Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letters Aug. 30: Are protesters being exploited?; police were also victims of N.S. mass killer

web1_vka-protest-6-12022110121347275
Police arrest a protester at the corner of Douglas and Burnside roads in January. A letter-writer says the region can expect more protests if more action is not taken against the looming danger of climate change. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST

We don’t see generals on the front lines

Re: “B.C. judge slams Save Old Growth for using front-line protesters as ‘sacrificial lambs’,” Aug. 28.

Judge Laura Bakan, sadly unable to offer any opinion upon the underlying issue of B.C.’s destructive forest practices, devalued a person who was being sentenced for blocking traffic in a sincere effort to save old-growth forests.

Full disclosure: I think saving old-growth forests is a worthy goal. I am not convinced that blocking roads is the best or only way to that goal, but yes, the issue desperately needs more attention.

The judge scolded the organization, Save Old Growth, at great length for exploiting this “criminal,” a person who exhibits the very same personal qualities we value most in a good soldier or in any hero.

That individual was willing to make a personal sacrifice in service to a greater good. He did not make the grand strategies, but trusted those who create the day-to-day tactics that may win the battle.

As the judge herself pointed out, we do not see the strategists on the front lines. (Nor do we see generals, politicians, or corporate executives.) We see brave, self-sacrificing souls, the “cannon fodder” who are “used” to gain a worthy outcome.

Win or lose, we do not then ridicule those heroes for having been “duped” into serving us. This judge, this government and all of us need to ask if we are willing to make any personal sacrifice to save our forests, our province and our children’s future.

Or shall we just bumble ahead with business as usual in our perfect world?

Martin Hykin
Victoria

Here you go, get out of jail for free

Re: “B.C. judge slams Save Old Growth for using front-line protesters as ‘sacrificial lambs’,” Aug. 28.

Judge Laura Bakan didn’t slam Save Old Growth. Instead she gave them a get-out-of-jail free card.

This was the offender’s third time defying court orders. The justice system is not upholding the law.

These so-called environmental groups are funded by those with outside interests. If you want to do something about climate change, you don’t do it by blocking traffic.

People have had it with these types of protests. They are not helping in any way. The law needs to be upheld and illegal protests dealt with.

Nerves are frayed and there will be dire consequences if the law is not enforced.

Dave McConnell
Sooke

Police were also victims of the N.S. shooter

Members of the RCMP of late have been victims of ongoing condemnation as a result of the mass killings in Nova Scotia carried out by a single deranged individual named Gabriel Wortman.

The barrage has been incessant emanating from surviving family members, politicians and the media.

Yet not a single gesture has been forthcoming offering any kind of compassion for the RCMP members “on the ground” who tried to comprehend the incomprehensible, the telecoms operators who received and relayed the initial information, the spouses of front-line workers who no doubt tried to share the angst after the fact.

PTSD will plague many, marriages will be in danger of breaking down. Yet the onslaught continues.

Were there mistakes made? Very possibly. Were they understandable? God forbid that some monster emerges somewhere in small-town Canada, equips a vehicle similar to Wortman’s and, in the early hours of the morning, proceeds on a deadly mission to kill as many as possible.

The prediction? Even now that we know such a travesty is possible and could occur in a similar setting, the horror could be replicated.

Was Wortman’s murder rampage preventable? Not likely.

Can contingencies be built in to anticipate or cope more effectively? Doubtful. Many aspects of this tragedy can be studied and analyzed.

But to heap onus on a rural police contingent for not rising to the occasion seems an additional tragedy. The grief is unspeakable. The horror almost too much to envision.

The police personnel involved are also victims. This should be acknowledged somewhere along this terrible road.

Ian Parsons, retired RCMP
Courtenay

Sorry to leave Victoria? Better than being bitter

I moved from Victoria to Ontario 10 days ago, and I’m facing a cold winter on the north shore of Lake Huron.

My four years in Victoria saw changes from what I’d call a paradise of mild weather, to what I’d call a problem of major proportions due to a lack of infrastructure for the homeless that such a mild climate attracts.

