Opinion

 

Dear Editor,

I read with great interest in your May 30th, 2012 edition regarding the state of disrepair of our local dock in Morrisburg.

How dare our council state that “over the past few weeks our local dock has been declared unfit”. Where have they been over the past few years? 

I moved back into this area in 2008, and the dock was in a state of disrepair then! Why now is it being declared unsafe. My only obvious answer is that it is not a country road north of the 401 and in need of paving

We as local citizens of this municipality, buy our yearly or individual fees for docking.

Where has this money gone? Certainly not into security or someone checking who has paid and not paid. We have people driving all the way from Montreal to off load their oversized boats and park in the Morrisburg Legion parking lot for weeks on end. We have people with large sail and motorboats coming up late in the day and tying up. Are they paying? No! If they were, they would be mooring either at Crysler  Marina or Iroquois Marina.

To Ms. Delegarde, yes, there is a boat tour scheduled. This was for a fund raiser for the Galop Canal (organized in Morrisburg). Why you may ask. Because we care what happens in this area. I am involved in this venture with the Basket Case, donating my time and food to bring this function to fruition. Again, because I care! 

According to By-law# 2010-40, 2011-72 or 2011-80, the charge for the docking is $10 which I will personally pay.

Do not get me wrong Ms. Delegarde, I think yourself and one other person is doing a great job for this municipality. I champion you. It just irks me to no end that the village of Morrisburg is forever at the bottom of the list for getting anything done. It must be that the council thinks that we are self sufficient. Movers and shakers to say. Maybe we are. 

All the better for us, because if we had to wait for this council (Evonne excluded) our dock would be down river somewhere and Iroquois would be having a fund raiser for us!

Best regards

Gregg Foss

[…]

 

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to a recent letter you published from a Mr. Mason about the Iroquois Farmers Market vendor permits. 

In his letter he referenced our farm located in Ingleside and that people such as myself are taking all the permits from local area vendors.

First let me start off by saying that permits are available to all and any persons willing to operate at the local area farmers markets and are available at the township office at the beginning of every year. We purchased our permit back in March of this year, and it states directly on it that sales of any goods are to start no earlier than April 15 and end no later than December 31 of that same year that they are purchased. 

It does not state an exact date for the market to begin and we have chosen to begin our market days in June as that is when the produce will be ready for our customers. 

I am sorry if Mr. Mason did not purchase his permit at an earlier date to ensure he had the right papers in place to sell his wears. 

As for the fact that we are not local vendors I am very saddened by this comment. It is true that we no longer reside in South Dundas, but before purchasing our farm we were long time residents of South Dundas (we lived in Morrisburg and in Williamsburg) and my husband’s family still resides in Morrisburg. Our farm is located on the South Dundas/South Stormont border. 

It is people like Mr. Mason and his opinions that have made it so that new vendors would prefer to take their business to larger cities instead of staying close to home and offering their services or products to the local residents. 

I am happy that I will be bringing my Gluten Free Baked goods and organically grown produce to South Dundas as there is a need for these products in our community. 

I hope that comments such as those made by Mr. Mason do not scare off potential new vendors. And instead of them looking to the larger cities they will look to our local farmers markets to sell their products so that there will be many options available for those who come to the markets every week. 

We should be encouraging others to come to South Dundas to sell their products not frowning down on them or belittling them.  

As only five permits are issued every year, we should be looking at the township to increase these numbers and ask them to make available more permits for vendors so that we can bring forth more people willing to sell their products instead of turning them away just as the township did to Mr. Mason in the first place. 

His issue should be with them and not with me.

I thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say and in listening to my side of the story as I felt like I was being attacked by the words Mr. Mason had to say in regards to his very upsetting letter to you. I hope you will publish this letter so that others can read about the other side of being a new vendor and purchasing permits.

