durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday,February 3, 2022 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a whollyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@durhamregion.com facebook.com/newsdurham @newsdurham WHO WE ARE Vice President Dana Robbins Regional General Manager Anne Beswick Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Managing Editor Mike Lacey Director of Advertising Tanya Pacheco Director Distribution Jason Christie Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron Durham Advisory Council Dan Carter; Esther Enyolu; Jake Farr; Dr. Vidal Chavannes; Cynthia Davis; Elaine Popp/Don Lovisa; John Henry; Sue McGovern; Kerri King; Steve Yamada; Kelly LaRocca; Peter Bethlenfalvy; Dr. Steven Murphy; Norah Marsh; Tracy Paterson; Chris Darling; Christina Curry CONTACT US This Week Phone: 905- 579-4407 Newsroom: 905-215-0462 Sales: 905-215-0424 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-579-2238 Web: www.durhamregion.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at durhamregion.com Delivery For all delivery inquiries, call 905-579-4407 or visit the Contact Us page on durhamregion.com. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT DURHAMREGION.COM LETTERS & COMMENTARY We're a water planet, all right. And on this time of year, in Canada, an icy one. Sure, we all have water pumping inside our hot bodies -- us, birds, squirrels, cottontails and deer. We wouldn't be here, or alive, without it. But the "solid" phase of this mysterious life-giving element comes into its own now in winter, and we can appreciate water in a whole new way as a thing of wonder and delight. Dripping icicles. Six-sided crystals fall from the sky, each one unique. Pristine blankets cover yards and roadsides. White slopes call out for skis, snowboards, crazy carpets, and glassy ponds to be skated on. Driving these days might not be fun, but you've got to admit winter is beautiful. I fell in love with Jack Frost again, that first deep temperature plunge in early January. When I woke up in the morning, to find half the windows sculpted with silver ferns and flowers that turned to gold when the rising sun touched them. It transported me straight back to my childhood when winter mornings always produced such wonders, ephemeral lace as fancy as the runners and doilies my grandmother crocheted. And little kids had time to stop and be amazed at this "fairyland." I felt that same thrill as I ran around the house, trying to capture some of the crystalline artwork with my cellphone -- having recently figured out how to use the camera. I say only "half" the windows, as the double-glazed ones in the sunroom stay clear and frost-free. This makes me feel a bit sorry for folks living in modern residential areas, behind well-sealed, energy-efficient glass that never sees frost. Why should I be so lucky to live in a century- old winterized cottage with panes so antique some are wavy? Humans made glass beads and amulets in Mesopotamia 3,500 years ago, and Egyptians were blowing glass long centuries before Venetians did. Still, we've been looking through frost-painted glass windows for a mere blink in history. Maybe Jack Frost, the artist, will become obsolete after featuring prominently in northern climes and cultures since the 17th century when clear window glass started replacing oiled paper and animal horn even in commoners' homes. And now, being clever inventors faced with a dire need for energy conservation, we're making thermal panes that water vapour doesn't collect on and freeze. Good for global warming, yes indeed! Not so great for guileless souls like me who love surprises. Nature queries: mcarney1490@gmail.com or 905-725-2116. Metroland columnist Margaret Carney finds so much to discover and marvel at exploring the great outdoors. FROST ON WINDOW BRINGS BACK MEMORIES MARGARET CARNEY RECALLS 'WHEN WINTER MORNINGS ALWAYS PRODUCED SUCH WONDERS' MARGARET CARNEY Column Margaret Carney encountered this "surprise" one morning, frost on one of the old windows at her "century-old winterized cottage, with panes so antique some are wavy." It took her back to her childhood and served as a reminder: sure, we don't like driving in poor weather and having to shovel snow but, as Carney notes, "you've got to admit winter is beautiful." Margaret Carney photo FROSTY MORNING DON'T INSTITUTIONALIZE OLDER ADULTS To the editor: Minister of Long Term Care and Ajax MPP Rod Phillips (he plans to resign his seat in February) is bringing 636 new institutional long-term-care beds and 100 additional upgraded beds to Ajax, cour- tesy of Ontario taxpayers. This will result in the institutionalization of hundreds more older adults and people with disabilities. He seems proud of this -- a feeling not shared by those slated to be institutionalized. Seniors have said repeatedly they want to age in their own homes and communities, not in long- term-care facilities, especially after thousands died there in the pandemic. The only iron ring around long-term care so far has been an iron ring around the LTC corporations, many of which are benefiting financially through bed expansions in Durham region and across Ontario. Examples include Orchard Villa in Pickering and Schlegel Villages at St. Clair in Windsor, where dozens died. Nevertheless, a Schlegel facility is proposed for Ajax, and Orchard Villa wants to expand in Pickering over protests from local residents. And where are the staff for all these new beds to come from? Personal support workers have left the long-term care institutional sector in droves. Why are alternatives not being considered? Pay the $200 per person per day to caregivers instead of long-term-care corporations. For $200 a day, families could purchase seven hours of care per day for loved ones and pay staff more than the institutions currently pay, and have one-to-one staffing. Partner with the region and municipalities to create small community residences for people with dementia in each community. Create real homes where people from different cultural groups can eat familiar foods and speak their own language, not to mention be given personalized, not assembly-line care. Why are seniors and people with disabilities still the only ones being institutionalized besides prisoners? Why uproot people to receive care instead of bringing care to them? Ontario needs to do better! PATRICIA SPINDEL, AJAX SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM