When I read Darren Hanson’s recent letter to the editor, I had to reread Sarah Rennie’s editorial in the previous Gleaner issue to see what elicited such a semi-slanderous, angry response. Yes, seasonal flu cases have been common during the winter months for years, and emergency rooms have been swamped in the past. But the new reality is that the health care system has suffered a crippling blow due to the pandemic. Just ask any parent whose child has been ill recently or any nurse working in local hospitals. They are already burnt out and many continue to fall prey to the virus.
I saw no indication that Ms. Rennie recommended returning to mask mandates, lockdowns, or travel restrictions. She merely quoted the advice of Quebec’s College of Physicians and if readers consult the Quebec health website, they can read the guidelines for themselves. Furthermore, on the website, they can check out the COVID numbers. The “mainstream media” no longer reports these statistics. Add to these the aforementioned seasonal flu hospitalizations, which are sure to increase as people gather indoors, and it’s cause for concern, not fearmongering.
It is highly unlikely that the government will ever go back to the mask mandates or the lockdowns. So as a result, the government needs to rely on citizens to protect the elderly, the immunocompromised, and young children, in order to avoid straining the already fragile health care system. Mr. Hanson claims to believe strongly in “protecting our most vulnerable,” but gives no alternative suggestions on how exactly to do this without wearing a mask.
I have no doubt that Mr. Hanson’s opinion is shared by many of those in our region but that doesn’t make it any more valid than Ms. Rennie’s or Quebec’s College of Physicians, which is one supported by the facts. So, I believe, that as Ms. Rennie’s editorial states, “There is no shame in wearing a mask,” although Mr. Hanson would have us believe otherwise. In terms of Canadian freedom, he and others are free to forego wearing a mask just as others are free to continue wearing one, without criticism or condemnation. Pat Martin, Dewittville
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Je voudrais revenir sur un article de Mme Marie Nirva Louis dans l’édition du 14 décembre 2022.
Mme Louis fait un lien entre le nom de la paroisse Saint Antoine Abbé et le curé Antoine Labelle.
La paroisse Saint Antoine Abbé à été fondée par Mgr Bourget en 1854 alors qu’Antoine Labelle
était aux études. C’est en 1860 qu’il a été nommé curé ici (1860-1863).
C’est plutôt dans les Laurentides que le curé Labelle a ŕealisé son oeuvre, mais .il n’a jamais été
carbonisé.