Trees provide a service, show some respect
Re: “The old-growth logging showdown,” Sept. 1.
The First Nations people lived for thousands of years in harmony with all Creation.
They showed respect and gratitude when a tree gave its life so their human lives could be made easier and more productive.
Sadly, we have strayed from this balance and respect for all living beings. And trees are living beings.
They have an awareness and consciousness that is beyond most humans. And just because they don’t speak our language, it doesn’t mean they don’t understand feelings of compassion and gratitude. If only when trees are harvested they were honoured for their contribution to our planet.
Trees are the lungs of the Earth. They take in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. We do exactly the opposite — we breathe out carbon dioxide and breathe in oxygen.
Most human beings are oxygen deprived. We need an abundance of oxygen in our bodies in order to keep our brains and bodies healthy.
Trees should be revered for all that they do for us, for as each tree is harvested, we lose a supply of oxygen. They provide a valuable service to humanity.
All they ask is we show them respect and gratitude for their lives and the service they provide to humanity.
Lia Fraser
Victoria
Time to preserve old-growth forests
I’m not known as a religious person, but the vivid picture in Sunday’s Islander of the torn stump of a recently toppled ancient forest giant produced the same sentiments of sacrilege as those engendered in 2001 by seeing the dynamited statues of Afghanistan’s 1,700-year-old giant Buddhas.
The tree stump will tie the date and time of its destruction to our era for generations to come.
There has to be a way to plan well ahead for harvesting a working forest much as they do in Sweden.
Our government must take the lead in its stewardship of the land to institute a system of sustainable forestry where areas of old growth and ancient trees are not violated.
Terry Milne
Victoria
Using electricity to pump our gas
Re: “Ottawa, B.C. to push electrification of gas industry to cut carbon emissions,” Aug. 29.
It has come to my attention that the provincial government is supporting the lame proposal to electrify the natural gas system with the idea of somehow reducing the emissions into the atmosphere.
Maybe I am missing something here, but aren’t we burning all of the gas anyway?
Regardless of how we deliver the gas, it will all be burned by someone. LNG, domestic or industry, it is all the same, and we are all breathing the same air (the world over). It does not matter if you live in Tibet or Prince George or Timbuktu, we all breathe the same air.
Given that, why are we proposing pumping gas with electricity, when the gas turbines are already in place?
Does anyone really think that by switching to electricity we will burn less gas? Nope! The gas pushed further down the line will get burned by someone anyway.
The net balance of this proposal is less than zero. Not only are we going to burn more gas as production increases, but we are also going to burn electricity to move it somewhere else for someone else to burn.
The electricity that they are proposing to use will come from the new dam on the Peace River, which is the bank account for the future use of British Columbians. Should we be squandering it now with the idea of selling more gas?
Incidentally, all that gas that is being burned, carries with it liquid plastic, and it is all going into the atmosphere. Has anyone proposed a way to mitigate all that plastic, millions of tons of it, going into the atmosphere? That is another story.
Robert Clayton
Prince George
Supporting cycling while seeing all sides
Supporting biking doesn’t mean one can’t acknowledge the safety/design/traffic flow problems caused by the bike lanes as they are.
Pointing out that they increase congestion, idling, and pollution while only getting a fraction of commuters out of cars doesn’t mean one isn’t keen to see action taken to mitigate climate change.
Even the most ardent cyclist could agree that the real way to get a significant number of cars off the road is to improve public transit options, especially to outlying communities: Most commuters won’t/can’t exchange car for bike, but are likely to use efficient public transit.
Even wanting there to be more bike lanes doesn’t preclude rational thought and a desire to see them planned well, nor does it mean one can’t agree that mayor and council have disregarded concerns brought up around design and implementation, and supported designs that actively thwart vehicle traffic.
People, please consider all sides of the issue!
Kiiri Michelsen
Saanichton
Time will prove that bike lanes work
Letter-writers have been wondering, why the rush to build bike lanes?
The reason is simple: the network of AAA (All Ages and Abilities) bike lanes is just that: a grid, which only when completed will work to its full potential. The Vancouver Street portion will form the important north-south route on the eastern edge of this network.
If the pace of change concerns you, consider what it was like 100 years ago when Victorians were required to switch from driving on the “other side” of the road, to the right hand side.
Imagine a change in traffic patterns of that scope. Many people resisted, predicting chaos, even deaths. It had to be done quickly, for obvious reasons. But with advanced warning and practice, people adjusted over time and there was no “madness.”
I have been a CAN-BIKE instructor for 15 years, specializing in teaching beginners. I also work at a bike shop, where a significant portion of our customer base is boomers and seniors.
Based on my experience, I understand perfectly the rationale behind building the network of AAA cycling infrastructure. People want to bike but are afraid of car traffic. Physical separation improves their perceived and actual safety.
If you think that there aren’t enough cyclists now to justify the changes, no worries — there will be more once the network is finished. And more next year and the year after that.
Ten and 20 years from now, you will have witnessed an amazing growth in the number of people choosing to ride a bike, as well as walk and take transit. We will look back on this time and admire the brave and forward-thinking decision that Victoria council made to benefit generations to come.
Susanna Grimes
Victoria
Much to be done in downtown Victoria
The problem with Mayor Lisa Helps’ vision and action plan for Victoria is that it is too broad, diffuse, and so encompassing in its attempt to solve the problems of the planet and humanity that it is almost as ambitious as trying to send an orca to the moon.
Take a look at the old city hall facing Douglas Street. It hasn’t been painted and upgraded in many, many years. In fact, this grand lady of a heritage building looks dilapidated and forgotten. Pride in the history of this city’s own “parliament” building is absent.
I hope the plan is not to tear it down and put up of a paint-by-numbers glass box with zero emissions.
Many city curbs have not been painted yellow where needed in more than a decade. It is very confusing for drivers to know where it is legal to park as paint has flaked and faded in many places.
The scenes around Pandora Avenue and Quadra Street have been described. No one mentions that shoplifting, thefts, vandalism and the amount of time and money spent by the police in coping with this symptom of neglect of people in need.
As for the bicycle lanes, I wish I had video of all the times I have witnessed when bicyclists have gone through red lights, bypassed stop signs, made illegal turns, worn black in the winter without reflectors, or even lights on their bikes.
The mayor cannot do a thing about a new problem on Victoria’s streets: all the people walking across the streets without looking up from their phones.
Bjarne Tokerud
Victoria
Speculation tax comes, and the good people go
Until it hits you in the face, it’s just words on paper, but as we sat around the table socializing after our favourite recreational activity, it hit hard.
Our friend, after a life-changing experience, decided to see the world and fell in love with our little corner. His family thought it was a perfect arrangement; they would live half the time in a little cabin situated in a remote area of the Saanich Peninsula, the other with their friends and relatives in Germany.
Things escalated, the cabin was replaced by an award-winning energy-efficient house. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent in the local economy, vehicles were bought.
All kinds of taxes were paid. Health insurance was privately paid for to ensure there was only contributing, no taking. The community welcomed them, friends were made.
But now we have turned on him and his family. They have been told we no longer want them here. Under the speculation tax, his family’s property taxes will be almost $50,000 per year, a burden they cannot bear.
For the first time in my life I was ashamed to be a British Columbian. All the rest of us at the table hung our heads unable to say anything but “we’re sorry.”
I’m sure the government of the day thought the head tax was a good idea at the time too.
Peter Harrison
Victoria
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