Idle turbines a waste of money
Sir: My husband and I took a daytrip to Courtland last week. On the drive, we passed three worksites, all funded by the Government of Ontario.
At the first site, there were 18 crew members. Three of them were working while the other 15 stood doing nothing. At the second site, three crew members worked while 10 others stood idly. The third work site included 23 crew members, only five of which were working.
Three work sites had a total of 54 crew members with only 11 working. That means the Government of Ontario (you and I) was paying 43 crew members to stand idly by while 11 crew members worked.
If you were an employer and walked into your office to find 11 out of 54 of your staff working, would that be acceptable?
If you owned and operated a construction site, would you be prepared to pay 43 employees for standing around while only 11 people worked?
Is it acceptable for the Government of Ontario to fund work sites where only 11 out of a total of 54 crew members are actually working?
Then why do we accept the provincial government funding worksites when the phrase “crew members” is a substitute for “wind turbines”?
Kathy Milliken
Sarnia
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Roller skating down memory lane
Sir: Re: "When roller skating was king"
As residents of Windsor, Ontario, my husband and I were recently given a copy of your Sarnia Journal newspaper.
Along with so many 'great' articles, one that was extremely meaningful to our family was a guest column written by Nadine Wark.
She described the 'love' that so many thousands of youngsters, teenagers, young adults, and those just young-at-heart had for the healthy activity of roller skating through the years.
Unfortunately, our teens don't seem to have that same social experience, and any possibilities would be welcome I'm sure.
All the Sarnia area rinks had their own great atmosphere; however, I knew only Rose Gardens with a love shared by my parents, Dick and Elsie Rose.
As Nadine Wark wrote so accurately, my parent's lives were dedicated to the youngsters who needed caring, adult supervision and, as a result, they became support parents to so many.
Their role in life was to share their love through 'the golden rule,' along with bits of discipline. Dad would offer the choice - abide by the rink's rules or be excluded from the fun, and that would be the 'greatest' punishment of all. Dad had very few issues.
All the excitement of large teen gatherings was enhanced with the awesome music. So many loved songs can immediately transport us back to those special moments while skating or dancing.
The kind recognition of two very special people, Elsie and Dick, or Mr. and Mrs. Rose, or Mom and Dad, whatever you may have called them, is very much appreciated. They simply loved, and were loved in return.
I was lucky enough to share every minute of those wonderful years growing up at Rose Gardens with many others. Our five grandsons in our daughter's and son's families were also very fortunate to have known and remember the love from their grandparents.
Nadine, thanks again for your wonderful memories of my parents and Rose Gardens and all the wonderful activities in the Sarnia area.
Marilyn (Rose) Craig and Jack Craig
Windsor
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Bothersome boats at beach
Sir: Recently I was enjoying the beach with my family in Bright’s Grove at Kenwick-on-the-Lake until more and more boaters dropped their anchors nearby!
There must have been at least 20 boats around the swimmers very near the shoreline. With Sea-Doos and water skiers in and out of swimming areas it was an accident just waiting to happen, not to mention the constant smell of gas fumes and churning up of the otherwise still waters.
I called Sarnia Police – they suggested I call OPP (which I did) and they suggested I call Sarnia Police, etc. etc. etc.
Marg Baker
Toronto