Loss of after-hours veterinary service heartbreaking
Sir: I read with great interest and equally great disappointment the last veterinary hospital discontinued after-hours veterinarian services locally “due to a full work load and the need for appropriate work-life balance.”
EMS, police services, fire services, doctors, and health-care workers all carry a full workload and yet must find appropriate work-life balance. They work evenings, nights, weekends, statutory holidays, and take rotating call shifts as well. This is the nature of life in general.
It is heartbreaking and wrong to think people may have to hold their sick, injured, or dying pet in their arms overnight until the next business day at 9 a.m. to seek needed treatment. Unexpected pet care can happen at unexpected times. After-hour clinics provide essential services for animals in distress. If we are encouraged to adopt or foster pets, why would we if there is no access to after-hours care?
If you Google Lambton County veterinarians, you’ll find at least 10 listed. I am asking these veterinarians to come together and seek a resolution for after-hour care, for all, not just established customers, by creating a rotating on-call system that says “we are here to help.”
That would promote the respect, integrity and genuinely
heartfelt compassion I believe are the very core values of being a veterinarian.
Through brainstorming and collaboration, I am confident this can be achieved locally, thus meeting the needs of pet owner while providing appropriate work-life balance for veterinarians.
Thanking you in advance.
Gail Lester
Sarnia
Woman urges others to rise above hurtful, online bullying
Sir: I was raised on the belief that if you do good, and treat people with respect, good things will happen to you.
I come from a great, loving family and would consider myself a good person. I am compassionate, giving and would do anything to make others happy.
I have dealt with bullying before as a child, but can luckily say I never had it bad enough to cause me any major issues or stress. But here I sit, 28 years old, being cyber-bullied.
I had an anonymous post written about me on a site that completely blows my mind that it even exists. False information was given, in hopes of bringing me down. I read the post and felt my heart sink. Multiple people began commenting, spreading lies about me and calling me names.
I then began to really think about why? Why me? Would people believe this? I even for a second let it really get me down. People wonder why the suicide rate is so high? People find joy in hurting strong, successful people in order to make themselves feel better.
What is happening to the world? What about the people who aren't as strong as me? I decided to let it go and move on, which I admit was very difficult. I wanted this person to pay, but that would make me just as low and weak.
Instead, I propose we change. Compliment people. Thank people. If someone does something to upset you, remove them from your life and move on with grace.
Do not seek revenge, as the outcome could be way worse than the temporary emotions you're feeling while you make a post or spread a rumor.
Life is hard, but we don't need to make it worse.
Please, please be kind. We need more of that.
Ashley Williams
Sarnia
Veterinarians leaving local pet owners in the lurch
Sir: Local veterinarians should be ashamed of having eliminated after-hours veterinary services in a city the size of Sarnia.
Why are they veterinarian if they don’t care for the welfare of the pets they doctor beyond regular office hours?
Pet owners love their pets as much as the humans in their lives. What kind of world would it be if the doctors in the emergency departments of hospitals stopped offering after-hours services because of a “full workload and the need for appropriate work-life balance”?
Why can’t the veterinary clinics in this city work together in rotation to cover emergencies at night?
There are many individuals, including seniors, who wouldn’t be able to drive to London or Windsor in the middle of the night for emergency care. Are they supposed to sit in their homes and watch their pets die because there’s no help in Sarnia?
We have had three dogs in our lives, two of which developed illnesses that regularly required a trip to emergency in the middle of the night. They would have died by the time we made an hour’s drive or more to get emergency help.
Veterinarians choose to be veterinarians because they love animals and their welfare. As with a family physician, this is not a 9-to-5 job. They should be ashamed they have chosen to ignore the needs of their patients.
Please, consider the needs of animal customers in this city and get together to work out a rotation plan to cover emergencies.
Kathy Breddy
Sarnia
Motorists leaving Canatara need to slow down
Sir: Kudos to the Village of Point Edward for installing a radar speed traffic display on Alfred Street to monitor the traffic and let drivers know how fast they are driving leaving and entering the park.
We contacted a City of Sarnia transportation technician in June and asked if we could have speed radar installed on Cathcart Boulevard near Canatara Park.
The speeding on this street is ridiculous. Drivers go way too fast leaving the park and also turning off of Christina Street.
I was told that once the resurfacing of Michigan Road between Colborne and Christina was complete, the speed radar on Hollywood Street would be placed on Cathcart.
That did not happen, and after contacting the same person in July, was told it would be there soon. That never happened and now we’re into another school year, with two schools in the area, and a crosswalk.
We need people to slow down!
Terry Lindsay
Sarnia
Free speech threatened by media, left-wing politicians
Sir: The collusion between the media and left-wing politicians became painfully obvious during the French-language leaders debate.
Even though abortion was not an election issue, Prime Minister Trudeau found it necessary to force Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to once again state his position on abortion. The other left-wing leaders were quick to jump on the bandwagon, even though Andrew Scheer has made his position well known on numerous occasions.
That immediately put Scheer on the defensive because Trudeau knew just mentioning the word “abortion” was all that was needed, because the media would run with it and it would be political suicide for Scheer to amend his stance in any way shape or form.
