http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx Opinions and Editorials brought to you by Tbnewswatch.com Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:05:13 GMT 5 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/images/tbnewswatchlogo.JPG http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187178 To the editor: What a relief. The more dealers our police bust, the better the chance our children have. As a mother of a recovering oxy-addicted 19-year-old, I know the pure hell that is thrust upon the families of our children today. My daughter's supplier was her 64-year-old grandmother's medicine bottle. My husband and I found out about her addiction a few days after my mother-in-law's heart stopped due to prolonged prescription drug abuse. We not only had to take care of planning her funeral, we had to figure out what steps we needed to take to help our daughter get well. We came very close a few times to burying our daughter also. I am more than proud to say, after almost three years of this devil's drug consuming our lives, my daughter has been seven months sober (she did have one brief relapse). Despite all of the tragedy that we have been through, I am now in my first year of a social service work program, and my daughter has asked me to save my notes as she is registering to take the same program this fall. I know that my daughter is one of the lucky ones. I just pray that this bust has helped save a life. Thank-you. Shelley Cooke, Thunder Bay Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:10:39 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187178 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187085 To the editor, Since I wrote the letter to the editor regarding the future of the LPH, people have been calling me with new-born hope. Thanks to these calls, I have realized that we have a situation here in Thunder Bay. Many mental health patients are faced with this problem – where to go for help? The wing at the hospital, which has 52 beds, and at St Jo's, which has 38 beds, are not enough and not suited to their needs. Many of them end up on the streets, and become a threat to our safety. Their families are desperate and also don't know where to go for help. When you copy and paste this link to a new tab, you will find a petition. A friend of mine will deliver it in person to the Ministry of Health in March and make a presentation on behalf of us who are becoming increasingly concerned with the wellbeing of our loved ones and of ourselves. If we want to prevent crime in our community, this would be a good place to start, wouldn't it? http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/mental-illness-addiction-northwestern-ontariothe-reality/ Please forward this message to as many people as possible. Thank you. Catherine Sajna, Thunder Bay Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:03:47 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187085 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187083 To the editor: It seems the fad for governments is to sell off their public services and institutions to the private sector and then subsidize the private sector on free market type capital projects.  Since roads and city properties are constantly being maintained, why do we have the private sector perform these tasks?  Is this really the less expensive way to go?  Why are we allowing the private sector to take over essential services such electrical power and then publicly subsidizing them (ie: wind farms) to profit off of us? Now the city is considering selling the municipally owned golf courses and closing the conservatory.  The issue we should be addressing is not how much something costs, but rather why it costs so much?  Was there not a time that our municipally run golf courses were self-sustaining?  Why does the conservatory have such a high operating cost?  Was this an issue, many years ago? Is this a desperate attempt by the city to acquire additional funds for other projects?  We’ve already seen this when they took the money originally intended for the two additional senior homes and put it into the waterfront.  Is history repeating itself?  The solution here isn’t to simply cut services, but rather to find out why these institutions are being mismanaged.  I call on city council to find these cost inefficiencies, rather than except the status quo offered by city administration. Andy Wolff, Thunder Bay   Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:46 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187083 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187003 To the editor: I lived in TBay for a number of years, I live in Devlin (near Fort Frances, ON) now, but still enjoy a couple hours at the Centennial Conservatory nearly every time I come to the city, and that's often enough. I used to bring my Mom, Gramma, my friend Edel and my dad, all of whom are passed away now. They loved it also. Many a fella has proposed on bended knee by the lime tree or on the bridge. I have been to a few weddings, anniversaries at the Conservatory also. For those who can't afford a tropical wedding, the Conservatory has the feeling and smells of heaven. The smells of the tropical flowers, fruit and just breathing in the air at the Conservatory can lift your spirits on an otherwise bleek winter day. I can't understand the idea, the thoughts of not being able to stroll through, toss my penny in the pond and make a wish. My grandkids live out west and I have plans to bring them there this summer. I haven't brought them yet).It's a tradition with many families, just like the Terry Fox memorial, the Hoito, McKellar Confectionary, the Sleeping giant, and Persians. These attract a lot of tourists as well. There are many lessons to be learned for a child as he or she takes in all that the Conservatory has to offer. I say keep the conservatory alive, keep our memories alive and let us make new memories for the future for our kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Marie Major , Devlin Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:32:26 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/Default.aspx?cid=187003