Saturday, October 24, 2026

Letters

A Thank You to Mary Jack and Volunteers For Their Efforts Towards Meaford Junior Coyote Club

Dear Editor, We would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank Mary Jack and her dedicated team of volunteers for the wonderful work they do with the Meaford Junior Coyote Running Club. With approximately 60 children involved, the club provides an affordable and a local opportunity for our youth to stay active, develop healthy habits, and experience the benefits...

The Cost of a ‘Free’ Sample: Meaford’s Pre-Development Agreement

Dear Editor, There is an old adage in retail that the most expensive item in the store is the "free sample." Grocery stores don't give away bites of food out of generosity; they do it because behavioral psychology proves that receiving a gift triggers a powerful, deeply ingrained human impulse: the rule of reciprocity. It creates a subtle sense of...

Put People Ahead of Lawyers

Dear Editor, In a letter (Oct. 15) Meaford’s mayor asserts that a number of legal opinions have assured council there is nothing it could do to stop TC Energy’s pumped storage project. Yet it was council’s Feb. 27, 2023, decision to offer Meaford as a willing host that allowed the project to move ahead in the first place. Meaford did have...

Reader Asks What’s Going On?

Editor, Marvin Gaye asked this question in 1971. Listen to the song. By 1993 not much changed when Linda Perrry of the '4 Non-Blondes' group released What’s Up which again asked the question, 'What’s Going On?' Listen to the song. Perhaps the time has come 33 years later for all of us to ask, or maybe yell out this question:...

Who Should Voters Believe?

Dear Editor, In his recent letter, Bruce Mason suggests that voters should place little weight on candidates' positions regarding the proposed Pumped Storage Project because the project is located on federal lands and Meaford Council has limited authority over its outcome. Before voters accept that advice, they may wish to consider Mr. Mason's record on this issue. Earlier this year, in his...

Mayor Kentner Shares Thoughts on Pumped Storage Proposal Pre-Development Agreement

Dear Editor, Two things. First, I want to commend to every voter your excellent Rant on the inside back cover of your October 1st edition (The 3Rs...Rants, Raves & Rumours, October 1 print edition). In this piece you clarify a number of important things, including that unless one is observing council closely and with a full understanding of its processes,...

Popular this week

Reader Encourages Residents to be Visible in the Dark

Editor, This is a request, reminder to those who are out and about after the sun sets. Please, please, please wear reflective clothing of some sort. I am not used to driving in the dark, but with the season changing I am on the roads more frequently after the sun has set. It is alarming how many folks walking their...

Thoughts on Letters, Candidates, and Misinformation

Dear Editor, There was a lot of misinformation in the Letters page this week. The candidate profiles were missing things too. Clair Balfour believes the 4th Canadian Training Centre (the Base) is in Meaford. And therefore, Meaford always held a veto over the pumped storage proposal. Under Ontario law. He believes: “Ontario’s Green Energy Repeal Act of 2018. In the words of...

Reader Wants Candidates to Confirm Where Campaign Funding Comes From

Dear Editor, With TC Energy's proposed pumped storage hydroelectric facility on the table, this municipal election in Meaford is shaping up to be a sensitive, even emotional, one. Candidates hold views from supportive to opposed, and residents deserve confidence that the outcome is decided by local voices. Under Ontario's rules, only individuals who are resident in Ontario may contribute to a...

Reader: This Election Cannot Be Reduced to a Single Issue

Editor, I have watched the recent online commentaries and have attending public forums and debates with growing concern. A post made on the Meaford and Area Open Discussion Forum Facebook group entitled “Who Gets to Ask the Question?” appeared highly critical to the process of the upcoming proposed public debates currently scheduled over the coming weeks. It is easy to...

Reader Insists That Council Could Have Stopped Pumped Storage Project

Dear Editor, There's a myth making the rounds in this pre-election season -- and being boosted by at least some on council who voted to green-light TC Energy's pumped storage proposal back in February 2023. The myth is that Meaford has virtually no say about the project because it would be on federal Defence Department land and all decisions will...

Reader Encourages Everyone to Vote

Editor, The question that is and will be put forward at all the candidates’ meetings is: Do you support the TC Energy’s Pumped Storage project on DND lands on the Niagara escarpment in the Municipality of Meaford? YES or NO. Why is that? It is because our current council and mayor “turn coated” in 2022 and decided against listening to residents,...

Reader Wishes Ballot Could Include Referendum on Pumped Storage Proposal

Dear Editor, As usual, I had a good chuckle, when I read Bruce Mason’s latest letter. He wants the municipal candidates to give a show of hands if they have studied the Pumped Storage Project. As if this is going to help voters make an informed decision. In the previous election, there were candidates that campaigned against pumped storage and did...

Questions About Contaminated Soil on Military Base

Dear Editor, As we approach the municipal election, there is an important question candidates for mayor and council should be prepared to answer: Do we really know what decades of military training may have left behind in our soil and groundwater? The Department of National Defence acknowledges that live-fire training at the Meaford military training area releases unexploded ordnance and munition residues...

Reader Wants to Know if Candidates Have Researched Pumped Storage Proposal

Dear Editor, I was shocked to read your editorial on September 24. As most readers have probably figured out by now, I believe the Pumped Storage proposal is a non-issue for the Meaford election. The opposition’s claims are unscientific scaremongering. Meaford has no say in the decision itself. Meaford needs to prepare for the Meaford challenges if the project proceeds, but...

Reader Offers Thoughts on Removal of American Flag From Market Square

Dear Editor, The recent decision by our town council to lower the American flag has left many in Meaford hurting. Harsh statements made by council members during the vote only deepened the sting, turning what should have been a standard administrative update into a needless source of community division. This painful friction perfectly demonstrates why Canadian flag protocol exists in...