Letters_07-44

Jeff Green | Nov 08, 2007

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I was so pleased with a Halloween Party that was held on Saturday October 27th at the Arden Community Centre sponsored by the recreation committee.Lisa Matson was the one who planned and organized the busy afternoon. We were invited as my roots are from Arden, although I do live near Perth.

Many volunteers worked hard at keeping 40 children busy with different activities.They were able to make ghosts out of a plastic white bag and a white balloon, create an edible haunted house using graham wafer squares, icing and candy decorations. A photographer wason site taking pictures of children in their costumes and printed them off on the spot so they could take them home. Kids were allowed to make a picture frame and color it any way they wanted. The entire afternoon was filled with great costumes, a parade and lots of fun things to do. Prizes were given to each age category for costumes. Hotdogs, chili and juice were served.All the children went home with a large treat bag. Kids won pumpkins for prizes and all the kids seemed to have had a wonderful time.

My two children, Quinton and Libby had an absolutely wonderful time and are looking forward to going again next year.

Thank you Arden Recreation Committee for allowing kids to have fun in a warm and caring environment.

Katie Ladd

It was refreshing to learn that our councilors, at their last meeting, elected to take aproactive and timely approach to the setting of the 2008 budget. This is as it should be - as our elected representatives, it is their responsibility to ensure that the township budget provides for a fair balance between the level of service we expect and our ability to pay, and that it is approved and implemented in time to effectively influence next years spending.

Hopefully, better planning will result in reduced cost overruns and lead to improved services, while avoiding the large tax increases we have sometimes experienced in recent years. Dare we hope that council will achieve Councilor Gary Smith's objective - a zero tax increase?

Michael Wise

This is a rural area and like it or not, many people are interested in hunting and fishing. Successful outings by local people are considered news by many like myself.I myself am often offended by other stories, but they are also news, and I have the right to quietly turn the page. If you choose to live in a rural setting, you should expect to find items oflocal interest in a local paper. Perhaps Ms. Boutilier should stick to the National Post or the Globe and Mail.

Greg Morris

I keep reading about the uranium mining issues. Are we forgetting that the real issue is mining rights on private lands and the fact that someone can become a prospector for a small amount of money. This will allow you to then stake a claim on someone’s land for a 2 year usage.

The important part to remember is that this prospector only paid $25 for his/her prospector license and approx. $75 for staking the claim on approx. 200 acres. There is no recovery for property taxes paid, or the fact that the landowner purchased the property and now has to be inconvenienced for 2 years and possibly more if mining ensues.

Uranium is only one mineral of issue in a particular area.

The main problem is how in today’s day and age you as a landowner after purchasing land must open your door to allowing the government to let your land be staked.

Mining has a use and purpose for our province but not in the backyards of property owners, small townships etc.

Do the right thing Premier McGuinty, allow all property owners to purchase the mining rights on their own property. If they decide to negotiate the usage of their land then it is their decision and not the government making decisions for us or the revenues. Either that or have the prospector or government go into negotiations with the landowner to purchase the property outright for fair market value. Those who want to sell fine, if not leave us alone.

Richard Reid

They seem to be in Sydenham. Municipal water test results covering July 2006 to October 2007 confirm that the maximum acceptable level of 100 micrograms per litre for trihalomethanes (THM) have been exceeded in every month but one. Trihalomethanes are described by Health Canada as having mutagenic (cancer) and possibly teratogenic (damage to babies in utero) properties. Most THM’s are produced in the plant when raw water comes into contact with chlorine before the organic matter can be removed.

Whether this has occurred due to poor plant design or is just part of start up hiccoughs (15 months worth) remains to be determined. But the fact is anyone consuming this water or bathing in it has been exposed to a higher dose than standards allow. I’m told the Health Unit is composing an information bulletin for the village right now, just in the nick of too late, while attempts are being made be made to correct the problem.

South Frontenac Township, the Health department, the MOE and PUC Kingston have known all along that we had a problem. Why didn’t they tell us? They could have put a notice in our water bill.

I encourage everyone to visit the Health Canada Website and type in trihalomethane / cancer / pregnancy then you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether you should consume or bath in this water. I have been assured that short term exposure for adults is not a concern according to the best available science! Unfortunately I am old enough to remember when the best medical advice available suggested thalidomide for morning sickness and we all know how that turned out.

Why do we have these safe drinking water standards if we don’t have to meet them?

Julie Doyle

In the past there were no ATVs, and taxes back then were 5% of what they are today. And Councilor Perry’s remark that 75% of the cottagers bought properties with access by boat – that was 50 years ago.

Taxes are rising and times are changing. Why are we paying full residential rates? How can you justify living on a provincial road and paying municipal taxes, and having to maintain the road ourselves?

We have a tremendous amount of ATV traffic that destroys our efforts and cost to the road every weekend. We are not receiving any assistance from ATV permit fees, or any municipal or provincial assistance for the said 2.8km from the Mosque Lake Rd. to the Hydro Lane where it terminates at the Wendorf/Truelove driveway.

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Buske

Into my second month without eating, I am still camped out at the side of the road just north of Sharbot Lake, ON in a quest for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in eastern Ontario. After discovering that 30,000 acres had been staked for uranium 20 km west of my home, my conviction that we can go a long time without food, but that clean drinking water is essential to all life encouraged me to begin a hunger strike on Thanksgiving Monday, October 8.

There is no safe level of uranium.History has shown that uranium mining has been an environmental and social disaster wherever it has been done and that there are huge financial costs to taxpayers once the mining operation closes up shop.

Elliot Lake and the Serpent River system is a case in point.While the community has been rebuilt around an aging population and cheap housing, the river system is essentially dead from the uranium mining operations that took place decades ago.The miles of tailing piles require constant monitoring, ‘in perpetuity.’ Closer to home, an abandoned processing plant has polluted the Moira River, near Madoc, and will cost the Ontario taxpayers an expected $50 million before ‘cleanup’ is complete. And beyond the financial cost, there’s the increased rates of several different cancers, some for generations to come - lungs (the second highest cause after smoking); stomach; breast; liver; kidneys; pancreas; thyroid; gonads; lymph ones; bones and four types of leukemia; somatic cell and reproductive damage - community disruption; decreased property value; and the all too obvious environmental destruction and degradation.

This is not the legacy that I choose to leave for my descendants.The Mississippi River system, upriver of Ottawa provides the drinking water for over one million people, including three of my children and two of my grandchildren.The prevailing winds will move air born particles around eastern Ontario, and beyond, affecting millions more.When I saw this happening, I realized that it was time for me to take a stand – to say “Enough.” Living on the side of the road, outside the mine site, without eating and without creature comforts is about as simple as life gets.It affords me time to write a daily blog, and to encourage people to write letters to Premier Dalton McGuinty asking him to rethink his nuclear energy plan in favour of the clean, safe and sustainable communities that he talks about.I’m also encouraging people to join in the ‘Bring Gramma Home’ campaign.” Both can be found at www.ccamu.ca

Donna Dillman, currently at Robertsville, ON,