Editorials - Oct. 18, 2024

The next scheduled federal election will take place some time in the next year (sooner than later, if the Conservatives have their way), and we are already seeing the usual posturing in the media by all of the main parties. The Liberals are playing up their successes, reminding Canadians that pharmacare is now law and that the carbon rebate went into our bank accounts this week. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to “axe the (carbon) tax”, but without articulating any kind of alternative to cope with climate change, or to avoid possible tariffs from trading partners who will seek to punish any countries they see as “free-riders” who aren’t doing their share to reduce emissions.

 

Last week, Poilievre made headlines by saying that he supports mandatory and involuntary psychiatric treatment and drug rehabilitation for children and prisoners. There is no question that there are instances in which individuals are too sick to recognize their own need for treatment, but blanket statements such as his seem to bring about a populist approach to a very complex issue.

 

It is now up to the individual voter to dig behind the campaign promises and populist policy memes to determine which have the potential to become actual solutions to problems, and which are simply election candy. – DS

The Township of North Huron is a complicated place. Three wards are unceremoniously stitched together, despite their many differences. Blyth and East Wawanosh residents think Wingham gets everything. East Wawanosh residents think everyone else gets everything. And it’s safe to say that everyone thinks, to co-opt a phrase coined by 2000s New York City Mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan, that the rent is too damn high. McMillan was the leader and chairman of the The Rent Is Too Damn High Party. Great name. Great issue. Poor voter turnout.

 

As over 100 people filed into the Blyth and District Community Centre last week for North Huron’s regular town hall meeting, there were surely people looking for productive discourse with their local politicians on a number of pressing issues. Others, no doubt, were looking for a fight. Only one found what it was looking for.

 

The town hall meeting - long held up as a bastian of public discourse and the bedrock upon which great democracies are built - has, most regrettably, devolved into something in between The Lord of the Flies and The Purge, with snappy insults taking over for brutal violence. Those hoping to attend and calmly raise an issue of real concern with their council must have left rather disappointed, while those there to lob insults and rile up the crowd must have been pretty pleased with themselves. Many left hoarse and few left satisfied.

 

Unfortunately, the lack of civility in such settings and the smooth transition so many make to the mob mentality, strip such meetings of their core purpose. And then, because nothing is accomplished, those full of rage point the finger and laugh, as nothing was accomplished. 

 

If residents want a chance for meaningful dialogue with their local representatives, civility is a prerequisite. And if council members want the night to be more than a wasted arena rental, they and the moderator they select need to come with answers and maintain order. – SL 

As the United States grapples with the destruction caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton, the broadcast images are impossible to ignore. It’s a powerful reminder of how vulnerable we all are when faced with the forces of nature. While it’s unlikely that Huron County will ever experience hurricanes of that magnitude, disasters come in many forms. Whether through blizzards, ice storms or tornadoes, no one is entirely immune to nature’s power. But beyond the destruction itself, these images offer an opportunity to reflect on something deeper: empathy. In the face of disaster, the divisions we usually hold on to - whether in race, class or politics - become meaningless. What remains is the simple truth that all of us are fragile; human beings navigating forces far beyond our control. When we see people from all walks of life losing everything, we’re forced to confront the reality that our differences are superficial. 

 

This empathy shouldn’t stop at humans. The hurricanes have also ravaged ecosystems, displaced animals and uprooted trees. Nature, too, bears the scars of these storms. The suffering of wildlife and the destruction of habitats serve as a reminder that all life is interconnected. We’re part of a shared world and the empathy we extend to one another should also encompass the natural world that sustains us.

 

These disasters remind us that the fragility we see in others is our own. We are not invincible and, in moments like these, empathy is not just an emotional response - it’s a necessary bridge that connects us. The pain and destruction we witness could easily be ours one day. What matters most is how we respond - with compassion, with understanding and with the realization that we are all in this together. – SBS