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Letters & Op-Ed, October 26 2022

Keep the farm animals on the farms When the ducks arrived on the street there were four, now there are six. If ducks are anything like geese, take a look at what they have turned Spencer Smith Park into, in Burlington.

Keep the farm animals on the farms

When the ducks arrived on the street there were four, now there are six. If ducks are anything like geese, take a look at what they have turned Spencer Smith Park into, in Burlington. Once a lovely park on the lake to enjoy, now you can’t walk in it because of droppings. They procreate too.

Prior to the ducks' arrival I had never see a rat in my backyard, which is not the wildlife I enjoy seeing on a hot humid day. Which can really get gamey in the heat of July.

Will our tax base be based on the agricultural scale? There is a lot of space in the country, if you want to raise poultry, go to the country.

You won’t bother your neighbours with the smells and the attraction of unwanted wildlife.

Joan Eby Fonthill

 

Open letter to Mayor re: chickens

I’m disheartened to hear that Pelham is against backyard chickens within urban town limits. I’m more disappointed that you, as an agricultural man, personally believe that, “There really isn’t an excuse to have poultry in the urban area.” Many municipalities, many of which are much larger than Pelham, have decided Urban Agriculture is good for everyone involved. It’s good for food sustainability, and good for kids growing up to have an eye into where food comes from. Even Toronto, which as you know is Ontario’s largest city, is running a pilot project that allows for four hens.

Please rethink the blanket ban of backyard poultry. Consider limits on hens and bans on roosters, like many larger municipalities. Pelham is going against the trend, and frankly the wrong way, on this one. We at Minor Bros. fully support urban food production. Connecting with the land is good for everyone,

Brian Fader General Manager Minor Bros. Country Living

 

Religion in schools, and handguns

The Voice’s Contributing News Editor Don Rickers is a good reporter but I disagree with his viewpoint in his op-ed commentary of Sept. 28, in which he opposes the banning of handgun sales in Canada. He feels that the core of Canada’s problem with guns is the smuggling of handguns into the country.

Notwithstanding that most handguns in Canada were smuggled in from the USA, few handguns in the USA were smuggled into that country. Yet, according to Pew Research Centre Data for the US in 2020, (a) “…handguns were involved in 59% of the 13,620 US gun murders…[In contrast]…Rifles…were involved in 3% of firearm murders…Shotguns were involved in 1%...” (the remaining murders were listed without noting the type of firearm used); and (b) “…45,222 people died from gun-related injuries…[including murders, suicides, and accidents].”

These data suggest to me that the smuggling of handguns is not at the core of Canada’s gun problem. Possessing handguns—however acquired—is. I support banning handgun ownership in Canada.

Shifting to religion in schools, separate school board candidate Irma Ruiter was quoted in her recent interview as saying, “The purpose of Catholic education is to imbue all subject areas with the Catholic faith.” [Oct. 12, p.17.] She is further quoted as saying that “The Catholic Church has been integral to the development of science,” then when challenged on this point she countered with a sanitized version of the Galileo story.

For anyone who’s interested in the real story behind the machinations of Galileo with Pope Urban VIII and others in the Catholic church, read Chapter 6 of Dr. Jacob Bronowski’s book, The Ascent of Man. It’s a masterful piece of work. It sets the record straight. It is clear that the locus of scientific thought moved from Mediterranean countries to northern Europe at least in part because of the church’s obstructionism towards science.

No religious organization has been integral to the development of science.

Much can be said of the church’s sometimes tarnished role in education, citing the operations of residential schools in Canada, for example, or even the theocracy that now rules Iran and marginalizes women.

In my view religious indoctrination of any kind is not a proper role of any school system. Ruiter’s interview was well done but disturbing. Ruiter should not be elected to become a school board trustee.

Tom Crawford Fonthill

 

How about testing the pols?

Ontario’s EQAO tests are a waste of time and money as well as a source of huge stress for some students. Their main use now is to compare different schools and different districts, which is in violation of the promise that they would not be used to do so. Such comparisons are a source of great delight for teacher-bashers, who know nothing about education and teaching. Politicians love them as well, since they can claim a “crisis” in education and promise some sort of fix.

The release of assessment results on October 20 prompted Ontario’s Education Minister, Stephen Lecce, to blame “teachers’ strikes” as one of the causes of poor results. He is being either deliberately misleading or he lacks the very skills that he claims our students are deficient in. There have been no full-blown teacher strikes since 1997, and the occasional one-day strikes in the Province are likely on a par with time lost to snow days.

