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Letters to the Editor

April 13, 2016   ·   0 Comments

‘Suck it up,

Buttercup’

Re: Todd Taylor column on leadership (March 31):

The above-mentioned article was certainly meant to add fuel to an already burning fire. It has pre-election schoolyard bully overtones likely inspired by the old time “many” interested in discrediting the unwanted “few”! As is with many stories and reports, there can be a few truthful strands of fabric weaved into a discrediting suit of mostly inaccuracies to get a desired effect.

My many years of private and public work experience with varied minor and major leadership roles can help me attest with some comment creditably to the fact that you generally get more distance out of people when you put a little “honey” on it rather than “vinegar.”

This article (simply put) was personal, painful, hurtful and unbecoming of a local affairs journalist, freelance or otherwise. Shame on any of those who endorse it. As a 33-year resident of Orangeville I would like to apologize to Mr. Williams and Mr. Garisto.

Let council, staff and associates build on being half-full in lieu of half-empty. Most of us are fully aware of the dedication and how hard they all work but whatever happened to helping and working with each other?

Stop getting personal and stop this confounded bickering. In short, “Suck it up, Buttercup,” let things take their natural course and stay focused on work. Trust me, more will be accomplished and all will feel a whole lot better for it.

Richard R. Newton

Shelburne

Connecting Links

 

Roads are the arteries of our communities. We use them to move our kids from school to practice, to get to work and to move our goods from farm to table or markets abroad. They connect where we are today to where we have to go tomorrow. They are essential to our top priority of jobs and economic growth.

When these arteries get clogged, congested or fall into a state of disrepair, it has a huge impact on our quality of life and our economy. The impact is even greater when those roads  connect us to the provincial highway network or to border crossings. We call these roads “Connecting Links.” In 77 communities across Ontario, there are 352 kilometres of Connecting Links — roadways and bridges that connect two ends of a highway through a community.

The Ontario Government has heard loud and clear from municipal leaders across Ontario that our partnership was required to keep these critical transportation connections in a state of good repair.

That is why in the 2016 Ontario Budget, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the new Connecting Links Program is providing $20 million this year, $25 million next year and $30 million in 2018-19 to upgrade and make safer the roads and bridges families in Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities rely upon.

Building quality local road and highway infrastructure has a positive impact on the economic prosperity of a community, a region and our entire province. Connecting Links help people and goods move more efficiently between and across communities — and by repairing and upgrading these roads and bridges, local jobs are created.

These infrastructure investments are part of our government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on our number-one priority: to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education.

The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. Our plan is also helping every worker build the retirement security they deserve.

By building the infrastructure that carries our province’s most valuable resources – our people – the new Connecting Links program is part of a long-term commitment to Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities that is stronger than ever.

Hon. Steven Del Duca, MPP

Ontario Minister of Transportation

Editor’s Note: We wonder whether the minister has ever tried to use the Highway 10 “connecting link” through Shelburne – almost always congested, totally unsuited to today’s large trucks, and in need of replacement by a bypass for at least 50 years!

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