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© a OPINION It’s rare that someone wants to write a reactive olumn. As arule, when tragedy @ has struck and emotions § are high, it’s best to take a z breath and wait for the tem- 3 perature to cool before wad- Hy ing in. = But in the case of Pun- keydoodles Corners, one lo- cal governmentis, itself, be- ingreactive. Andit’s impor- tant to note that there has been ample opportunity to take a proactive approach to fixing a problematic in- tersection. It would not be astretch say that year cle | Thursday, November 3, 2022 3 woman did not ‘have to die at the intersection recently, ana that political inaction played a significant role in this t tragic outcome. that happened. 4 MIKE FARWELL. Column What happened was a fa- tal collision that claimed the life of a 22-year-old Wil- mot Township woman and riously injured her 16- year-old sister. Why didn’t any of the municipalities that con- Mathew McCarthy photo A memorial sits near the spot where a 22-year-old woman was killed in a collision and jevearald av was seriously verge P injur Corners heed the repeated Curners calls for change? Area residents said more than 18 months ago that they didn’t “want to wait for someone to die” at the intersection before any action was taken. changing and developing a safer cor- wor through the unincor- rated hamlet” was start- be recently and it didn't take long for it to amass more than 10,000 signa- tures. Scheuermann started that petition and re- flects on a terrible winter storm last year. The storm closed Highway 7/8, rerout- ing traffic through Punkey- doodles Corners. Subse- quently, there was a multi- vehicle collision in the TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA “THIS DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN’ hamlet. Scheuermann waited out that storm with a friend and they wondered aloud why no action had ever been taken to fix what was clearly a dangerous inter- sectic “Just talking about it isn’t enough because all of our voices, collectively, do matter,” Scheuermann says. “ we react to these tragedies that keep occurring over and over again, we havea phrase. It’s almost becoming normal- ized. ‘Yup, another accident happened.’ We shouldn’t have to have this happen so that our voices will be heard.” What happened, course, was not an accident but an avoidable collision. hile Oxford County is talked about a long- term feasibility study that could see approval for a roundabout in 2028, there are immediate actions that can be taken. To its credit, Zorra Township, within Oxford County, will implement some interim safety m sures. “An oversized stop sign with a flashing light will be installed,” tweeted Zorra qownship mayor, Marcus Seems simple enough. So simple, in fact, that basic safety improvements these could have been made ars ago. Instead, we waited for what residents of the area knew would inevitably oc- omas we usher in a new val this is the very work our lo- government should be doing best. And let’s hold feet to the fire Oxford County, Perth ‘County, and Wilmot ‘Township. This did not have to hap- pen, and we should get seri- ous enough about safety so that it never happens again. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @far- well_WR, or connect with him via Mike. Far- well@rci.rogers.com I'M HAVING TROUBLE PAYING MY RENT. ARE FLEXIBLE PAYMENT OPTIONS THAT SPLIT IT IN TWO A GOOD IDEA? SRIVINDHYA KOLLURU With the average rent in Canada topping $2,000 per month for the first time, many Canadians looking for ways to save 'y on housing, or at least. free up their short- flow. Similar to buy now, pay later (BNPL) options at re- tailers, there are flexible payment options for your rent. Recognizing the mis- match between when rent is due (typically at the start of the month) and g when your paycheque ar- 3 rives (typically bi-month- 6 ly), Canadian company 2 Zenbase pays the rent your landlord at the start of each month, allowing Ed you to split rent into two installments. The idea is that by split- ting up rent payments, you won't be charged overdraft or insufficient funds fees. Aninsufficient funds fee at Canada's Big Five banks can range from $45 to $48. Jordan spokes- person for Zolo real estate agency, says your landlord could also charge an ad- ministrative fee for late rent. Kaye says if a renter is hit with insufficient funds fees because their rent cheques are overdrawing their chequing accounts, a rent now, pay later option could be beneficial. Tenant peat tol -rnis totter ro imstime. photo Similar to buy now, pay later options at retaller. Zenbase offers flexible payment options for your rent. It pays your landlord at the start of each month, allowing you to pay your rent in installments. But she cautions BNPL- like options could result in shelling out an extra $100 to $240 per year. (Zenbase charges $9.90 to $19.90 ber month for its service. Te: ants who pay their rent in full by the third of the month won't be charged the fee.) While Zenbase posi- tions itself as a budgeting tool rather in a BNPL Jason service, Heath, managing director at Ob- jective Financial Partners, nonetheless recommends Canadians think twice about taking on debt or an arrangement like BNPL. “From a big-picture per- spective, it means consum- ers are borrowing money from their future selves to spend today. It makes it that much riskier unforeseen event Uke a a job loss or a car repair ¢: someone to get even ‘deep. er into debt and risk never being able to get out," he ays. “If you're struggling to pay your rent, your land- lord may be able to help you by deferring your rent payment by several weeks or even a month," says Kaye. "This situation was common during COVID, and often landlords are willing to work with fend tenants and help them through hard times." This newspaper, published every lay, is a division ofthe Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concems write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., IN M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca nn¢e Aocna Nesektaiacounet editorial@waterloochronicle.ca Pcie ican waterlonchronicte @wichrot WHO WE ARE Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Neil Oliver Vice President, Conte Community and Operations Dana Robbins Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar Advertising Representatives Fran Hendry, Katrina Anderson, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow, Zaid Shahabuddn, Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson ‘Online Editor Loraine Centeno Ned Bekavac Reporter Bill Jackson Director Creative Services Paul Gostlin Waterloo Chronicle 219 Labrador Dr. Suite 203, Waterloo, On., N2K 4M8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor Allletters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail sustomerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000. 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