Letters & Op-Ed, May 5 2021

The mice got into the top of my van’s engine parked in our garage during this winter and I realized I had been lax at safely putting poison in our garage to stop mice from destroying my car, etc.

So I dropped by the hardware store here in Fonthill where I usually get the mouse poison blocks. I walked up to the front door and waved at the guy I could see inside. He opened the door a crack and said he cold not serve me and I had to phone an order in as per government lockdown rules.

The phone number was posted on the door. I walked back to my car and fetched our cellphone and walked back and stood in front of the store where I could see the salesman on the inside and I phoned him. He answered the phone and said, “Hello.”

I said, “Is this Beamer's Hardware store?”

With a chuckle he answered and I could see he was smiling and he said, “Yes it is.”

So I said, “Can I place an order please,” and he said, “Yes, what is it,” and I said, “A box of mouse poison blocks in the yellow box made by, etc. etc.”

He said, “Okay, I have that. When will you pick it up?”

I said, “I live here in Fonthill, can I come and pick it up now?”

And he said, “No problem, call me when you get here so I can put it out the door for you.”

Anyhow, I then called him and amazingly he answered right away and he did not remark on how quickly I had got there and he had my order ready already.

What a great store and what great service. It pays to shop locally.

Ron Mascoe Fonthill

For the 21st time, over 50 Conservative MPPs voted against paid sick days last week. These MPPs, including Niagara’s Sam Oosterhoff, chose partisanship over the health and safety of the people whom they govern.

This is the behaviour of partisan monsters, not political leaders, and so we should be reminded that the Premier's tears were never real.

And once again, Ford is outraged that the federal government is not doing his job for him.

The levels of incompetence and cruelty by this government have no limit.

Peter Schafrick Fonthill

Awakening to the sounds of birds chirping away as they happily begin their day. Sounds of the world beginning to awaken and the sun rising in the east. Spring is upon us and with it comes the beautiful aromas of flowers and in general “the fragrance of spring.”

It wasn’t so long ago that I recall having spring being able to enter my home. It made the whole house come alive!

Opening the front door this morning only filled my home with “the odour will be fruity...good corporate neighbour...essential service...good paying local jobs...” of cannabis.

Does anyone else miss the old springtime? I sure do.

David Ireland Fenwick

What does it say about us in the Town of Pelham?

It says that we are a community that is welcoming, not only to LGBTQ+ but to all people. We welcome the diversity that makes up the world. More importantly, it tells our own residents that “You are accepted for who you are.” It is particularly essential for our young people to know this fact. No one should feel excluded, no matter their race, colour, religion or sexual orientation. These benches show that everyone is safe in this town.

We, as a society, have come a long way since the days of making criminals of people for being who they are. So, if we can do our part, even if it is a small one, like a Rainbow bench, then we can move forward by instilling acceptance in our community.

These benches also acknowledge the many in this town who have been bullied, called names and were ostracized, the parents who were worried about the safety of their children. For those of you who have not had to endure such issues, these benches could be a reminder to not forget about the ones who have.

What a difference it would have made to my son’s growing-up years if he had known his hometown accepted him. I know things have changed for the better during these last 30 years, but we still have a long way to go.

I am so pleased to know that there will be two Rainbow benches installed in Fonthill. Because of COVID-19, they will not arrive until June.

Thank you to our councillors and Mayor Junkin for making the right decision.

Another Rainbow bench has been ordered, so that one can be placed in Fenwick. Again, because of COVID, it will not be available until October. Then, both ends of town will be covered. It should be a no- brainer for council to approve payment for this third one. If they feel it is not the right thing to do, then there are many of us who do, and we will come up with the money to pay for it.

Vilma Moretti Fonthill

First it was Trump and the gullible US evangelicals who fell for his con as he opened the door to half a million dead of coronavirus, then it was the churches in west Niagara who insisted they had the right to continue services (to send parishioners to the afterlife all that much faster), then it was our town’s Mayor David Bylsma and his criminally irresponsible anti-lockdown protest appearances, and now...and now the unavoidable, inconvenient truth that organized religion is at least as deadly, if not more, than COVID-19. That proof is India.

India’s leader, a devout, far-right religious zealot, allowed religious dogma to triumph over science. Thousands upon thousands of unmasked people, packed together in religious ceremonies. The result as the world sees is catastrophe.

If people want to delude themselves into believing there’s a magic man (or dozens of magic men) in the sky, okay, fine, I agree that’s their right. But their right to be delusional stops when it threatens the health and safety of the rest of us sane people.

You think Islamic terrorism is bad? On 9/11, 2977 people were killed, including the hijackers. That’s about just half of one percent of the 500,000-plus killed by COVID in the US. How many infections and deaths have resulted or will result in Niagara as a result of the Bylsma-featured public demonstrations? “Love thy neighbour?” Really more like to hell with thy neighbour.

Some say that the pandemic has brought out the best in people. I say that it has shown us who we all really are down deep. The religious fanatics who continue to risk the health of everyone have been literally unmasked as who they truly are. Shame on them, and shame on the police and Ford government for not prosecuting those who endanger the rest of us with their moronic conspiracy theories and willful ignorance of basic science.

L. Janssen West Lincoln

I have thought for over a year now that our response to the pandemic is misguided. The answer as people have known for thousands of years is in in public infrastructure. The Romans built freshwater aqueducts and sewers for a real reason which was to combat plague and cholera which made cities unlivable in ancient times.

We have not really progressed past these Roman solutions for disease even though we have the technology to do so. I am talking about common methods for clearing indoor air of disease causing pathogens.

