A major contribution to our province
Re: “Move B.C.’s forestry jobs into other sectors,” commentary, Aug. 25.
Comparing B.C. temporarily shedding 400,000 jobs in two months — during a pandemic — with the wholesale permanent end to well-paying forestry and wood manufacturing jobs is apocalyptic fantasy.
To end forestry in B.C. would be to end all homes as we know them. What happens to all those construction and carpentry jobs on top of the forestry and wood manufacturing jobs the writer wants to eliminate?
Concrete and steel don’t store carbon, are less pleasing esthetically, and much less safe in an earthquake zone. Forestry wildfires would be worse without forestry thinning, windfirming and fire hazard abatement by industry.
One cannot ignore the fact that forestry does make a significant contribution to our province and that 50,000 residents and 140 communities are directly forestry dependent — and proud of it.
These workers make it possible for us to celebrate the architectural, spiritual, ancestral and cultural gems of wood end products including totem poles, tall wood buildings, sports arenas, boats, guitars, violins, pianos and cultural masks, along with our humble homes. And in tourism, where is there a hotel, resort, or cabin, that doesn’t include wood as part of the attraction?
The Island’s brand new Malahat Skywalk, is 10 storeys of local Douglas Fir, creating tourism jobs.
The world is a better place with wood and forestry jobs. Our province and communities need and want sustainable wood, along with all its positive economic, environmental, community and esthetic qualities.
Bob Brash, executive director
Truck Loggers Association
Forest industry cannot go on forever
Re: “Move B.C.’s forestry jobs into other sectors,” commentary, Aug. 25.
Anthony Britneff’s elegy for an industry is terribly sad, but the further decline of the classic forest industry is inevitable.
For a century and a half we’ve treated our once-magnificent forests as inexhaustible. Now, overcutting and ever-increasing labour productivity are bringing us to resource depletion.
The famous economist Herb Stein once said: “If anything can’t go on forever, it will stop.”
Well, we’re there. The question now is helping many of the workers and companies find new sources of income, while taking a long-overdue look at our wasteful, 20th-century resource management policies.
Harry Swain
Victoria
Forest industry gets large subsidies
Re: “Move B.C.’s forestry jobs into other sectors,” commentary, Aug. 25.
What Anthony Britneff fails to mention in his commentary is the enormity of subsidies that prop up a declining forest industry that will soon shed most of the remaining jobs and mills in which these people work.
The administrative subsidy to clearcut logging and forest management is about $1 million a day. If we add to that subsidies for the use of hydroelectricity, for property taxes, for water usage and for forgone carbon taxes, the business case for continuing industrial clearcut logging at public expense is ludicrous.
Not only do we need to ban clearcutting and lower the allowable annual cut as Britneff suggests, but, as with fossil fuels, we need to end subsidies for a sector with the worst record for carbon pollution of the atmosphere.
Vicky Husband
Victoria
Has Laurel Collins apologized to Victoria?
Many Victoria taxpayers will recall that Laurel Collins was elected to Victoria city council a few years ago. After the cost of training and familiarization with this role Collins served only a few months and then found an opportunity to leave this role and run as the NDP candidate federally.
This was great for Collins’ career, and I wish her well in this larger and more high profile role.
However, the City of Victoria got very little from her short time as councillor, and we were saddled with direct costs of $200,000 and even more in indirect costs to hold a byelection to replace her.
This is a small city with high and constantly increasing property taxes, a lot of pressure on the budget, and much better places to spend our tax dollars. I object to this short-sighted opportunism.
I really believe Collins should reimburse Victoria taxpayers for some or all of these costs, including her salary for the time she was a councillor here.
I realize this will probably not happen, but how about an apology from Collins to the taxpayers who foot the bill once again? Since a federal election is coming up — how do the Victoria voters feel about this candidate?
Norm Tatlow
Victoria
Should we help MDs leave poor countries?
Re: “Continued waste of medical talent,” letter, Aug. 24.
