Week of September 23 – The Sarnia Journal
Tarzanland is no place for an asphalt jungle
Sir: It would seem we seldom see a nice, quiet wooded trail that cannot be improved by pavement.
Case in point is the proposal to asphalt a path through our cherished “Tarzanland” in Canatara Park.
Many streets in our community COULD use a large dose of that material, but the park’s natural wooded area is not one of them.
A paved path already exits that connects Animal Farm Road to Michigan Avenue. It begins just a few metres to the west of the Tarzanland trailhead.
When philanthropist Maud Hannah made a key donation to help the city purchase the core of what is today’s Canatara Park, it was so future generations could experience one small “natural” area in a region already cleared for agriculture and industry.
Sometimes the best thing one can do “for” a park – is nothing!
Frank Higgins
Sarnia
Church condemns posting of hateful notices
Sir: We, at Grace United Church, are distressed and disturbed by the “deeply hateful” anonymous notices placed upon the property of Dunlop United Church on Sept. 9.
We align ourselves in full support of the ministry of Dunlop Central United Church and Rev. Adam Kilner. We are proud to name them as colleagues and friends.
We lament the use of scripture that condemns and vilifies the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer-plus community and work to affirm, celebrate, and support the fullness of their personhood and God-given spirit.
We seek respectful dialogue and discussion of difference, conducted with openness and transparency.
We commit to a Christian faith focused on inclusion and expansive welcome – centered on love, grace and compassion above all else. In faith,
Regan Pfaff-MacDonald, council chair
Pat Morrison, pastoral team
Rev. Dr. Kenji Marui, pastoral team
More tickets will slow speeding drivers
Sir: We were thrilled to see Sarnia will consider reducing the speed limit to 40 mph on some city streets. Also nice to see council has voted for public input on the issue.
But the comment from councillor Terry Burrell about there having been no public complaints is hilarious.
We’ve been complaining for years about speeding on our street. We have written numerous letters to the chief of police concerning this problem.
Did Coun. Burrell think the ‘Slow Down’ signs people are posting on their front lawns are there for decoration?
We tried posting them on the boulevard, but it seems drivers can’t read or just don’t care.
Will lowering the speed limit slow people down? I doubt it. There isn’t enough enforcement, so they can get away with it.
This is why we need public input!
Terry Lindsay
Sarnia
Council’s treatment of fellow councillor was appalling
Sir: Regarding the city council meeting of Monday, Sept. 13. Council’s decision to force City Hall staff and councillors to show proof of vaccination as a condition of their employment and ability to sit on council violates our Canadian rights and freedoms.
The treatment of Coun. Margaret Bird regarding her assumed vaccination status by certain fellow councillors was appalling. Identifying the one individual on council who was not vaccinated as “her” violated Ms. Bird’s privacy. The decision to disclose one’s medical status is solely up to the individual and not for public knowledge.
Mayor Mike Bradley has encouraged council to demonstrate inclusivity in our community, but this display of exclusivity of any unvaccinated councillors (by choice or medical exemption) goes directly against the mayor’s recommendation. Respectfully,
Mike McKegney
Sarnia
Are we getting the full story on COVID-19 shots?
Sir: Safe and effective is the government’s mantra for COVID-19 vaccinations. But are they really safe and effective?
The current vaccines have been made available through emergency authorization and in the U.S. do not have full FDA approval.
They have been available for less than nine months, and there are no long-term studies on either their efficacy or safety. The usual animal studies were skipped.
The U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) had recorded 693,953 total events and 15,348 deaths as of last week, all of them happening in just over eight months.
It should be noted that the events recorded cannot definitively be tied to the jabs, but a Harvard study of the VAERS system concluded only 1% to 10% of injuries are actually reported to the system, which is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
As for being effective, according to both Pfizer and the FDA, the shots were never designed to prevent infection or the transmission of infection. Their purpose is to reduce symptoms. So are they really effective, and at what?
Despite data to the contrary, the government and the media continue to say the shots are safe and effective, but the public is not being told about the deaths and injuries.
Safe treatment protocols are available from doctors. Early in the pandemic, five critical care physicians formed the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Working Group (FLCCC), which developed the highly effective COVID-19 treatment protocol known as MATH+.