These are common air-handling systems equipped with UV light sanitizers and HEPA filters. Recycling the air in a room at least six times per hour reduces coronavirus levels. These systems should be mandatory in every public room in Canada. Have we been retrofitting our schools, offices, restaurants, warehouses and meat packing plants? Why not? This is an obvious control to the pandemic It is quick, easy to install and could make a real difference as the variant strains overwhelm the vaccines.

If the government would look at it as a public infrastructure project, it could happen very quickly starting right now.

Everybody is saying that that this thing is almost over, that vaccines are riding to the rescue. Good luck. A year from now we will likely still be wearing masks, distancing, and waiting for new vaccines.

I would say wake up.

To our political class which is composed almost exclusively of people who have never learned how to actually do anything except to craft messages and waste money I say call in some millwrights, some HVAC engineers, some scientific instrument makers, some mask-makers, some quarantine hotel owners. Call in the stakeholders, the bar owners, shopkeepers, the manufacturers. Put all the minds together. Put someone other than yourselves in charge, someone who is actually capable of getting something done and understanding real things and get this done. Now is a time for action and not stupid ideologies. Do it now.

Steve Matthews Ridgeville

It likely surprised many to see the number of protesters who participated in the recent anti-lockdown demonstrations in St. Catharines and in Niagara Falls. Fortunately, these numbers are a small percentage of Niagara’s population. However, what could be frightening about those numbers is that there are this many inconsiderate, selfish people who live in the Region.

The news photos of this spiteful minority show that most were not wearing masks and clearly disregarding social distancing protocols. It might be their privilege to put themselves in danger by ignoring medical science, however, they should not be permitted to endanger others. Such arrogant displays of wrongheaded thinking adds to the fright, unsettling discomfort, and outright danger to the remainder of the population.

Unfortunately, this number of persons at such gatherings overwhelms the law enforcement personnel who are unable to lay charges or ticket many of these lawbreakers. However, a token number of recognizable personages will likely be apprehended for breaking the lawful conventions.

Realistically, it is nearly impossible to use any sort of rebuke under these circumstances to penalize all of the demonstrators who defiantly deny the realities of medical science.

Perhaps a system might be put in place to require those apprehended to spend two or three days at the bedside of a ventilated and comatose COVID-19 sufferer in an ICU. In keeping with the protesters' preferences, they would not be required to use any PPE. Should that patient succumb to the disease, then the convicted demonstrator would be required to visit the loved ones of the deceased and explain to them what took their cherished loved one from them. At the very least, such visits would serve to relieve the nearly exhausted medical personnel of this gruesome task.

While such measures may appear to be inconceivably extreme to the majority, these should not provoke even a bead of sweat in the irresponsible protesters. They are convinced that the pandemic is a hoax. They have put forward the notion the vaccines alter the genes of the recipients so as they will be more compliant with the dictums of a malfeasant power. Many of their beliefs, such as this one, exceed even the outermost dimensions of science fiction.

While it is likely true that some of the government’s decisions and measures may have fallen short of impeccability, the pandemic has stretched the limits of many of society’s fallible organizations. Best that people collectively commend measures where they can and curtail condemning best efforts that fall short of perfection. There are few arrows left in the quiver, other than to trust that medical science will eventually defeat this terrible virus and its variants. These scientists have a proven record of success.

Be kind and considerate of your neighbours and comply with the measures designed to keep this virus at bay and people safe from harm.

Do the right thing. Wear a mask, wash your hands and comply with the social distancing concept. It won’t hurt and might prevent you from hurting others. ◆

Ontario’s new COVID numbers are coming down, finally. On Friday 3,887 was the total for new cases, down from 4,500 confined cases one week earlier. Friday was the sixth consecutive day that the Province recorded fewer than 4,000 new COVID cases. The provincial positivity rate is also coming down, being 7.4 percent on Friday compared to 8.8 percent a week before. New modelling released on Friday suggested that the third wave is indeed cresting, and that case counts could very well dip below 1,000 a day within a month. As of last Friday there were 2,201 patients with COVID being treated in Ontario hospitals, including 883 in the ICU, and 632 patients were on ventilators, up 12 from the day before. National death toll was 24,219 as of Friday.

In Niagara, new COVID cases are falling, going from a high of 220 in mid April to 120 last Friday. Active case count in Pelham was at 139, another new high, and a number that continues to be middle of the pack for all municipalities in the Region. Active confirmed cases per 10,000 are 77.2, up from the previous week’s 68. Some 95 percent of infected residents self-isolate at home, with 0.6 percent admitted to the ICU. On Friday there were 82 COVID patients in Niagara hospitals, 28 of these had been transported here from other regions within the province. As of this writing there are 13 patients in the ICU., with no number listed for those on ventilators. As of last Friday the number of residents who passed away from COVID in Niagara was 391.

At the last Town Council meeting, which was held April 18, council approved the expenditure of up to $70,000 to correct an erosion problem north of Highway 20 at Rice road. This erosion, which some experts have called severe, has washed tons of soil downstream of the 12 Mile Creek, which is the last remaining cold-water stream in the region, threatening fish habitat located within the stream. A section of the passed motion also called on staff to seek funds from the Regional government, Trout Unlimited, and Upper Canada Consultants. We are hoping the Region will feel compelled to contribute as the water collected from Highway 20, which is a Regionally controlled road, makes up a significant amount of the total going into the pond. Trout Unlimited, which is a national entity, has taken the 12 under its wing and in the past several years has completed many restoration projects affecting this stream. Upper Canada Consultants were included in the ask as they have been involved in Pelham’s ongoing development for many years and it is hoped they will deem this a worthy environmental project to contribute to. Until next time... ◆