Sincerely,

Ann Marie Hollister

SHELDANNA FARM

[…]

 

Dear Editor,

I have now heard everything! Wind turbines are going to affect the students of Nationview Public School (as suggested in a letter, published in the Wed., May 9 edition of the Winchester Press). Let’s not mention what the iPhone, iPod, Nintendo DS, and too much reality TV, and a lack of good old fashioned hard work is doing to our kids. This unfounded fear mongering is quite funny.

Just last week, I was working on a new piece of property and cleaning some brush. I thought I would be neighbourly and stop in to introduce myself. 

I barely got off the tractor when the lady stated she was totally against wind turbines. 

I followed by asking her if she had ever seen a turbine. She replied that she had not. I replied that I had seen many and talked to many people that had windmills, and they were completely happy with having them. I said that I thought they were beautiful pieces of technology and that we could be sitting underneath one and that the noise wouldn’t even affect our conversation. 

She then went on that she got all her information from the newspaper.

The fact is, these machines are air in, air out; they will not cause cancer, they will not pollute your water, and they are quieter then your refrigerator. From 550 meters in the middle of a field, you will never hear them. 

The Highway 401 noise pollution is much louder; so is a train passing by, an airplane or helicopter flying overhead, a lawn mower, a whipper snipper, a television, or a stereo, and we all live with these machines every day.

The fact is that everybody loves to plug in their two computers, two phones, three TVs, microwaves, iPods, and cell phones. People need to wake up. 

The global population in 1945 was under two billion people; we are now more than seven billion and by 2050 are projected to be a whopping 9 billion. 

We need new sources of energy — clean and renewable. 

Wind turbines are carbon neutral within nine months of their operation. I’m not saying that wind is the answer to all our energy needs, but it is the start of new technologies — better, cleaner technologies.

Green energy is being criticized for being too expensive. What alternative isn’t — big oil, nuclear energy, gas, coal… These are all big polluters and heavily subsidized by your tax dollars. 

Some say we could buy all the power we need from Quebec for five cents per kilowatt-hour — but for how long? Sure we could. That would be negative five cents to Ontario. Wind is 11 cents for 20 years — what a bargain! 

These projects are privately funded by companies investing tens of millions of dollars in your communities. 

The projects result in tax dollars for local schools and hospitals, local power and local jobs, lease payments to farmers — all money spent locally.

Then there are people crying that not enough studies are being done. They are uninformed because there are health studies, plus bat, bird, noise, flicker, water, archaeology, and frog studies preformed, just to name some. 

These studies have accumulated to the tune of $3 million for a 30-megawatt project. 

The problem in Ontario is not green energy, but too much red tape, and government agencies used to implement the red tape — not to mention ignorance and jealousy.

I am one of the proud farmers hosting three of the 12 turbines in the South Branch Wind Farm. They will be directly behind and in front of my house.

I assure you that I would not put my family’s health at risk for a lease payment.

 I know that change is hard, but it is necessary. I have no doubt that history will look brightly upon our decisions to invest in renewable energy. I am a local business owner who’s pro local jobs, pro local economy, pro solar, and pro wind!

Oliver Thurler

[…]

 

Dear Editor,

The subject of wind turbines is currently being hotly debated in Dundas County with strong emotions on both sides of the issue, pitting neighbour against neighbour and creating divisions within our communities. 

In an effort to inform and educate, the Dundas Environmental Awareness Group (DEAG) planned a town hall meeting to take place in Winchester in mid-June. The goal was to offer a balanced, science and fact-based forum representing the positions of all stakeholders.

Unfortunately, in spite of rigorous efforts, DEAG was not able to secure the participation of the wind turbine industry or its association for the proposed panel discussion.

We remain hopeful that there will be another opportunity in the fall to organize a forum, with an expert-based and balanced panel that will help community residents learn first-hand about wind turbines, draw their own conclusions and make informed decisions.

Maria Thompson

Secretary, DEAG

[…]

 

Dear Editor,

Re: Children’s Treatment Centre, Morrisburg/Iroquois Bike-a-Thon Plus.

