Letters to the Editor

Islanders just want basic health care they can depend on

Stealthily, government announced changes to hospital access which would permanently alter citizen and community life on PEI. The consequences of government’s rejection of Islandwide Hospital Access include: injuring the health of some Islanders, reinforcing the prejudices of rural discrimination, devastating selected rural areas, and pushing PEI down a road that has bankruptcy and unwanted Maritime Union as its consequence. With no elected or regional community voice for hospitals, communities had to organize and respond quickly, thus Islandwide Hospital Access formed across PEI to create issue awareness and resolution. Islandwide Hospital Access is not pursuing heart surgery or cosmetic surgery in rural areas, ...

Income tax breaks constitution

Dear Editor, Those people wanting to protest against the unlawful federal income tax should not do it by withholding the income tax return. The income tax return started life as a requirement of Stats Canada. This form was a questionnaire to inform the government of the incomes of Canadian citizens, and by a law has to be sent to the government. However the Canada Revenue Agency took it over as a tax document, but it is required to send it in by law. You may have noticed most of the charges against people the agency claims owe money, are not charged with ...

It’s time someone took responsibility

It is time for the Liberals and College of Physicians and Surgeons to apologize for not taking action regarding the number of over prescribed prescriptions for opiates and narcotics. PEI Health Minister Doug Currie has admitted the College Of Physicians and Surgeons has the authority to suspend doctors, dentists and pharmacists for over-prescribing drugs. The question remains why hasn’t it taken action against those who are overprescribing addictive medications? The second question is why aren’t the Liberals enacting a provincial ombudsman to investigate the misuse instead of government inspectors. The Liberals have reneged on election promises made nearly six years ago to ...

The real issue is response time

A few negative comments regarding firefighting and medical first responders have come to the forefront in your newspaper over the past few weeks. Cardigan Fire Department’s response on April 24th in the website “Visitors Response Column” answers any questions people in rural areas may have about firefighting or as a first responder. People in our jurisdiction need to be assured we will be there ASAP when the need arises, as we have been in the past. Recent publications have stated we will stop acting in this role as first responders if the government doesn’t reverse the changes. (Page #3, Eastern Graphic, April 24, ...

Death by a thousand cuts

The great political problem in our modern democracy is how to induce our leaders to lead. Islanders can gaze from our national scene in Ottawa to our provincial picture in Charlottetown and observe substantial and repetitive evidence that both our prime minister and premier have lost touch with “ordinary people.” This lack of democratic leadership is especially true in the relationship with ordinary people in rural Canada and most especially with ordinary people in rural Prince Edward Island. When you govern democratically communication is open, ongoing, and honest. And ordinary people need to trust this communication process. This established trust requires ...

Constitutional overreach

Recently, the PEI Chapter of MADD met with Federal Revenue Minister Gail Shea to urge amendments to the criminal law which would allow the police to administer breathalyzers at roadside stop checks even when there was no visible signs of impairment or any driving pattern that might indicate impairment. In an interview on CBC radio, Minister Shea did not dismiss this idea, and indicated she would bring it to the attention of others in government. My concern is that neither the well-intentioned members of MADD or the federal minister seem to have addressed their minds to how gravely this would affect ...

The Conservatives’ real views on Atlantic Canadians emerge

Dear Editor, The real views of Conservatives on our fishers in Atlantic Canada have been brought into daylight, and they are more degrading than we ever imagined. In public, the Conservatives profess respect. However, an internal letter on fleet separation from Nova Scotia Conservative Senator Stephen Greene to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is more candid. He states that fleet separation is immoral and is responsible for the stunting of personal development for thousands of Atlantic Canadians. Shockingly, he also states fleet separation is responsible for “the acceptance of massive EI fraud as part and parcel of a way of life” and ...

First responders need to be heard

In light of recent concerns of some rural fire departments discontinuing their role as medical first responders, no fire department has said anything about “Quitting.” What some fire departments have said is that they are concerned about EMS response times while other fire departments have said they may re-examine the role they play as medical first responders within PEI’s emergency medical services system. ...

Rural health care suffers under Liberal arrogance

As many know, I have had a kidney transplant. Every day my feet hit the floor I thank the Good Lord and my dear sister for giving me a new lease on life. With a transplant comes extra responsibilities, including a regiment of medication on a daily basis, and frequent blood work and testing. On Monday April 15th, I spent some time at the Souris Hospital. Between waiting my turn, a chest X-ray, and a two hour Glucose Tolerance Test, I suppose I was about three hours. I spent some of my time in the lab waiting room talking to local ...

Clueless bureaucracy lets farmers down

Dear Editor, I recently attended a funding announcement of significant federal dollars to Prince Edward Island under the comprehensive five year Growing Forward II agreement. Like all political communications with an electorate in this media age, it was carefully managed, with a positively spun message at the farm of a young Island farming family. In short, they claim to be doing a great job. ...

