Why close roads at Beacon Hill Park
Re: “Make Beacon Hill Park accessible to all,” letter, April 4.
Why is the north end access at the bottom of Quadra Street closed?
This road access led to the closest parking area (now used for pickle ball) for disabled folk to access the band shell and also the toilet building.
When my paraplegic mother was alive and visited the park, this was the parking area we used for her to easily access these areas.
Maureen Applewhaite
Victoria
Restrict parking on public property
Re: “Saanich parking plans will cause problems,” letter, March 30.
In the debate over reduced parking minimums, I can’t help but think Colwood Corners provides a perfect example of the pitfalls of this strategy.
In Colwood, residential development approved with reduced parking minimums led so many residents to park at the nearby commercial centre that the centre implemented paid parking.
Yet, we’re being told many households are, or would like to be car free and would prefer denser, more affordable housing that comes with the absence of private parking spaces.
I propose a solution: For new residential constructions approved with reduced or no parking, include a covenant restricting residents from parking vehicles on public property in the vicinity of the home.
Everyone gets something:
Municipal councils have a chance to demonstrate their green and virtuous qualities.
Existing residents have a measure of assurance that streets won’t be crowded by an inappropriate influx of parked vehicles.
Developers will jump at the opportunity to build housing with these restrictions to meet the strong demand for car-free living.
Shaun Cembella
Saanich
How many trustees have visited schools?
There have been numerous letters in the paper over the past months about the value of school liaison police officers. Letters are from teachers, school administrators and even parents — all outlining the positive effects of having liaison officers in our schools.
These are individuals that have, collectively, spent hundreds of hours in schools, interacting with the officers.
How many hours have each of the school trustees spent visiting schools to find out first-hand how police liaison officers have supported students, staff and parents?
Actual experience trumps a “look” from afar.
Dave Hockley
(retired principal)
Victoria
Oak Bay council listened to its citizens
Kudos to Oak Bay council for pulling back on committing substantial funds toward more cycling infrastructure.
This council’s decision was based on its concerns on the impact to its 2024 budget. I also suggest that this decision reflects the position and interests of Oak Bay ratepayers who have expressed concern over the continued large increases to property taxes as well as the need to address other, higher infrastructure priorities.
I encourage Oak Bay council to continue to put the interests of its ratepayers first and ignore the huffing and puffing of paid lobbyists from Capital Bike or fringe cycling interest groups.
Oak Bay council got it right by listening to its citizens, perhaps providing an example for other councils in the region.
Jim Reed
Oak Bay
We need to deal with dangerous drivers
I find it hard to believe that a driver would pass by a school bus, stopped, with its red lights flashing.
Now I hear there has been not only one, or a few, but since the start of this school year, on the West Shore, there have been 27 such infractions.
These drivers are flirting with creating havoc, and misery to parents, themselves, the public and whoever may be leaving that bus, very young or older.
The penalty sits at $368 and three penalty points, an extremely lenient penalty. I suggest the confiscation of the car, resale of it to a responsible driver, regardless of make of car, no fine and have the driver red-flagged as being a danger to the public.
This whole scenario could be scaled back, as the public is pretty lenient, but sooner or later, this practice has to stop. Society is falling apart, regarding other issues, but this school bus problem is an easy fix.
Rob McKenzie
Duncan
Implement and enforce long-term care standards
More than 17,000 residents of long-term care in Canada died because of COVID. Early in the pandemic, 80 per cent of deaths took place in long-term care homes, giving Canada the distinction of having the highest such numbers among nations in the OECD.
Those who lost loved ones haven’t forgotten about commitments made at the height of the pandemic by all levels of government and by the sector itself to right these systemic wrongs.
I was pleased to see the recent release of national standards for long-term care and to see feedback from the National Association of Federal Retirees reflected in the final standards.
The problem, however, is that the standards are still voluntary. Enforceability and regulation are needed to have a real impact.
Now is the time to implement enforced principles and national standards for long-term care.
As part of a national seniors strategy, these standards must specify conditions and criteria the provinces and territories must meet to receive federal health and social transfer payments, with repercussions for failing to meet the standards.
This will ensure equitable and consistent quality care across the country, and adequate levels of funding for these types of care. It will also ensure greater public accountability of government delivery of long-term care.
I urge all Canadians to call on the government to implement and enforce principles and national standards for long-term care.
Cheryl Smith
Victoria
Saanich, learn from Victoria’s mistake
I don’t doubt that the Victoria councillors’ money is warranted and earned, but I do have a huge problem with anyone being able to grant themselves a pay raise.
It should have been announced beforehand, we the people should have had our say and it should have been phased in over a couple of years.
It’s disrespectful and just plain wrong. Let’s hope our Saanich councillors do better.
Steve Burgess
Saanich
Langford tax increase corrects hocus-pocus
Re: “No, density won’t result in lower taxes,” letter, April 2.
Density had nothing to do with the increased taxes in Langford.
The increased taxes in Langford were due to several years of the previous council using the developer-funded “amenity account” to offset annual municipal taxes.
It was never intended for that purpose, and the large increase this year was due to correcting several years of financial hocus-pocus by the previous council.
John Stevenson
Victoria
Lead by example to save the environment
It’s falsely said ordinary individuals cannot change our extinction-bound system of pollution and climate chaos-making.
We must change cultural preferences and habits, with some inconvenience in early years, thus adjusting the economy. Living youngsters and their descendants require it to survive.
For instance, refusing plastic water bottle use is important, (though if recycled some can be reused close to a half dozen times when reconstituted).
However, a higher level of commitment is needed to avoid the use of polyester clothing, for when elastane is incorporated it makes their recycling — as distinct from re-use — impossible.
Wearing such items more before discarding them is an improvement, but buying hemp, linen and bamboo is better still. If enough of us do it, the producers will adjust and the increase in scale will almost always bring the costs down, as in electric (and other) vehicle manufacture.
Regenerative and organic food production brings back natural soil fertility, reducing need for polluting chemical applications. Initial harvest decreases are thereafter restored.
Governments must also be persuaded to severely cap and regulate greenhouse gas production and hence reduce health problems caused by multifarious attendant pollution pathways.
These vital restrictions will be hastened by our determination to each alter the course of the economy, both by direct influence on producers of all sorts, and by signalling politicians with greener votes that they have to cater to our caring about the environment to regain these votes.
We must lead by example. It’s our best, nay, only hope.
Glynne Evans
Saanich
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