Dear Editor:
I’m afraid that this is the beginning of the end of the Howson Dam. Destruction has begun!
I would like to congratulate, Paul Heffer, Kevin Falconer, Rick McBueney, Chris Palmer, Anita Van Hittersum, for their vision to have the Howson Dam removed. The deputy reeve sat on the committee of council to discuss the future of the Howson dam and his committee overwhelming proposed that the dam be refurbished. Then Deputy Reeve Falconer voted against the repair of the Howson Dam on two separate occasions (such vison).
This past year at budget time, Blyth was able to retain their arena, as did Belgrave, because their facilities meant so much to their communities, even though there would be an increase in taxes for North Huron residents.
A hypothetical situation to illustrate the injustice that was bestowed on Wingham by the two councillors from Blyth and the two from Wawanosh. Hypothetically, if London was the hub of southwestern Ontario, and they deemed that Goderich could not put a boardwalk along the lakeshore. no reasons given – that would be outrageous because there would be no recourse because the councillors were not listening to their constituents.
There is not a single councillor that has a positive reason for decommissioning the dam. For example:
(1) They state that the dam is an insurance, liability risk. Really! Not one person ever had a serious accident at the dam/pond. On the other hand, how many people have had a broken arm, leg, shoulder or concussion at the arena? But we continue to fund the arena.
(2) Extended costs for the dam is another excuse to get rid of it. Over the last 20 years not one cent has been spent to repair the dam; however, the swimming pool in Wingham has cost the taxpayers of North Huron, thousands and thousands of dollars over the last 20 years.
(3) There was a committee that proposed to fund raise the entire cost of repairing the Howson Dam. Again, the four councillors from outside of Wingham denied the proposal without any legitimate reasons!
Not once did the councillors from Blyth or Wawanosh talk about tourism and the benefits of the dam/pond to North Huron. Nor did they talk about the social/psychological/emotional benefits of having the dam/pond.
(4) Over 1,000 people signed their names, stating that they would like to have the Howson dam repaired. This petition was totally ignored by those councillors.
(5) There is zero research to suggest that a river will be healthier without a dam, than a dam that has a fish ladder for the spring and fall fish breeding season.
It is quite obvious that North Huron has far too many councillors that only have tunnel vision.
Rennie Alexander,
Wingham