Thank you for your newspaper’s coverage of the special services offered our residents of Dundas County by the Children’s Treatment Centre.Your coverage of the Bike-a-Thon Plus, along with the many volunteers of the Iroquois/Matilda Lions Club, the Morrisburg and District Lions and Leo’s Clubs and the Bank of Montreal made the event financially fantastic with $8,314.93 collected as of May 31, 2012.

Further donations are still welcomed and can be given to Lyle Van Allen in Williamsburg or Doug Grenkie in Morrisburg.

Yours truly,

J. Douglas Grenkie

[…]

 

If there is something in your life, in your community or in your world that you want to be different, what can you do to make it happen? 

You could wish for what you want, but will that guarantee the outcome? Probably not.

For there to be change, there needs to be action. 

With that being said, how many people would like to see some changes in South Dundas? More tourism, maybe? More jobs? Better recreation facilities?

As of 2011, South Dundas had 10,795 people living within its boundaries. During last week’s action planning “public” meetings, only six people showed up for the afternoon sessions and maybe 10 for the evening session. Are there only 16 people in South Dundas who believe changes need to be made? Probably not.

So where were the other 10,000 people? Granted, the afternoon sessions on Wednesday afternoon may have caused issues for those who work during the weekday, but what about the evening session? Accounting for previous engagements, illnesses, and other daily dramas, maybe we could eliminate the expectation of having all of South Dundas show for the evening session… but only 10? Really?

Okay, so you’re probably thinking… “ya, but it’s not like it’s going to make a difference” OR “we’ve done this before and nothing came of it.” Well, imagine life if, for those same reasons, everyone in the world just sat back and gave up trying to change things for the better. Think about the changes in technology, medicine, and human rights over the last hundred years… where would we be without them?

Changes happen because people make them happen. The people who make them happen often don’t have an easy road of it and most often have to keep plugging away in the face of rejection or failure until eventually they succeed. 

Sadly, I’ve often been one of the many who sit back and let others do the heavy lifting, believing that “they” would do it better anyway. Being propelled into so many community events and situations in the past year has changed the way I think. Sure, I still need some down time to “recharge” here and there, but I’ve come to realize that it is high time that I get out of my own comfort zone and start participating.

We each have our own talents, gifts, and ideas that only we can bring to the world. I don’t know about you, but I intend to make whatever contributions I can, while I can. -S.C.

[…]

 

Sometimes It Just Works

On November 13, 2011, the Gospel story that was shared with the people of my parish was the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). 

Just to refresh your memory, here’s a synopsis of the parable: there was a landowner who had business away from his land. He entrusted three of his workers with some money (talents). A talent is the equivalent of 60 mina and one mina is equal to 60 shekels. . . I’ll let you do the math. At any rate, one worker was left in care of five talents, one was responsible for two and the last, one talent. When the landowner returned he asked for an accounting of the talents. Two of the workers had been bold and ended up doubling the money left with them. The person with one talent didn’t do anything with it and just handed the money back to his boss.  Things didn’t turn out so well for him.

I decided that I would conduct a small experiment that Sunday. I called three people from each of the congregations that heard the story. I gave an envelope to each of the three people. I upped the ante a bit and in one envelope there was $10, in another $5 and the third $2. 

I told the people who received the envelopes that as the “landowner” I was “going away” for six months, and when I returned there would be an accounting of the “talents” that they had been given. So, I left nine envelopes with a total of $51 to be cared for by these trustworthy “workers.”

This is not the first time I have ever conducted this experiment. But I must say that it is the first time when the people who received the “talents” actually grasped what I was attempting to do. 

There have been people who were paralyzed with fear wondering what they should do with the money. There have been people who simply ignored what was asked of them and kept the money. But these “stewards” of my money actually managed to figure it out. 

Many people believe that the story is about money. Many believe it’s a story about talents as we understand the term today. 

I believe that the core of the story is about relationships. It’s about the relationship that the workers had with their employer. 

