Sympathies
Dear Editor,
My sympathies lie with the people of Ottawa. Their neighbourhood has been invaded and blockaded by noisy, sometimes rude people who somehow have the resources to take two weeks off and drive cross country and leave their big rigs idling and blowing their air horns. Parliamentarians have their workarounds and can come and go, bypassing blockades. But the people who live and work in that area are held prisoner as a result of something beyond their control. The people of Ottawa have only one vote each, just like most Canadians.
There’s a good case to be made for the mandates being . . .
unconstitutional. Had a court case been filed, the mandates might well be struck down on that ground. And isn’t that the issue, if we are to believe the spokespeople? As it is, a class action suit is being brought against the truckers on behalf of besieged residents and business owners in downtown Ottawa.
The 10 percent of non-vaccinated cross-border truckers are not the only people whose freedoms are being stifled by COVID and the reactions to it. Live music is practically comatose for two years, sports events are few and far between, churches and movie theatres are closed down and friends wonder if it’s safe to be together or not.
A truckload of patience would do wonders here. It appears that the virus is becoming more pervasive but less life-threatening. So, in a month or two, we could venture out of our enforced hibernation into a world where chances are that we’ll all get it but few will need to be hospitalized, so the health care system will not be overwhelmed. That was the strategy all along.
This is a test to see if we have the compassion to consider the feelings and needs of our fellow passengers on this spaceship. Evolution doesn’t care about your feelings or mine.
A new virus or another challenge will arise; it would be really stupid of us to go down on this little hillock after having learned to walk upright, learned to capture fire, learned to make pictures on cave walls, learned to organize whole nations where basic civil rights are negotiated, not imposed by force.
Robert Wills, Thorne and Shawville, Que.
Living in interesting times
Dear Editor,
The recent protest, or hostage taking, in the city of Ottawa must be leaving many there in a state of bewilderment and fear. The inaction of the various levels of government has left most citizens in that part of the city victim to continual harassment, both verbal and auditory. Imagine living near blaring diesel horns both day and night, too intimidated to get on with your daily life.
Mayor Watson’s municipal government, according to him, is unable to direct his police force to remove the protesters and their huge trucks which clog many streets. Doesn’t the city pay their salaries? Aren’t they supposed to serve and protect the people of Ottawa?
Premier Ford is safe in Toronto, for the moment, and sees no immediate need to relieve the distress of the people in one of his major cities. He has an election upcoming. He likely considers remaining popular more important than releasing some of his fellow Ontarians from the hands of the town bullies.
Prime Minister Trudeau, in front of whose Parliament Buildings many of the trucks are parked, seems to fear any direct engagement with the convoy leaders. Yet he offers no promise of military support for the police who would be expected to remove them, something which might become necessary. All levels of government appear paralyzed, no longer protecting the people who elected them.
The situation now (Feb. 4) may have improved, or worsened by the time you read this. But it sure makes you think. If this pathetic response is what we can expect from our governments in the face of an unruly protest, what possible chance would we have of dealing with a greater threat?
Police Chief Sloly of Ottawa has said that all options are on the table. Too bad he wouldn’t choose one.
Yes, an interesting time it is indeed, but also very scary.
William Smith, Bristol, Que.
Hope we can agree to disagree
Dear Editor,
This letter from Robert Wills, Feb. 2, 20222 has prompted me to provide some further comments about our sitting minority government and the reaction to the Freedom Convoy which is ongoing as I write this.
Since contact with sitting politicians is the only tool Canadians have at their disposal to try to address their concerns, I take issue with “It’s a thing people are free to do in our society. But it doesn’t often change anything, especially not for the better.” This is the only way we have to ensure that our elected officials are doing the jobs they promised to do, on our money. It is my understanding that the truckers are mainly opposing the vaccine mandates and the loss of many of our freedoms.
“One doesn’t gain freedom by taking freedom away from others.” Your statement is exactly the reason for this protest. When was the last time you attended a church service, (inside the church, not on Zoom), went to a restaurant without having to show a vaccine passport, shopped freely (no social distance mandates), had family members to your house or went to a concert? And it is government that is mandating and enforcing all that I have mentioned.
I am an adult, capable of making my own decisions without these dictates. Yes, I am vaccinated, and have had other vaccines, flu shots, etc. I did so simply to be able to visit family in other provinces, because I had no choice. Nor do many others. Get vaccinated or no job? Time for this to stop and it is also time for those making the decisions to do the jobs they were elected to do and listen. Get off your high horse, talk to those protesting. The last time I looked, they are ordinary folks, just like you and me.
I sincerely hope we can agree to disagree and thank THE EQUITY for allowing us to voice our concerns. That is what democracy is.
And, lastly — are you listening, Justin Trudeau?
Sandra D. Barber, Luskville, Que.
Response
Dear Editor,
Robert Barber asks (Letter to The Editor, Feb. 2, 2022, re: proposed nuclear dump) why I would say the mound’s contents would be exposed to wind, rain and snow if all the containers that would go in the mound are sealed. Part of the answer is that bulk wastes would comprise 87 per cent of the mound’s volume and be directly exposed to the elements. The remaining 13 per cent of the mound’s volume would be in packages such as 50 gallon drums with more concentrated, higher-radioactivity wastes. These could be damaged by equipment used to compact the mound, exposing their contents to the elements as well. CNL says only special waste packages would be “leachate-controlled” to provide “containment of the waste during the time that the disposal cell is not covered.” But CNL provides no description of these packages and curiously, the environmental assessment report prepared by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) fails to mention them.
Barber says “the perception that hazardous wastes are mixed with radioactive materials is untrue.” CNL says “hazardous waste is not permitted for disposal in the ECM, unless the hazardous waste has been treated using methods for land disposal described in Ontario Regulation 347.” The CNSC lacks guidance for radioactive waste mixed with hazardous substances such as arsenic, asbestos, mercury, lead and various toxic organic substances; and its environmental assessment report does not mention mixed wastes. But there is absolutely no doubt that CNL intends to put them in the mound, including an estimated 178 tonnes of lead.
Ole Hendrickson, Renfrew County
