Mail bag: Oct. 8, 2020

Thankful for help

Dear Editor:

We would like to thank the Puslinch, Guelph and Halton Hills fire departments and particularly Jim Petrik and the Guelph-Eramosa fire department for their timely response to a house fire on Wellington Road 29 on Aug. 21.

As hard as it was to watch our house burning we could not help but be impressed by the many volunteer fire fighters and the precision with which they tackled the fire. Because of their efforts many of our contents and much of the house remained intact.

We are very appreciative of the efforts of to locate our cat Dusty. We cannot express enough how grateful we were when she escaped the house almost four hours after the fire started virtually unscathed!

We would like to thank John ? who we understand made the first call to 911. We will be forever grateful and do hope you will stop by our house one day as it is being rebuilt so we can thank you in person.

We also want to thank our neighbours Ed and Heather and Gary and Judy for their help the first few days while our contents were removed from our house and we dealt with the various insurance issues.

Lastly, we would like to thank our family and friends for their ongoing support. You continue to make our life much more bearable!

 Karen and Grant Smillie,
Guelph-Eramosa

 

The second wave

Dear Editor:

RE: Premier declares Ontario is in second wave of COVID-19, Oct. 1.

The second wave is upon us, with the number of COVID-19 cases hitting an all-time high since the beginning of the pandemic in March.

We have become relaxed.

Relaxed at public gatherings, backyard barbecues, and even at schools. We conquered the first wave of COVID-19. However, a false sense of security is not what we need going into the second wave. The trends in the graphs are not looking good. Unless we can flatten the curve now, the second wave will be bigger. More restrictions may be necessary, and we may go back to stage two. Schooling may even have to go back online, which is something that I, as a student, do not want.

It will be a new experience, a different pandemic. The first curve was flattened, but our pride may be our downfall for the second wave. Moving out, we need to stress the amount of testing that will be done. We must ensure there are no more cases in schools and other public gathering places.

In everything we do, we should keep the pandemic in mind, even when most of us want to forget its existence.

Stay aware and stay safe.

Benjamin Jagt,
Fergus

 

Young people do care

Dear Editor:

RE: Be responsible, Oct. 1.

Why do old people believe that the younger generation doesn’t care about other people’s safety?

We do care about other people’s safety. Wearing a mask is very unnatural for young people. It is hard to follow regulations that we did not grow up following. All we hear these days is, “it’s because of the young people – they don’t wear masks” or, “blame it on the young folk – they don’t care about us.”

I do not take kindly to being called “irresponsible.” It is very true that a lot of young people refuse to wear masks, but don’t assume that every young person doesn’t wear a mask. I think we should all wear masks out of respect for others. We all have grandparents and parents that we care about, too.

There are many older people that I know who won’t wear a mask, who in fact refuse to wear a mask. Why is it that we hear nothing about them, only the “young kids”? Is this because it is considered disrespectful if young people tell older people to put a mask on?

According to this letter, the young people are the enemies. Just because COVID-19 doesn’t affect young people as much, it is wrong to think that young people “don’t care about others’ safety.”

It does not feel nice to be judged all the time.

Alexander Thalen,
Elora

 

Too quick to judge

Dear Editor:

I was very disappointed at the letters that I read this week in response to the anti-mask protest.

Some of us have family members with health issues who can’t wear masks because of breathing issues.

My 86-year-old grandmother has leukemia, diabetes and impaired vision; she tried to wear a mask and almost fainted, now she doesn’t want to go out because she doesn’t want to see the dirty looks.

My mother had major dental surgery this summer and had 18 stitches in her mouth as well as a plugged nostril due to sinus complications; she legitimately can’t breathe with a mask on. She has been denied service in multiple stores and the dirty looks and judgmental attitudes are not helpful when she just wants to get groceries.

So before you judge the person in the grocery store without a mask, take 10 seconds to consider that maybe they have a personal health problem. It is not selfish to want to breathe.

Doris Eccles,
Mount Forest

 

Not so simple

Dear Editor:

RE: Bottled water issue, Oct. 1.

I don’t think the problem is “so simple;” people can not and will not just “stop buying water.”

This is impossible, you can’t just stop buying bottled water. Bottled water is a necessity in Canada.

I work in construction and there are no taps to refill your water bottles. All supervisors are required to have a pack of water bottles in their trucks so that on those hot days where we drink all our water, we have a safety supply. Without that water I believe I would have died.

In this day and age, due to COVID-19, closing companies is terrible for our economy. We shouldn’t be trying to close them but keep them in business.

Curtis VanWoudenberg,
Guelph

 

Chinese flag folly

Dear Editor:

I was disappointed when reading the news recently that the Ontario government planned to fly the flag of the People’s Republic of China.

