Letters: October 21

Unfair letter publishing

I would suggest it is a bit unfair when we have a municipal election in the offing to publish a letter like the one from Wolfe Erlichman (Frontenac News, Letters, Oct. 14, 2010). This is like a campaign ad for one candidate over the other.

Many items can be written about the other candidate for mayor in South Frontenac as well, such as the fact that the tax increase reported is not all the increase people will see in the coming year. Every household no matter how small or large will be paying for garbage tags over 50 for the year at $2 per tag as well as $100 on their tax bill. This is slightly less than 1 per week, which for many families will be hard to achieve, just look around on garbage day.

So looking at the numbers, on 2009 tax bill the garbage charge was $125, on 2010 tax bill the garbage charge was $100. So let’s assume that most families with 2 or 3 children had two bags a week through no fault of their own. That would be 52 tags extra, plus 2 tags short changed by the township, for a total of 54 tags at $2 each for a total of $108 for the year. Deduct from this the $25 for the lower amount on the tax bill for 2010 and you come up with $83 more in taxes disguised as garbage fees, which on an average tax bill would push the tax increase up to a 9% increase.

Now I have heard it said by a member of council that this was not a concern from families he has talked to, but I would suggest the fact that the new bag tags being the same colour as the old ones has delayed the rage this will cause down the line and especially next year. Putting the cost of manufacturers' and the retail sector's failure to provide recyclable material onto the consumer/tax payer is a bit unfair and it is a tax no matter how you try to hide it. So I write this letter to balance the scales on your letters to the editors Page.

I could go on about why we need a new library or is it a new town hall. Will this bring efficiencies requiring fewer staff assistants or is it just a would-be nice move to get employees at one site in new digs? Why is the park that was so graciously donated to the people of South Frontenac for recreation purposes being eroded by municipal buildings?

Bill Flynn

Petro-Mine

Anyone who has any doubt about Canada's reputation for "a bloated and inefficient bureaucracy" needs only go to the intersection of Hwy.7 and Rd.38 and gaze into the gaping maw of what I call the Petro-mine. Every government agency that can think of an excuse to intervene in the swift completion of Bob's renovation is represented. The concern is the presence of contaminated soil, which has required them to gather literally hundreds of soil samples - to do what? Where is this contaminant, 20 feet below the surface expected to go?

There is a convenient stream of unspeakable effluent, a thick and bilious green, issuing from across the highway and streaming sedately past less than 20 metres from the "contaminants". What, or whom, does this alleged contaminant threaten? There are numerous well educated but wasted intellects making a dollar a minute wrestling with that conundrum. We all went berserk over the idea of a uranium mine at Robertsville. Our best argument was "If there is uranium underground, leave it the hell alone! It is benign where it is and only becomes a problem once brought to the surface". Am I missing something here? We are under imminent threat of toxic infection from a few shovelsful of oily dirt 20 feet underground? They even want to dig under the Hydro pole! There goes my honeymoon plan! A moonlit night with my beloved, under the hydro pole – boy, close call! Thank You Canada... no comment about where they put this disinterred contaminate........ we probably end up buying it for fertilizer! Leave it the hell alone! "Pave paradise, and put up a parking lot" I think Joni Mitchell said that, and we should listen, just this once.

Ray Fletcher