Letters: September 30

Re: South Frontenac endorses Sunday gun hunting, Gerry Thorne

Re: South Frontenac Garbage Issue, Lola Brandon

Re: South Frontenac endorses Sunday gun hunting

I read in your latest paper (Frontenac News, South Frontenac Council, Sept. 23/10) that South Frontenac has endorsed Sunday hunting. What I don't understand is why this vote wasn't added to the ballot - a simple yes or no - so that all residents who vote could have had their say. But it seems the vocal minority has won again, which appears to be the trend at these council meetings.

I would like to respond to Ed Giffin, whose quotes were published on September 16. Mr. Giffin wrote: “Hunting is one of the few activities that require proof of training, resulting in a decline of accidents over the year; if hunting is not dangerous on Monday to Saturday why is it dangerous on Sunday?”

Ed – That’s not the point, yes there is an element of danger and it would be nice to walk my dog just one day of the week during the hunting season without fear of getting a bullet up my rear end. But for me and others I’ve spoken to it's all about a day of peace, just one a week. We already have to suffer guns going off before first light and after dusk; it sure would be nice to get a break from the noise on a Sunday. Yes, guns going off in the dark, that proof of training sure comes in handy but doesn't mean an idiot suddenly becomes intelligent.

“A decline in accidents” - did you get that from the National Rifle Association website? Because the statistics produced by the Canadian Department of Justice are very murky at least. If you look at the Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting website, you'll be amazed at how many hunting fatalities occur in the United States; it's not Canada, but divide by 10 and the result will be close. To back up statistics we also need to see if the number of active hunters within Canada has declined or increased.

Ed also wrote: “Of the 140 municipalities that originally voted to approve Sunday hunting, none have reversed their decision.”

Hmmm, well I don't ever recall a municipality reversing a decision on anything, so that argument is a little lame.

Anyway, I digress. My argument here is not against game hunting as the deer population has to be controlled since the natural predators have almost vanished, plus it fills the freezer so I am in favour of the hunting season, but I am against Sunday hunting and have yet to hear one sound argument of why it should be allowed. Council originally voted against it. Now they have voted for it, that’s why it should have gone to a referendum and let the people of South Frontenac decide. So let’s use a democratic process and have a county-wide vote; this is an emotional issue for many who live here.

Final note, do you think this year we could have a ban on bones collected in black garbage bags and dumped from trucks littering the rural landscape. You shoot it; you take it with you. Animal remains do not always disappear when thrown from a moving vehicle.

Gerry Thorne

Re: South Frontenac Garbage Issue

I am baffled by Ms. Crawford’s hostile tone and use of the words ‘undemocratic’ and ‘underhanded’ to describe Councillors Fillion and York (Letter to the editor, Sept. 23, 2010). As I understand it, several local residents came to their democratically elected representatives with a problem. The councillors responded to their concerns by proposing a simple, doable solution to the parties involved. No one was hurt by these actions and the citizens involved were satisfied. How is this not looking out for their constituents? Why are the five councillors who later voted against helping out our neighbours deemed morally superior to the four who voted to help them? Personally, as a tax-paying local, I wish our entire council consisted of responsive, action-oriented members like Mr. Fillion and Mr. York.

Perhaps, if we’d had the benefit of a principled representative like Mr. Fillion on our council during the disgraceful Sydenham Water Swindle, the needs and wishes of the majority of the villagers wouldn’t have been so arrogantly and expensively disregarded. In answer to Ms. Crawford’s question, we would vote for these candidates because they actually understand that we elect public servants to reflect and address our concerns. We, the electorate, are not seeking people to high-handedly overrule our stated desires.

Lola Brandon