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Peoples Forum- Open letter to Garth Turner An open letter to Garth Turner and other MPs Prom John Shadbolt Liber tarian Box 75 Acton Recently I received your WHAT IF booklet I have a WHAT IF list of my own WHAT IF the FEDERAL DEBT was not increasing by per minute Do MP think they should be allowed to squander our money with out of control spending 2 WHAT IF the people insisted on having pensions similar to those given by MP to themselves 3 WHAT IF citizens insisted they had the same tax breaks that politicians do WHAT IF citizens had low cost food and drink similar to the MPs WHAT IF the people refused to pay the new tax grab GST WHAT IF politicians represented the people s wishes on capital punishment tougher law enforcement WHAT IF junkets all over the world by MP were no longer allowed WHAT IF the civil service was cut back At last count something like of our popula was employed by govern I understand is the most it should be WHAT IF the 000 plus new GST tax collectors were fired WHAT IF the monies spent on your marketing ideas i e the WHAT IF booklet was paid for out of MP s own pockets not by people who do not believe it will make any difference anyway WHAT IF the politicians represented the people who pay the bill l e voted against the GST 12 WHAT IF the government resigned Perhaps Canada would be a better place Thankyou John Shadbolt Acton United Church controversy Dear Editor Chill everyone That is the new message across our United Church The fight is over we have made our decision re the or of homosexual persons We arc on the move again No getting even have you hugged your former opponent today rhetoric is now in vogue around the church As a minister who has been documenting church fights and clergy abuse of all kinds for over a decade I am more than en couraged by this new and positive message Imagine my surprise a few days ago when I picked up my paper and read United Minister Fired for Stand Against Gays I wish this was just an isolated case but it is not In the context of our new make love not war message from church leaders two items in the story demand a response First the minister was fired against the wishes of the congregation and after he had already resigned on a moral principle Second the tor hired logic and distorted view of the church used to justify the act The church official chair of Halton Presbytery in ing the firing of the Rev Brown of Burlington said There has been a precedent in the church as there has in other institutions to ask for immediate resignation when you sort of bad mouth the institution In credulous Nothing could be fur ther from the truth The real tradition and strength of our church has always been different from the secular institu at this very point Unlike secular institutions the United church has always encouraged and even welcomed dissent There is a line but you don t cross over it by sort of bad mouthing Former Moderator Muchmore used to say this regard that the church was an an vil that has worn out many ham Part of our ethos is that we take criticism If it is true we change if not we learn from it and journey on in our struggle for social justice If a pastor can t live with some policy he or she resigns on a matter of principle as Brown did This type of ac has always been seen and recognized as the ethical thing to do Now it seems when a person does just that they are humiliated even destroyed Too often by spiritual zombies eager to defend their idea of the institution The United Church fights for human rights and justice all over the globe but needs to take a look at how our own clergy are treated The significance of this ugly deed happening to the Brown family during this Christmas festival of the Prince of Peace should not be lost Dickens could not have written a better modern version of his Christmas Carol K Casey McKibbon Rev Metcalfe Ontario Protect your dogs during winter Dear Editor The arrival of winter and winter weather means that numerous outdoor dogs will suffer as they are not adequately protected from the harsh elements Howling winds biting cold temperatures and snow sleet and occasionally rain will adversely affect even the har of outdoor dogs which are not appropnately protected Some people believe it is accep table to keep their dog outside without shelter This is not the case Many dogs are not outdoor dogs Some dogs can manage out ofdoors provided they have a good doghouse and they are ac climatized to outdoor weather when they are younger and warmer weather Under the Criminal Code of Canada all dogs are by law re quired to have adequate shelter A doghouse should be large enough for the dog to stand up sit down turn around and stretch out comfortably to the fullest ex tent of its limbs It should be in sulated have an interior wind break exterior door flap and be elevated six inches off the ground facing away from the prevailing winds As well the dimensions of the doghouse should be directly related to the size of the dog This Is important for the dog to keep warm in the doghouse with its own body heat Outdoor dogs should always have access to fresh water in a spillable water container Besides inadequate shelter another problem many outdoor dogs experience is a lack of tion from their family members Dogs are social animals They need love and affection fortunately many outdoor dogs only see someone for the time it takes to place the animal s food bowl before it and give the pet a pat on the head If your dog is an outdoor dog at least make sure it is comfortable An appropriately constructed doghouse inside a fenced in yard or dog run is a good start As well make sure the dog receives plen of attention Take it for fre quent walks play with it and groom it Provide your best friend with plenty of love and at tention and your kindness will be returned several times over by your faithful canine companion If you would like a free entitled Ideal Doghouse For Ontario s Outdoor Dogs contact your local humane society or send a self addressed stamped envelope to Publications Ontario S C A Ontario Humane Society Yonge Street Newmarket Ontario L3Y Sincerely N Glenn Publications Coordinator Turner analysis misleading Edilors note The following letter was released lo the Hills Herald for publication Garth Turner MP for Halton Peel Ottawa Ontario Dear Mr Turner In manv ways I believe you have tried lo represent the people of Peel and on some issues I have agreed with your stand and others I disagree such as the GST because there are alternatives which could have been explored one of which is the single tax proposal