Please, council, put more money into parks
Sir: As we say goodbye to our past city council I would like to say thank you to them for their dedication and commitment in enhancing our community.
They have made Centennial Park a showpiece in promoting tourism. Yes, it cost a lot of money, but look at the end result. My wife and I walk or ride our bikes down to the river quite often and I notice people of all ages and cultures enjoying the beautiful gardens.
As tourist come into our community they spend money and maybe think about moving here, if they think it is a community that would welcome them and has the facilities and services to enhance their stay.
I do have a complaint, though, and I understand it's a budget issue. My only complaint is the deterioration of our parks and recreational facilities.
Children in our community need something to do! Recreation is a fundamental human need that engages children to have fun, be fit and have social interaction. Why would anyone thinking about moving to our community want to do so knowing there is nothing to do for their children?
If they knew pools are being closed and parks (tennis courts, playground equipment, etc.) are not being maintained, I'm sure they would continue down the road to a community that offers this.
I feel positive about the future of our community and wish the new council the courage to maintain our resources.
Craig Donald
Sarnia
Guest column was false and harmful to public health
Sir: Just as vaccines were undermined in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield’s false claims about alleged links to autism, so too is your paper undermining a second public health measure: fluoridation.
The screed by Ms. Czechowicz (Oct. 11) comes from a marginal organization called the “Fluoride Action Network” (FAN). Its members seem to be people who own water bottling companies and who truly believe in conspiracy.
For example, they see fluoridation as a conspiracy by the American Dental Association because conspiracy is essential to their thinking. But dentists do better financially in municipalities where there is no fluoridation because the population has significantly worse oral health.
What FAN says usually has an element of truth. For example, “fluoride is toxic.” Of course, it can be toxic depending upon how much one consumes. Like water and salt, fluoride is necessary and safe at certain levels but if one eats a box of salt every day, then serious harm will follow.
The amount of fluoride recommended in drinking water is 0.7 parts per million. To consume too much, one would have to drink many swimming pools of water daily but water poisoning would kill the person long before a build up of fluoride would.
It might seem appropriate to publish “for” and “against” articles regarding a public health measure. But, as the adage goes, ‘people are entitled to their own opinions but not to their own facts’ and nonsense that can harm the population has no place in a serious newspaper.
If Ms. Czechowicz were parroting the Flat Earth Society, then would you give her such space? Please retract this article, which is false, misleading and harmful to the public health of the people of Sarnia.
There is only one “side” in science. The facts. They are available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Dental Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and so on.
Fluoridation is recognized as one of the top ten public health achievements of the 20th Century by the CDC. Fluoridation at the recommended amount is safe and effective, period.
Juliet Guichon
Assistant Professor,
Cumming School of Medicine,
University of Calgary
Do we need fundraisers to repair the streets in this city?
Sir: Can someone explain how the city found the money to pave part of the road in Canatara Park?
Was Lake Chipican Drive even on the repair list last year? Five years ago?
I hate to complain, but Bradford Drive is falling apart. We got new Bell Internet cable installed, but the road is cracking and the city only continues to patch its holes.
Afton Crescent may be the worst. It’s a thoroughfare to London Road and a high traffic area with lots of children playing there.
Hey, we’re over here! Just look for the black patches.
Maybe we could start a fundraiser for our street. Maybe every street in the city that needs new pavement could hold its own fundraiser.
Would you like to donate to a city pothole fund?
Cam Ross
Sarnia