LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Diseases are spread without dental infection control
Re: :“Dentist has questions about health
warning,” letters, Oct. 19
In response to the letter by retired dentist John Hardie, warnings about the risk of transmission of viruses like hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV have been made by reputable Canadian dental organizations for decades and these organizations have acknowledged the link between infections and dental-related exposures.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control has also published documented reports of hepatitis C transmission in dental offices.
The Royal College of Dental Surgeons in Ontario (RCDSO), which is Ontario’s regulator for dentistry, has written that infection prevention and control (IPAC) is a critically important part of safe patient care, due to concerns about the possible spread of blood-borne diseases (such as hepatitis or HIV), and the impact of emerging, highly contagious respiratory and other illnesses.
The clinical guidelines for IPAC were developed based on a significant amount of research by Public Health Ontario, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario’s Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee (PIDAC).
The RCDSO has endorsed these guidelines and considers them to be so important that a contravention of the IPAC standards could be considered professional misconduct.
Peterborough Public Health is committed to putting patient safety first by upholding these important standards. Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, medical officer of health
Costly building projects ignore need for affordable housing
All hail the YMCA redevelopment as spoken about and vastly photographed in the Peterborough media of Oct. 17. Numerous local politicians and luminaries pictured with shovels in hand displaying a faux groundbreaking ceremony as the site goes into a new phase of construction.
Just last Sunday morning around 10:15 I was taking some snapshots at downtown street corners after donating a bike to a man at the corner of Charlotte and Water Streets.
On each street corner the panhandlers were staking out their turf in the daily cycle of life that they lead. With luck this group of folks will be able to collect enough coppers to buy a few extra treats to get through the blustery day, and I do not deny that those treats may include some illegal substances and alcohol besides Timmies and Timbits.
These photos tell the story that the hoopla over the snail’s pace of the YMCA reconstruction does not. As well these photos show the faces of the folks who may require those beds briefly spoken about in Tuesday’s local media about a Warming Room situation discussed at the previous evenings council meeting.
For some odd reason I did not see such fanfare for this essential housing situation for a group of people that society tends to neglect on a daily basis.
As an observer, it never ceases to amaze how the masses fall for these slick photo ops and lay praise upon the upcoming future of a building that has stood empty for a decade, when the poor among us, and there are many, could have been kept warm in those confines.
Our housing priorities are only satisfying the haves of our world. What about some priority for the have nots?
When the refugees came knocking on our doors a few years back, we were able, somehow to find them housing. Why are we not able to do so for the poor among us, many who are born Canadians? Charlie Gregory, Morrow Street
Province must repeal pit bull ban
Re: “Northumberland/Peterborough South MPP pushing to end Ontario’s pit bull ban,” Oct. 8
Based upon the statistics maintained by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the City of Calgary, we in Ontario are anywhere from 2.5 to more than 10 times more likely to suffer a dog bite injury than you would be if you lived in Calgary, which is breed neutral. In addition to pain and suffering, this increases the strain on the health care system. It increases animal control costs, government litigation costs, etc., and it does nothing for the people of Ontario.
The ban is not only ineffective and unenforceable, it costs the taxpayers of Ontario millions of dollars. Given the fact that the government of Ontario is pleading poverty to support their position that cuts to the vulnerable are necessary, one would think that before making any such cuts the government of Ontario would have looked at legislation and spending that actually reaps no benefit to the people of Ontario.
Since 2005, people throughout Ontario have had to live with Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). The breed specific language was added to the Dog Owners’
Liability Act (DOLA) and the Animals For Research Act (ARA) by the Ontario Liberal Party, specifically Michael Bryant and Kathleen Wynne. I have every exhibit submitted, the research memos presented and the legislation, both as it existed prior to 2005 and after the government of Ontario pushed through legislation with no scientific or expert support. To be honest, it did not have the support of the people of Ontario for that matter. In fact, Bill 132 of 2005 should have never seen the light of day.
There has not been one expert or peerreviewed scientific study on this subject matter that supports BSL. The evidence, both expert and peer reviewed science, has consistently and overwhelming stated that BSL is unenforceable, expensive and completely ineffective.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives, now in a majority position in government, have for 14 years said they support repeal. The people of Ontario are watching. If this is delayed, or if this fails, the people of Ontario will remember. The people of Ontario spoke out loudly in 2005 telling the government of Ontario that they did not agree with the ban, and the government’s decision to disregard the people made them angry. If people are lied to or misled, and BSL remains on the books in Ontario, the anger faced by the Liberal Party in 2005 and since will seem negligible.
Chandra McKinnon, Warkworth
Alberta is to blame for its problems
After doing some research, I find it curious the Alberta and Saskatchewan produce 47 per cent of their electricity with coal. Medicine Hat is in a slump because of natural gas prices being depressed. Wouldn't it make sense to convert from coal to natural gas?
Now I know the truth of why they don't like the carbon tax. I am sick of Albertans complaining about their problems, when they still don’t charge sales tax. They can't prolong this fantasy any longer. Suck it up and charge it!
There are between 70,000 to 100,000 orphaned oil wells in the province today. Cleaning up this self-created disaster, due to lax regulations, will cost the Canadian taxpayer billions.
Alberta was warned to diversify their economy and ignored the advice while oil prices spiralled upward. Now that the price of oil has dropped significantly, it's suddenly the environmentalists’ fault.
I support pipeline construction as it is a much safer method of moving oil than rail cars. British Columbia has caused the most issues with the Trans Mountain Pipeline, not Ottawa.
If Alberta wants to solve its economic woes, look in the mirror and stop blaming Ottawa.
Bruce Sutherland, Otonabee Drive
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