Amalgamation Yes does not speak for everyone
We don’t “need” amalgamation. Amalgamation Yes continues to beat its barely audible drum of “13 is too many”.
We don’t care that AY increasingly belongs in the empty noise category of the Island Corridor Foundation. But hey, there’s a municipal election so why not stir the pot a bit, eh?
Nothing is going to happen before the municipal elections, amalgamation isn’t on anyone’s platform and it isn’t front of any voter’s mind.
No one elected Amalgamation Yes to “monitor this process,” not least because “this process” has yet to be defined.
No one has established what “resident voters’ support” is or what it might support, but two things are sure: it will not be what AY will portray it as, and no one has given AY permission, or asked AY, to speak for them.
Andy House
A citizen of a keep-it-independent-municipality
(View Royal)
Many different ‘isms’ affecting employees
Some are upset about Lisa Laflamme being let go by CTV and attribute this to sexism. She is a high-profile woman and thus her plight attracts attention and, perhaps, rightly so.
However, “isms” are all around us and affect many people with a lesser profile. I was let go at age 47 because of “I don’t like you-ism.”
I had in excess of 1,000 applications out but got no takers in Canada because of “age-ism.”
I had to first start a business in the U.S., but later found employment in Switzerland. Everything turned out all right in the end, but it was hard on the family.
Even if legislation exists that prohibits discrimination on the basis of this or that, good luck trying to prove it.
So let’s not worry too much about LaFlamme in particular: I’m sure she’s fine. Rather, let’s have our politicians think about how to prevent employers from screening potential employees on the basis of sex(ual orientation), creed, marital status, race, disability, gender and age and how we can lower the burden of proof of discrimination.
Appointment of an ombudsperson would be a good start.
Gerry Stuurop
Cobble Hill
Ageism, sexism are causing real harm
I know, all too well, the ageism and sexism that comes with being a senior woman.
So I am especially pained by the wonderful corporate steam behind ending the devaluation of senior women being overwritten by a focus on the voices of a couple of “media experts” suggesting there is harm to be had for standing up against ageism and sexism.
The only harm that is real is the harm that comes from continued ageism and sexism.
Joanne Thibault
Victoria
All amenities of home, and no loss of anything
Re: “Ship sails for Alaska after tugboat strike forces overnight delay in Vancouver,” Aug. 30.
I can’t think of anything that is more representative of a First World problem than the hue and cry of some passengers on the Celebrity Eclipse being out of sorts because they were “stuck” in Vancouver due to a tugboat strike!
Being “stuck” on a multimillion-dollar cruise ship with all the amenities of home, and much more, speaks of entitlement at its worst — less than a 24-hour delay that made absolutely no one late for anything, and for which all passengers will be compensated.
Unbelievable.
Joan Firkins
Brentwood Bay
Waits for medical care affecting everyone
People are complaining that addicts have to wait 100 days for a detox bed. Perhaps they don’t realize that thousands of men and women in B.C. are living with extreme pain while they wait one or two years for hip or knee surgery.
We expect government bodies to solve all our problems, but this may not be possible. Nobody seems to have all the solutions and the wheels grind slowly.
Meanwhile, I am happily dancing away on my brand new right hip after a 15-month wait. Yay!
Cheera J. Crow
Brentwood Bay
We must show more compassion
Last Saturday morning I was stopped in my car at the light on the corner of Pandora Avenue and Wharf Street. A young woman had collapsed against the Swan’s wall and a garbage can. No one was with her.
I called out to passersby who saw her but kept on walking. If I made a mistake it was not to have put on my hazard lights and go to her.
The light changed, I drove across the bridge, did a U-turn, drove back, waited for the turn signal, parked and ran back to her. She spoke about calling 911, which must have been done because a policeman appeared beside me then I saw an ambulance driving down Pandora.
Why did so many people see her and do nothing? Fear and callousness might be the unfortunate answer.
Lloyd Phillips
Victoria
Feeling grateful — but where did we lose the way?
Recently I spent about eight weeks on the seventh floor of Victoria General Hospital fighting a serious blood infection. Due to the quick actions of the medical staff, they were successful in halting the progress of this infection, thereby saving my life.