We build shopping centres with parking for the handicapped, but that caters only to those who have money to spend. We build recreation areas for those who can afford sports equipment, and it seems to me that Victoria is intended to be a city meant only for the well-to-do.

I know that Victoria is trying hard to accommodate all sectors of society, but I grew bitter, bit by bit, as I saw more and more dumpster-divers in my Quadra Village neighbourhood.

I may have left the depressing homeless haven that Victoria has become, but I have hopes my former neighbourhood will learn how to be the inclusive community that we all want.

Thomas Parsons
Blind River, Ont.

When Canada risks losing its ‘civil’ status

Sadly the troglodyte, almost by definition, never realizes that Canada is one of the few countries that supports civil discord, and that their words in many countries would put them in jail or worse.

When we lose “civil,” we lose a lot.

Bill Carere
Victoria

Don’t trust statistics about the inflation rate

“There are lies, there are outrageous lies, and there are statistics.” This is quote often attributed to Mark Twain (but may have been claimed by others).

A quote that has been embraced with glee by Statistics Canada. Because by stating that the monthly inflation is well over 7.5% for the past few months, they have promoted a falsehood that is now the statistical lie.

The federal government itself has promoted the outrageous lie that inflation was 1.5% the last quarter of 2021, which was the monthly amount the OAP increased for seniors at the beginning of this year.

The next lie, and most recent, is that the OAP monthly increase this next quarter (July to September) will only be 2.8% (the federal stated inflation rate) but not the actual inflation rate.

Not too difficult when the government can manipulate the figures (lies) as they see fit.

The reality is some products are increasing in price because retailers are now convinced that the inflation rate is really much higher than proven by reality.

Therefore, those wishing for a cost-of-living clause in their contract agreements may not get exactly the negotiated increase for which they signed on the bottom line.

Chris Spratt
Victoria

Bicycle riders own cars, have jobs, pay taxes

Re: “When all else fails, let’s try talking,” letter, Aug. 27.

The letter suggests that cyclists should pay for a licence and that they would then be contributing to roads and bike lanes, just like car drivers do already.

This type of divisive rhetoric is only serving to promote the “us versus them” mentality that many drivers have when it comes to dealing with people riding bikes.

Cyclists aren’t some type of alternative life form living on the fringes of society who are trying to avoid contributing to society and whose sole mission in life is to come out onto the roads and annoy motorists.

For the most part we are employed, productive members of society who are simply using a different mode of transportation on any given day to get to our destination, whether that be taking our kids to school, commuting to our health-care jobs, doing volunteer work or buying our groceries.

My point is that 99% of us also own motor vehicles, buy gas and pay tax on said gas, which goes toward road and bike lane construction. We own expensive homes (gasp!), and pay a lot of property tax.

We even have high-paying jobs and pay a lot of provincial/federal income tax. We certainly do not need to pay a licensing fee in order to feel like we are “contributing.”

And look on the bright side — if I’m on my bike, you will have another spot to park your car when you get to the mall.

Jennifer Kolot
Victoria

Give compensation for ferry cancellations

We have seen in recent times how airline customers are entitled get financial rewards and refunds for delayed or cancelled flights across Canada.

Perhaps it is time for B.C. Ferries passengers to get the same benefit. We have seen numerous ferry cancellations and it is inconceivable that passengers have to wait for up to 12 hours. When will the public start to demand this?

Dorothy Reimer
Victoria

Prevent dog conflicts along Dallas Road

Re: “New fence separates off-leash dogs from Dallas Road pathway users,” Aug. 26.

Dogs have hurt people on the Dallas Road pathway for decades. As Ian Fraser, Victoria Animal Control Services’ senior animal control officer, explained in 2008 when I interviewed him, combining loose dogs with other park users along the pathway is “a recipe for disaster.” Fraser said: “Biting is a common occurrence.”

Walkers are jumped on, tripped and knocked down. In chapter 23 of my Beacon Hill Park History website, I documented how one woman fractured three bones in her wrist when “two large dogs, playing behind me, jumped and hit me on the back, knocking me to the ground.”