Metaphorically it’s a story about the relationship that we have with God. If we use what God gives us with the best of intentions, it shows that we want to be in relationship with God. If we do nothing with the gifts that God gives us, then we tend to ignore not only our gifts, but God as well.

When we had the accounting of the “talents” on May 13, 2012, I was so impressed. I felt that I needed to share it with you.

My initial $51 was returned and along with that there was $496. The stories that were shared were varied. Each story, as it was told, involved telling about the person being in relationship with me but more importantly, they thought about their relationship with God.

That’s what it was about – being in relationship with God and using what they had been given to the glory of God and the benefit of the world.

The Dundas County Food Bank received from this “landowner” a donation of $547 thanks to the faithful relationships of the “workers” of my parish.

Sometimes, it just works!!!

Cheers,

Sue+

Rev. Sue McCullough

Anglican Parish of Morrisburg, Iroquois & Riverside Heights

[…]

 

Dear Editor,

The present state of the Morrisburg public dock is a disgrace. It needs to be repaired and put back into service as a matter of urgency.

Summer evenings and week-ends at the Morrisburg dock have become a major draw for locals, boaters and out-of-town visitors.  In many ways, the Morrisburg waterfront and dock has become the town meeting place where you can always be sure to find a few friends and neighbours.  

It was becoming an ‘attraction’ that drew tourists by both water and land.

Now what do we see?  A “Dock Unsafe” sign and a make-shift barricade to stop folks from using the main part of the dock. It looks terrible and sends a really bad message to visitors about our town.

The dock has been neglected since the Federal Government gave it to the township.  

A large part of the outside face of the dock was destroyed some years ago, the rubber buffer strips on the concrete wall are gone, the concrete slabs of the western launch pad are breaking apart and have a dangerous drop-off at the end that is in the water, the wooden base for the mooring cleats on the concrete wall are rotting and exposing loose bolts and the boardwalks have heaved up so much that it is not even safe to walk on the dock.

The dock is actually much worse on the water side than it is on the land side.  You would really be risking your boat if you tried to moor alongside the outside face of the dock. 

 Last year I took some photographs of the dock from the water side and sent them, along with a request that the dock be fixed before the 2012 season, to the Mayor and most of the councillors.  In reply, Steven Byvelds said there were no budgeted funds for maintenance and that the council could look at this issue next year (2012).  

I may be wrong, but I do not believe that there was any follow-up to my letter, certainly nobody contacted me.

It seems to me that the Morrisburg dock is really the jewel of the town and yet we cannot maintain it properly.  

Imagine belonging to a golf club where the executive decided not to maintain the greens in order to save a little money.  That is what has happened to our dock.

My wife and I are active boaters, and we have cruised our boat from Lake Ontario to Florida stopping at town docks along the way.  We moved to Morrisburg because of the river and access to boating.  

We always felt that the Morrisburg dock could easily become one of the nicest places to stop, but in recent years it has been neglected and is now an eyesore.  

We have posted information about local docks and anchorages in “ActiveCaptain”, a very popular online boater’s cruising guide.  We posted a positive review of the Morrisburg dock in the guide, but we have now advised visiting boaters not to stop here until the repairs are complete.

I am very concerned about how long it is going to take to get the dock repaired.  The township has given no estimate on this, and I fear that work may not even start this year.

I think that this matter should be treated as an urgent priority and that every effort should be made to finish the repairs as soon as possible.

Don Taylor

[…]

 

Love One Another, As I Have Loved You

This past weekend marked the second anniversary of “Run for Davi”. Friends and family ran, walked etc. in memory of David Freire, a fine young man who suffered from a mental illness and died at a young age.

Davi touched the lives of many people, and his family cherishes his memory by helping others who live with mental illness. Money raised as a result of “Run for Davi” goes directly to mental health research, care and support.

I had the privilege of presiding at David’s funeral service several years ago. I was struck by how much his mom and other relatives and friends loved him, how much they want to create a world where anyone suffering from a mental illness obtains proper help, is not stigmatized, is understood to be precious in God’s sight.

