Raise the Hammer

Where do you want to start?

Legionnaire's virus spewing out of a downtown A.C. unit some years ago, & it was not reported until long after the fact. Should we blame the media, Public Health, or City Hall for not being forthcoming?

Fire in Dundas that put a type of rat poison into Spencer Creek. The fact of the toxins was not reported for some weeks, the extent of the damage not reported for many weeks after. Residents in some cases did not know about the spill or the fire, & many also did not know to keep their kids & pets away from the creek. Would it not be in the public interest to inform people of the fire, the spill & damage to Spencer Creek right into Cootes Paradise & the ongoing danger to residents?

Fire in Ancaster that produced some nasty fumes for miles away. Many residents were woken by the acrid fumes, but few were warned to close windows & take precautions. The extent of the toxins is still not known.

Destruction of the home of Upper Canada's oldest newspaper. Demolition began & was finished on Christmas Eve. Initially, this building was supposed to be 'saved' & incorporated into the design of an expanded existing structure. And why Christmas Eve?

The Deer Hunt in Dundas conservation area (Iroquois Heights) was hastily o.k.'d pre-Christmas to 'avoid controversy', if I understood the article that explained why it was carried out during the Christmas Holidays, when many people expected to walk those trails with kids & grand kids. The entire process is still a sore point with many who live in the Dundas Valley, & they wonder if a conservation area is now an ongoing meat shop for Aboriginal Peoples. They also question if there was still ongoing & unresolved scientific debate about deer populations, forest succession & what damage, if any had been caused by the deer, why was there such a hurry to carry out a hunt at all?

Sign in local public park that actually threatens prosecution for trespass if you are found in the park after 11 p.m. (This is a new one on me! I have never heard of such a situation Ever, except in the case of public pools that would present a danger to trespassers.) I do not recall this ever being published before the decision was made, or discussed with local residents at the time.

Many people are complaining about the rush to implement Ancaster's new traffic plan. Many of these complaints are based on the fact that public discussion was very brief, & held during the Holiday season. Pedestrians & cyclists feel left out of the process, or so say they in local papers.

I feel uneasy about the amount of meetings at City Hall that are reported to have gone "in Camera", after the initial public meetings & discussions.
A number of these took place during the Stadium debate, & some have happened since on other issues.
It is our city & it is our money & we do have the right to know how decisions are formulated, after the fact of our input.(or lack there of)

Traffic accidents that go for the most part, unreported in some areas. Yes we must respect people & families, but there is an element of secrecy here that is unusual in it's frequency.

I did mention in another thread 1 such recent incident, involving a pedestrian hit on Wilson St. E. in Ancaster. I have found no published information about this. She was walking in an area with no sidewalks, & appears to have been hit while attempting to walk in the bicycle lane on the shoulder of the road. There have been several recent incidents, some involving fatalities, but beyond this, we know nothing about what happened & why.
If we need more traffic enforcement, more speed traps, & more RIDE checks in some areas, these accidents could at least give us some idea what to ask for & at what locations should be given more attention.
My fingers are tired... :{