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Week of July 22

Proud Canadian defends “trashed” lawn signs Sir: Regarding the letter of July 8, “Unapologetically Canadian lawn signs tone deaf at best.” The Rotary Club lawn signs are a positive acknowledgement of Canada.
Letters to the editor

Proud Canadian defends “trashed” lawn signs

Sir: Regarding the letter of July 8, “Unapologetically Canadian lawn signs tone deaf at best.”

The Rotary Club lawn signs are a positive acknowledgement of Canada. They do not imply assimilation of Indigenous peoples or the exclusion of non-white immigrants.

First, the assimilation of Indigenous children at church-run schools was essentially over when the government took control in 1969. Since then, our government has worked diligently to ensure that Indigenous cultures are able to flourish.

The recent residential school findings will be addressed. There will be a resolution that will help to alleviate the suffering.

Secondly, Canada is #5 globally in embracing immigrants and refugees of all races and religions. The proportion of visible minorities ages 16 to 65 is expected to increase to 34% by 2036.

The authors want to promote their own signs. I understand that. In their own way, they are trying to make Canada a better place. Yet, one can be successful in their endeavours without trashing such a positive organization as the Rotary Club.

More than signs are required. If they are really concerned about the treatment of the Indigenous community and immigrants, then they should be looking for answers as well as solutions.

These are emotional times. As a proud Canadian, I do have deep feelings about these issues. Yet, I will not be coerced into feeling ashamed, sorry, or guilty about this country.

All countries have their faults. What makes ours great, is the ongoing efforts to make it the best one in the world for its citizens.

R.G. Godad

Sarnia


Health system lacks co-ordination of doctors, medications

Sir: Recently I had lunch with my husband’s two sisters.

Being the youngest in the crowd, I admit I really haven’t given much thought to the difficulties surrounding “the elderly,” as we are so quaintly called.

I recall mutterings from my parents and their friends regarding appointment scheduling with health specialists. They would complain about having to go to London for dad’s heart specialist and Clinton for doctor appointments and found the scheduling tedious. Their calendar was a mishmash of church activities, doctor appointments and card nights and, in retrospect, I admire how they got everything figured out.

When we landed on the subject one sister said, “As seniors, we really need a single person (a doctor) who is in contact with ALL of the doctors we visit, and who knows all of our medications.”

She said none of her husband’s doctors seemed to consider his other conditions when prescribing medication. He had four: for diabetes, for his heart, an orthopaedic surgeon, and family doctor. She drove from Sarnia to London at least every second day until he was in palliative care. The scheduling, the gravel and possible medication conflicts were exhausting and stressful.

So, here’s my question. Now that we baby boomers are all getting “up there,” and believe me there are a lot of us, why is there not a separate specialty, possibly for pharmacists, whose only job is to coordinate scheduling of their registered patient appointments and oversee their medications to check for possible complications, to ensure that the only pills being taken are the ones the patient actually needs.

Even now, I look at my basket of pills and wonder how many of them I actually need, but there is no one to ask. In fact, I wouldn’t know where to begin to look for someone like that.

Am I the only one in the world who sees this as a serious medical problem for the near future?

Marg Johnson

Sarnia


The world is comprised largely of good people

Sir: George Alcock’s letter of July 8, “Humans capable of both greatness and unspeakable atrocities,” provides a vast bounty of reasons for why he believes this.

He is mostly correct in assessing the world as changing, but keeping us close to an ideal world.

I recently reread for the third time Vivek Murthy’s brilliant book entitled “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World.”

As the 19th and now the 21st Surgeon General of the United States under President Biden, he believes our world consists of mainly good people. He also believes 99% of our international population is good, and the other 1% in jail or penitentiary are not “in our way.”

His theory has been tested over and over, and he offers good reason to believe we are getting things right.

We are good people, and thrive in such an environment.

Richard Sourkes

Sarnia


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