Archive

Ice storms, sadness and frustration

April 27, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Todd Taylor

The local news lately has been brisk with stories and events. It is unfortunate that our community has been exposed to all areas of the emotional spectrum. We have been sad, glad, frustrated, and quite simply overwhelmed. I would like to touch on a few of these things in this week’s column.

I was astonished by the deaths that occurred in Toronto this week. My mind is simply unable to comprehend why someone would take it upon themselves to do such horrible harm to so many other innocent persons.

I asked Orangeville Police Chief Wayne Kalinski to offer his thoughts on the situation.

“In my opinion, the officer showed remarkable restraint and judgment, not only for the face-to-face standoff with the suspect but also for the additional pedestrian traffic, adjoining office buildings and shops,” he said.

“A very busy area and time of day. I noted in reviewing a video of the situation, the suspect was pointing an object at the police officer.  That in itself could have led to a much different outcome.  In this case, the officer’s training kicked in and he resolved the situation through what we call tactical communications. 

“I see this officer as a hero and it’s a moment like this that makes me proud to be a police officer.”

I agree with Chief Kalinski. We should all be proud of how the Toronto police officer conducted himself while in such dire circumstances.

The disappearance of Waldemar’s Kaden Young affected the community in a deeply emotional manner. We all knew that the end result of this story would not be a happy one. Nonetheless, I found the recent announcement that the young boy was found to be incredibly sad. I was personally inspired by Richard Croft and the group of people that worked so diligently to find the lost child.  I know there are some in our community that want to question the events leading up to Kaden’s end. I do not think it is worthwhile for any of us to spend our time speculating in such a negative way. Instead, we should simply do our best to support the family as they grieve the loss of their son.

There is no denying that the ice storm that happened last week was crippling for our area.

It was extremely surprising to have such a difficult winter event occur this late in the year. Many in Orangeville were homebound as we waited for public works to plough the roads and restore order.

The problem in our town is that the seasonal contract for this winter season ends as of March 31st. This means that any extraordinary storm event after this date must be cleared by town staff.

I called our very capable Director of Public Works, Doug Jones, to gain his perspective on the storm’s impact. Mr. Jones shared the following:

“The combination of sleet, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain was a challenge for Town crews and residents. All available staff and equipment were deployed beginning on Saturday, April 14th.

“Given the prolonged nature of this storm and the available manpower, crews had to work strategically. That meant a focus on ploughing and salting main roads over the weekend while precipitation continued to fall.”

It is important to note that Mr. Jones freely admitted his department would be meeting to discuss what can be done differently in the future. While we wait for their suggested changes, I want town staff to know how thankful I am for the work they did under such trying circumstances.

I watched the recent council meeting this past Monday and once again felt great angst as I watched the performance of Councillor Nick Garisto. During the discussion about flooding on Town Line, Councillor Garisto made personal attacks on other councillors and senior Town staff.  Specifically, he admonished the Clerk regarding an email from a resident that was not included in the meeting package and belittled Doug Jones concerning the flood information that was provided.

I believe that having a verbal battle with a fellow politician is all part of the game, but maligning key town staff will accomplish nothing. A true professional would have had private conversations prior to the meeting and then arrived fully prepared with constructive solutions.

The political rumours in town suggest that Mr. Garisto will be putting his name forth for Deputy Mayor in the upcoming election. I am a close follower of local politics, and as such, I stand by the fact-based article that I wrote on January 3rd which espoused that Mr. Garisto is no longer someone that I trust to represent the town in which I live.

The last week was no doubt a difficult one for many. Be well, everyone.


Readers Comments (0)





Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.