Dear editor:

It’s disappointing to see Robin Ridesic, someone who has dedicated countless hours to supporting education, the arts and heritage in our community for decades, along with her husband, reduced to a caricature in Garth Turner’s recent column.

Robin is a respected festival director and tireless advocate whose efforts have made a meaningful cultural impact. Her support for the Shaw proposal stems from a sincere desire to see our town thrive, not from the “charm offensive” tone so dismissively implied.

To trivialize her contribution with patronizing commentary says more about the author.

It’s especially rich coming from someone who was best known for weighing in on real estate speculation and finance in Toronto, holding himself up as the voice of the locals despite only having lived here for a couple of years.

Engaged dialogue about public projects is vital, but let’s not allow condescension to replace civility.

Robin and many like her bring intelligence, integrity and vision to the table. They deserve respect, not cheap shots.

If we are going to have serious conversations about the future of our shared spaces, perhaps it’s time to treat the people who have actually invested in them with the credit due to them, instead of deflecting with thinly veiled personal jabs.

Kate Morris
NOTL