Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letters April 7: Langford’s actions; nine months from now

Stay in your lane, Langford Re: “Langford is breaking ranks with virus test,” Les Leyne, April 2. I agree 100% with Les Leyne’s column regarding Langford‘s efforts in dealing with COVID-19.
stew young
Langford Mayor Stew Young.

Stay in your lane, Langford

Re: “Langford is breaking ranks with virus test,” Les Leyne, April 2.

I agree 100% with Les Leyne’s column regarding Langford‘s efforts in dealing with COVID-19. While I usually support Mayor Stew Young and his council’s initiatives, with respect to testing for COVID-19 Langford should stay in its lane.

Young needs to respect what Dr. Bonnie Henry is saying with respect to utilizing test kits. Period. At this important time in this crisis we all need to be in lock step with Dr. Henry, and our community leaders in particular must lead by example.

Leave the testing to the health authority.

Ted Daly
Saanichton

Something to look forward to in nine months

The entire human race has been put on pause as our leaders and most brilliant minds collaborate on treatment and control of COVID-19.

Doctors, nurses, first responders and countless others continue working to keep us all safe and maintain essential services and supply lines.

While we stay home, they are on the front lines fighting our invisible enemy. How will we ever repay them for the sacrifices they are making?

Lives are being lost and more loss of life is to come. The future is uncertain right now and we are told that with time COVID-19 will be controlled.

On a positive, lighter note, since so many of us are staying home, won’t it be nice to shift our focus from lives lost or at risk to lives just beginning?

I predict this will start about nine months from now.

Kevin Norman
View Royal

Canada needs a national health facility

Re: “Comment: Canada among world’s least prepared for Covid-19,” Gwyn Morgan, April 3.

As the article points out, Canada’s hospital bed capacity ranked dead last amongst developed countries, and the country is ill prepared to face the present health crisis. The past few weeks have shown that Canada lacks a suitable medical facility in the event of a major disaster, be it a virus, earthquake or any other catastrophe.

Returning Canadians, suspected of being infected with COVID-19, were quarantined at a hotel at CFB Trenton, and at an employee residence at the NAV Canada site in Cornwall.

What is disheartening is that there was such a medical facility, but it was closed in the 1990s because of budget restraints.

The National Defence Medical Centre (NDMC) in Ottawa was constructed in 1961 as a facility to cater to national medical emergencies.

The centre was closed due to budget cutbacks and now houses administrative offices.

NDMC was built as a state of the art, full-service hospital; its comprehensive design incorporated major developments, including private rooms, a monolithic design to optimize efficiency, and the use of double corridors with patient rooms on the outside emanating from centralized services. Yet this exceptional facility is now used as office space.

It is high time that NDMC be restored to its original purpose. There will be other disasters and pandemics in the future, and Canada needs to be prepared when they happen.

Roger Cyr
Victoria

Raeside crushes it with ‘Trenches’ cartoon

Re: “The Trenches,” Adrian Raeside, April 3.

By showing health-care workers charging out against COVID-19 in a First World War metaphor, Adrian Raeside has outdone himself yet again.

We all know that everyone in society is doing their part in this fight, but we also know it’s the health-care workers who are on the front lines.

By distilling and interpreting this reality, Raeside has raised the level of his regular humour, political commentary and satire.

Here, his art is transmitting at a higher frequency, expressing something noble, heroic and human.

As such, this image deserves to go — if I may use the term — viral.

John Gawthrop
Victoria

Send us your letters

• Email: letters@timescolonist.com

• Mail: Letters to the editor, Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, B.C. V8T 4M2.

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and may be edited for length, legality or clarity. Include your full name, address and telephone number.