I also included the report of a James Bay jogger who was knocked down from behind by two large playing dogs. He appeared at a city council meeting in 1993 with a broken leg, broken arm and three damaged ribs asking for council to improve safety on the pathway.

Another woman’s knee was permanently damaged when she was knocked down by playing dogs. She could never walk again.

In those three examples, dogs were playing and running while focused on each other. The injuries were clearly accidents, but were catastrophic for the humans.

Signs have been posted for years telling dog owners that dogs on the pathway must be leashed. That has not worked.

Other cities in North America routinely eliminate conflicts between loose dogs and people with fencing. That is a reasonable step in Victoria to protect users from dogs running free. Leashed dogs will continue to be allowed on the path just as they are allowed on city sidewalks.

Janis Ringuette
Victoria

Dallas Road fence will increase safety

Re: “New fence separates off-leash dogs from Dallas Road pathway users,” Aug. 26.

Finally. I’ve been waiting for this to happen, as seemingly every dog owner along the walking path ignores the signs asking to have their dogs on leash. When I sometimes remind them that dogs are meant to be leashed, I get rude replies or, at the very least, confused looks.

I enjoy watching their canine companions race around the grassed area, but get very nervous when they dart across the path in front of me. It is such a lovely walk along the pedestrian path, and we can now all enjoy the ocean view without having to worry about dogs getting underfoot.

Anyone with small children, prams, mobility scooters, walkers, wheelchairs or just not spry enough to jump out of an enthusiastic dog will now be able to breathe easier.

Let’s just hope there will be some sort of enforcement to keep the scofflaws in line.

Sonja Edwards
James Bay

Fed up with annoying dogs, so fence is welcome

Re: “New fence separates off-leash dogs from Dallas Road pathway users,” Aug. 26.

Reading the article about a new fence separating dogs being installed, my response is “about time.”

Apparently, many people are rightfully fed up with barking, defecating, urinating, bird-chasing dogs. Loose dogs approach people or jump up on people while the arrogant and entitled owners of the dogs chuckle that their darling doggie “just wants to play,” or some similar nonsense.

It is impossible to sit on a bench somewhere for a quiet ham sandwich and a thermos of tea without being bothered by off-leash dogs. The picture accompanying the article is of a dog without a leash on the path — case in point.

As for “Just tell people not to have their dog on the path,” and “People have to learn to control their dogs,” the unbounded arrogance of some dog owners means that this would never be a solution.

It is surprising that there are no reports of walkers carrying and using the “dog deterrent” sprays that are available at hardware stores to defend themselves when being harassed by loose dogs.

Ken Allen
Colwood

No more fences on Dallas Road

Re: “New fence separates off-leash dogs from Dallas Road pathway users,” Aug. 26.

The new fence to separate off-leash dogs from Dallas Road pathway users is another confirmation that the outgoing councillors do not listen. My wife and I have walked our dog Monte on Dallas Road nearly every morning for the past 15 years. We know many of the people who regularly use Dallas Road, including walkers, runners and dog walkers, both on- and off-leash.

These are responsible adults who take great pride in the very real sense of community that has developed over the years along this beautiful stretch of property. Many of these people are not dog owners, but thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to interact with the dogs they meet.

During the height of the pandemic, the number of users on Dallas Road increased exponentially, resulting in some temporary pressure between users during peak times. However, this was the exception and with overall usage progressively moving back to traditional norms, incidents between off-leash dog users and others are not an issue.

The existing rules are appropriately and adequately respected and, if needed, often enforced by the regular users. Simply put, we don’t need fenced-off areas.

Mark Appleton
Victoria

SEND US YOUR LETTERS

• Email letters to: letters@timescolonist.com

• Mail: Letters to the editor, Times Colonist, 201-655 Tyee Rd., Victoria, B.C. V9A 6X5

• Submissions should be no more than 250 words; subject to editing for length and clarity. Provide your contact information; it will not be published. Avoid sending your letter as an email attachment.