North Renfrew Times

Letters to the editor

The North Renfrew Times welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and must include a return address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length and clarity.

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"Big city" policing, small town problems

The reactions to my recent letter to the editor regarding the level and cost of Deep River's policing (“Deep River over policed,” NRT January 11) have been very interesting. The following are my comments on some of them.

1. The mayor's feeling that the majority of Deep River residents are happy with the present police services is, in my view, a little presumptuous.

I was amazed at the number of people who talked to me about the issue and were very supportive of my comments.

If I recall, the last satisfaction survey done on the police service was not particularly high, and I suspect it would be even lower if a survey was taken today.

2. The person who claimed to have seen a constable on foot patrol recently had either witnessed an isolated incident or perhaps had seen a constable walking to or from his vehicle or to a local store.

Foot patrols are not part of the policing routine. Why there is such a reluctance to implement them is a mystery, and the police services board owes residents an explanation.

3. It is very debatable whether petty crimes will increase with a reduced police presence.

As has been pointed out, these are crimes of opportunity and will occur even if the police force is increased in number. The only practical way these thefts can be reduces is for residents to take better care of their property.

4. I don't believe the statement that the OPP would not provide meaningful interactions with young people is entirely accurate.

I understand that the OPP does have community liaison officers who do, in fact, provide valuable interaction services.

The police chief states that "we are a small town and historically smaller towns have smaller problems" and "most crimes are crimes of opportunity such as theft and mischief, which are often hard to solve, with a sprinkling of more serious crimes".

Doesn't this beg the question of why is such a huge amount of money being spent on policing for petty crimes which are, for the most part, unsolvable?

In other words, $1.5 million is being spent to follow up on $5,000 - $10,000 worth of stolen property.

Long-time residents of Deep River remember when the town was a "booming" community with a population in the 6,000 range.

The police force then was only about half the size of what it is now, and they managed to keep law and order in the town.

I, and many others, feel that far too much funding is being spent on policing the town. We have a “big city” style of police force being paid “big city” salaries to deal with small town policing issues.

Council was elected, among other reasons, to deal with Deep River's very high tax rate. The town has two very costly services which consume a significant portion of the annual budget.

Council cannot continue to ignore the fact that there are significant potential savings that can be applied to important infrastructure needs or to new initiatives of benefit to the town residents.

Bob Christie

- February 8, 2012

Do whatever it takes

Re: “Town may take action, mayor warns,” NRT January 18.

Dear Mayor Dave: Having just read the article in the January 18 edition of the NRT re: purchasing the property behind the JL Gray building to build seniors housing, I want to encourage you to go for it!

Fight for it! Sacrifice your first-born for it! (OK, that might be a little extreme.) But do whatever it takes!

The location of that property seems so absolutely perfect for housing for seniors.

It’s within walking distance of most of the needs of seniors; this is a priority when it comes to finding ideal places for seniors to live in comfort.

Additionally, the location would provide the rest of the town a more convenient opportunity to visit seniors, since they would be close by.

The Morison School site and the Keys Centre site would be only “better than nothing” but the property behind the JL Gray building is the piece de resistance. GO FOR IT.

And while you’re at it, when the property is purchased, please ensure that no restrictions such as height, blocking the river view, etc., get in the way of the project.

Seniors are much more important than these issues; and in fact, extra height would allow the seniors on the upper floors to have an even more amazing view of the river.

I am saddened to see that the gratitude we give to our seniors is that we force them to leave town to find a place where they can live and manage their lives.

We can do better than that.

I’ve lived here for 12 years now and have seen no concrete progress in the matter of housing for our seniors, other than the addition of the Four Season’s lodge for the very frail elderly.

I have much experience working with seniors and would gladly sit on any seniors committee where my presence would be useful.

Best of luck!

Laurene McKee

- January 25, 2012

Valuable service

Re: “Deep River over policed” and “Considerable burden,” letters, NRT January 11 and 18.

There have been a couple of letters in recent weeks questioning the value of and criticizing the Deep River police department.

Although I can't speak to the economics of having local police, I can speak to the value of their service.

