Monday Letters: Hockey, geese, mega-houses, flu shots and hydrocarbon

Hockey is bad but it could be verse

Re: “Hockey? Who really cares?” Dec. 7.

There are blessings in disguise:

This Christmas for me is exceedingly merry —

I don’t have to listen to bosh from Don Cherry.

And tidings for New Year’d be even more glad

If I heard that they’d cancelled his terrible ad.

Ivor Ford

Victoria

Food producers should be valued, protected

Re: “Geese, deer damage force Galeys to scale back farm,” Dec. 6.

Armchair conservationists, who having nothing to lose, decry any plans to effectively mitigate the ongoing damage urban deer are causing in our communities.

We need to support our local businesses, including those involved in our community’s local food production. They should be valued and protected.

John Stevenson

Victoria

Mega-houses should require rezoning

Reading the Times Colonist over numerous years, I have noticed frequent letters from people upset and irate over mega buildings being built next door to them or close by.

At the top of Pearce Crescent, at the foot of Mount Douglas, such a developement has been in process for much more than a year. The rock from the mountainside property has been sytematically blasted and removed to make way for a mega mansion.

Despite numerous complaints, nothing has been done to stop the noise and destruction. Permits are being given, apparently because there is no rezoning involved. I believe these large houses being built in neighborhoods of otherwise conservative and relatively small houses should require a rezoning permit and consultation with the public,especially potential neighbours.

Caroline Miller

Victoria

Consider preservative-free flu vaccine

Regarding mandatory flu shots for health care workers, has the Vancouver Island Health Authority asked its staff and volunteers whether they would be more willing to receive a flu shot if the vaccine is preservative-free?

I know a number of volunteers like myself who say that if the vaccine is without the mercury-based preservative, they would gladly have a flu shot.

The reason for the preservative based vaccine is cost — multi-dose and a longer shelf life. With its volume buying power, I’m sure the Health Ministry could obtain the preservative-free vaccine at a cost that would be economic while achieving the goal of having most staff immunized.

Sheryl Taylor-Munro

Salt Spring Island

We need to reduce hydrocarbon use

Re: “Protestors blocked others from pipeline meeting.” Dec 7.

Asking protestors how they got to the Kinder Morgan pipeline hearings, knowing full well that in today’s world, oil is an integral component of all modes of transportation, including walking or cycling, sets the framework for a fallacious argument: There is no correct answer.

It doesn’t matter how protestors travel to the hearings; what the writer fails to realize is that the protest is aimed at bringing attention to the fact that we need to reduce our dependence on hydrocarbon energy, not accelerate its use.

I wonder if the writer has ever looked around and taken note of how much of our planet has been destroyed by the use of oil or its byproducts?

Ken Dwernychuk

Saanich