While in hospital, I had the privilege of meeting so many dedicated doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff. All these individuals treated me with compassion and kindness as they cared for me while being severely understaffed.
When I was six years old, my family and I moved to Victoria. At that time, my father noted how great the medical system was. What has happened between then and now?
Maybe we should approach the federal government with that question. Somewhere along the way, we lost sight of what was required to keep our system running effectively.
To sum it up, too many people are requiring help and there are not enough resources to handle the load. How we fix this will be difficult but well worth the effort.
In the meantime, let’s thank all those working so hard under difficult conditions to keep us alive and healthy.
Alan Brookes
Saanich
Pharmacists could ease B.C.’s doctor shortage
My recent health issues have shown me two things: I’m very blessed to have a family doctor, and pharmacists know more about prescription medication than the family doctors.
The doctor shortage has been front-page news for a very long time. Clinics close and the emergency department swells. I can’t imagine how scary it would be to not have a doctor.
However, I can imagine that people will choose to ignore and just live with their symptoms.
More than half of all my appointments are simple; either discussing current medications, getting new prescriptions and answering questions. Due to some relatively recent health challenges, I’ve been seeing my doctor a lot.
Following my appointment I go to my local pharmacist. He not only fills my prescription, he also ensures there will be no negative drug reactions. They do an amazing job at answering all of my questions.
Then a lightbulb lit up with an idea, and as my grandpappy used to say when sharing an idea: “Just making soup, not eating it….”
What if it were possible (with some extra training) for pharmacists to take on the role of doctor for any and all simple, medication-based appointments? Got the sniffles? Call the pharmacist.
That would free up an average doctor the time to take on more clients.
Pharmacies would win by increasing cash flow and the government by getting credit for not just having a solution but creating more jobs doing it. I would think it would be easier to attract out-of-province pharmacists than doctors in today’s climate.
Allan Young
Duncan
Clarifying statement on hydrogen’s value
A recent letter said that a kilogram of hydrogen has more energy than a kilogram of natural gas, a statement that is correct but misleading.
Hydrogen as a single atom is significantly lighter than a molecule of natural gas, so a kilogram of hydrogen needs three times the volume of a kilogram of natural gas to be equal to it in weight.
Both are gases, so measured in equal volumes at equal pressures natural gas has three times the energy.
How comfortable are you in driving a car with a tank of pressurized hydrogen at thousands of PSI to make up that difference, and in buying three units of fuel compared to one?
Terry Sturgeon
Victoria
Formative thoughts on the value of vaccines
For me, the first days of school were very formative. We started the day with the singing of God Save the King, reciting the Lord’s Prayer and then received our cod liver oil pill.
Midway through the year the terrible news came that King George VI had died and by June we were singing God Save the Queen in the mornings.
Fast-forward a year or so and children began getting sick, dying or becoming deformed by the disease called polio. A little girl in my class died and others in town got seriously sick.
The beaches were closed, parents were terrified and then fortunately science came through and a vaccine for polio developed. Mothers who had suffered the pain of childbirth did not want to suffer the pain of burying that child, so they rushed to get their children vaccinated.
They trusted the science and it worked.
Polio was eradicated from Canada. Fast forward a few decades and COVID came on the scene. Fortunately, this time the children were not the primary victims, but the scramble for science to find a cure was just as frantic.
In record time a vaccine was developed and proved to be very effective in saving lives. In my view, it is very unfortunate that there is a segment of our population who do not believe the science and refuse to get vaccinated.
That’s OK, their choice, but what about the children? Their refusal to have their children vaccinated against any disease has seen the dreaded polio come back on the scene.
I put faith in science and fact-check statements that seem to dispel logic. Perhaps more folks should put “fact checking” into their “to do” bucket list of life.
Mike Thomas
Sooke
Blood donors make a difference
I wish to give thanks to all of the people who make the time to donate blood. As a recipient of frequent blood transfusions over many years, the gift of life is precious beyond all things.
I am ever grateful. Please consider donating blood if you are able. You will make a difference in someone’s life.
Cathy Ready
Saanich
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