Contrary to what the media reports, there are some very good reasons to oppose abortion and it is highly unfair that “the right” has to promise to vote against opening up any discussion on the subject in order to keep the press at bay.
By not defending our unborn we forfeit 100,000 children every year, who would have been a refreshing change to our aging population. I wonder how many abortions would occur if the media was pro-life?
However, there is another matter under attack and that is our very right to freedom of speech and personal beliefs. Abortion is not the only issue that falls under the label of “political correctness.’ We have fought wars to defend that right, but now we are facing a battle from within, and conceivably the media is even a stronger foe.
Perhaps '1984' is not as far-fetched as one might want to believe.
Cory Van Veller
Sarnia
Drivers, please watch out for animal crossing to the park
Sir: On behalf of all the raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, skunks and birds using Rainbow Park, I would like to say thank you to the many drivers who watch, slow down, and even stop when they cross Christina Street.
Some mothers, including a Big Mama opossum with three babies, have been hit by stupid drivers texting and not watching out. I also saw a Corvette that didn’t even try to slow down hit and kill one of my friends.
Again, I ask everyone to seriously slow down and watch out for the animals in the park.
Happy Autumn to all.
Harry Anderson
A.k.a. ‘The Squirrel Man’
Sarnia
Canada needs to elect a Conservative government
Sir: Oct. 21st will determine whether Canada recoups the respect and support it used to enjoy among the countries of the world.
The Liberals, with their ‘sunny ways’ and gender-focused agenda, have created more diversity than inclusion. I can’t recall there ever being so much hatred and discontent and violent protests as have been happening in the past few years.
Freedom of speech is almost nonexistent and, if you aren’t ‘like minded’ with those who protest almost everything, you are labelled a racist or a phobic of one kind or another.
Justin Trudeau’s ‘sunny ways’ are not so sunny.
He has spent many billions of taxpayers’ dollars in other countries, most recently giving $1.4 billion to foreign countries for abortion. He criticized Andrew Scheer for believing in marriage between a man and a woman and for being pro life. He may be surprised to know that millions of people agree with Scheer but respect the rights of those who don’t.
Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, at least that used to be the case - you remember - freedom of speech.
It boggles the mind that polls show Trudeau as the ‘preferred’ prime minister in view of the poor judgment and character he revealed during his term.
Charisma is no substitute for moral courage and intellectual substance, as Robert Sibley once wrote.
Like Kathleen Wynne, Trudeau is attempting to buy votes with taxpayers’ money - promising everything to everyone with no intention of keeping these promises, many of which he made in the last election campaign.
It is an insult to voters’ intelligence. Canadians have the opportunity to turn things around by supporting Andrew Scheer and electing a majority Conservative government.
Bernice Rade
Forest
Marilyn Gladu taking credit for Liberal largesse is rich
Sir: The Sept. 19 article, “Conservative Marilyn Gladu running on her first term record,” stated Ms. Gladu claims to have had $200 million in federal funding flowed into the (Sarnia) region and quotes her directly as saying, “It’s really money that’s gone into things that we need, and I’m really pleased as a rookie in opposition I did all of that.”
I question how candidate Gladu ‘did all that’ when ‘her record’ shows she ridiculed Liberal Party budgets from 2016 to 2018, calling them everything from ‘virtue signaling’ to ‘nothing burgers,’ though their net effect has been a 5.5% poverty rate reduction since 2012, quarterly economic growth as a percentage of GDP at times nearly doubling the rate of anything Stephen Harper’s Conservatives ever achieved over an entire decade, and the lowest unemployment rate in over 40 years.
The federal Liberal Party supported Canadian municipalities by further doubling the federal municipal infrastructure commitment in their 2019 budget, the third reading of which as an MP Ms. Gladu also voted against. Yet now in an election campaign she is claiming responsibility for funds flowing here? How does one square that circle?
The previous Harper government flowed funds primarily to Conservative ridings like, for instance, into Tony Clement’s Muskoka gazebo-fest. Perhaps the Conservative candidate should put the credit where it is actually due; with the Liberal Party that showed fair-mindedness and responsibility by doing what is right for Canada in unlocking federal funds for ridings like Sarnia, even though it was not a Liberal-held riding.
Dave Prowse
Sarnia
Why are politicians always fighting among themselves?
Sir: With the election getting close, why are our fellow Canadians in political parties fighting it out because they have a difference of opinion?
We try to teach our children and grand children to get along, be tolerant of other cultures, and respectful of different ways of thinking. Yet, the people we vote for are tearing each other apart verbally and paying lots of money to try to sway us into thinking their platform (opinion) is right.
I believe most people’s minds are made, regardless of the money spent on political campaigns. I would like to see all political parties represented in Canada fairly, with all parties voted in working together as a team to get things done for voters.
Then again, it’s probably easier to do as other democratic countries, slash each other apart to get in power and wield the way of the money train.
I am not talking about ALL politicians. I believe some politicians want to make a positive difference in Canada and represent us in a proactive way.
Maybe it’s time they work together and show future generations how to operate our great country. Why not start now to be truly united? Consider the possibility that a change can be created, where all Canadians will work for all Canadians.
Linda MacGregor
Sarnia