Subject: Capital Paving Inc. application for a zone change and aggregate licence
Dear Mayor Shantz,
I am writing in support of Dr. John Schaman’s opposition to the application by Capital Paving Inc. for a zone change and aggregate licence to develop a gravel pit in the vicinity of his clinic on the corner of Shantz Station Road and Hopewell Creek Road.
As one of Dr. Schaman’s patients, I have benefitted from his cardiac rehabilitation program due not only to his expertise and to the skill and commitment of his staff but also to a very large extent to the location of his clinic which has many advantages over a program housed in a conventional hospital setting.
Dr. Schaman’s innovative approach to helping patients return to and maintain good health would be jeopardized by changes that would occur if this project were to be approved. I will not take the time here to list the reasons already clearly identified by Dr. Schaman in his prior correspondence and at the Municipal Council meeting he attended in Elmira on September 10, 2019. You already have on record the details of the research he has submitted. I am writing to you not only from my perspective as a patient but also from my concern as a citizen that public safety, traffic and noise levels and air quality would be affected by an approved zone change.
I present the following reasons to refuse Capital Paving's application for a zone change:
First, I must highlight the success that Dr. Schaman has achieved by implementing an “integrative medicine” approach to health care which you, as a taxpayer, should find important for its many benefits which I list here for your consideration:
Dear Mayor Shantz,
I am writing in support of Dr. John Schaman’s opposition to the application by Capital Paving Inc. for a zone change and aggregate licence to develop a gravel pit in the vicinity of his clinic on the corner of Shantz Station Road and Hopewell Creek Road.
As one of Dr. Schaman’s patients, I have benefitted from his cardiac rehabilitation program due not only to his expertise and to the skill and commitment of his staff but also to a very large extent to the location of his clinic which has many advantages over a program housed in a conventional hospital setting.
Dr. Schaman’s innovative approach to helping patients return to and maintain good health would be jeopardized by changes that would occur if this project were to be approved. I will not take the time here to list the reasons already clearly identified by Dr. Schaman in his prior correspondence and at the Municipal Council meeting he attended in Elmira on September 10, 2019. You already have on record the details of the research he has submitted. I am writing to you not only from my perspective as a patient but also from my concern as a citizen that public safety, traffic and noise levels and air quality would be affected by an approved zone change.
I present the following reasons to refuse Capital Paving's application for a zone change:
First, I must highlight the success that Dr. Schaman has achieved by implementing an “integrative medicine” approach to health care which you, as a taxpayer, should find important for its many benefits which I list here for your consideration:
- Dr. Schaman treats the whole person, not only a patient’s symptoms. He takes into account the influence of relationships, social influences and environmental factors that impact a patient’s everyday life and overall health.
- Dr. Schaman seeks out the root cause of a patient’s condition. He creates individualized treatment plans. Because he understands that patients are different despite presenting with similar symptoms, he does not subscribe to one-size fits all solutions.
- Dr. Schaman helps patients save money on long-term health expenses by informing his patients about self-care and preventative health care practices which, together, reduce visits to doctors and the possibility that complications might be overlooked. He is not only a physician. He is also a teacher.
- Dr. Schaman provides options beyond handing out prescriptions to manage illness. He is aware that many patients are tired of being handed pills. He recognizes the value of medication but considers medication as only one part of a treatment program.
- Heart disease, as you can imagine, is very threatening. It is stressful. Research confirms that the resulting anxiety aggravates the condition and interferes with recovery. Dr. Schaman offers hope to his patients. I have experienced this directly and I cannot overstate how important this is. He has helped me approach the future with a greater sense of confidence and with assurance that I have many more years in front of me.
- Second, this program which Dr. Schaman has designed and improved over his decades long career deserves to be supported and celebrated, not threatened with changes which I have no doubt would discourage many patients from continuing their treatment at his clinic and have a negative impact on his integrative approach which includes outdoor exercise at his currently stress-free location. I assure you, that if you yourself ever needed a cardiac rehabilitation program, you would benefit enormously from being in the kind of program Dr. Schaman offers. In my opinion, his clinic is a centre of excellence that deserves recognition.
Third, as Mayor, I would expect you to have the needs not only of your constituents but also the needs and expectations of other citizens in neighbouring communities uppermost in your mind. Forgive me for stating the obvious but as a public servant, people expect you to serve the public and I want to understand how you imagine that the Capital Paving Inc. project would serve the needs of your community and those of neighbouring communities. Whatever economic considerations there may be, are they more important than my health care and the health care of your constituents who may at some point need help recovering from a heart attack or a stroke? Is there a projected need for more aggregate that cannot be accommodated by currently operating gravel pits? Can you answer these questions?
Lastly, I am fully aware that politicians have the challenge of balancing the costs and benefits of proposals that they confront in their work. The choices you make are not straightforward. I don’t envy you. However, if the importance of health care is not viewed as a priority over other considerations and if the voices of professionals like Dr. Schaman and his patients are not acknowledged, the project under review, if approved, would have far-reaching consequences on the lives of many people. If you are not convinced of this, you might consider visiting his clinic and talking to his staff. I have no doubt that you would be impressed by their skill, compassion and respect for Dr. Schaman and his practice.
I am urging you to use the authority and influence of your office to add your voice to the many others who want to stop this project from moving forward. That’s what I would call being committed to the true meaning of public service.
Yours sincerely,
B. H.
Guelph, ON