Our military has the best class of people
Re: “Shootout pair likely seeking a thrill, crime expert says,” July 7.
The article might have been believable and credible until Temitope Ariole connected this atrocity with the Canadian Armed Forces.
Having served in the Royal Canadian Navy for more than 37 years and having professional relationships with all branches of the CAF, I was appalled by the insinuation that somehow the CAF is a harbinger for radical right-wing thought, beliefs and a mindset that will potentially lead to fatal action on society.
That inference to the CAF as a radical right-wing haven is criminological and sociological gobbledygook. You will not find a better class or group of men and woman anywhere in Canada — men and women who hold strong values and beliefs and who possess a high standard of morality and sense of service to their country.
Are there some bad apples? Yes, but you will find them everywhere in society, including academia and in Ariole’s profession as well.
It is not fair to the CAF or society at large that potential recruits be broad-brushed as right-wing radicals attracted to the military ethos. There was no need to mention the CAF in the article about the actions of these two men. It added nothing to the narrative.
I would say that the Canadian Armed Forces have checks and balances in place to identify and weed out the undesirables through their recruitment process — just like they did with Mathew Auchterlonie.
John Morrison
Lieutenant Commander (ret.)
Mill Bay
City should stick to its jurisdiction
Perhaps only $36,000 was contributed to Victoria’s voluntary reconciliation fund because we already paid an obligatory $200,000.
I am completely in favour of provincial and federal governments’ efforts toward reconciliation; it is not the business of municipalities. Should we also be starting a municipal fund to rescue our health-care system and find everyone in Victoria the requisite family doctor?
This council, meddling in matters of provincial and federal jurisdiction with our tax dollars, is the same one that wants to defund the police (one of their most important jurisdictions), an idea whose obvious lunacy has been graphically and sadly shown to be absurd, with recent police response to the bank shooting and Thursday’s Cook Street incident.
Maybe it has taken these incidents to wake people up, but any thinking individual knows what they do every day here in Victoria.
We need Victoria civic elections to return to a biannual basis. Too much damage has been done by allowing them a four-year unchecked reign.
Richard Volet
Victoria
Shore power in future, but not available yet
Re: “Cruise ships vital to Victoria’s economy,” letter, July 8.
The letter states that “about half of the ships that dock at Ogden Point plug into B.C. Hydro for their electricity needs, and this number is expected to increase dramatically over the years.” That information needs to be corrected.
There is no facility that allows any cruise ship to plug into shore power at Ogden Point. Every ship that docks at Ogden Point generates its own onboard electricity and emits the pollution that results from that generation.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority has developed a plan to provide shore power to vessels in the future, but at this time the funding for that development does not appear to be in place. There is no firm timeline presented for installing shore power.
The GVHA web site also notes that as of 2018 only 48 per cent of vessels using the terminal are even capable of using shore power if it were available now.
We are still quite some way off from having shore power available and many of the ships docking at the terminal would not be able to use shore power when at dock.
Doug Wilson
Victoria
Kindness of strangers helps to ease the pain
While I don’t recommend it, if you are ever in doubt about the kindness of strangers, make a point of getting knocked off your bicycle on a busy Saanich road.
I was overwhelmed by the number of people who stopped and provided all manner of help, from first aid, a chair, righting my bicycle, directing traffic around the accident, calling 911 and offering advice to recuperate.
Every one of them had their own busy lives to attend to, but they stopped to help me, a stranger, and did not leave until I was able to get on my way. I did not get any names, but I still choke up thinking about it.
To those who stopped on Grandview Drive on Wednesday afternoon (including the firefighters and police), you are the best of people. Thanks.
Kevin Cuddihy
Saanich
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