During the sometimes harrowing teen years, we have had officers, in particular the youth liaison officer, actually come to our home and spend time talking with our kids about various issues.

As a parent, one often struggles to provide meaningful guidance, or to know what interventions will have an impact, but having an officer willing to take the time to have a discussion about their potential interactions with law enforcement sure can't  hurt.

You wouldn't get that kind of personal service from an OPP detachment!

And I did meet an officer on foot patrol, not too long ago.

Leslie White

- January 25, 2012

Considerable burden

I wish to add my thoughts and support to Bob Christie's letter of January 11 (“Deep River over policed”).

I, too, feel that the police should have more of a presence downtown where there have been recent acts of vandalism and other incidents of a disturbing nature. Regular foot patrol was an excellent suggestion.

I personally groan when I see, much too often, our police parked along a certain section of Highway 17. I have to wonder if they are giving Deep River the reputation of being a nasty little town to drive through.

I recall an incident a couple of years ago when a trucker stopped across the road from Tim Hortons and came across for a much needed coffee.

He was on his way from Montreal to points west and he was stressed out from driving in one of that winter's worst storms.

He was in the building only a few minutes but that was long enough for the police to arrive and to begin ticketing him.

His disbelief at seeing this was matched by the anger of the other customers that day. We all felt that, given the circumstances, it was an example of bad judgement on the part of the person writing the ticket.

Some policing along Highway 17 is no doubt necessary to augment that done by the OPP but, at present, it amounts to overkill.

As Bob Christie has pointed out, the cost of the police and fire departments has become a considerable burden on the local taxpayers as our population dwindles, and the more one pays for a service, the more one expects in return.

Ivan McWilliam

- January 18, 2011

Deep River "over policed"

While scanning the monthly “Crime scene” report in the December 28 issue of the NRT, I couldn't understand one of the items reported.

The report states that a Constable Barker stopped a vehicle that had illegal drugs and related equipment in plain view. He seized and destroyed the items and then let the driver go with a caution.

Unless there has been a significant change in policing procedures, I thought any evidence found was confiscated to support any subsequent charges of criminal activity!

To those who follow these monthly reports, it is quite evident that the vast majority of the Deep River policing activities is related to following up on petty crimes such as stolen bicycles and other low value items, mischiefs, the occasional counterfeit bill, etc.

The nature of these petty crimes is such that they will still occur despite the size of the police force. The other policing activity of patrolling Hwy 17 is one that could well be done by the OPP.

The police chief likes to attribute the town's low criminal rate to police presence; in my view, Deep River is certainly not a “hotbed” of criminal activity and the low rate is due more to the law-abiding nature of the town's citizens, rather than police presence.

Has anyone seen a police constable on walking patrol in downtown Deep River lately?

As with its fire department, I suspect Deep River is the only small town of its size in the province of Ontario with a full-time police department.

Deep River taxpayers are spending over $1 million annually for protection mainly against petty crimes and the very infrequent case of what may be categorized as a serious crime.

It is no surprise that the Deep River police enjoy their jobs, with very good compensation, lots of time off with 12-hour shifts, and a relatively light workload compared to other urban areas.

In my opinion, I believe the town is being “over policed” and this presents town council with an opportunity to do a cost-effectiveness review to determine what level of policing does the town really need and can afford.

Savings could potentially be significant and be applied to more important infrastructure needs of the town.

Bob Christie

- January 11, 2012

"Backward" or just realistic?

Recently, two letters have been published in the NRT expressing different attitude toward bringing tourism to Deep River.

On December 14, Greg Csullog dismissed comments by Jones made one week earlier as a "masterpiece of backward thinking and negative attitude."

However, what if Paul Jones was right and Csullog just thoughtlessly repeated a slogan from the pre-election massage of voters when he wrote: "Deep River has a forward thinking council with a positive, go get 'em attitude. Refreshing!"

Obviously, there are many questions that the "forward thinking" council should answer, eg, how many tourists should we try and divert from the highway to the downtown?

How do we prevent the "excess" tourists not to do it? What do we offer to tourists in the downtown area?

The answer to the last question is obvious. There is almost nothing there except for the beautiful view of the Ottawa River.

