All Entries in the "Letters and Opinion" Category
Consider concerns before signing contract with wind companies
The following article by Garth Manning, Chair of CCSAGE, on the dangers inherent in signing wind company turbine agreements, is directed at farmers and other landowners. It is to appear in the current Eastern and Western Ontario editions of Farmers Forum, which describes itself as the largest newspaper in Ontario directed at farmers, with a […]
Small, rural hospitals should never give up hope
There is a message in the recognition Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital received for the many small and rural hospitals across Ontario. Even though the Ministry of Health , the LHINs and large healthcare corporations have decimated services you must never give up hope and work together to be the best you can. Dr. Elizabeth […]
Picton hospital is the jewel in the QHC crown
The results are in. In a survey conducted by the National Research Corporation and the Ontario Hospital Association, the inpatient unit at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital was named top performing hospital in Ontario for overall care in acute inpatient care in community hospitals and the 90 percentile in all hospitals combined (includes all small community and academic hospitals). […]
Is hospital’s point of care working?
I read with interest the Oct.23rd article in the Times titled ” A Lab In the Hand”. This article talks about the lingering concerns of point of care hand held blood testing devices at the hospital. About four years ago when Quinte Health Care was considering implementing point of care at Picton hospital, I wrote […]
$25,000 down the drain with citizens’ assembly report
I can’t believe our councilors paid $25,000 of our hard earned tax dollars for a Citizens Assembly report. Two of its members, Kathy Vowinckel and Bill McMahon made deputations in opposition to the CA’s recommendation, effectively, helping to cancel out their report. I believe in freedom of speech but if ALL or MOST of us […]
Democracy is gone
First our provincial government expropriated the power of all municipalities to protect our home investments from giant wind factories in districts not zoned industrial. Now our cumbersome 16-member council has proven itself unworthy of such power. It cannot even downsize itself, despite the clear wishes of its electorate and its appointed Citizens’ Assembly. In our […]
Council divide on downsizing
Following last week’s council vote to reject the mayor’s plan for a downsized council (7 in favour, including the mayor, with 9 opposed) and new electoral boundaries, I looked for a pattern in the voting of the councillors. Consider the “central” wards of Wellington, Bloomfield, Picton and Hallowell – mostly urban. Five of six councillors […]
Your Hydro bill, energy and power: Todd Smith MPP
(October 8th, 2013) – Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting my first telephone town hall as your MPP. On September 30th, more than 8,100 residents of Prince Edward-Hastings participated in the live, one hour, telephone event where I took your questions. Overwhelmingly, the issue of the most pressing concern was the soaring price […]
No important issues in the south half of the County
Maybe you’ve seen the map, the one that puts Athol, North Marysburgh and South Marysburgh together as one municipal electoral Ward. “W4”- really an original name that’s bound to inspire pride of place and get folks out to the polls. We will have two (2) Councillors instead of three (3). That‘s what a slim majority […]
Let’s make sure council gets it right
On September 19, 2013, the Mayor presented a report to Committee of the Whole in which he proposed several Electoral Ward configurations. Committee of the Whole endorsed his Configuration 5B, which must be ratified by Council: four rural Wards named Wards 1 through 4, and one urban Ward (Ward 5 Picton), with 2 Councillors each, […]
