The importance of Blackflies

Dear Editor:

I have a small Dragonfly operation in Thorne, and blackflies are the bait which attracts them in droves. Blackflies help keep the back country from being totally over-run by citiots who come to the country for a lark. They ride four-wheelers at dust-raising speed, or they buy up waterfront cottages, where they spend their time indoors, while full-time locals go about the mundane tasks that keep things running and safe. Roads need maintenance, which is neither easy nor inexpensive. Weekenders convoy from one waterhole to the next, sometimes covering more than half of the road, sometimes doing donuts at intersections. I’m sure some locals are extracting cash from this influx, selling beer, gas and snacks to the weary travellers, but others are inundated with clouds of dust, accompanied by the noise of low-grade motorsport.

But back to the bugs. Blackflies are what keeps the light-weight visitors from slowing down and taking in the sights of nature’s bounty, which are the solace of pedestrians and bicyclers. Dragonflies are the insect saviours that feed from the swarms of blackflies and mosquitoes, keeping us, their human bait, just short of slow death from blood and flesh losses. Blackflies emerge hungry, and that’s where humans are helpful, we can feed them until the dragonflies arrive and join the feast.

It’s not an entirely one-sided transaction. Blackfly larvae which live in moving water, are a main food source for trout, and adult blackflies pollinate blueberries, so it’s one big happy feast, each species contributing within its means, to a circle of life that is too subtle for the passing motorist to observe.

If you love eating blueberries or trout, do your part by feeding blackflies and mosquitoes. Your flesh and blood will not go to waste. The dragonflies are there for our entertainment as well as our salvation. There’s hardly a more welcome sight, than a dragonfly perching on one’s shoulder, crunching down on a blackfly. For extra points, look up the four-part life cycle of dragonflies. It’s fascinating, and I have had the privilege of observing all four stages up close – you wont see that, on a motor-driven vehicle.

Robert Wills

Thorne and Shawville, Que.

Shawville Fair Writing

Dear Editor:

The Pontiac Agricultural Society’s 2023 Shawville Fair this Labour Day weekend is adding for the first time, at least to my knowledge; a new set of classes that will be added in the HomecraftFine Arts building. Writing classes, authorship not penmanship, will be there for competitive purposes.

This year things are being started off with 5 classes: Fiction; Non-Fiction; Science Fiction/Fantasy; Opinion/Editorial; Poetry. The classes will be judged and ribbons and prize money similar to the other competitions will be awarded First to Third. There may be a, “Best in Class”, type award but the conditions and details for that still have to be worked out. As with all other classes all exhibitors/competitors must be members of the Society. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry form, membership number, tags and only one entry is allowed per class. There is a maximum of two pages and/or 1000 words per entry. Entries that obviously exceed these limits will not be judged. There will be some other finer rules that will be explained in further detail over the next month or so.

At this point I just want to start to make people aware of these new classes at the fair and to reach out specifically to local writers who write for a hobby but never really show anyone their work, similar to the people who sketch but rarely show their work outside their own inner circle. This will be a good opportunity for people to step out of their comfort zones.

I know there will be people who have written works that exceed the maximums specified above and do not understand the limit and question it. The answers are simple actually, limits needed to be set to simplify judging. These limits and other finer details will be explained in the near future and all are very similar to criteria that most writing agencies and publishers put on any submissions they may consider. For now please consider, if you have for example a ten page story you would enter what you thought the strongest two pages and at the top near the title mark pages seven and eight of ten, or something similar.

Besides looking for writers to be competitors I will also be looking for writers/avid readers to be judges also. Although I will be recruiting the judges for this first year discreetly, their names will be announced at the fair.

Separate, but related at least in the writing sense, I have started a local writer’s group on Facebook for people who would like to have a place, even if it is only a digital platform, to discuss their interests and their struggles in writing. Eventually, if interest warrants it, regular meetings could begin to help foster a healthy writing environment. On Facebook look for 26 Letters.

Questions on any of these topics can be sent to me via email: mccann.thomas.david@gmail.com or on Facebook through the 26 Letters page to me through a private message.

I will also keep everyone updated as things progress.

Tom McCann, Clarendon, Que.

Response to debt interest

Dear Editor:

Sandra D. Barber’s letter expressing concern about Canada’s debt merits further comment. Yes, Canada’s debt is huge and growing. Most western countries have similarly sized debts to service. The question I’d like Ms. Barber to answer, if she knows, is why is this the case?

Canada started having debt over 100 years ago. It was in the 1970’s that the debt spiked, and it hasn’t stopped growing. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have added to it.

Without the borrowing of huge amounts of money investing in people oriented systems like Medicare, Canada would not be in the position it is today – one of the best places to live in the world.

That is not to say that governments shouldn’t tackle the high cost of living which is making it difficult for Canadians to make ends meet. For example, Canada can stop giving billions of dollars in subsidies to the oil industry, the nuclear industry, automobile industry and pharmaceutical companies. The Canadian government should engage in ensuring a sufficient supply of affordable housing, which previous governments used to do – but doing so might add to the national debt.

Carl Hager, Gatineau, Quebec