Please restore Nober Park so the grass can be mowed
To the Editor,
I am expressing my anger for the way Haldimand County destroyed an area once beautiful with mowed lawn and flower beds.
The road property is located at County Line 74 and the Thompson Road, which goes west into Waterford.
A few years ago, Haldimand County repaved part of County Line 74. Ditches were also cleaned, and truckloads of dirt and debris were dumped on this road property. The plan was that the lower area of this property would be filled in, but only to the top of the two long flower beds. The two flower beds should have remained untouched, and the dirt dumped to fill the low area should have been leveled and seeded. That did not happen.
The truck loads of roadside dirt covered the entire area, destroying the two flower beds. The ground was never leveled down to allow the grass to be mowed.
Weeds have now taken over.
I live nearby and maintained this property for many years at no cost to anyone. The Waterford and District Horticulture Society and I created the flower beds and planted flowers in them starting in 1982. Some called the property the Nober Park.
I complained when all the destruction took place. Instead of levelling the ground, a truck was brought in and grass seed was spread over the mess to try and cover it up.
Will Haldimand County please fix the damage they caused, by first leveling and removing any rocks or other debris put there? Once this is fixed, grass can be seeded and mowed to beautify the countryside.
How would you feel if someone dumped truckloads of dirt and debris on a neighbouring property and left it that way for the weeds to take over?
Marion Petheram,
Nober
The possible uses for the Nanticoke lands
To the Editor,
Regarding the recent reporting over the last few weeks on developments at Nanticoke, a couple of things stick out.
Firstly, there is the County analysis, based on a 60/40 residential-industrial land split provided by Empire in 2022, showing that the industrial lands alone could eventually generate between $70-80 million a year in tax revenue, and that if 15,000 homes were to be built, that revenue would increase to roughly $100 million.
Okay, so how about if 100% of the land were dedicated to industrial uses? Mathing the math, this would generate between $175-200 million per year in tax revenue. Wouldn’t that make more sense? Just asking.
The second thing that sticks out is that apparently several of our elected representatives – councillors, mayor, and possibly even our MPP – have been in discussions with provincial cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats regarding Haldimand County becoming a willing host for a nuclear generating station at Nanticoke.
Where did these people get the idea that the citizens of Haldimand would be willing to live downwind from a nuclear generating station? Did they hold public meetings? Knock on doors? Solicit opinions by way of a survey? Of course not! That’s not how they roll! This is exactly the same parentalistic group-think that prompted the previous Council to apply for the original MZO, and look where that got us.
Now, I’m not saying that a nuclear generating station is a bad thing. Neither am I saying that it’s a good thing. What I am doing is calling out the hubris of some of our elected representatives, who seem to believe that what’s good for Haldimand County is whatever notion pops into their heads that confirms their pre-existing biases, like the myth that population growth improves our quality of life, or that it’s okay to assume strong mayor powers without telling anyone if it means that you get to fire someone.
With regard to nuclear power, I would urge everyone to educate themselves before forming an opinion. The website of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is a good place to start.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Kelly,
Dunnville
To Prime Minister Mark Carney
Good day Prime Minister Mark Carney,
I have a question that I am hoping you can answer for me.
I have just about finished your book, Value(s): Building a Better World and have previously read Chrystia Freeland’s Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else.
Now both the Honourable Chrystia Freeland and yourself, Prime Minister, have clearly stated over and over again (and as the title of Chrystia’s book suggests) the rise of the new global super-rich and the fall of everyone else is clearly the number one concern affecting the global economies.
You both have stated that until these social inequities are corrected, the world’s economies will never improve.
In fact, until this very major issue is addressed, the poor and middle-class’ lives will continue to be those of increased suffering and shortages. The poorer of society will continue to be the group that is paying for the government policies through ever-increasing taxes even as they are no longer eligible for social programs that the government can no longer support.
While at the same time, the super-rich’s lives will continue to be one of more and more extreme riches and indulgence. Keep in mind that these super rich pay almost nothing in taxes, with the tax havens and tax breaks they enjoy. They do not help – through taxes – pay for the many programs that the poorer people need, but cannot afford.
One of the best pieces I have ever read on how the social inequities are affecting the poor and middle class was written by Steve Buist, now retired Hamilton Spectator journalist. The series that Mr. Buist wrote was called Code Red. This was a 10-year study; it covered all facets of the economy and health concerns in Hamilton area. The study clearly showed how the economic inequalities were affecting every area of the poor and middle classes’ lives in a very negative way.
You cannot read a newspaper or watch the news without someone talking about how badly the social inequalities are hurting everyone, except, of course, the very rich.
So, my question is: when will our leaders start correcting these problems? When will our leaders start doing what needs to be done? Prime Minister, you have written about these problems. When will you start to address the social and economic inequalities that you know so well? When are you going to make life easier for the average Canadian to live and work in this great country?
Respectively submitted,
Patrick Cook,
Hagersville
