Dear Editor,
How can we be a willing host community with only a 2.4 per cent difference in the votes, that’s only 78 votes. Is that really a willing community?
Mayor Goetz expressed hope that the results of the referendum would allow the community to heal. “I’m looking forward to the results and putting this behind us. Hopefully, at that point, the community can start to rebuild, bond back together, and move the municipality forward in whatever method we have to,” he said.
Goetz welcomed the impact of the results; “It should put an end to it, but I’m confident that if it goes one way or another, it likely won’t,” he said. “The only way it would put an end to it is if we eliminate ourselves from the process. We’ve been involved in this process for 12 years. There was ample opportunity to get educated, yet unfortunately, it’s left to the 11th hour, and a handful of people are interpreting what they believe these agreements mean.” A handful of people? Look how many people voted NO. The 11th hour? Questioning of the DGR process became public by Protect Our Waterways in 2020.
Mayor Goetz talked in the news that he wants to heal the community. This is not healing the community, this is breaking the community even farther apart. Is he really thinking about the community or does he not care about the people or the members of his community? What about the future of our farms or farm products?
Over the last four and half years, I have heard a lot of negative or even bad Language from our community and mayor and our council members towards those in opposition. What do you think this does to people’s mental health? I think Mayor Goetz and our council better think twice before they really make a decision on the Deep Geological Repository (DGR). Maybe this letter is too personal but at the end of the day it is all happening because NWMO was given an open door to take over our municipality – no questions to be asked.
Elizabeth Groenewegen, Walkerton
