The complaint in July to the City of Victoria about the "unsightly" food carts located on a lot on Cook Street is a sad example of the curmudgeonliness that sometimes afflicts our city. The fact that the city is ceding to this request only demonstrates one of the many ways in which this kind of parochialism is permitted to guide civic policy.

Open-air markets like the one on Cook Street add to the vibrancy of the community. Most cities can boast something similar and have allowed the presence of these markets because they recognize how beneficial it is to have citizens and visitors taking part in the public life of the city. Provide cheap and portable food and people will also visit the local shops.

Justine Semmens

Victoria