous.

The analogy is this. Our house is on fire, but we are afraid to call the fire department because we are worried about water damage and firefighters trampling our lawn. So let’s be clear – we need urgent transition to green alternatives which will necessitate innovative solutions to the obstacles at hand if we are to survive this existential threat. And delay is not an option. I urge everyone to please take this threat seriously.

Norm Purcell

Brantford

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