Re: Community Voices page,Hamilton Mountain News

It is with great urgency that I write this letter to the Mountain News as I am concerned with the content of the "Community Voices" page.

As a citizen of Hamilton Mountain, I am grateful to have a newspaper that highlights local talent, events and current affairs. Yet it seems few great achievements in our corner of this amazing community have warranted a response from local residents. Few people are speaking up about the actions and inactions of our mayor and city councilors, the effects of urban sprawl, the quality of HSR service or the social effects of the many new long-term care facilities and retirement homes.

There seems to be so little interest in our own community that our community newspaper's 'letters to the editor' page is being filled with commentary from the Christian Right.

Now I respect everyone's right to free speech and try to understand their point of view as best I can, but is the nature of Dr. Morgentaler's receiving the Order of Canada more important locally then the drama that seems to unfold monthly at City Hall? Is the nature of homosexuality so detrimental to the community that it deserves to be debated for weeks on the Community Voices page?

I may not agree with the social conservatives who frequently send submissions into the Mountain News and I do think the issues they discuss are important to deal with, but I say we leave the ethical debates to a venue more suited for them and discuss local affairs in our local paper.

We must address the many problems in our neighbourhoods, communities and wards, problems that affect us directly on a daily basis.

We cannot even imagine trying to change the world if we do not put some effort into changing our little spot in it first. Let us put our focus back on the community and start building that better world that we should be talking about.

We deserve it, the future deserves it, and Hamilton Mountain is the best place to start building it.

Chris Erl

Hamilton