Original works have hefty price tags
Re: “Museum to review sale of Indigenous art items,” July 2.
I have the greatest respect for Richard Hunt as an artist, but I have to take issue with his characterization of the Royal B.C. Museum gift store as “a junkyard” because there are some licensed products for sale there.
If he were to go to the gift shop in the First Nations village of Ksan, near Hazelton, or the U’mista Cultural Center at Alert Bay, he would find many identical items for sale. These gift shops are owned and operated by First Nations.
I have made purchases at both locations, and view them, not as original pieces of art, but as treasured mementoes of my travels throughout the province.
I have to think that if these products are good enough for sale there, then they should be good enough for the RBCM gift shop.
Original pieces of work would be preferable, but they’re likely out of the price range of many customers.
Mike Lane
Saanichton
Appreciate culture, and share it
Re: “Museum to review sale of Indigenous art items,” July 2.
As a transplanted Canadian from Ontario who knew very little about West Coast culture when we moved here nearly 48 years ago, except for a little learned in my university sociology courses (courtesy of a gifted professor who had lived and travelled on the West Coast), I have to say that for many years now our first choice of gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations has been West Coast Indigenous items.
We have purchased, mostly from the Museum, silver plated bowls, serving utensils, woollen blankets, silk scarves, shawls and even a few “trinkets.”
Our gifts have travelled to Newfoundland, Ontario, England, New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
I have a great respect for the first people of Western Canada and feel that by purchasing these items and passing them along that this is a way for their culture to be shared and appreciated.
Richard Hunt is correct in saying that the designs on products should always be those of First Nations artists and they should be appropriately compensated.
We also always try to be careful that this is the case with anything we purchase and that includes art and objects reflecting other cultures in Canada and around the world.
However, buying only items of work produced by the artists themselves would be way beyond our price point. Hopefully the museum will continue to sell ethically sourced and produced items of West Coast Culture.
Ann M. Wilmut
Victoria
Real issue is with licence negotiators
I am appalled by Richard Hunt’s shrill and unfounded objections to replica art being sold at the Royal B.C. Museum.
The issue has nothing to do with reconciliation. To connect the two issues devalues the honest efforts being made on both sides. To bring up reconciliation whenever there is a controversial issue causes a lack of focus on the real problem. It is a cheap and irresponsible way of getting attention.
If the art in question was properly licensed then there should be no objection. If he has concerns, Hunt should be talking to the groups who negotiated the licence rather than the museum.
He does not deserve an apology from the museum.
Replica art is a good way of explaining and interpreting a culture. Not everyone can afford $1,000 for a paddle.
David Clarke
Sidney
Differing opinions on Indigenous art sales
Re: “Museum to review sale of Indigenous art items,” July 2.
Those Indigenous artists who have licensed their art are, in the words of Christa Cato, “involved in the retailing process, get paid, and approve of the use of their work” and “receive a royalty” for the sale thereof.
Richard Hunt states “I don’t think any one of our chiefs should be allowed to [licence] our culture away.”
That is his opinion, clearly not the opinion of other Indigenous artists. How is Hunt the arbiter of this issue?
David Laidlaw
Victoria
Police need resources to serve and protect us
Re: “Whose problem is police-staffing woes?” letters, June 28.
I am tired of hearing people whine about the media’s coverage of Chief Del Manak’s response to the inadequate size of funding that Victoria city council has approved for the police in the 2019 budget.
Even Solicitor General Mike Farnworth had to force Esquimalt and Victoria council to fund six new officers after Esquimalt council voted not to contribute their share from their 2018 budget.
This was the first increase to the number of VicPD officers from 243 in 2010 to 249 in 2019.
There are only 17 VicPD officers on each shift in a downtown core that can swell from 85,792 residents to over 200,000 people on any given day. We do not give the Victoria Police Department the resources they need to accomplish their primary objective, which is to “serve and protect” the people in the city of Victoria.
Have you walked along the 900 block of Pandora after sunset? After leaving a recent council meeting I took my seven- and nine-year-olds from the childminding and we walked up this street.
My seven-year-old daughter asked me, “are we safe with all these people lying around?”
I told her that the Victoria police keep everyone in this area safe … for now.
Riga Godron
Victoria
Councillors and CEOs safe despite overruns
Re: “Whose problem is police-staffing woes?” letters, June 28.
I have great admiration for police officers, firefighters and all those who put their lives at risk to protect and save us and our communities from harm.
It is therefore unsettling to read comments such as: “What if Manak were an elected official or CEO of a company?
Would we still permit the on-going admissions of his failure to manage the budget or with losing staff due to stress-related injuries? Or rather, would we start looking for a new chief?”
Rather than being appreciative of the work the police chief and his staff is doing every day and night responding to crisis due to opioid overdose and homelessness, the comments seem to suggest a tone of racism.
How many project managers, CEOs or elected city politicians were fired because of budget overruns (which were in tens of millions) and delays in the construction of Johnson Street bridge.
Did we ask for the removal of the city councillors, project CEO or the mayor?
How many CEOs of health authorities are let go because they often need and receive influx of extra millions in cash to provide health services?
Paramjit S. Rana
Victoria
Create problems? Help pay to fix them
Politicians have lost their way, not only in Victoria but in many communities.
Alcohol and drugs contribute to the ills of society and the burnout of police and social workers, who deal with fallout of easy, “Liberal” policy decisions.
A liquor outlet in every neighbourhood and now cannabis dispensaries.
Late night serving at bars.
Nothing wrong with moderate use, but too many are not moderate users.
Eighty per cent of Canadians consume alcohol and 15 per cent use drugs, so it is very easy for politicians just to provide more booze and drugs to the voters.
Who should pay for the policing fallout of these free for all policies? How about a surcharge business tax on all liquor outlets, bars, cannabis places and drug dispensers, including pharmacies who dispense opiates.
Of course there needs to be far more seizure of the properties of those who profit from the illegal drugs business.
Provide increased police funding from those who contribute to the problem.
Where is the common sense in this free for all, drunken and drugged society, created by today’s politicians?
Phil Harrison
Comox
Going nuclear would mean higher taxes
Re: “Nuclear power provides solution,” letters, June 30.
The writer suggests that other countries (China?) buying our coal (he didn’t mention bitumen) would be much better served if Canada was to develop, build and donate portable nuclear reactors to solve their electrical generation needs.
What a great idea. Just stop exporting the nasty stuff.
All Canadians in favour of paying yet (much) higher taxes to pay for this wonderful and very generous effort should stand up and be counted.
There must be dozens out there.
Stephen Kishkan
Victoria