There are probably 10 parking spots at the Centennial Rock, probably 20 more at the marina and about 20 vacancies in the two remaining restaurants.

Except for the town hall, the downtown looks pretty shabby. In Europe, such a small town would likely have a family restaurant on the river, boat rental and other infrastructure including accommodation.

So, does the council have any real plan as to what to do and, in particular, how to finance changes for better?

Until this and other questions are answered, I would suggest that Paul Jones' "backward thinking" is a very realistic picture of the present situation.

Jiri Jirovec

- December 21, 2011

Positive attitude

Deep River has a forward thinking council with a positive, go get 'em attitude. Refreshing!

Paul Jones' letter to the editor, on the other hand (“The future is tourism?” NRT December 7), is a masterpiece of backward thinking and negative attitude that reflects a "why go get anything" attitude.

Oh well, the election result says it all!

Greg Csullog

- December 14, 2011

It takes a community

Congratulations to the “Wizard of Oz” for the well-deserved accolades, standing ovations, and three brilliant shows.

The NRT’s “Argus” review left out one honourable mention, which is to the many volunteers from Deep River and area that pitched in.

From the orchestra and musical direction, to the choreography, stage management, costumes, sets, props, and technical effects, this was as much a show put on by the community as the school, in the spirit of so many local productions we’ve all enjoyed.

The many extra hours volunteered by school staff should also be acknowledged.

How wonderful it was to see this sharing of time and talent, exemplifying the kind of support that makes a school strong.

The Deep River area really does put the “community” in Mackenzie Community School!

Jeremy Whitlock

- December 14, 2011

The future is tourism?

The editorial (“Town needs new families” by SS) in the NRT of November 30 presented a good argument about tourism and town development and exactly the one I was trying to make during my recent campaign to become a Deep River councillor.
 
It is completely unclear how the current council’s “let's just do it” drive to beautify - and increase tourism to - the town will even be effective - let alone if it will be a significant benefit for existing residents or how it will attract young families to live in this town.
 
Many voters are asking how we can get more military people to live in Deep River; however, many of the AECL employees working in town and at the Chalk River Labs commute into work, not from Deep River, but from Pembroke and Petawawa.
 
So, another important question is how to attract more of those people currently commuting into Deep River and CRL from Pembroke and Petawawa to live here instead?
 
By attempting to increase tourism into town, friction will likely be created between existing residents and visitors and it is hard to see any benefit for residents in this.
 
On the contrary, it is easy to imagine boaters and local residents becoming frustrated when, in order to launch and recover their boats, they have to manoeuvre through inattentive tourist traffic who are “just visiting” a beautified marina and town pier.
 
Maybe the sizeable amount of residents’ money that council intends to spend on beautifying the flood-prone area around the gas-bar at the pier/marina would be better spent improving conditions for existing pier users, eg, adding another launch ramp and paving the pier end – or, heaven forbid, fixing known problems at the swimming pool.

We live in a park-like setting but we do not live in a park.
 
It is possible to respect and keep the “park-like” features we all love while still maintaining the town as a liveable and thriving place where existing - and future - residents can enjoy a full range of activities.
 
We need to maintain our existing facilities if we are to attract new, young, residents.
 
We do not need to spend large sums of money to “beautify” our town to death and, in any case, the effectiveness of the “beautification” strategy is likely to be diminished by our close proximity to an operating nuclear facility and attendant bad publicity related to a) local “leaks” and b) events at far, far, away Fukushima.

P. Jones

- December 7, 2011

Taxpayers have a right to know

In the past few months, there has been a lot of talk in Head, Clara and Maria. As a taxpayer, my concern is the topic of the conversation.

It seems as though council is more concerned with keeping the people in the community quiet than answering their questions.

The childish cat fights and petty arguments between council and taxpayers need to end. Taxpayers have a right to know where the money is going in the community and why decisions are being made.

The latest is the decision on whether or not to cancel the service of the Jaws of Life in the area. I personally would like to know why this is even in consideration.

Bissett Creek Road is used by many family and friends of mine and is, at times, a very busy and dangerous road. With the possibility of the mine opening, why would something that could possibly save lives be in question?