I would like to see some sort of equivalent for ranking politicians. Perhaps PQAO: Political Quality and Assessment Office.

David Fowler Wainfleet

 

Lack of Adamson ethics rebutted

In response to the letter from Pam Young published in the October 19 issue of the Voice, criticizing the ethics of Mr. Frank Adamson and calling into question the actions of the president of the Tenants Association [at 45 Town Square, Fonthill], I need to point out that Pam Young never comes to any coffee hour, meetings, or get-togethers, so anything in the letter that she sent is all hearsay and gossip.

[Editor’s note: Actually, all of the facts set out by Ms. Young in her letter are corroborated in this response.]

Yes, after receiving an inquiry from Mr. Adamson, he was invited to our coffee hour. He showed an interest in talking to us and yes, he brought us coffee and cookies. He told us right at the outset he was a member of the board of directors for this facility. We didn't know that, but it didn't make any difference to us. We are not involved in politics. We just wanted to know what he had to say. If any other candidates would have contacted us, we would have welcomed them. I believe all candidates for Ward 2 came knocking on our apartment doors after first contacting Catherine King, the property manager, who had no problem letting them in. Also, in response to Mr. Junkin, we are a Tenants Association, and as such are not interested in running for council or mayor. He is! It was up to him to let us know if he was interested in talking to our little group. He would have been warmly welcomed.

Helga Hall Tenants Association President 45 Town Square, Fonthill

 
Act of kindness

I wish to thank the lady who paid for my Husband's haircut at Great clips on October 13. He could not find his card and this kind person paid for the cut. Fonthill may be growing rapidly but it still has small town kindness. This was a very appreciated gesture.

Carol Kitchen Welland

 

 
Get it right about backyard poultry

I would like to address Pelham Town Council about the recent article regarding poultry in urban areas [Backyard chickens cannot come home to roost, Oct. 12, p.3]. There are a lot of misconceptions about poultry in urban areas that I would like to address.

• To the best of my knowledge and research, the avian flu and poultry illnesses are not passed to humans. So before making that one of your bases for a decision, I would plead that you to check with experts.

• By permit only, could ensure cleanliness and distances are adequate. Most people would be surprised that with fresh bedding and daily scooping, coops do not smell bad at all! You have to pretty much put your head in the coop to smell anything. No comparison to the smell from cannabis establishments! In the US, there is a new animal bedding product that keeps coops smelling downright heavenly. Like walking into a coffee shop. It is made of used coffee grounds that are processed to remove all the caffeine.

• With or without backyard poultry, people in urban areas will always feed wild birds, put garbage out at curbs, drop bits of food, use corn gluten meal for weed control, use bone meal for fertilizer, etc., that inadvertently feed wildlife. With a permit system that ensures owners keep feed contained in a wildlife-proof area, poultry feed does not have to be added to this list.

• Although these animals are often found fault with, a pet dog, neighborhood cat, wild foxes, and traps are all great at keeping rodent populations down. If complaints are made about rodents, they should be dealt with and questions asked. Are other possible sources considered before blaming all backyard poultry? Are suggestions made to homeowner so they can fix the issue? Does the complaint come from one neighbour out of spite? Or legitimately from neighbours with proof? If the latter, it is time to enforce a law.

• Roosters are loud, there is no denying that. But there is no one wanting to keep a rooster anyway. Other types of poultry are not as loud. Hens for example, generally only make an “egg song” for a couple minutes during the day after they lay an egg, or during the day if something scares them. Most of their day is filled with gentle clucks and murmurs that are quite relaxing. At sundown, they fall asleep until sunrise. If poultry are housed at certain distances from neighbours, their vocalizations would not be heard much louder than road traffic or wild birds. To be fair, most Town bylaws only have noise enforcements after certain hours, when chickens are fast asleep! This summer a house in Pelham sandblasted their pool for eight days. The neighbourhood had to wear earplugs when in their yards, to prevent hearing loss. It was that bad. Complaints were made to the Town but were not acted on because no noise bylaw was broken. My conclusion would be that a hen’s egg song would not break any bylaw either!

• Hens and most poultry are small. About the size of a wild rabbit, or dog or cat. The view of what is considered a farm animal is based on what? Dogs, cats, and rabbits all use to be considered farm animals.

