KEPT IN THE DARK

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - I must begin this column by apologizing to all that have called and written to the newspaper in regards to Durham Region posting in this newspaper. Many of you are frustrated of calling down to the Region and being directed to an automated system and or to an operator that is less than informative. Only to get passed off to a voicemail that according to many of you do not get call backs. As the regional newspaper. I apologize for that inconvenience. Just this past week the Region held on October 7th, 2024 a recycle your batteries week. According to the many calls and letters. No one really knew anything about it. We contacted the Region over this and we were told that they are not advertising this event and that people should turn to their web site for information. In one of your letters, a reader stated. “I pay good regional taxes. I pay a hefty water bill. I want and demand service. I called the Region the other day and was passed off to some voicemail. No one returned my call. I called back. I was informed by a very snappy attendant that I should go online. I can barely pay my mortgage, insurance and food. I don’t have money for extras like internet. The operator did not care.” The reality of is that you the taxpayers are missing out on all kinds of events, notices and important information. The Region as well as many municipalities have opted to go digital only. This is exclusive and bias, not to mention insensitive to economic times. On the same breath. It is OK for the region to pass 6% personal expense increases. 7% across the board tax increase. What is going on here? You the tax payer is being treated like a second class citizen. Most people across the region are living on a prayer. The regional economics are not good. Gas, keeps going up. Food prices through the roof. Young folk, can’t afford rent forget the purchase of any home or luxury items. The internet has and is proving to be a luxury for many. The internet has and is proving to not be the vehicle for municipal announcement, events and posting. People do not turn to the net. People do not go to web pages. Web pages that in many cases are very hard to navigate. Seniors have a huge problem with getting access to computers. Many do not know how to operate them. Others, just don’t have the patience to sit there and read and click. Working folk after a long 8 - 10hr day. Will not sit there and look up what is happening at the Region. But instead will sit while waiting for food to be cooked, trip to the can and read a newspaper. Newspapers sit on tables. Easy to access. The only ones really going on line are the millennium yuppies. A small number of the population as a whole. I think it is the duty of every elected official to assure the population is well informed. That the population gets their money’s worth. The Central newspaper is so dedicated to such a cause that we make available for anyone elected the opportunity to write a weekly column in your regional newspaper at no charge. Yes, no charge. Read here of those that care about you. About keeping you informed. If you don’t see them participating. Remember them during the next election. Demand service, accountability and responsible government.