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Letters Oct. 2: Private health care, distant polling stations, Selkirk Trestle safety

Polling station is too far from home Is there no requirement for polling stations to be close to where an elector lives? Every year in the past, we have been able to vote at a local polling station in Shirley.
TC_41921_web_a1-0612-trestle.jpg
The Selkirk Trestle in June 2019. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST

Polling station is too far from home

Is there no requirement for polling stations to be close to where an elector lives? Every year in the past, we have been able to vote at a local polling station in Shirley.

I just received my voter’s guide, and it tells me that I have to go all the way to Langford to vote.

How is this possible?

Rick Fonger
Sooke

Selkirk Trestle needs cycling upgrade

As an avid cyclist, I regularly traverse the Selkirk Trestle. My dentist and neurologist love the Selkirk Trestle. The former has pocketed a small fortune fixing my many chipped teeth. The latter says the vibrational concussions have left me with only one or two intact brain cells. (If you have issues with this letter, blame it on that). I should probably check in with my optometrist — possible retinal detachment. Best not to ride the Selkirk with tougue in cheek: Linguinal detachment a definite risk.

Surely something can be done about the uneven boards of this trestle. There are two trestles in Saanich that have smooth screw-down coverings. Can these be applied to the Selkirk?

The counter at Harbour Road and the Galloping Goose shows that there can be more than 2,000 users on a nice summer day, and in the high hundreds on wet winter days.

Shaking, rattling and rolling across the trestle clearly increases the risk of crashing — even more so as our rainy winter climate makes these slippery, uneven boards more dangerous, and even worse when there is frost.

In the midst of the current cycling safely expenditures, please direct some funds to fixing part of our cycling infrastructure that is clearly broken.

Jeffrey Godine
Victoria

Pandemic a boost for mail-in voting

By calling the provincial election during the pandemic, I think the government has changed the way many people will vote in the future.

I received my mail-in provincial ballot today. After reading everything and discussing with my husband, I don’t think I will ever line up again to vote. I will ensure my ballot is dropped at a secure mailbox or Elections B.C. site. Thanks to the NDP for opening my eyes to mail-in voting.

Eileen Cannon
Victoria

Thanks to workers for testing alacrity

I would like to thank and applaud the Island Health workers who laboured so hard to reduce the backlog of testing appointments from a waiting list of, in my case, 400 to zero over a day and a half. This is an amazing service to the people of Victoria by these dedicated people.

Janet MacKenzie
Victoria

Time to reinvent the governance structure

In the midst of a provincially declared emergency to deal with life and death struggles brought about by a COVID-19 pandemic, the NDP call for an election.

For me, this demonstrates a complete failure of our governance system and those who believe they have an absolute right to do only what’s best for their provincial political party, while ignoring the public’s and business’s health and safety.

And what about the very expensive election, when money is tight trying to deal with individuals’ health, safety and livelihood? It’s time to eliminate these totally unworkable, overpriced, ineffective and self-centred provincial and territorial governments.

A federal/city-state system is needed. This system would, in fact, save trillions of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars and significantly increase the level of services across the board for all Canadian citizens and our absolutely necessary businesses, both locally and nationally.

Our current B.C. provincial government has lost the moral authority to govern.

Dave Hodgins
Retired B.C. assistant deputy minister

Bring more doctors to the province

Great news that the premier is to announce his party’s platform in a few days.

With all the money that he is promising to spend, I wonder how much there will be to recruit doctors to the province.

I live in Parksville and I have no doctor and no idea how to get my next blood test or my next prescription drugs.

We need help.

Patrick M. Doolan
Parksville

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