Government has itself to blame

When my children were young I made sure that I taught them the value of money. Don’t waste money on unnecessary things. If you have bill priorities make sure they are paid before spending on other things. Most importantly, I made sure they were taught to save for a rainy day because you never know when times may get tough. It has become more obvious with the latest moves by the Ghiz government that he wasn’t taught these important values. With the latest announcement of $6.6 million for 2014 celebrations and renovations, the total amount contributed by our province is $8.7 ...

All creatures great and small

As a European descendant, I am proud of my heritage, but we have a weird history of assuming that we are “the best.” We have a long history of believing that we are better than Black humans, and better than Aboriginal humans. If you’re a heterosexual man, you are sometimes still believed to be better than human women, and many still think you are better than non-hetero humans. And, of course, we are all better than non-human animals. But these ideas are being challenged, and there does seem to be a trend towards recognizing the greatness in “others,” and recognizing the ...

This land is our land

Dear Mr. Carver, This is a critical time for Prince Edward Islanders. Our way of life is being eroded from all sides. Rural PEI is emptying out and increasingly out young people are forced to leave. Bigger potato farms will not fix our problems. In fact it will do just the opposite. Inviting large corporations to gobble up more of our land means our children will have even less chance to own their own homes let alone return to the family farm. Potato farming has been very hard on our soil and water. What we need to do is help family farmers ...

Wear a symbol of hope

Dear Editor, It has been heart warming to see so many people wearing the bright yellow daffodil pin this month. This special flower is a symbol of courage and strength for those on a cancer journey. By wearing the pin you show your support for friends, family, colleagues and neighbours who have been touched by cancer; it might even represent your own experience. This Daffodil month I want to extend my sympathy to each and every family who has lost someone to the disease. I also want to share my concern for everyone currently battling cancer. Words cannot describe how devastating the ...

Smaller is better for rural care

As a resident of Souris for many years I feel compelled to write in support of our local hospital. If Minister Currie and Premier Ghiz (who is very quiet while other members of his party are abusing rural Islanders) spent a couple of days in Souris Hospital they would see for themselves what an essential asset it is for our community. We are very fortunate to have two well qualified doctors and a nurse practitioner, who show much compassion and care for their patients. Most of us felt very secure with what we had until two weeks ago when ...

Islanders must stay vigilant

It’s not easy to pull the wool over the eyes of Islanders. Many are enraged at large Corporations which are trying hard to scuttle PEI’s Land Protections Act. At the moment, they seemingly have the ear of Robert Ghiz. Commissioner Horace Carver has been sent out about the Province to test the waters with this proposed massive land grab rush on the table. Besides the obvious environmental destruction and toxic environment which a potato mono-crop has created in PEI, it is certain that increasing farm sizes on the Island will cause still more applications of air-borne pesticides, fish-kills, pollution, and unsustainable ...

Rhymin’ with ‘Fiddle-de-dee’

‘Jake’ and ‘Gigi’ are a couple you see, One weighs ‘thirty’ kilos ... the other but ‘three’, His ‘fleur-de-lis’ ... his ‘eau de vie’, Almost all, they share right down to the flea ... Two pups outstandin’ ... ‘VIP’. They sport their ‘fur’ dress, fancy free, Colours of black, white, beige ... and gray, maybe, Within borders, they play and frolic, carefree ... It’s all about their trustful esprit. To happiness, we believe they must hold the key ... They share a plate of treats, happily ... Her little bed is big enough only for ‘she’, With no place for ‘he’ or, even an ‘extremity.’ To conclude, the fidelity of a canine, you ...

Families struggle with broken system

Dear Editor, It doesn’t take much effort to see disparity in our society. You simply have to look at the abundant number of individuals and families who are forced to turn towards food banks and charities for support for people and their families. We cannot forget that the face of poverty in PEI does indeed have a face and it can be seen in our neighbours, our friends or perhaps even a family member. Often times we see the very poor as those who represent the entire demographic but we must remind ourselves there are many families, seniors, and individuals who are ...

Time to get the lead out

The first thing I saw when I woke this morning was an eagle soaring over the valley below my house. Later, when I went online to check the news, I saw CBC’s report about the surprising number of bald eagles in PEI poisoned by lead. Hunters were blamed. Only the day before I heard gunshots near my house and went to investigate. Shooters were on property belonging to people in Nova Scotia. When they left, I saw their garbage – an empty cardboard ammunition box and 42 shotgun shell casings. But that’s not all they left. Information on the ...

The numbers don’t lie

Dear Mrs. Ontario, Let’s look at your claim that there is a discrepancy between the amount of women needing abortions and the amount using the service. The Canadian Rape Victim Support Network states that 17 per cent of women will be raped in their lifetime. According to the Parliament of Canada’s statistics, low income mothers represent 9.4 per cent of women in Canada. Canadian Mental Health tells us 1 in 5 Canadian women will experience a mental illness. I also mentioned teen pregnancies, which Statscan tells us represents 3 in 100 Canadian women per year. Now, Statscan also tells us that in 2010, 64,640 ...

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