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by Fred Kirby
October 5, 2005
What should be done with the land left after the W.E. Thompson School is
removed? Council says it is open for suggestions so here is mine, but
first a preamble.
The first consideration should be the long-term value any decision will
have to our quality of life. We should think of the good for the present
and future citizens of the municipality.
From Scotts Point to Reunion Beach a beautiful shoreline looks out on the
finest sunsets in the world. There are rolling fields, pleasant hamlets,
an active village and a town centre with services, shops, cultural events
and sports. Golf courses await the golfing enthusiasts. Throughout the
municipality, as Doors Open witness, there are charming homes that allure
thousands to the area. For the sailor, there is a well-protected harbour
and for the flyer, Kincardine offers and airport with two excellent
landing strips and a potential for growth. Kincardine is seventh heaven
for those seeking to retire or move for a richer life. The following adds
the final inducement for choosing to live here.
A combined retirement and nursing home with recreation facilities for
seniors built and operated under a public/private arrangement should be
constructed on the site of the Thompson School. The site, adjacent to
Victoria Park, the Arts Centre and Queen Street, is excellent for the
elderly. The graying of our population calls for us to see that no one is
left out of community life. A just society does not isolate those with
disability, infirmities, or are simply old.
Such a facility not only would serve current citizens who do not look
forward to traveling long distances to visit family members confined in
nursing homes. The retirement apartments speak to those no longer able to
live in their homes as much as they would wish to. And it is a further
enticement to those planning to retire out of the cities and purchase a
house in a small municipality but want assurances of available services
for their later years.
The future should be built for all of us. It is the right and proper thing
to do.
October 12, 2005
There is a
difference between attacking people and describing their behaviour. It is
not I who acts aggressively; I just write about the attacks. Those wishing
to vent their indignation should first choose the correct target.
When there is aggressive talk at a meeting closed to the press, and hence
the public, it evokes historical images. If those images are unpleasant,
so are those coming from the meeting. Nobody claims the outcome must be
similar. Those who speak of peace should address their concerns to
Councillor Ron Hewitt who is the one who spoke of war; speak to
Councillors Ribey and Roppell, and certainly speak to the Tiverton and
District Rate Payers Association who fan the flames.
Paranoia, at one level, is an irrational suspicion of people though there
is no evidence. If anyone can detail plots and name names of those who are
deliberately out to hurt residents of Ward Three then I will be the first
to defend those victims. Having no evidence, I can only conclude that the
mistrust is unfounded. If one doesn’t feel that way then the description
is not of them, they should take comfort in that. But, if the shoe fits,
then wear it.
Then there are those who continue to say that they are not listened to.
They claim that council has not sat down with them and discussed whether
or not to abandon the ward system. To a certain extent these people are
correct. But being right does not suggest having discussions would resolve
the issue.
When amalgamation was imposed on all of us, many in Ward Three not only
opposed it but initiated ill-advised legal action costing tax payers
thousands of wasted dollars. There has been no change in that opposition.
The ward system was a sop to move the amalgamation forward, but it solved
nothing because too many would not move on. The ward system just gave a
base to those who never accepted amalgamation. Where are the grounds for
negotiation when one side states the subject is non-negotiable? Howard
Ribey and Randy Roppel should have the honesty to acknowledge this and
leave the future to those who can handle it.
October
19, 2005
In the
United States the umpire did not show for a boys’ baseball game. The
parents and others present talked of taking over the umpiring. In the end
the game was cancelled for no-one would volunteer fearing the risk of a
lawsuit if there were an accident.
In Bruce County a man on a mountain bike fell while riding on a bike
trail. Claiming he was thrown from his bike by a hole in the trail, he is
suing the bicycle club that built and maintains the trail.
Lawsuits, which once would be considered by judges as a frivolous use of
the courts, are to-day taken seriously to the point where civil society is
threatened. Whether we are all too well off to think of others or have a
warped view of our rights, whatever the reason, we have forgotten that
mankind is more than individuals living “raw in tooth and claw”. We are
sustained by community, the foundation of our daily life. Our individual
rights must always be balanced with personal responsibilities and the
greater good.
When, as a boy, I fell off my bicycle my father did comfort me but he also
told me to keep an eye open for potholes. It was a lesson in personal
responsibility. To-day, when our biker falls on a trail created by other
bike enthusiasts, he accepts no personal responsibility. Nor is he
thinking of others who enjoy the trail without mishap and the volunteers
who built and maintained it. Certainly he gives no consideration to the
consequences if his suit is successful. Others have an entitlement to
continue to use their trail and their rights are as important as his. He,
like many to-day, ignore the “assumed risk” inherent in activities.
Municipalities, and volunteer organizations that give life to a community,
are being intimidated by the threat of lawsuits. Municipalities, school
boards, and others should be prepared to carry these fights to the highest
court every time. Stop the out-of-court settlements that only encourage
the irresponsible. If these courthouse lotteries are not stopped, there
will be no community left worth its name for who could afford the risk?
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