Red tape: A hindrance to housing and more

by Brandon Mayer

A local resident and business owner is drawing attention to a simple, yet important problem: hydro layout inspections can be yet another hindrance to the already overcomplicated world of building new housing, or renovating existing housing or businesses.

The business owner who contacted the Times wished to remain anonymous in order to prevent any effect a news story might have on her case.

“I contacted Hydro One [mid June] for a new layout request for renovations we are planning,” she said. I would’ve called in April had I known we required a new layout, but due to errors with Ontario Call Before You Dig, we did not know Hydro was in the area we were working.”

The business owner is being told that the earliest date she can get an onsite meeting for a layout is October 30 - more than 4 months after her call. “After making calls and inquiring, it appears that most new builders and electricians are all facing significant delays,” she added. “The response we received from Hydro One is they are short staffed and I should have called sooner!”

Such a delay can potentially have a major impact on those building housing or upgrading their business, as is the case with the business owner who spoke to the Times. “If we cannot get our new septic system in before the winter sets in, then we potentially risk closing as we have outgrown our current set up,” she said. “These delays must have significant impacts to many. With the need for affordable housing, what type of financial burdens are being added to the

Lightning strikes eQuinelle house, causes fire

producing tornadoes in the Ottawa area, and many producing significant lightning, large hail, and strong winds.

The quick escape of the family from the eQuinelle house on August 3 highlights the life saving nature of having working smoke detectors. A new provincial campaign called “Saved by the Beep” is underway to bring awareness to the importance of installing and testing smoke detectors.

costs due to these delays?”

The business owner added a suggestion: “Can the layouts not be contracted out if they are that far behind? If they are that short on staff, why is there not more than one position posted for planning, instead of 27 positions for managers and administration?”

The provincial government is pushing its plan to “build more homes faster”, in part by cutting red tape. Clearly, much red tape still exists in the industry.

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In the early morning hours of August 3, several major storms rocked the area, including one storm in Kemptville that dealt a devastating lightning strike to a house in the eQuinelle subdivision. The lightning strike caused a major fire, which left the house still standing but uninhabitable.

Neighbours in the area at the time of the lightning strike reported that it sounded like an “explosion”. Flames were clearly visible pouring out of the top story of the home in Royal Landing Gate in the northwest end of town.

All people in the house managed to escape unharmed – thanks to smoke detectors – but only one out of three pets was able to be saved. Two cats and one hamster were removed from the building, but only one cat was successfully treated for the resulting smoke inhalation. The Times offers its condolences for the loss of the pets.

The family affected by the fire – consisting of four now-displaced individuals –did have insurance, and the Office of the Fire Marshall has officially designated the cause of the fire as accidental (a lightning strike).

There have been many intense storms in the local area this summer, with some

“Thursday Sept. 28, 2023, is Ontario's first Test Your Smoke Alarm Day!”, reads a section of the Saved by the Beep website. “Last year, there were 133 fire fatalities in the Province – the most in 20 years. As part of Test Your Smoke Alarm Day, all Ontarians are encouraged to learn more about smoke alarms, fire safety, and home fire escape planning, which can save the lives of you and your loved ones. Most importantly, we want you to test your smoke alarms! We've created free, downloadable resources in multiple languages so everyone can share this safety message.”

For more information, visit http://savedbythebeep. ca/.

by Brandon Mayer

“Won’t somebody please think of the children!?” Such a classic line never gets old, and I would say it aptly summarizes probably about 95% of reasoning used by climate change activists in furthering their cause. Future generations will have to suffer for current bad choices, there is little doubt about that, but people are driven by the immediate necessities of life, not doomsday lectures.

Early last week, I stepped outside one morning to discover that everything smelled really good. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was almost like “nostalgia”. I quickly realized it must be that the air just finally smelled like “air” instead of smoke. Wildfires –and resulting transcontinental smoke – have definitely given us a reminder that the world is getting hotter and drier.

Childhood was simpler when Smokey the Bear made solutions to big problems seem easy. “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.” Unfortunately, Smokey lied. Long gone are the days when people just had to be more careful with their campfires to quash the problem of wildfires. Now, the planet is becoming so hot and dry that over half of all wildfires are caused by lightning strikes.

I’m sure that many readers also remember when recycling was a status symbol. Plenty of recycling bins still have the simple phrase “We Recycle” written on the side, meant to be a statement of pride when seen by neighbours driving by. This is no longer a brag. Everyone recycles. For most households, recycling is a practical necessity regardless of personal feelings toward the environment, due in part to garbage limits that restrict us to a couple of bags per week.

Ever drive behind an old car lately? I’m not talking “Model T” old, but any car from the 70s or 80s (maybe even some from the 90s). Even with the windows up, and the air conditioning on recirculate, it only takes a few seconds for the overwhelming smell of exhaust to reach your own car. Hey, I’m not complaining – I love seeing people ride around in their nostalgic old toys – but that smell certainly serves as a reminder that vehicle emission standards have

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Part of the role of journalists and editors is to assess the veracity of what they are reporting on or publishing. News reporting should be factual and opinion pieces or letters to the editor should be grounded in reality. Declining to publish certain articles or letters is not censorship, rather it is a core part of editing a publication.

