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Week of Feb. 22

Accessibility? City Hall doesn’t know the meaning of it Sir : A recent news item stated, “accessibility really shines” at City Hall. No. We have walls around the Mayor’s office, to which disabled people cannot gain access.
Letters to the editor

Accessibility? City Hall doesn’t know the meaning of it

Sir: A recent news item stated, “accessibility really shines” at City Hall.

No. We have walls around the Mayor’s office, to which disabled people cannot gain access.

The door opens outwards instead of inwards, and if they press the button, then go backwards a bit to allow for the opening door, they cannot get through before it closes again.

No smart thinking there.

The lobby’s welcoming receptionist is being removed. Coun. Cindy Scholten-Holt has suggested putting signs everywhere, but that doesn’t help someone totally blind and relying on a “seeing-eye” dog that can’t read signs or Braille.

Administrators said they’ve conferred with the CNIB, taken training and had their questions answered. But they’ve only addressed a situation for people with impaired sight, not those who are totally blind.

People who are totally blind have to hope their dog will bark. The City needs to put an announcement on the radio along with a sound recording in the lobby.

This scenario has definitely not been thought through. Shining accessibility? You have to be kidding!

Nothing is accessible at City Hall — no freedom of information or answers to financial questions! All is denied.

Accessibility definitely does not shine at City Hall.

Margaret Bird

Bright’s Grove

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The Charter pits rights of identity groups against one other

Sir: The Feb. 8 letter titled, “Government shouldn’t give grants to groups opposing abortion” contained some misconceptions that might be helpful to address.

While it’s true that Justice Bertha Wilson struck down Canada’s abortion law, the writer made a significant omission: Wilson stated Canada should have an abortion law somewhere in the 2nd trimester, like the majority of the developed world. The precise cut-off should be determined in the legislature, however. Organizations seeking to steer Canada toward the court’s original intent should not be targeted by our government.

Prematurely born babies have an increasingly high likelihood of survival, especially at around 24 weeks. These are clearly people. They may not be visible, contributing members of society, but neither are shut-in’s who live off welfare. Their lives are worthy of protection, are they not?

The West's notion of human dignity indicates yes. Leading renaissance figures like Petrarch, Salutati, and Mirandola grounded this notion in Christianity. Our society may be secular (debatable), but the foundation of our human rights is still theological. If they were mere social constructs to be handed out by the government, they could just as easily be taken back as well. That was the brutal lesson of the last century.

Nobody is advocating for theocracy, but we should realize our great system of common law has deep theological roots, tracing back to Alfred the Great. He codified Saxon law and drew heavily from the Ten Commandments.

In contrast, Alexander the Great was the eventuality of repeated failed secular democracies. The inherent moral relativism inevitably results in a Tyranny of the Majority. Thus Plato advocated for Philosopher-Kings, dictators. Interestingly, Justin Trudeau sings the praises Fidel Castro and China’s “basic dictatorship.”

Pierre Trudeau truncated our legal system with his secular Charter, pitting rights of identity groups against one another. He handed us our rights but his son wants them back.

By secularizing the state we've absolutized it, therefore deified it, and created a false god that now demands child sacrifice. It’s time we say no.

David Raes

Sarnia


Financial planner warns of telephone business loan scam

Sir: Just a short note to provide a warning or heads-up for your readership.

I have been receiving constant telephone calls asking me if I would like a $250,000 loan. Finally, I relented and said YES.

The marketer transferred me over to a “specialist” who was quite knowledgeable and quite impressive.

This company — and there are many of them — have an online website that states it is based out of Mississauga and Manhattan.

I then checked the anti-fraud centre and also reported them to our local police.

This is a “scam” in which they ask for your business revenue and advise you on the amount of a non-secured business loan they will provide.

They then ask for a fee, and provide a phony loan cheque once they receive the fee.

Just thought I could save some of your readers some ”grief.”

Patrick R. Ryan

CFP

Sarnia


Trudeau should get off his high horse, run the government

Sir: Recently our Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau, asked that Canadians admit there is racism in Canada.

According to the English Webster's dictionary, the definition of racism is: a belief in the superiority of some races over others; prejudice against or hatred of other races; discriminating behaviour towards people of another race.

YES, there is racism in Canada. As long as there is politics, religion and people of different beliefs and cultures, there will be racism. Good or bad, that is part of how society evolves.

As long as our government continues to try to correct the alleged sins/errors of our forefathers there will be racism. Our forefathers made the best decisions they could with the information that they had at the time.

Their decisions were made for the good of the majority, public safety and the well being of the country. For our government to judge those decisions by today's standards is just plain wrong morally and ethically.

Does our government today think that they are more superior? I don't think so. It is time to put a statute of limitations on these perceived wrongs.

Mr. Trudeau should stop trying to distract us with moral issues. He should do the job he was hired to do, that is, run a government.

It is time Mr. Trudeau stepped up to the plate to get the economy running instead of giving us half promises. Tell the government of B.C. that the pipeline will be built. Tell the mayor of Montreal there will be a pipeline built to the East Coast.

Everyone wants jobs! We have the talented and skilled workers in this country to build safe pipelines. Give these Canadians their due respect!

Mr. Trudeau’s government is spending money like water. Most people have to balance their budgets. The taxpayers cannot afford it.

Marilyn Smith

Sarnia


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