Gurdeep Pandher’s joyful dancing
Re: “Yukon resident spreads joy and happiness on Island through exuberant dance,” Aug. 11.
Thank you for the wonderful article on Gurdeep Pandher. The colourful pictures of him doing his joyful energetic dance are now pinned to the bulletin board above my desk. Every time I look up I see that happy man doing his glorious dance; how can I possibly feel sad!?
Gale Ludvigsen
Duncan
Effort of 2 men in dog rescue is inspiring
“Dog rescued from cave, reunited with owners three months after becoming lost,” Aug. 12.
I want to thank the Times Colonist for bringing us the story about the rescue of Stella the dog by Zach Regan and Matt Johnson. In these anxiety inducing times their story is just the tonic we need. It gave us the chance to marvel at the determination and perseverance of two young men who put a lot of effort into doing the right thing.
Not only did they go to great inconvenience and some risk to bring the dog off the beach, but they also followed up by making the extra effort to contact the non-profit ROAM group that reunites owners with their missing pets. And then to find out that the owners had lost the dog on their honeymoon hike, leaving a dark cloud on what should be a happy time, made the rescue and reunion all the more poignant.
Zach said it was the best outcome he could have hoped for and it was the best outcome for all the TC readers too. You gave us the gift of an uplifting story of hope just when we needed it most!
Carmen Ross
Victoria
Out on trail, keep dogs on leash
Fortunately this saga had a happy ending. Zach Regan and Matt Johnson are true heroes for rescuing Stella from where she was trapped on the Juan de Fuca Trail.
Dogs are meant to be on-leash on the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park trail for good reasons — protection of wildlife, maintaining the integrity of the trail environment, as well as for the protection of the dogs and others. This is a rugged hike with many potentially treacherous areas and drop-offs if one ventures off the designated trail.
Even a well trained dog will “take off” to chase an animal or if frightened by something in the wilderness, especially an unfamiliar dense wilderness. Many people think their dog will stick with them, but dogs will be dogs. Those of us who live in the rural areas see many poorly controlled dogs off-leash in our parks and on our trails, which is increasing with everyone heading out of town to the country during the pandemic.
As a dog owner, I can imagine the anguish the owners would have suffered after losing Stella. But my sympathies are more with Stella, and I shudder to think what she endured over the three months she was missing. It is up to us to make sure our pets are managed safely.
Brenda Mark
Shirley
Restaurant servers should wear masks
Over the last few weeks my wife and I, both seniors have ventured out to some of our favourite places for lunch. Of the four that we visited we would only consider returning to one. All had very good signage, tables well spaced apart and sanitized before use and also separate entrance and exit.
However, apart from one, the serving staff did not wear masks and stood above us, right next to the table, to take our orders. We are encouraged to wear masks when social distancing is not possible so why not in restaurants? It is important to help our local businesses during these turbulent times but they must make customers feel safe in order to gain our continued support.
Richard White
Nanaimo
Positive attitude will help keep us healthy
Re: “Please focus on the positive,” letter, Aug. 14.
The letter writer invites us to focus on the positive. A good reminder especially during these COVID times.
It brings to mind how much we hear about the “number of cases” in B.C. and the rest of the world. Five months of this makes me feel like I’m being brain-washed.
Have we forgotten the miracles of our bodies? We cut ourselves and the body immediately begins to heal. That is the nature of our bodies – to heal – always wanting to bring itself back into balance and health. But many may feel their bodies have betrayed them.
But where have we betrayed our bodies and not given them what they need in order to be at optimal health? A positive attitude is always important, so perhaps shifting our focus away from the daily COVID numbers and putting our attention on something more constructive, like keeping our bodies healthier, might be a positive use of our time.
Lia Fraser, yoga teacher
Victoria
Heritage Pothole Conservation Area
WHEREAS Fort Street between Yates and the Oak Bay junction is deteriorating back to the wagon road from whence it came;
AND WHEREAS it is primarily composed of axle-busting ruts, pits and potholes;
AND WHEREAS the City of Victoria has been unwilling or unable to fix them for so long that they have become part of the fabric of the community;
HENCE let it be proposed that this section of road be designated a Heritage Pothole Conservation Area. Use at one’s own risk.
Pete Jando
Victoria
They were here illegally
Re: “Dozens gather for 10th anniversary of MV Sun Sea arrival,” Aug. 14.
Why is it that the media always seems to make the Conservatives under Stephen Harper sound like “bad guys,” which was exactly what the comment “were labelled by the then-Conservative government as ‘terrorists and illegals,’ ” sounded like.
The people who arrived on the MV Sun Sea were here illegally.
“We were detained, interrogated, stripped of our names and identities,” she said. Yes, they were , that’s what all countries do when someone enters their country illegally. Yes, they were migrants fleeing a war zone and people appreciate that, but they came here illegally and should expect to be thoroughly checked.
Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews called some of the passengers “suspected human smugglers and terrorists” and warned about criminal organizations abusing Canada’s refugee system.” That’s what he was supposed to do. Yes, we have to be compassionate for these people, but we also have to follow the rules to make sure Canada is safe.
Bob Gracie
Victoria
A lack of cheering for Toronto teams
A friend recently asked why I was not a fan of the Jays/Leafs/Raptors, all Toronto teams that do reasonably well, especially the Raptors who won it all last year. My answer was quite simply that I did not appreciate the fact that all sports reporting in Canada seems to come out of Toronto (with the exception of the Canucks — their coverage in this area is excellent) and as a result we get bombarded by Toronto’s point of view and often with a bias.
Imagine if you will that the head coach of one of Toronto’s teams was rushed to the hospital in the middle of an important playoff series. You can be sure this would be covered by every outlet of the Toronto media, this being a Toronto story.
Last night, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens was rushed to hospital, in the night following the Habs game with the Philadelphia Flyers. Tonight, on the National, not a single mention was made of this.
However, this story was not about Toronto.
Bob LeBlanc
Victoria
Generic replies from the government
I have been writing to the minister of municipal affairs and housing. The response I receive smacks of a form letter. It doesn’t really address my concerns about providing so many benefits to people who move here who are homeless or addicted to drugs that come here from other provinces.
One of the best climates in the world, where they can camp in beautiful surroundings, while they are provided with all their necessities. Why not move to Victoria?
Clearly, Victoria is attracting large numbers of homeless and drug-addicted because of the support system here. And yet we don’t see decreasing numbers, we see increasing numbers. It seems apparent that the plans in place are not working effectively. The provincial and city governments need to consider another approach.
Lavinia Rojas
Victoria
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