Editor:

The expansion of the Collingwood's anti-idling by-law is not complete until it includes a ban on drive-throughs.  As a city, we proudly display our idle-free status on the sign on the road into town, yet, Ironically, one of the first things you see as you drive into town is a drive-thru coffee chain outlet without any parking to speak of, which usually has a line up of stationary, idling vehicles wrapped around the building.

Now that the anti-idling by-law has been expanded to include private property, and any of the (at least) six businesses with drive-throughs in operation within city limits are now within the jurisdiction of enforcement officers, it is now entirely possible that a driver could receive a ticket while waiting in a drive-through lineup. This is one way to discourage the use of the drive-through, but businesses and drivers may see this as unfair. This is why an outright ban makes sense; a ban would put all businesses on a level playing field, and force people to leave their vehicles, taking care of the pollution issue.

If the spat between the city and Collingwood Ethanol, (now the green-washed 'A-maize-ingly Green') is any indication of our strength in putting public health first, (while also respecting business interests) I am certain that we can come to mutually beneficial arrangements with other companies as well.

No fast food restaurant or big bank will go bankrupt without a drive- through, let's get rid of them and make Collingwood a true idle-free community.

Nicholas Clayton

Ravenna