Gwyn Morgan missed memo on climate crisis
Re: “No end in sight for Albertans’ nightmare,” commentary, May 15.
A long rambling polemic in support of the fossil-fuel industry. Not a single mention of the climate crisis other than a backhanded acknowledgment that 108 citizens groups and 295 scientists and university professors had made a complaint to the prime minister.
Perhaps Gwyn Morgan never got the memo that the climate crisis is real and needs major attention at the level of COVID-19 and more.
Martin Golder
Past chair of Sierra Club B.C.
Victoria
Trudeau must change stance on oil industry
Gwyn Morgan’s column is one of the best ever published by this newspaper. It clearly outlines the destruction done to our export oil industry by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.
Combine this multi-billion dollar loss of revenue with the billions Trudeau is handing out and the deficit for the federal government is estimated at one trillion dollars.
Trudeau must change his stance on the oil transportation problem, or we will be in a major recession. The oil and gas industry is our only source of big-time revenue to meet all the debt he has racked up.
Jim Laing
Victoria
Well-being should be goal of post-pandemic world
Re: “B.C. needs a green, just and healthy recovery,” commentary, May 14.
Thanks to Trevor Hancock for raising the question of where we go after the pandemic is over.
The world is in this frightening health crisis in large part because of the development of a global economy and society where widespread international travel by politicians, business people, migrant workers, tourists, family visitors and others — all as producers and/or consumers — is a prominent feature of the relentless pursuit of economic growth.
Meanwhile, despite some minor benefits from the current drop in resource consumption, ecological destruction continues and could prove even more threatening to public health and human well-being than any coronavirus.
We need to build what Hancock describes as a sustainable and inclusive world economy and a just and healthy society. Human well-being should be the fundamental goal. This will require cooperation and caring on a worldwide international level.
Some will find these proposals utopian. But the alternatives, especially the notion of returning to where we were before, could well lead to further disasters in the world economy, increasing numbers of fatal pandemics and other consequences, including destruction of species, which will devastate this precious planet.
We have been warned. Our children, grandchildren and those who follow deserve the best possible world in which they can flourish.
Rennie Warburton
Victoria
Henry has it right, Quebec does not
Re: “Consider the full impact of the shutdown,” letter, May 15.
The writer lauded Quebec for opening up much of its economy and derided Dr. Bonnie Henry for “keeping B.C. shut pretty tight.”
Quebec is the hot spot for the pandemic in Canada, with soaring numbers of cases and increased deaths.
The writer is willing to take his chances. How nice. I’m not willing to take my chances or those of my loved ones or other B.C. citizens until Henry gives the all-clear. As the writer says, “there are two sides to the COVID-19 equation” but his interpretation of the other side needs a rethink.
Dave Hockley
Victoria
Dr. Bonnie Henry is doing amazing work
I had been thinking that I would like to write a letter to compliment Dr. Bonnie Henry on what an exemplary job she has been doing during this unprecedented pandemic but I procrastinated as I’m apt to do until something spurs me on.
A letter in the Times Colonist was the incentive I needed. I could hardly believe my eyes that anyone living in B.C. would ever have anything but praise for Henry — and the writer had some facts wrong.
We have not been experiencing a full shutdown as many other places have. We have had more freedom than many other communities in other countries because our government, under Henry’s direction, has done such an excellent job of keeping the virus out of B.C. as much as possible.
The only things we’ve been denied are luxuries.
Many people can’t go to work but on the other hand, most of us can continue either at home or with new restrictions such as physical distancing. Some workplaces are needing more employees.
The government has been sending money to people who can’t work. I’m eternally grateful for the excellent job our government has done under these difficult circumstances. As a senior, also, I’m so appreciative that Henry is looking out for me and protecting my health.
Please, everyone, please, listen to Henry, she’s doing the very best for us.
Bobbi Sheridan
Victoria
Open rail line to bids from private operators
Re: “ ‘Hybrid’ Vancouver Island rail system could cost $300M: advocate,” May 13.
I was encouraged that we might yet see a quick route to downtown Victoria when I read Larry Stevenson’s opinion that the E&N rail line could be reopened for a lesser cost than has previously been estimated.
When I read the WSP report online I was encouraged again when I separated the cost of restoring the rail line itself including bridges and signaling on this short stretch from Langford to Victoria.
Taking out the cost of rolling stock and staffing and looking at the capital cost only could prove affordable if private operators showed interest in running the line as a commuter service. The actual viability of reactivating this much-needed service would be validated by the amount of interest shown by capable bidders as operators of the service.
If no interest is shown, it might indicate the project should be returned to shelf for another day. Cost to government would be no more that the request for quotations.
Ed Monteith
Sooke
More information would help us all
Now that B.C. is about to enter into the next phase of its COVID-19 recovery plan the public should be provided with a lot more information than is being offered by our provincial government.
We are all supposed to be capable of making personal decisions regarding the safety of every day places such as parks, schools, swimming pools or even barber shops for both ourselves and our children.
These decisions will only be as good as the information we rely on to make them.
While both Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry do an excellent job of providing daily COVID-19 reports, the figures they provide are primarily broken down by health district, not by cities, districts or municipalities.
Health districts such as Vancouver Island cover large areas with varying populations and are therefore not helpful to individuals trying to decide their comfort level in returning to work at a specific location or sending their children back to a specific school.
If government is asking all of us to make these kinds of unprecedented decisions regarding our personal health and safety, we all need to be provided with unprecedented access to local COVID-19 reporting.
Bruce Cline
Victoria
Opening schools now not worth risk
Re: “B.C. students will have option to return to school part time in June,” May 15.
With so little time left in the year, reopening the schools now does not seem like a risk worth taking.
For middle school students, a 20% return in June means four days — four days of schooling (without testing) that, voluntary or not, puts the entire community in jeopardy.
Susan Kerschbaumer
Victoria
Beacon Hill Park is not the top priority
Re: “Partial car ban at Beacon Hill; restrictions inside park, but more parking,” May 15.
Being born and raised in Victoria, I have been a visitor to Beacon Hill for more than 50 years.
The fact that someone is spending the energy to try to restrict our beautiful park from our population during these unprecedented times is wrong.
The park is already a safe and beautiful place to bring your family. It is 200 acres. Most of the roadways simply double as parking, which allows folks with mobility issues and children to park closer to the core.
The energy needs to be spent on more serious issues such as opening our city back up and dealing with homelessness.
How about allotting the funds put aside for barricades and bike paths towards a large treatment centre somewhere in the Capital Region. This would be a much better place to spend some tax dollars.
Government at all levels needs to get together and address this; we have parts of our cities that look like Third World countries.
We need to think about how we are going to revive business in the city core by supporting these folks and getting the others off the street.
R.S. Roos
View Royal
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