Dear Editor:
Once in a while an event occurs that reveals the political character of a society; our MP Larry Miller's recent comments on the niqab are a case in point. In an interview on CFOS, Miller said: "I'm so sick and tired of people wanting to come here because they know it's a good country and then they want to change things before they even really officially become a Canadian... Like, frankly, if you're not willing to show your face in a ceremony that you're joining the best country ... if you don't like that or don't want to do that, stay the hell where you came from."
Miller's comments carry several racist assumptions that require unpacking. First, does Miller seriously think that a drive to 'change things' is entirely new within Canadian society? Miller ought to consider the place that his neck-tie, cowboy hat, or blue jeans, have in the history of this country. Reaching out to Chiefs Chegahno or Roote and asking them just how much settlers have changed the country would be a good place to start. Miller ignores the fact that Canada exists solely as a result of people coming here from elsewhere and changing what they found upon arrival. It is laughable at best, and colonial at worst, for someone as deeply embedded in the Canadian settler-colonial project as Miller to decry the way others comport themselves.
By Cathy Hird
One of the hazards of spring is that birds looking for good nesting sites sometimes end up in the house. Old stove pipes and cracks in the stone seem attractive to the bird until they end up trapped in the wall and have to scramble until they find their way out or in. Inside the house they panic, flapping around the rooms, banging into windows, trying to land on lights that are unstable, knocking over candlesticks. At our place, they usually get into our summer kitchen. I just prop the back door open and let them find their own way out.
Last weekend though, a starling found its way into the living room. The cats tried to help, but they just managed to tip over the plants on the window sills. Perched on a lamp shade, it panted with its mouth open. Eventually, I got close enough when it landed in the window to get a cloth around it. Closing my hands around it as gently as I could manage, I felt its heart thumping. I managed to get the doors open without letting it escape, and then, standing on the back step, I opened my hands, and it flew straight to the lilac trees away from the house that had trapped it, free and back where it belonged.
The City of Owen Sound is urging residents that if you are currently running water, please DO NOT stop even if it becomes mild outside, and to continue to run the water until you are notified to discontinue. This will continue for a number of weeks until the extreme frost depth period is over.
If you are serviced by a hose from a neighbour, DO NOT reduce the flow rate, please keep a tap running full open.
Many homes that have been hooked up via a hose have refrozen when they decreased flow for even the smallest amount of time.
Please visit the City website www.owensound.ca and click on the "Frozen Water Services" button for more information, including a map of the affected areas. Further areas may be added to this map as time goes on, please keep checking back for updates.
source: media release
The City of Owen Sound is inviting the community to a conversation about our Strategic Plan Development on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at the Bayshore Community Centre, from 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Bay Room.
Since February, the City of Owen Sound has been asking residents to think about their future. City representatives have been asking community members 'what you love about Owen Sound', 'what your vision is for Owen Sound', and to prioritize the City's future. These questions are part of the development of a Strategic Plan that will guide the City's future efforts.
There is still time for you to complete an online survey. It can be accessed at City Hall in the Clerk's department, or from www.owensound.ca/city-hall/strategic-plan/2015-review.
Public transit will be extended into the evening to allow fuller community participation.
The East Bayshore bus that normally serves the Bayshore Arena will transport those wishing to attend the meeting from the Terminal Building to the front entrance of the Bayshore Arena. Patrons will be required to be in possession of a valid transfer or pay the normal fare. Those patrons requiring specialized transit services who wish to attend the meeting should make their arrangements in the usual manner. Following the completion of the Community Meeting, patrons will find one bus for the east side and one bus for the west side of the City at the front entrance of the Bayshore Arena. There will be no final transfer at the Transit Terminal. Please note that conventional and specialized transit buses will be leaving the Bayshore Arena at 8:15 p.m. sharp, and all normal transit fares will apply.
source: media release
In a March 16th article we transcribed MP Larry Miller's comments on the case of a woman who had earned her Canadian citizenship and wished to wear her traditional niqab at the ceremony. He was speaking on a local radio phone-in show. He has since confirmed his views, but apologized for and retracted his further comments.
We asked you if you felt "most Canadians" agreed with Mr. Miller's opinion.
You have begun to respond....
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