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Letters: Deer control, Avro, pit bulls, dude ranch trails

Deer control: Let people vote with their wallets Are we the only taxpayers exasperated by the sense of entitlement exhibited by those who believe our local municipality should control the deer population on their behalf, yet another new government pr
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Deer, such as these on a Saanich lawn in May, are a controversial issue in the region.

Deer control: Let people vote with their wallets

Are we the only taxpayers exasperated by the sense of entitlement exhibited by those who believe our local municipality should control the deer population on their behalf, yet another new government program to be funded by, of course, the increasingly burdened Saanich homeowner?

Letters to the editor frequently complain about the ever-rising property taxes in the district. Well, guess what folks, this is why property taxes increase relentlessly year after year.

We believe that programs such as roads, garbage and parks are supported by the vast majority of citizens who are willing to pay of these valuable services provided by our local government. We also believe, however, that many residents (including us) simply won’t want to contribute to a deer-control program. in fact, in the district’s latest “Citizens Survey 2012,” 71 per cent of residents indicated that they would prefer fewer services to increased property taxes.

Any deer control program must be a user-pay system — those who want the program should solely pay for it. One suggestion is for the Capital Regional District to set up an online, coupon-style system of collecting funds. Those residents who wish to control the deer can volunteer funds toward the cost of the program. If sufficient funds are volunteered to fund the entire cost, then the new program proceeds. If adequate funds are not received, then the program is cancelled. Novel concept: Let residents vote with their wallets.

Dave and Shari Poje

Saanich

U.S. the beneficiary of Avro cancellation

Re: “Remembering the Avro Arrow, Aug. 29.

 John Diefenbaker, the Conservative prime minister of the time, not only put 15,000 or so of us out of work, he also blighted the Canadian aviation industry for years. The Arrow was not the only victim of that unthinking act as the development of the Iroquois gas turbine stopped too. The Iroquois was the most powerful jet engine in the world.

I heard that foreign offers to buy it and continue the development work were turned down by the government. The engines manufactured were not ordered to be destroyed as the airframes were. Examples of the Orenda Iroquois engine can be found at the Canadian War Plane Heritage Museum at Mount Hope near Hamilton, Ont. I believe there is also one in the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa. One is owned by a private collector in Fort St. John.

I was an Iroquois test-cell inspector, and the engine was a sight to behold and hear, especially when the afterburner kicked in.

It was the Americans who benefited from the whole fiasco. NASA and U.S. aircraft manufacturers were at Avro's door the next morning. They held interviews at the Royal York Hotel, hiring all those smart aeronautical engineers.

In fact it was a Canadian, James Chamberlin (1915-1981) born in Kamloops, who saved astronauts’ lives. He suggested that instead of impacting with moon with a manned rocket, that NASA use the moon's gravity and have a combined command and lunar module orbit the moon before sending down the moon lander. This was to be equipped with rockets for it to rejoin the command module for the safe return of the crew to earth.

Jim Chamberlin was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001.

David H. Marshall

Victoria

Don’t ban pit bulls or any other breed

Re: “Miss Universe Canada joins call for ban on pit bulls in B.C.,” Aug. 31.

I had a similar incident when I was five. I, too, was traumatized and bitten by a dog while running to school.

The offending dog? A Labrador retriever. Should Labs, therefore, not be banned? They are “programmed” to hunt, chase and “mouth” — all dangerous qualities in a breed much loved as the ideal family dog.

The fact is simple — all dogs have the propensity to bite. They bite in fear, when cornered and agitated. Sometimes they bite in the throes of joyous play.

To make one breed the scapegoat is totally inane. Current dog bite laws deal efficiently with offenders. There is no need to accuse one breed as the sole perpetrator of all dog bites.

To ban any breed would be a costly and ineffectual means of achieving nothing.

Deal with the individual case. Do not ban pit bulls — or any breed.

Marianne Hobbs

Salt Spring Island

Luxury dude-ranch trails misuse of parkland

I just returned from hiking the Centennial Trail through Bedwell Valley in Strathcona Park, in the southwest corner where it meets Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island.

Following the river from tidewater to alpine, the trail passes through one of the most varied and scenic landscapes in the park, home to the rare Roosevelt elk, black bear and cougar. Demanding in some sections, moss-carpeted in others, the trail is one of the finest in the park for seasoned backpackers to experience the full range of coastal wilderness.

 At the mouth of the Bedwell River is a very different vision of land use — an elite horse camp where a three-night minimum stay costs nearly $5,000. The B.C. government approved a permit for the resort to rebuild road access inside Strathcona Park for the exclusive use of its private horse tours.

This is a misuse of B.C.’s parkland, which should be accessible to all based on experience and ability, not carved away for private enterprises such as luxury dude ranches. The Centennial Trail is more appropriate development: low-cost and low-impact access for a true back-country experience of a lifetime.

Philip Vernon

Salt Spring Island