Hydroelectricity is not that clean
Re: “Yes to electric cars but no to hydrogen cars,” letter, Sept. 24.
Hydroelectricity is just not as clean as people believe it is. While working at Site C dam last year, I asked the fuel provider how much fuel was being used to build the dam. His quick estimation was three million litres of diesel per month for construction purposes. The dam has been under construction for several years and it will be at least five more years until it’s finished. That’s a lot of diesel. Also, the construction and perpetual maintenance of the transmission lines will consume more fuel.
Mark Henry
Victoria
Teachers need to make it work
I have been following the teachers’ union and their complaints about working conditions and I sympathize to a point.
Where I diverge is that they deal with essentially the same people (students and staff) every single day and therefore contact tracing is relatively simple. Compare that simple fact to store clerks, taxi drivers, hospital staff, police officers, etc. who deal with hundreds of people daily with almost no ability to do contact tracing and I lose a lot of my sympathy.
If others can make things work, teachers need to find ways to make it work as well.
Stephen Sawyer
Metchosin
Equal rights for seniors
Only the residents in long term care homes must stay indoors and not leave their buildings, for six long months now. If they go out they must quarantine for two weeks when they return. Everyone else in society is free to move about.
This is age discrimination, and discrimination against people with disabilities, a visible minority. These elders are not criminals in jail. Being statistically vulnerable to a disease does not invalidate one’s rights. The victim should not be blamed for being vulnerable.
We must be more creative and find a respectful solution.
Why not kindly share our society? Let’s allot at least one morning a week to elders only. Anyone under 55 must stay indoors, and elders can go out for walks, to parks, on drives, with a care-taker with them. Younger people might also learn that some small sacrifice on their part for others, is mature, kind and civilized.
Marla Stewart
Victoria
Victoria council has done a fair job
Re: "One departure is far too soon, one arrival is far too late," editorial, Sept. 24.
The editorial paints Victoria council in negative tones. I think they have done a fair job in very hard times and, in hindsight, believe they will be viewed positively as progressive.
I also disagree that people were “lured” to live downtown.
Migration into cities is happening across the globe and issues related to that are needing all councils’ attention to accommodate that shift [ ie: bike lanes, mass transit, housing, etc. ]
Methinks a lot of the criticism being aired is from people inconvenienced by the changes and would prefer things as they were. Dream on.
Merv Schmit
Victoria
SEND US YOUR LETTERS
• Email letters to: letters@timescolonist.com
• Mail: Letters to the editor, Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, B.C. V8T 4M2
• Submissions should be no more than 250 words; subject to editing.
