Letters to the editor

A9

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If fever, vomiting, runny nose, sore throat, tiredness and diarrhea are the basic symptoms of the H1N1 flu, then that's definitely what my 10-year-old has. Unconfirmed by a doctor, of course. She is so sick there is no way I am taking her to the hospital or doctor's office to contaminate other people, let along drag her uptown in a taxi just to confirm it. This is the flu like I have never seen. She has been kept home since Monday and probably will not go back until next Monday, Nov. 2.

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The H1N1 flu shots are being administered at her school, Forest Hills, on Nov. 4 - just a little too late to help her and probably many others who are now coming down with it. Why was there such a delay? I have followed the news and see other countries have been doling out shots for a few weeks now. Canada is notorious for talking things to death before doing anything. In this, case their talking and not doing just may cost the lives of Canadians.

My 10-year-old spent a lot of time yesterday needing to be calmed after she saw the story about the 13-year-old who died. She kept asking me is she is going to die. I am out of answers for her. Get a politician to drop by with yet another excuse for the delay in giving the flu shots.

LYN CATO

Saint John

Clinic chaos demands action

Get the vaccine, get the vaccine, get the vaccine... that is what we were being told time and again. OK. Now the vaccine is here. I go with my family to the clinic setup at the Centennial School on the North End. There is a line up outside a school on a chilly October night. People brought their children, babies even, and are stuck in a line outside. Why we couldn't all lineup in a hallway inside where it is warmer, I don't know.

The clinic was to be open up until 9 p.m. and at 5:30, someone came out that told the people in the lineup that they couldn't accommodate us. I then went to help a buddy of mine move a new freezer and he was at the same clinic just before we were and was fortunate to get in. What he tells me got my blood boiling.

For quite sometime, there were only two nurses administering the vaccine. Two nurses in a clinic set for a pandemic viral vaccination. Eventually, two more showed up to help out.

God love those nurses for having to handle this on their own at the beginning.

Had there been up to six nurses, the lineup would have been cleared so quickly, I would be praising your efforts. Are there senior nursing students that could have stepped up and helped out? I hope organizers learn from this mess.

CORY DUCEY

Saint John

Mother wonders 'What went wrong?'

Lately, whenever I turn on my radio, open my newspaper, or access the Internet, I feel like Alice in Wonderland. My provincial government is selling our utility that controls the numerous hydroelectric dams on the St. John River and its tributaries to a province that repeatedly threatened to separate from us.

Yesterday, new H1N1 flu vaccination clinics were announced for priority group members such as my son and I. Not a single one of these clinics, not one, is on a major East-West bus route (One clinic is described as Saint John High School on Hickey Road. It is at Saint John High School or is it at Simonds High School?). Not a single one of the clinics is on a bus route that operates on Sunday.

No matter what it takes, my son and I will attend a clinic and take our shots. If we seriously wish priority group members to take theirs, we must eliminate every possible barrier. We can not expect people under 65 years of age with chronic health problems, parents of infants, and parents of pre-school children to transfer buses, walk into high crime neighbourhoods at night, pay outrageous taxi fares to cross multiple zones or walk long distances to take their shots.

There are primary, junior and high schools, and convention centers, along Saint John Transit's major routes and in Saint John's core. We should have used them. What went wrong?

REXANNA M. KEATS

Saint John

Don't extend VLT lifespan

The following letter was sent to Premier Shawn Graham.

It was with extreme disgust that I read in the Oct. 27 Telegraph-Journal that non-profit clubs have been granted an extension until March 31, 2010 to keep their video lottery machines while the provincial government considers the argument that revenue from the machines is critical to their existence.

Non-profit groups also argue that they should be allowed to keep their machines because they do not pose a financial threat to the casino.

Video lottery machines present a real and continuing threat and danger to the health, well being and financial stability of thousands of New Brunswick citizens.

In addition, studies have proven that thousands of people have had their lives ruined - divorces, family break-ups, children being deprived of the necessities of life and scores of people have taken their lives in the sheer desperation to rid themselves of their addiction to the insidious video lottery machines.

If you proceed with this decision, you and your cabinet have mislead the people of New Brunswick when you put forward your "so called" responsible gaming strategy.

Apparently your word is not your bond and therefore, again in my opinion, you and your cabinet are not to be trusted and are not fit to continue governing the province of New Brunswick.

I trust that you will now do the honourable thing and resign, along with your entire cabinet.

DON BISHOP

Darlings Island

Premier should be ashamed

Shame on Shawn Graham:

For making New Brunswick doctors fight for a year to receive the signed contract they so deserve;

For putting a two-year wage freeze on health- care workers, and others;

For increasing the amount per day that nursing home residents have to pay;

For starting to charge ambulance fees for people in emergency situations;

For disrupting our education system and all educators across this province;

For refusing to allow government plows to plow church yards;

For huge increases in property taxes;

For not allowing young drivers a chance to prove they can drive at night; and and on top of all this, for wanting to give Quebec the power to say "Let the east freeze in the dark!"

STEVE MCCREADY

Youngs Cove

Power monopoly is dangerous

As an ex-pat New Brunswicker living in Ottawa, I read in disbelief the agreement that Premier Graham has cooked up with Hydro-Québec.

If there were ever a short-term gain deal for long-term pain, this is it.

I could understand -indeed, it would make a lot of sense -for the three Maritime utilities to merge.

But New Brunswick is about to lose control of its power generation and distribution systems to a province that has demonstrated its past shrewd ability to disadvantage a sister province, Newfoundland.

I realize that New Brunswick is carrying a large debt for a tiny province of its size.

However, selling off core assets to access immediate cash is both foolish and incredibly short-sighted. New Brunswickers will come to regret this decision, especially when Hydro-Québec locks up P.E.I. and Nova Scotia with similar deals.

A monopoly is a very dangerous beast.

JAMES TAGGART

Kanata, Ont.

Don't even think it

After reading the article in today's Telegraph-Journal, I certainly hope you don't even plan on selling NB Power to Hydro-Québec. Learn a lesson from Newfoundland - Quebec's interests are not aligned with New Brunswick's. What if Quebec separates from the rest of Canada, considering they have a separatist party campaigning for power there? Do New Brunswickers want to be under the thumb of Quebec?

The short-term gain isn't worth it.

The problem is, N.B. shouldn't have a nuclear reactor.

We're too small a province to take on the enormous risks involved.

If the federal government wants to pay for a nuclear reactor to keep AECL going, then let them. But NB shold certainly not hock an asset because of short-term financial pain.

Find another way to pay the debt.

If NB Power is sold off, you can say goodbye to the energy hub plans in NB.

It's a bad agreement.

PAUL CUSACK

Saint John