To the Expositor:
Open letter to Central Manitoulin council and mayor:
It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter while at the same time seeing red.
I could not believe my eyes when I read in the Property Committee Minutes of Dec. 14 2021- “Motion: Johnston and Diebolt, That we recommend to Council that the tenants at the Big Lake School House be given the ninety (90) days’ notice required to terminate the lease and that staff be directed to take the next steps to divest of the property….carried.”
A councillor who is to represent the interests of the people of Ward 3, seconding a motion to the Big Lake Community Association to vacate the building in 90 days—amazing. Surely, she does not intend to be reelected come voting time in 2022.
It is so unfair to issue this directive at this time of year. How can you vacate a building in January, February or March of any year in the middle of winter?
How wrong to say the building is only used three or four times a year when neither councillor had even asked what was happening in this building.
As for a new arena complex in Mindemoya, why should six councillors make the decision to spend millions on a new complex that a lot of people do not want. This question should be put on the election ballot of 2022-“Do you want a new arena complex in Mindemoya?” A simple YES or NO. It is called a referendum.
Younger members of our Big Lake community have worked hard over the past summer season to raise funds towards helping to fix the building but only once did council meet with Big Lake Community Association members to discuss anything about the building. What a shame. Nothing like killing community spirit.
Ward 3 has been ignored after the amalgamation process. At the Big Lake end of the ward we receive nothing. Oh, plowed roads but even many of those subdivision roads were at least 50 percent paid for by the people the road served. Garbage collection comes by far too early in the morning for a senior to haul it to the main road because if you put it out the night before the animals get into it. Tax dollars—every year our taxes go up. If this continues council are going to tax seniors right out of their homes.
If we only had a maintenance supervisor from Big Lake then we could be sure of having someone to speak for us and everything in Big Lake would be well attended too.
I could go on but what is the use when council does not listen.
Let’s hope for a council that cares come the 2022 elections.
Sincerely,
Linda Farquhar
Big Lake
