Letters to the Editor

FOCUS ON US … not the US

February 13, 2025   ·   0 Comments

In less than three weeks there will be a provincial election in Ontario.    Although the noise from Washington may be a distraction we need to pay attention to issues that affect the Dufferin-Caledon riding now and in the future.  

Our MPP, since 2007, does not have an easy job and we thank them for their service. However, in recent years they have not been focused on our riding. Local issues that are critical to Dufferin-Caledon’s well-being are unresolved as our MPP tends to their duties as cabinet minister (Deputy Premier and Minister of Health). 

It is time for a change.  

The provincial government is “responsible for issues that affect the province as a whole. These include education, health care, the environment, agriculture and highways.”

This election is not about tariffs. This election is about our community and holding our government representative accountable for our health and well-being.

With regards to healthcare, the Ford government has made announcements about “making record investments to ensure that everyone that wants to have a primary care provider can connect to one”. 

How is that working for you? 

We have a shortage of family physicians and “based on current projections for population growth, Dufferin-Caledon will need 43 more physicians by 2031”.

The system is not working.

We need to stop throwing money at a problem hoping it will go away. We need to work with the OCPS to support physicians so they can attend to patients. We need to listen to front-line doctors and nurses and help them build an efficient and effective healthcare system. 

Food security is an important part of the equation. Caledon Community Services saw a 35 per cent increase in the number of visits to the Exchange Food Bank in the 12 months of 2024 over the previous year. One in three of their clients is a child. 

There are hungry people in Dufferin-Caledon. There are also those who need housing. Sadly, we are failing them. According to a Blueprint data report commissioned by Community Metamorphosis, Peel Region residents receive $578 less per person in provincial funding for community social services than any other region in Ontario. Why?

In May 2011,  the Town of Caledon was recognized as the Greenest Town in Ontario. Not anymore! Highway 413 will run through Ontario’s Greenbelt, prime farmland, wetlands, woodlands and waterways. 

Why isn’t our MPP protesting this development? 

Votorantim Cimentos, owner of CBM St Marys, is a Brazilian conglomerate proposing to blast and excavate a hole below the water table on 798 acres of forest and farmland in the heart of the Caledon Greenbelt and Greenlands System in Peel. Why is our regional government not working to prevent this?  

Highway traffic is at an all-time high and will increase beyond capacity if the 413 and the CBM St. Marys quarry blast their way into Dufferin-Caledon. Does our MPP drive on Highway 10? Could they invite Mr. Ford to come up and experience what it is like to be surrounded by gravel trucks pulling a full load, driving well over the posted speed limit, while he tries to make a turn onto a local road?

We won’t ‘take a knee’ to Mr. Trump.  Nor will we allow Mr. Ford’s grandstanding about the looming tariff war with the USA to distract us from making a good decision for our community in the coming provincial election. 

We need a strong voice to represent and get things done for our region.  We must vote for change on Feb. 27 to ensure Dufferin-Caledon builds a safe, healthy and prosperous future for all who choose to live here.  

Ginny Yule

Caledon

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