Unfortunately, we’ve had not one, but two, shameful reminders over the past week that there are a few idiots among us who like to ruin things for everyone else.
The first, of course, was the mindless shooting of two elk near Finland, which apparently left a young calf orphaned in the process. And the other is word that vandalism is so rampant at the Memorial Sports Centre, town council—at a special meeting Monday night—decided to hire security in hopes of curbing the problem.
The one incident has left a hole in the hearts of many people, but especially those who worked so hard to restore an elk population in Northwestern Ontario as well as legitimate hunters who invariably get painted by the same brush with this criminal act. In the second case, taxpayers are taking a direct hit in the pocketbook.
Equally important, both have tarnished the image of our area.
So what are the solutions? More conservation officers patrolling the bush? Security guards at the arena? Video cameras spying from every corner and hallway? Perhaps.
Yet a big part of the answer also lies with us—namely, our civic responsibility to not turn a blind eye when someone is destroying our valuable resources, whether it’s an elk or a building. We have to be willing to step in and get involved.
Frankly, it’s our eyes and ears that must be the front line of defence.
We’ll never be able to always stop idiots from being idiots, but we can at least make sure they face the consequences of their actions to the fullest extent of the law. Surely civic pride still means something these days.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
