Liquor on ferries could lead to serious injury
Re: “No liquor, please, on B.C. Ferries,” letter, June 30.
I agree with the writer who criticizes B.C. Ferries for considering liquor sales on their ships. It is not necessary and it could easily lead to car crashes, health problems and serious injury, or worse. While B.C. Ferries management states that a passenger in a dining area would be limited to two drinks, that is an improbable assumption.
Who will monitor individual consumption? For example, say four people sit down and order a total of eight drinks, what is stopping one of those individuals from drinking three or four of those alcoholic beverages?
And if that person, who is now over the legal limit, drives and has an accident causing serious injury or death, who will take responsibility?
Would it be the staff person who served the drinks, and did not notice who was drinking what? Or would B.C. Ferries management, who approved this absurd idea, take the responsibility?
While smoking on B.C. Ferries property and ships is, in theory, not allowed, it still occurs on a regular basis. That tells us that the staff is not capable or trained to deal with such violations and whether it be smoking or alcohol, those violations jeopardize the health, safety and well-being of customers, crew and innocent people on the roads exiting the ferry terminals.
Should this idea include the sailings that are less than two hours, those imbibing would be rushed to finish their drinks and get off to drive in heavy traffic. That sounds like a recipe for disaster and is neither healthy nor practical.
Allowing drinking on ferries is not safe nor does it make any sense in light of the circumstances.
There must be better ways for the corporation to meet its bottom line without endangering the health and welfare of its customers and crew.
John Callas
Ganges
Responsible drinking is possible on ferries
Re: “No liquor, please, on B.C. Ferries,” letter, June 30.
Some of us can actually enjoy a glass of wine with a meal without guzzling it. Having alcohol on the ferry is no different from having a parking lot at the local pub. Responsible drinking is an individual responsibility regardless of where the drinking occurs.
As far as a cash grab, if B.C. Ferries wants to make some money and keep the fares such that I can visit my family on the mainland without it costing my first-born grandchild, I’m all for it.
The writer’s high-handed vision of a bunch of drunks wobbling their way to the car decks is arrogant and gives me a pain.
Karen Wilson
Nanaimo
City’s housing move is a bone-headed policy
Re: “City OKs 20% affordable rentals,” June 29.
Another bone-headed policy move by an embarrassment of a city council drunk on its own incompetence.
While I appreciate the intention to create more affordable housing, the real-world economics that will result from cramming this mandate down the throats of developers will most certainly result in less housing stock being created at a time when the city so desperately needs it.
There are a myriad of approaches that could viably add to the core region’s stock of housing that would serve residents in different economic brackets; to discard them all in the face of numerous warnings from experts and analysts — not to mention common sense — is an egregious and galling move.
Shame on you, mayor and council, for lazily thinking you can fix such a complex problem with a stroke of your pen, and in shifting the responsibility to the enterprising businesses bearing the fiscal consequences, slamming the door in their face.
Dirk VanderWal
Victoria
It’s a subsidy,so call it that
Re: “City OKs 20% affordable rentals,” June 29.
I wish to protest the misuse of the word affordable with respect to what is really subsidized housing.
Affordable to whom? In truth, the cost of such housing units is being subsidized either by taxpayers or by co-owners who have paid extra for their units.
Subsidized housing might be a good idea, but we should stop playing word games when discussing cost.
R.A. Green
Victoria
Some basic math for city council
Re: “City OKs 20% affordable rentals,” June 29.
Councillor Ben Isitt said: “I realize that may have the effect of ‘killing some projects.’ That’s an impact I’m prepared to see in order to have low-income people housed.”
Twenty per cent of zero equals zero, comrade.
Vince Herlaar
Victoria
Victoria’s closed. Look elsewhere.
Re: “City OKs 20% affordable rentals,” June 29.
So the city hires a consultant, is given advice that anything more than 10 per cent will not make projects viable, then ignores the advice, with some councillors (Ben Isitt and Sharmarke Dubow) wanting to go so far as requiring 30 per cent affordable rentals.
As a retired carpenter, I care about current and future carpenters, and the City of Victoria’s new policy requiring 20 per cent affordable rentals in projects of more than 60 units means less work for carpenters, less units built, creating a loss of supply and higher prices.
Well done, council! Good thing there are 13 municipalities in the region so construction is not halted everywhere.
Wayne Cox
Saanichton
Reality can be horrific; do not try to hide it
Re: “Photograph of bodies shocks reader,” letter, June 29.
I applaud the Times Colonist for including the horrific image of a dead father and daughter.
While some view this as some kind of shock tactic, I do not see it this way. If that were true, we would be seeing many more of such images in order to sell papers, yet we do not.
I see reality. Sometimes, real life is graphic and horrific. Including this image should shock because it’s a really shocking and horrible event. A picture is worth a thousand words.
There seems to be a movement to try to insulate and pamper the population from harsh realities, but in the real world, bad things happen, and we need to see them to acknowledge them.
If something offends you then simply look away.
What is disrespectful to these victims is trying to soften somehow the horrific tragedy that befell these people and possibly allow more people to attempt this journey under the ignorant impression it’s not that dangerous.
Jakob Wiebe
Victoria
If you care, support relief organizations
Re: “Photograph of bodies shocks reader,” letter, June 29.
My heart goes out to the person whose sensibilities were bruised by the sight of the dead father and child — over her breakfast table no less!
I hope she appreciates how blessed we are to live in such carefree isolation from the atrocities so many millions witness or are subjected to on a daily basis.
Perhaps she (and all of us) would feel some relief from our discomfort by sending hefty cheques to the many relief organizations that are actually working to help those affected.
Aileen Averill
View Royal
Stop using photos for shock value
Please stop with the graphic images of past violence such as the photo in the Saturday paper of the bodies flying through the air after being hit by the car in Charlottesville.
We do not need to see these images. I can see no value in printing a photo such as this except for shock value.
Cathie Lamont
Victoria
Crossing guard receives thanks
Re: “At a crossroads: Guard retires, but will Saanich replace her?,” June 26.
The article said the intersection doesn’t score highly under the municipality’s criteria to determine where crossing guards are needed.
When I was a young girl walking to school, I witnessed my girlfriend’s younger brother being struck by a vehicle speeding through where the crosswalk is today.
He died later that day from his injuries.
I pass through that intersection often as my mother still lives in the area and the memory of the accident will be with me forever.
Thank you, Trudy Trotter, for your dedication of 22 years. I sincerely hope Saanich will fund a crossing guard at this dangerous intersection.
Andrea Jakeman-Brown
Victoria
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