Idiotic behaviour can be fatal to others
An unacceptable number of British Columbians are falling ill with COVID‑19. Although it may not be what people want, it is past time to lock down the province.
Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix continue to preach to the choir, exhorting us to do what we are already doing.
The uncontrolled spread of contagion is being sparked by those who are not listening and do not care to disrupt their own narrowly defined sense of entitlement for the common good.
Until these people receive either a fine or a citation for their actions, they are not going to follow Henry’s gentle chiding. To be frank, they probably don’t even know who she is.
Nobody enjoys policing people for behaving like idiots, but in 2020, their behaviour can and has been fatal to others.
I understand that Henry is predicating her guidelines on the base supposition that people will always do the right thing if adequately informed.
As an adult person of some years, I can tell you without any hesitation that they will not. I greatly appreciated hearing Dr. Richard Stanwick’s voice of reason in calling for transportation to/from the Island to be restricted to cargo and health emergencies only.
It is the only realistic response I have heard in weeks.
It is very difficult to balance the needs of the economy and disease prevention in a time of pandemic, but we are staring down an unavoidable truth; sick people are a drain and dead people cannot contribute.
Rhiannon Hamdi
Victoria
Walking on the right is the safest way
I love cycling on the new pathway along Dallas Road, but there seems to be some confusion regarding which side of the trail pedestrians should walk on.
One recent letter writer incorrectly stated that pedestrians should always walk on the left side.
The City of Victoria has temporarily designated the cycling path as shared use for cyclists and pedestrians for the duration of the pandemic.
According to the CRD website, on other shared use trails in the region, including the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails, both pedestrians and cyclists are asked to keep to the right.
Susanne Deacon
Victoria
Improve the corner where the cyclist died
It is with shock and great sadness that we heard of the death of a cyclist at the corner of Gorge Road and Harriet Road on Nov. 6. It also must be heartbreaking for the truck driver who, we understand, stopped and helped at the scene. No one should die on our city’s streets.
My wife and I live near this intersection and are avid cyclist. We bike though this corner nearly every day and have often remarked how it is a very dangerous corner. Cars are whizzing along Gorge Road and many are turning at Harriet, where there is a very short right hand turn lane for traffic heading west.
There is a steep hill east of Harriet and sight lines are poor in both directions. Worst of all for bicyclists, the narrow bike lanes on Gorge suddenly stop at Harriet and do not reappear until west of Tillicum Road. We are experienced cyclists yet we often take to the sidewalk on this short stretch of Gorge Road. We know cyclists should never ride on sidewalks and that it is a dangerous thing to do, but we feel it is a safer option here.
Surely the good burghers of Saanich and Victoria can figure out how to improve this dangerous intersection, widen the Gorge Road East bike lanes and extend them through to Tillicum Road.
Yours in safe bicycling.
Nicholas Close
Victoria
It’s time to develop an attitude of gratitude
It is so important for us to stop and take stock of what we are grateful for:
I woke up this morning, unlike the 10,000 people who have died from corovirus in Canada.
I woke up in a warm home — thanks to Victoria council for trying to house the homeless
Thanks for the health-care system of dedicated men and women who give unselfishly and who should be treated with the utmost respect and gratitude. At the very least we need to say “Thank you.”
Thank you for the store workers and restaurant people who work under very hard conditions and must fight with people to wear masks
Thanks to the Times Colonist for all the wonderful fundraising it has done to help those in our community
Thank you for a safe country that we call home — we paid a very high price in lives during the wars to keep us safe.
Thanks to Dr. Bonnie Henry who gave us these words: “Be Safe, Be Kind and Be Calm”
When we spend time developing an attitude of gratitude and count all of our blessings, we don’t have time to be rude and negative to people who are doing their jobs in very trying situations.
We live in a very beautiful part of the country and have manifold blessings each day so before you complain ask yourself if you have food, shelter and clothing today. Then don’t complain about anything.
Develop an attitude of gratitude.
Sue Goldsack
Esquimalt
Victoria needs to get back on track
What has happened to Victoria?
Victoria, the Capital Regional District and Vancouver Island as a whole were considered one. Many Canadians refer to Vancouver Island as Victoria.
No longer. A change in municipal politics has separated us from the rest of the Island. Tourists will one day return to this Island, but maybe not to Victoria.
This fall I took my son to a Victoria park to play with his friends. What I found on the ground was two takeout containers each with a syringe needle sticking out.
Not a place for kids, pets or even wildlife. Our park.
The next week we went to an Oak Bay park to play. There we came across an owl that allowed us to say hello and take some pictures. Truly a great trip to the park.
24/7 camping in the parks has to stop. Victoria needs to do a 180 and get back on track before we sink the entire Island.
Sean Leitenberg
Victoria
Callous and cruel to block loved ones
I was so saddened to read the obituary of someone I know who passed away a week ago, not of COVID-19, and wasn’t allowed to have any family members by her side in her final hours.
My sister was in Burnaby Hospital in early August and I got the call to advise me that she was palliative. I immediately went to be by her side, and other family members were allowed in to see her as well. During the 10 days she was in the process of dying we were able to be with her — ensuring her needs were met as she was too weak to push the button to call for help.
The palliative doctor was amazing — so understanding and compassionate — and my son and I were at her side as she passed.
We both felt it was such a privilege to share our love for her and support her as she made the transition out of this life.
I fail to understand the reasoning behind depriving the patient and their loved ones the opportunity to be together in those final moments.
There are significant safety protocols in place to keep people safe in hospitals. It feels very callous and cruel treating people in this manner.
Donna Miller
North Saanich
Urgent care centre offers great service
My husband and I are 90 and 94 years old, born and raised in Victoria.
We have been married for 72 years and in all this time we have only had four doctors. Two have died and two have given up their family practices. The last was only four months ago.
My husband has congestive heart failure and requires prescriptions and medical attention. With no help from the regular walk-in clinics it was suggested we try James Bay Primary Urgent Care clinic.
Even though we are not in their area they have come to our aid. We have dealt with three of their doctors and a nurse practitioner.
Their kindness and attention has been outstanding. We are most grateful to them all. We are looking forward to our North Quadra clinic opening soon.
Many thanks to Premier John Horgan and the NDP government for theses clinics and we hope to see more of them soon.
Barbara Craven
Saanich
How to get rid of non-electric vehicles
Now that our governments appear to be taking climate change seriously, isn’t it time to look ahead and plan how to get all those gasoline, diesel or CNG powered vehicles off the road altogether?
Beginning in 2021, let’s refuse to license any non-electric vehicle older than 38 years. (Classic cars are a special case.)
In 2022, cut that down to 36 years and in 2023 down to 34. Pursuing this pattern, by 2030, there will be no non-electric vehicle on the road older than 20 years.
In 2030, responsible forward-looking governments will implement policies prohibiting the sale of new carbon-fueled cars, trucks and buses.
Continuing the program of licence restrictions, by 2040 there will be no non-electric vehicles left on the roads at all.
Tom Masters
Chemainus
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