The letter suggested making it easier for foreign trained physicians to get licenced to work in Canada.
So medical training, subsidized by most governments, rich or poor, will just turn out to be an easy route to get a well- paid job in Canada.
Do not forget how many miserably poor countries will rejoice as their few remaining doctors — educated with considerable difficulty — take flight for Canada. But no matter, it will be to our advantage.
Albert Macfarlane
Port McNeill
Listen to Victorians on car limitations
Re: “Putting Clover Point changes into perspective,” commentary, Aug. 18.
Yes, Victorians know the changes at Clover Point are about shifting culture away from the convenience of driving a car. The mayor and council’s animus toward personal four-wheeled transport has been apparent for years.
But a substantial number of Victoria residents are not only unwilling to let go of such conveniences so lightly, but also find it offensive that the mayor and council would act as if it is their role to define Victoria’s culture. Council’s role is to make it easier and less expensive for Victorians to express their existing culture, not to impose a new one in its place, public will be damned.
Victoria’s culture has evolved since before Confederation. It will evolve more. What we need are transparent and meaningful public discussions and patience, not ideology, greenwashing and spite.
When so many Victoria residents, who are fully appraised of the climate circumstances, declare car-inconvenient changes to their city beyond the pale, it is reasonable to question the motives of those in charge who proceed with such changes anyway, and who justify them by declaring that Victoria’s existing culture is unsound and unfit.
Here’s a revelation: Perhaps Victoria council should legislate on behalf of its residents, and not in spite of them.
Doug Stacey
Esquimalt
Greenwashing about Clover Point
Re: “Putting Clover Point into proper perspective,” commentary, Aug. 18.
This is just more greenwashing bunk from bicycle dictators forcing their agenda on the silent majority.
So 20 or so vehicles parked and enjoyed the view of starry nights at Clover Point, on the vast majority of cool, windy, rainy nights when no bicycle riders would venture forth.
This has no measurable effect on climate change. Give your environmentally confused heads a shake and curtail your greedy, myopic agendas so physically challenged people can resume ocean viewing again.
Jerry Saunders
Esquimalt
Changing Clover Point will not save climate
Re: “Putting Clover Point changes into perspective,” commentary, Aug. 18.
Wow, sure glad to know the sacrifice of denying the public the enjoyment of views from their cars on a windswept winter day at Clover Point is going to solve the climate crisis.
Actually, I would put more faith in science and the development of electric vehicles and new forms of renewable energy over restrictions that wouldn’t have the slightest effect.
Wayne Cox
Saanichton
Two-state solution dates from 1947
Re: “Criticizing Zionism, but not anti-Semitic,” letter, Aug. 26.
I don’t know whether that letter-writer is anti-Semitic, but I do know that his historical chronology is incomplete.
The headline on the lead story on the front page of the New York Times, Nov. 30, 1947:
ASSEMBLY VOTES PALESTINE PARTITION
MARGIN IS 33-13; ARABS WALK OUT
UN REJECTS DELAY
Proposal Driven Through
by U.S. and Soviets Will
Set Up Two States
Norman Spector
Canadian ambassador to Israel, representative to the Palestinian Territories, 1992-1995
Victoria
Many things each of us can do to save the world
Re: “Yes, we can make the changes we need to make,” letter, Aug. 13.
What about planting trees? How are we doing on the 10 billion we’re supposed to be planting? With all these fires, it has to be a top priority. I’ve just invested in another two acres of Empress Trees, a wonderful carbon draw down (google World Tree for more information).
Transition from jobs that are part of the problem to jobs that protect the environment. With an election coming up, ask your candidates what they are doing to encourage environmental initiatives.
Research what you can do personally. There are all kinds of initiatives out there from growing gardens everywhere including on top of buildings to making 12 burgers out of a pound of ground beef by adding mashed beans, eggs, cooked quinoa, and ground chia and flax seeds.
Don’t give up … get busy … our grandchildren are depending on us.
Betty Doherty
Saanich
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