One of the best known lines in the Bible is “Love one another as I have loved you.” Perhaps we might reflect upon loving our neighbour in this month of May, this month which focuses on mental health awareness.

“Love one another as I have loved you.”

During my years in ministry, I have often had people show concern for those with cancer, heart disease, addictions…yet those ill with a mental disorder sometimes receive little care and may even be ridiculed. Even clergy, a few of them, will say, “no one in my congregation has ever had a mental illness. I doubt that is true!

One in 10 is affected but as times no cards, phone calls etc. come to someone dealing daily with depression, schizophrenia, manic etc.

Mental illness can rob people of their joy, their dignity, their ability to function. Men, women and children can act “out of character” while suffering from an acute mental illness, but even when they apologize later, there is no forgiveness.

Unfortunately, some who profess to be atheists often show more compassion than those who profess to walk in God’s ways.

I urge all of us in this community to be the hands and feet of Christ by respecting those who are ill and celebrating when they begin to feel better.

In the eyes of God, we all have value: Perhaps we all need to remember that to ostracize the mentally ill is surely not the will of the Lord.

“Love one another as I have loved you.”

Let us not blame any who are ill, but share of God’s love with our brothers and sisters everywhere. Know that you cannot possibly know how an individual with a mental illness feels–don’t presume to understand until you have walked a mile in his or her shoes.

Over the past months, I have been touched by the grace and light that has shone forth from David Freire’s dearest ones. May every one of us pass on God’s love in words and actions, as they do.

I believe that David is secure within God’s compassionate embrace. I believe that those who have gone before us are at peace and rest with God.

It is so comforting to know that whether we are healthy or ill, male or female, outgoing or reserved, God is with us. We are never alone. In life, in death, in life beyond death, we are never left desolate.

God sheds His love upon us–how blessed we are.

The goal of “Run for Davi” is to ensure he did not die in vain. His spirit lives on and can encourage all of us to raise awareness and money to fund treatment and research for Mental Health.

God calls us to be His faithful disciples–to minister to the ill, the hurting, the forgotten. God can bring joy out of sorrow, comfort out of pain, resurrection out of death.

In God we have our hope, our inspiration.

Amen.

 

Rev. Janet Evans, 

Iroquois United Church

[…]

 

"Summertime and the living is easy…"

 My thanks to George Gershwin for this wonderful song.  Perhaps you have enjoyed a wonderful long weekend of garage sales or planting a garden or flowers, or doing nothing or something else.   

Whatever you were doing or not doing, I hope that you had a moment to be open to the presence of the Spirit.  Sometimes we are too busy in work or leisure to think about the One who brought this all into being.  The One who is Wholly Love for all creation.

The following psalm from Edward Hays in his book Prayers of a Planetary Pilgrim is one of my favourites for this time of year.  

I hope that you find yourself in this song.

A Summer Sunset Psalm

O Beloved Friend and Earth Designer, 

this day’s light is seeping away,

and dark night crouches

beneath the amber horizon.

I am tired from work of this warm day,

but not so weary that I can forget

this day’s rich harvest of gifts.

I lift up my heart to you,

singing a sunset song of gratitude.

I praise you for the blessings that fill my life,

for the gifts I can recall

and for treasures I take for granted.

Gently refresh me now

with your evergreen pardon

for my failure to drink deeply of your love,

hidden cleverly in each gift

that has come my way today.

Forgive my rushing past

the countless visions of you, unique to this day,

held so tenderly in the beauty of your love.

Forgive my absent-mindeness, the deafness of my ears,

my senses blinded by my busyness today.

Blessed are you, Holy Parent,

who will soon wrap me in sleep

and cradle me in the womb of your peace.

Take a moment, breathe in and let that breath out, knowing that God is as close to you as the breath that you breathe.  Give God thanks for another day and for this glorious season of summer.

Peace and Blessings

 

Rev. Arlyce Schiebout

Lakeshore United Church

Morrisburg

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