Instead of worrying about suing taxpayers for asking questions, the council should be answering questions.

I hope that the future of our this small community could start to focus on the matter at hand.

Marilyn Bruzas

- November 23, 2011

More thought needed on marina plan

Thoughts on the new marina gas bar and patio concept/project...
 
The swimming pool and the arena need expensive repairs.
 
High municipal taxes have been put forward as a reason why people do not want to move to Deep River and have been linked to high membership fees - and the declining membership - of clubs that own property here.
 
The curling club building and the yacht club hexagon may also look like “shacks” to some people too. Why is the marina gas bar “shack” such a deserving priority?
 
The Deep River dock and launch ramp is a working port. The large mobile cranes that are used to launch and recover the marina yachts need to access, and manoeuvre at, the dockside.
 
On many summer weekends there is not enough parking space for boaters using the launch ramps - and the road leading to the launch ramp can be very busy.

When the weather is threatening, safety demands that boaters recover their boats quickly.
 
There are fire hazards from marine fuelling operations.

Why are we encouraging additional traffic, with its parking demands, in the marina gas bar area; is it really an area where we should be encouraging people - especially handicapped people - to sit, socialize and relax?
 
The waterfront and pathway at Centennial Rock already contains plenty of much safer seating for people wishing to relax and view the scenery.
 
Have council really thought about all this or have they been blinded by pretty architects’ drawings that do not show the more gritty reality of boating operations at the marina and launch ramps?

Has council forgotten about existing municipal obligations to maintain the swimming pool and arena?

Maybe it has all been thought out... but the enthusiastic cry from our mayor of “let's just do it” does not give me much confidence that it has - or will be.

Paul Jones

- November 16, 2011

Good people

Hi, my name is Cindy and I am from Manitoulin Island. I would really like to put a thank you in your newspaper.

To make a long story short, we were on our way to Ottawa in September and my boyfriend lost a large amount of money - we weren't sure where.

We thought it must have been in Ottawa as when we arrived in Ottawa late that night, he noticed his cash not in his pocket. We were sick about it all weekend.

On our way home on Sunday we stopped at the Tim Hortons in your town for a coffee. Since we stopped there that Thursday on the way to Ottawa, I thought that it wouldn't hurt to ask if anyone had found any cash outside the parking lot.

My boyfriend thought I was crazy and really didn't think he would get his money back.

He went back out in the vehicle and I waited as they told me they were going to check... Minutes later they came out with an envelope with the cash.

I cannot thank the person who turned it in enough, I don't know who it was... I would really like them know how grateful we were and still are.

I hope that person is blessed back so much more than what they returned to us. It shows that there are still good people in this world.

Cindy Campbell

- November 9, 2011

Help save the railway

Many people I meet in our area these days are most unhappy about the prospect of losing our local railway line.

Many feel it is too late to stop it from happening because CP Rail has removed much of the track between Smiths Falls and Pembroke.

However, there is still hope for the connection to Mattawa and beyond via Chalk River.

The railway is still intact from south of Pembroke all the way to Mattawa. At Pembroke it has a connection to the railway line from Pembroke to Ottawa that the Transport Pontiac-Renfrew (TPR) group are in the process of saving and plan to operate.

If the Pembroke to Mattawa section is also kept, there will still be a complete, viable rail line between North Bay and Ottawa.

There are many good financial, social and environmental reasons to keep the line as an operating railway.

Many letters to the editor, editorials and columns on the subject have appeared in the NRT over the last few years. TPR are interested in operating the entire line.

We need to show the authorities that there is tangible public support to change the current course of events that is leading towards complete removal of the rails.

As a start, I have prepared a petition to save the railway, and I hope as many people as possible will sign it.

The petition will be available at a “Save the Railway” booth in the Arts & Crafts show in Mackenzie Community School on November 5-6. Someone from TPR will be there.

Please stop by to ask questions, sign the petition and pick up copies to circulate to your friends to collect more signatures.

This is likely just the start of a campaign that will be needed to save the railway.

ME Stephens

- November 2, 2011

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