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Since Nov. 1, there have been no less than 14 (and still counting) letters to the editor on BarrieToday regarding Premier Doug Ford and his handling — or mishandling — of the Greenbelt question, Bill 124, as well as his method of steamrolling over issues that only appear to matter to him or totally ignoring others.
Since that represents only one online publication in just over six weeks, how much adverse reaction has been garnered from the entire province since the June election?
Some may say it’s pretty dismal … others, deplorable. Is it also worth mentioning his trash-talking of other politicians and the general public?
When is Premier Ford going to wake up from his fantasy world and face reality? His popularity nose-dive in the six months since being re-elected is the result of people realizing that he is not the man he claimed to be during the election. His performance is self-aggrandizing and condescending. Perhaps he is right — politics is like a sandbox.
But that doesn’t mean that some of those ‘playing’ in it have to continuously act like children.
If we have to tolerate this behaviour for the next three and a half years, the province could be destined to become a backwater territory. Hopefully, the populace will not have to digress to desperate measures in order to regain the voice that we should have in the first place.
There appears to be abundant testimony that we as a province have a serious mismanagement crisis. In that light, the next thing to consider is what can be done to
correct this situation. What options are available? Options other than confrontational shutdowns or disruptive, placard-waving protest marches. Options that will provide positive and meaningful dialogue potentially leading to reasonable resolutions.
Catchphrases like 'ban the bypass,' regarding the Bradford Bypass controversy, or ‘Reverse Bill 23’ tend to ring hollow in the ears of politicians.
Does sporadic letter writing to the local press and, on occasion, to MPPs actually have an impact on the decision-making at Queen’s Park?
Perhaps it’s time to consider a more meaningful and collaborative dialogue with Premier Ford and staff … propose viable solutions, or answers that appear to move in a positive manner towards a resolution.
Yes, there is a need to build more housing — a large percentage of which has to be affordable — but it does not have to be on environmentally sensitive and designated Greenbelt land.
Just as in Barrie, many urban centres contain ample vacant, and in many instances, serviced land available for development. Why can’t that be a first consideration? Can we not convince our newly arrived citizens to settle in smaller communities that need a boost to their economies that increased population would bring? Why do they have to be packed into cities whose infrastructures can barely handle the load on them now?
Let’s stop building self-centred ‘you’re not the boss of me’ castles in that sandbox.
Instead, let’s create permanent citizen-inspired solutions in the real world.
Alastair MacLeod
Barrie
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