• Wild animal populations and habitats fluctuate all the time. In years past, it was common to see nine squirrels at a time under our oak tree. This year, only a couple. Very similar for wild rabbits. The foxes we have been seeing are coming into our yards to eat the bounty of squirrels, rabbits and any other scraps we leave behind. Urban spread also has pushed them into our town. Foxes do not normally attack humans or pets. We are told to co-exist and do not feed wildlife. I know some do. Permits could ensure poultry are strictly kept in predator-proof areas. Easier to control than the people who feed wild foxes.

• If there are other misconceptions, I would be happy to address them. There are always naysayers. Do we live in a world that denies all simple pleasures because of them? Do we say, “If you want to swim, go to the lake! No pools allowed, because they are drowning hazards and noisy!” We found a permit system that for the most part works! So, what is the reasoning or justification behind a councillor saying, “Want eggs or free-range meat, go to a farm?” As any other enjoyable amendments that are added to yards, poultry can provide mental happiness for those who love them. Poultry can give lessons in self-sustainability in uncertain times. I am not in any way saying that everyone or situation should be allowed to have them. It could be on a case-by-case basis, by permit only. Forward-thinking communities such as Guelph, Waterloo, Kitchener, and Toronto have pilot programs and permanent bylaws with allowances for urban poultry.

When we were thinking of getting chickens, my husband called Town bylaw to ask what rules were. He was told that technically chickens are not allowed but many do have them anyway. As long as your neighbours do not complain, Town does not have to enforce, we were told. Bylaw went on to give tips for building a coop! Because of a far-away neighbour who takes pleasure in hurting others, we are now being forced to part with our beloved hens. The rest of our neighbours are as heartbroken as we are. These “girls” are much loved, as you would love any pet. Their eggs are shared with our neighbours.

On a final note, I want the Town of Pelham to know, as you set your sights on enforcing zoning laws, you are leaving a trail of broken hearts that will not soon be forgotten. All of council has an open invite to visit us before our girls are re-homed, to see firsthand what they will be voting on in January.

Pam, Coop Cleaning Lady John, Treat Provider Mason, Yard Monitor Jack (Russell), Rodent Ridder Peep and Dumpling, Respected Coop Representatives

 

COTE'S COMMENTS | Larry Coté

On being responsible

Unfortunately, it has been difficult for the medical community to keep up with the demands of treating this terrible Covid virus. While vaccines help to minimize the spread and severity of this pandemic, there are still dangers lurking despite of these serums.

Sadly, there are many downsides regarding this pandemic. I choose to use this space just to make note of two of them.

One of these dangers is the ability of Covid to mutate. Medical researchers advise that the longer it takes to neutralize this current strain, the next mutation will appear and likely be more resistant to treatment. The next strain will be stronger than the previous version and have more serious impacts on its victims.

Researchers in the field of education report that the virus has seriously impeded the learning of students. The reading, writing and math skills of elementary school children have noticeably declined during the period of this pandemic. That decimated learning curve will be extremely difficult to overcome and could mean these current learners may suffer lifelong deficiencies. Educators will have to unite with parents to design and implement extracurricular learning exercises to remediate this gap in the learning curve.

The term for this type of impact is referred to as long Covid. The list of these long term impacts grows almost daily.

The next topic I choose to write about is a humane one. It is an appeal to those who chose not to wear a mask while in public spaces. Frankly, the wearing of a mask is not the be-all cure to end this pandemic. However, the practice does reduce the spread of this virus. Also, it is an ethical contribution each person can make with very minor inconvenience. A recent study has shown that a person who contracts the virus may contaminate up to fourteen others. That statistic shows the magnitude of harm that one unmasked person can have. Remember, the longer the virus is allowed to live among us, the stronger and more serious will be its effects.

It is going to be very difficult to know the short and long term effects on those who contract this virus. Some of those who contract the disease will have lifelong deficiencies. Others will seemingly avoid any overt impacts. It continues to be an unwise gamble to suffer the disease as an individual and especially selfish if as an unvaccinated person contracts the disease and invariably contaminates others who may suffer an even worse episode.

There seem to be few, if any, legitimate reasons to avoid getting vaccinated. The healthcare system has made significant efforts to make the vaccination as safe, painless and convenient as possible. If you care not to bring harm to others, such as the school children referred to earlier, then commit to wearing a mask in public and visit a nearby vaccination clinic as soon as possible.