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Letters April 21: Wearing face masks; seizing hotel rooms

Wear face masks to reduce germs As many American cities are now mandating face masks, which do help with reduction of spreading colds, is it not time for British Columbians to jump on this band wagon, and reduce the chance of spreading our germs? Jus
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The Capt. James Cook statue at the Inner Harbour, temporarily updated for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wear face masks to reduce germs

As many American cities are now mandating face masks, which do help with reduction of spreading colds, is it not time for British Columbians to jump on this band wagon, and reduce the chance of spreading our germs?

Just wear a mask; home made, N-95, a scarf, a bandanna, anything! It is allergy season also. Let’s keep our sneezes to ourselves. Save our grocery, department store and gas station workers from our germs.

John Robin
Duncan

Loss of lone wolf a needless tragedy

It is with heavy heart I write this after learning the wolf who had been living on Discovery Island was killed by a trophy hunter at Shawnigan Lake.

My husband, along with the many other volunteers with Oak Bay’s Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, used to see her regularly on training and rescue missions. How special it was to have this symbol of the wild so close but just far enough away.

Given the uniqueness of the wolf’s predicament I would have thought there would be special protections put on this magnificent animal when they relocated it.

Incredibly, we are still allowed to kill wolves on Vancouver Island and even trophy hunt. Naïvely, I had thought there was a ban on trophy hunting after the last election, but I am disgusted to learn there is not.

How backward we remain.

Rachel McDonnell
Victoria

Mayor’s hotel idea likened to Dr. Zhivago

Re: “Helps wants B.C. to seize hotel rooms,” April 16.

Sounds like an idea from someone who has never owned a hotel or motel, or any other type of business, whereby the owner would rely on it for their livelihood! And she goes on to suggest that the government “issue an order” that a hotel/motel owner must make their facility available — welcome to the old Russia, folks! Actually reminds me of a scene out of the Dr. Zhivago movie when the members of the revolution seized homes and business's. Why do some of you elect people with this mentality?

Someone needs to help Helps — please hurry.

Jim Laing
Saanich

A modest proposal for Victoria council

All I can say is I wish Lisa Helps owned a chain of hotels and motels and she could put all of the homeless people in Victoria in them and also feed them all.

But she doesn’t and I wouldn’t want to be an owner of one and have someone tell me I have to allow this to happen to my business.

But Lisa Helps, Sarah Potts and Jeremy Loveday have homes in Victoria and yards — so if I was a homeless person — the first place I would go to pitch my tent would be to one of their homes and wait for a home cooked meal and a safe place to live.

Pat Hook
North Saanich

Rooms for homeless a half-baked idea

Does Lisa Helps have any idea about the costs Victoria would be liable for to restore the requisitioned hotel rooms after their use as homeless housing?

She has had more than five years to address homelessness in Victoria and now she wants to spend untold millions on a temporary measure that will have no long-term benefits for Victoria’s homeless.

Combined with her ban of single-use bags, this seems like another half-baked idea that lacks the necessary facts and planning.

S.I. Petersen
Nanaimo

‘Unhousable’ a better term for homeless

It seems to me that referring to persons that live on city streets should no longer be as “the homeless” but more accurately termed “the unhousable” because from what I gather having read and heard so much about them, they are not able for whatever reasons, to maintain an established residence. I agree with the mayor of Nanaimo that it is time to consider institutionalizing them so that they can live in safe and clean structures.

David Smith
Victoria

Death rates lower with women in charge

Among the wealthy developed world, countries with the lower death rates due to the coronavirus are Iceland, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Norway. They are all led by women.

Countries with the highest death rates — U.S.A., Italy, U.K., Spain, China, Sweden — are all led by men. Is it because, in general, women value empathy for others, for the environment, for the future rather than for money and power?

Roger Allen
Victoria

Amalgamation study should proceed, crisis or not

Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes has made no secret that he is against amalgamation, as have some other councillors, including Judy Brownoff. While I share some of his concerns, in my opinion he is overstepping his mandate by calling for a halt to the amalgamation study.

COVID-19 dictates that we need to postpone, but cancelling is not what the voters asked for. We want an independent study to provide us with all the pros and cons and then the opportunity to decide for ourselves which way we should go. Do we really need to be treated like little kids, where daddy knows best? Convince us yes, dictate to us, no!

Bob Etheridge
Saanich

Refundable containers could help community

Now that many stores no longer accept refundable containers such as: plastic juice bottles, pop and beer cans, and wine and alcohol bottles, what if the Capital Regional District put aside a day(s) with curbside pick-up. Like they do after Christmas for Christmas tree pick-up.

They could take them to the depots that are receiving these items and donate the cash back to a charity, Our Place or the Rapid Relief Fund.

Patricia Crichton
Victoria

Libraries could stay open in pandemic

I am a long-term library lover. I am also self-employed. My work helps people to reduce the intensity of strongly felt emotions.

I am aware of how difficult it is for many people to be at home for weeks on end, without many healthy distractions.

Anxiety and fear are running rampant.

Books are an excellent distraction, a delightful way to spend a few hours taking minds off of current realities and overwhelming feelings, thereby decreasing cortisol and stress levels while also improving immune function.

I have suggestions as to how public libraries could help to minimize the epidemic of panic and overwhelm felt by many.

1. Reinstate books by mail immediately. The post office is working. The libraries could too, for anyone with online access to the catalogue or a phone to make a request or ask for a suggestion.

2. Follow the lead of the Burns Lake library, and others, by providing a sanitized pick-up service for books that have been ordered. Apparently, the librarians put the books ordered in a bag with the library card holder’s name on it. They then leave the package outside the library door when the person has let them know that they are there (keeping a safe distance), or going to be there at a specific time (either by phone, text, or email).

Alice Grange
Courtenay

It’s too hard to apply for crisis benefits

The government has made it too complicated to receive benefits. All they had to do is send everyone a $2,000 cheque. Easy.

However, they have made it way too complicated to apply digitally. It’s just nonsense.

Bennett Guinn
Victoria

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