GuelphToday received the following letter examining why our cities are in such decay.
Guelph, Ontario and Paris, France.
Both are amazing in their own way. Having been a resident in Guelph for almost 40 years and having visited Paris, France on three separate occasions, I can say both have their charms and what I can also say is that they both have their tribulations.
There was a letter to the editor that wrote disparaging comments referring to Mayor Cam Guthrie going to Paris for a meeting of the Global Covenant of Mayors and addressing real issues that are having severely negative impact on our city while there.
The mayor said that, “ Open-air drug use in our public space is ridiculous. Our cities are in decay because no one will step up and put an end to this madness.“ All of which is true, without a doubt. The downtown is an absolute mess.
In an effort to try and reel in the madness, the mayor attempted to bring in laws to address the chaos and install a degree of order. This was rejected not due to being ineffective, expensive and likely illegal as stated (all points being completely debatable) but due to fear of public recourse as to being unsympathetic.
To state that efforts to make positive changes to our downtown is an “attack” on our constituents or a political stunt is disingenuous. Changes have to be made and there will be a degree of discomfort that goes with it.
The Dickens references keep coming back to me in the letter. The opening of the classic Dickens novel begins with this: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity “
I feel this the essence of the novel referred to. When one believes themselves wise and compassionate with a single lens, then they are missing the point entirely.
Paul Kilpatrick
Guelph