What was the government thinking when two Canadians are incarcerated by the Chinese government? Micheal Koving and Michael Spavor have been imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party for two years. Now are we going to celebrate the national day of China? I am grateful that there were many Canadians that stood up against this.

I applaud our riding’s MP Micheal Chong for what he said about this. He was against it because raising this flag would send a definite negative message. He said, “I don’t think any order of government in Canada should be flying the flag of the People’s Republic of China while two Canadian citizens are wrongfully imprisoned in China.” Thank you Micheal Chong for standing against this plan.

I am glad that the flag raising was cancelled. The reason given for the cancellation was because of the rising COVID-19 restrictions. But they also cancelled all flag raisings.

My question still remains: why are we supporting a country that honours no rights and is putting citizens in prison camps while at the same time ignoring our allies?

Ian Hoeksema,
Fergus

 

‘Politicians panicked’?

Dear Editor:

RE: Minimize contacts, MOH urges, Oct. 1.

Dr. Nicola Mercer’s asserted to councillor Stephen Kitras that “Sweden has the highest [COVID] mortality rate.”

As of Oct. 1, Sweden is in 12th position globally with regard to per capita deaths from COVID-19, after Peru, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Spain, Chile, Ecuador, UK, USA, Mexico, and Italy. Also cited by Mr. Kitras as countries where masks are not mandated were Finland (66th) and Norway (73rd). Canada stands in 26th place.

A significant difference between the three countries named by Kitras and Canada is that their societies and economies have remained on a more even keel than those of Canada. In Sweden, businesses, entertainment venues, and educational institutions were not shut down; in Finland and Norway, any closures or restrictions were brief and have long been lifted.

In Canada, the widespread and longer-term closures of all but essential businesses and services resulted in substantial job losses. Numerous sectors of the economy, including live theatre, concert performances, sports events, and restaurants, among others, remain shuttered or face restrictions. Predictions are that a substantial percentage of the lost jobs will not return, or will take the form of part-time rather than full-time employment.

The government assistance programs designed to alleviate these job losses have caused the national deficit to balloon from approximately $34 billion in early 2020 to $343 billion. Financial experts agree that it will be generations before such debt is paid off, if ever.

The best, most succinct, comment I’ve heard on the actions of the various levels of Canada’s government in response to the pandemic came from a friend who has worked as a nurse in local hospitals for decades. She said simply, “The politicians panicked.”

When this pandemic is just as forgotten as the Asian Flu of the 1950s (which killed around 7,000 Canadians) and the Hong Kong Flu of the 1960s (around 4,000), Canadians will still be living with the economic and social fallout of COVID-19.

Olga Domjan,
Elora

 

Not a fan of plan

Dear Editor:

What do you think of Doug Ford’s new plan for COVID-19 during the second (worse) wave of the pandemic? Now, we can basically do anything, or go anywhere we want, except get together with our families or go to church.

We can go and get our hair cut or have a massage, go to the gym, or the bars, restaurants, shopping, get on a plane, send our kids on a crowded bus to school, etc., but I am asked not to get together with any of my family except those that live in my house.

Ford says people should not congregate in a church, where they would be sitting down quietly in one spot with masks on, but it’s alright in bars and gyms where patrons are moving around, breathing heavier and without masks on, using areas that can’t be cleaned effectively during use. Mr. Ford needs to give his head a shake.

If you want to lick this, Ford, then you are going to have to make practical policies and enforce them. And don’t say it’s up to the stores to enforce protocols or they get charged (like was reported on the front  page of this paper a couple weeks ago after the “little” no-mask rally) when stores have no right to screen or restrict customers for any reason.

So, if I am understanding what Ford’s saying, we only have to wear masks if we want to (no accountability) and we can all go out almost anywhere and risk getting sick and spreading this virus as long as we don’t do it with our family or at church. Ya, that sounds like a reasoned solution – not. You’re not going to be able to please everyone, Ford, so put the necessary protocols in place and enforce it.

Let’s get this thing licked and get on with life.

Paul Dunnill,
Fergus

 

‘Be responsible’

Dear Editor:

RE: Deadly serious, Oct. 1.

I loved the ideas that you pointed out in your article about using our advancement in technology to enforce the law. I feel that this is an issue that needs to be resolved.

People need to stop having confidence in crowds. Some may think that they can get away with things when they appear to be the majority. Just because a bunch of other people are participating doesn’t make it any less illegal. Illegal is illegal. No excuses. Security in crowds is false, officers of the law still hold the authority.

We are all in this together. I understand that some people are bored because there are many things that you cannot do right now and many others things that are not the same.

But we can’t take the risk in doing such disgraceful actions, especially now. It is too dangerous. You are risking the lives of others.

Please remember to be responsible, listen to the authorities, and take care of your neighbours.

Sarah Knot,
Belwood