However your analysis of the cuts at the CBC as stated in your Ottawa Report of December 12 has been totally misleading The cuts it CBC may be justified or is this the same mode of attack on public broadcasting here to eliminate public broadcasting in Canada as was used in the S by the Prime Minister s mentor President Reagan to public broadcasts there It is well known that any governing party objects to the criticism of a public broadcasting system Would you expect it to be any other way Your statement There are more than 90 CBC reporters in the Ottawa press gallery com pared to 20 for does not give the scope of coverage The task is to provide coverage for an English speaking TV net work is reporting for English and French TV English radio International radio and English and French Newsworid Was it not your Con servative government which in Newsworid to pro vide French langauge coverage even though it was not considered economical Is it possible that each of the media requires their own announcer I realize that politicians are very versatile but there hasn t been one to my Knowledge that can speak f ngltsh and French simultaneously What is required is an honest parliamentary debate on public broadcasting to clarify the of the government on this issue But let it be an open discus sum not like that of the GST when our representatives refused to listen to the public Yours truly Robin Georgetown Council congratulated The Editor It is not my intention to enter into debate with Mr John Sam and I respect his right to voice an opinion I would be the first to uphold that right Having said that his letter to the Editor compels me to reply I do not agree with his reason ing with regard to the incident that took place at the Royal Ascot condominium There are laws providing for payment of legitimate debt I feel sure Mr Sommer is aware of the method used by banks or any business or person who holds a first mortgage on any property where the purchaser defaults on the required payments Yes that right they repossess the property and put it for sale in the marketplace It a matter then between the mortgagor and the mortgagee No one else is Involved especially bystanders in the pro cess I do not blame our local govern ment Halton Hills council I do not blame the provincial government They had nothing to do with making the elevator inoperable I realize that businesses are not charitable organizations I also realize that for any business to survive they must have a saleable product or vice to attract consumers if they expect to prosper There are a great many businesses that perform volun and charitable acts thdt they do not publicize In any case this situation developed over a claimed debt The people living in the building were innocent bystanders and I dont think they deserved that kind of treatment I know the situation caused deep concern for Mayor Miller and his council members I always believed in giving credit where it is due and I feel the of Hills worked to resolve a disgusting situation as expeditiously as possible They can hold their heads up high If it hadnt been for the Mayor and his council the might still exist It is not too often that I get the chance to tell a politician well done Steve Acton Stun dart suggested Dear Sir Enclosed is a copy of letter I sent to J Harding Regional Police Chief 1 Dear Sir For a long time now I have been thinking of writing a letter to someone in authority to an alternative to using a revolver and wounding or killing a person suspected of a felony in volving crime Reading in the paper today undercover officer puts bullets into suspect armed with only a small knife prompts me to fur my contention that a ing dart in many circumstances could be used in many a times to control a suspect without too much damage as is the case in controlling a wild animal From experience a person doped up is not afraid of injuring himself or others and seldom listens to ad vice as they are unable to think rationally at the time Maybe our local police could set a new world wide first by ar ming officers with a small dart shooting derringer in cases where it could be used effectively in place of lulling or malning an innocent person by mistake as it at times happens Seems strange that an officer will risk his own life in an attempt to save someone life at times and yet will shoot to kill on occa sion feeling it was necessary as he had no alternative I am a senior citizen and recall times as a boy in Cabbagetown it was quite common for a policeman on the bear to prove he was tougher than the local hard guy by handing someone his helmet and tunic and going up a lane to beat hell out of him no ar rest As they say if my Idea saves just one innocent life it will not have been in vain For what it is worth Yours sincerely Mr Gordon Graham Georgetown Halton police thanked Editor note The following letter was released to the Halton Hills Herald for publication Staff Inspector 1 District Commander 217 Guelph Street Georgetown Ontario Dear Sir On Sunday December 1990 I awoke to discover that my late model snowmobile had been stolen I called Halton Regional Police at a m and by a m PC Peter Corner arrived at my home Together we followed the tracks of my machine and came upon another man who was doing the same It turned out that his snowmobile had also been stolen We continued down the first line just outside of Acton and came across two youths whom PC Corner subsequently charged In fact it appears as though these same two young offenders had stolen three machines that night Sergeant Bill and PC Angela Gaynor continued the search through dense bush and discovered two abandoned machines Happily one was mine By 1 30 that same after noon I had my damaged machine back in the garage I d like to take this opportunity to thank the Halton Police for a job very well done Further I d like to express my views to you regarding the excellent police work and professionalism ex by PC Peter Comer His performance and dedication is a credit to your Force and should not go unnoticed Yours truly Allan Foster Acton Volunteers thanked To the Editor The Executive of the Georgetown Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society wishes to thank all the special volunteers the drivers Area Chairpersons Area Captains canvassers and spon of special events who give of their time and talent and the residents of Georgetown who through their generosity made our campaign year successful Your support is appreciated and necessary our fight against cancer Good Health and Best Wishes in the New Year The Executive Georgetown Unit Canadian Cancer Society