Many journalists, editors, and broadcasters come from humanities backgrounds rather than scientific ones and while it may be valid to seek a range of opinions on some matters, this is not the case when it comes to well established areas of science. Unfortunately, tightened considerably in the last few decades. Yet here we are, still facing “doom”. Progress made has not been progress enough. Psychologically, that is bound to make people give up. They need signs that we are going in the right direction, not just apocalyptic tales.

A Merrickville pharmacist (who also happens to be the President of the Ontario Green Party chapter in Leeds and Grenville) posted on social media a couple of weeks ago lamenting that municipalities aren’t doing enough to stop climate change. Is anyone doing enough, though? Does anyone really ever get an A+ from the Green Party?

People are potentially seeing real signs of climate change for themselves for the first time, with intensifying storms, wildfires and smoke, and rising average temperatures (though the chilly weather last week definitely threw a wrench in that mix!). What people aren’t seeing is hope. Fingers pointed at them? Yes, lots of those. But they’re not seeing changes on the big scale that can actually make a difference. It’s just a “blame the little guy/gal” in the name of balance and neutrality, we've seen climate change deniers (invariably bankrolled by fossil fuel companies) being given equal time with climatologists, or creationists being given equal time with evolutionary biologists, making these issues much more contentious than they really are.

Science is the most powerful tool we've developed to understand reality. Science is not simply a body of facts, theories, and laws to memorize, it is a way of thinking, of asking and answering questions about our reality. Scientific discourse has its own language, and the differences between this and the language we game. Any readers who have studied psychology may know of Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist who is most famous for his “Hierarchy of Needs”. It’s a handy tool resembling a pyramid that can be useful in therapy because it reminds clients that they can’t expect to tackle all of their problems at once. There are certain basic needs that must be met before we can expect our bodies and minds to give us the necessary energy to tackle our more intricate needs or others’ needs.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs starts with physiological needs, such as food, shelter, and sleep. Second is safety needs, third is love and belonging, fourth is esteem, and fifth – which Maslow proposed not everyone reaches in their lifetime – is self-actualization. Where might we put “saving the planet” on Maslow’s pyramid? I would say it should either go on the second level, safety needs, since “resources” and “health” are listed as two needs in that category, or otherwise it could go all the way to the top, to the self-actualization level. That top level is “the use in daily life is also responsible for some misunderstanding.

How do we resolve this conflict between what science is telling us and what some wealthy, powerful individuals and companies would have us believe? Ultimately, we need a much higher standard of scientific literacy within the media and within the general public.

Steve Gabell

desire to be the most that one can be”, and for the average person, it’s necessary to at least meet personal needs before attempting to single handedly conquer a problem created by almost 8 billion people.

Think of how many people you know who can’t meet their needs at the bottom of the pyramid. They may be struggling to eat, struggling to secure and pay for housing, and struggling to get sleep on account of working 16 hours a day to make ends meet. Now take those same people and try to pressure them into buying an electric car using a mix of guilt and carbon taxes. That’s a very small-minded “solution” that helps absolutely no one. Our economy is in a sad state right now. Fewer basic needs are being met, and less energy is available to give a single care toward the environment.

Two things need to happen to “save the planet”. One is that governments need to prioritize basic human needs again – stop the extravagant spending, build some affordable housing, and cut out the taxes that drive the prices of fuel, food, and other necessities up. The second requirement is the development of global solutions that only governments can implement. Work on electrical grids that can actually handle electric cars that aren’t powered by the same fossil fuels that we are trying to eliminate. Mandate packaging that doesn’t make people feel like idiots when stuffing 10 pounds of plastic packaging into their reusable shopping bag. Invest in better wildfire fighting technology. Make environmentally friendly products and technology affordable by normalizing it, rather than punishing poor people for being poor.

We stopped letting our campfires turn into wildfires. We recycle. We drive vehicles with tight emissions standards. We eat – oops, I mean “we use” – paper straws and pack groceries in reusable shopping bags. We try and try and try. Good ol’ Maslow. Who knew a dead psychologist would one day tackle climate change? Meet people’s basic needs first, and then sit back and see what they are capable of. We might all be surprised.

Meta will soon prevent Canadians from accessing news content

form.

“Without access to real fact-based news created by real journalists, Facebook will become far less attractive to users and advertisers,” Deegan said in a statement. “We expect more and more advertisers and their agencies will begin pulling advertising from the platform in response to this unilateral, undemocratic, and unreasonable move.” submitted by News Media Canada

Meta announced earlier this week that it will soon begin blocking all news access on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, in protest of the recent passing of Bill C-18, the

Online News Act, by the federal government.

In comments provided to The Canadian Press, News Media Canada president and CEO Paul Deegan said this “intemperate” action will harm user experience and devalue the Facebook plat-

Pascale St-Onge, Canada’s new Minister of Canadian Heritage, called the decision “irresponsible” and said she intends to “stand up for Canadians against tech giants.”