The public is not being told about these effective treatments. We need to demand the truth.
George Stanko
Sarnia
Anti-vaxxers should suffer consequences for avoiding the shot
Sir: I read Greg Hamilton’s Sept. 16 letter to the editor, “No to mandatory vaccines,” to see if he brought any new insights.
I found it interesting he felt he should have the right to not get vaccinated and suffer no consequences for that decision. Unfortunately, he shoots himself in the foot when he denigrates those of use who made the conscious decision to get the vaccine.
We were not “sheep.” Rather, we rationally decided that getting vaccinations was a safer plan that trying other ways to avoid COVID-19, an infection from which we might not recover.
We also did it so we are less likely to affect the health of other Canadians.
I have noticed with anti-vaxxers that they can’t just make the decision to not get vaccinated and then suffer the related consequences they brought on themselves. Their decision does not cut them off from the necessities of life: groceries, gas, hardware stores, and the like.
What they are rightly cut off from are indoor social situations in restaurants, bars and concert venues.
I had to chuckle when I read about the vaccine’s potential “long-term side effects.”
The potential side effects listed on some TV drug commercials make a simple COVID shot seem palatable. The side effects of many advertised drugs are scary, and the potential for death mentioned often.
I noticed elsewhere in The Journal vaccine mandates being referred to as an act of communism. In one anti-vaxxer handout I saw recently the term Brownshirts was used, a reference to the early years of Nazism in Germany.
These folk should talk to someone who lived through Nazism or lost family to the gas chambers, or fled Communism in other countries to avoid death or the Gulag.
To use such terms in the context of a vaccination that takes a few minutes and usually has minimal effects denigrates their experiences.
I will close by noting that I am tired of people who think their opinion or stance is the only one that counts.
Alan Campbell
Sarnia
Years of research went into development of vaccines
Sir: In response to the Sept. 16 letter, “No, to mandatory vaccines.”
Fact: vaccines are not and never have been developed overnight. They are years in the making. Much science and research is involved, not to mention the cooperation, shared knowledge and experience of scientists from around the world. Scientists whose focus is to save lives.
I respectfully suggest that Mr. Hamilton take the time to educate himself on exactly what is involved in the development of vaccines. I suggest he start with the Government of Canada website, under Health.
Lastly, may I respectfully suggest that it’s time for our society to return to living with consideration and respect for our fellow citizens? Please, I am pleading, let it be immediately, before things get worse.
I do not recognize this world anymore, and am saddened to my core to see our country on this slippery slope to indifference and annihilation.
It’s time to start being kind to one another again. Sincerely,
Claudette Gasbarini
Sarnia
The upside of electric vehicles
Sir: Regarding Ed Williamson’s letter of Sept. 9, “Electric vehicles are clean but do have their shortcomings.”
Though some of his statements are correct there are several inaccuracies I would like to dispel.
I drive an electric car, have owned it for 18 months, and have had no issues regarding the operation or charging of the vehicle.
It’s true that charging the car from a standard wall outlet is time consuming, but I have done that only once as a test, as the car has a built-in 8KW charger that charges at 56 km/hour. So after one to three hours the battery is fully charged for daily driving.
With a range of 400 kilometres, I have never been caught short. When taking a trip I simply plug the destination into the cars navigation system and the charging stops, if required, are plotted on the screen. What could be simpler?
Yes, travelling in an EV takes a little more time on very long trips. However, if you stop to charge the battery while getting a bit of lunch is it really more time consuming? I think not.
Level 3 chargers charge up to 800 km/hr., and for the past 18 months I haven’t had to handle a dirty nozzle at the gas station.
Every day I wake up to a full tank of fuel while charging at home, which cost me less than $100 to setup.
Robert Morton
Sarnia
Canadians have a right to refuse mandatory vaccinations
Sir: Thank you for publishing Tara Jeffrey’s excellent article of Sept. 16, “Anger, division over mandatory shots.”
The owner of the Leaky Tank restaurant is quoted on her views about Ontario’s vaccine certificate system, and I agree with her.
Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights is clear that a Canadian citizen has the right to refuse medical treatment, and medical treatments are confidential, as pointed out in the same issue by Christian Heritage Party candidate Tom Laird.
Marie-Paule Wilkinson
Bright’s Grove