Letters to the Editor submitted to the Feb. 2 edition of the Minden Times.
Road repair and resurfacing
To the Editor,
The following is an open letter to the councillors who decide on road repairs:
1: Please don’t overfill potholes during repairs.
Unfortunately, road staff consistently overfill potholes with the result that dips become bumps. Bumps are unpleasant and hard on vehicles. From a safety viewpoint, bumps slow down fire and ambulance emergency vehicles. As well, avoidance of bumps on curves can cause accidents. Overfilling also wastes materials and tax dollars.
Whether through instruction/supervision and followup, or new methods/machinery, please ensure road staff fill potholes to leave behind a level surface.
2: Improve life expectancy of road resurfacing.
Our road, Soyers Lake Road, was regraded and resurfaced not long ago with such poor workmanship/materials/standards that it needs to be redone. The engineering report presented to council [Jan. 27] agreed that deterioration was severe enough to need resurfacing.
In my experience the lowest quality, least expensive solution is often the most expensive.
I would ask that council ask the engineers who presented the report to offer cost effective suggestions re: materials/quality control (in construction and maintenance), and expectations for longevity so that we could get long term guarantees from contractors that will do the work.
Your job is a difficult one. I thank you for your consideration.
Paul Zalan, MD
Minden
Kindness matters
Dear friends and neighbours of Haliburton County,
The pandemic has been very hard on us all. Concern for our personal health and safety, as well as our loved ones, uncertainty about what lies ahead, and changing regulations – it has been a lot.
Through it all, healthcare workers (and many others in our community) have stepped up in countless ways. The incredible staff at HHHS have been making an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ effort for nearly two years, and even though they are absolutely exhausted, they keep showing up for our community, day in and day out.
As I’ve said in the past, the best way to support them is to follow public health measures – get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public spaces, reduce your contact, physical distance, and wash your hands.
I also need to ask that you help us create a safe and respectful workplace for our staff, and safe space for clients, family, volunteers, students, donors and visitors.
That means treating staff and others in our facilities with respect and dignity, not engaging in bullying or name calling, and remaining calm in your interactions. Any acts or threats of physical violence, disruptive behaviour, harassment or agreement will absolutely not be tolerated.
We also ask that you protect the privacy of our patients and staff by not taking photos, videos, or audio recordings in our facilities.
It has been a long two years, and we know everyone is tired. We must continue to put kindness first, look out for one another, and do all we can to keep each other healthy and safe.
Take care.
Carolyn Plummer
President and CEO
Haliburton Highlands Health Services
