Yes, the Legion still matters
Re: “Does the Legion still matter?” column, Nov. 13.
My late father, CPO Henry McLean, DSM, was discharged from the Royal Navy at the end of the Second World War in 1945. He was discharged with a 100 per cent disability pension, due to injuries received in battle. He passed away in 1954, due to war-related injuries.
The British Legion took it upon themselves to pursue and obtain a war widow’s pension for my mother, although he passed away nine years after the end of the Second World War. This story is an example of the great assistance provided to many families in the Commonwealth.
Colin McLean
Saanich
PTSD victims should have been honoured
I was disheartened that at the memorial service on the lawn of the legislature on Nov. 11, no wreath was laid in honour of post-traumatic-stress victims.
No wonder people complain we have lost touch with those who served.
Elizabeth Beck
Victoria
Postal delivery times not so guaranteed
I had to laugh when I heard Canada Post was no longer guaranteeing delivery times due to the rotating strikes by its employees.
Knowing that I would be spending Thanksgiving with family in New Brunswick and would miss the municipal election on Oct. 20, I arranged for a mail-in ballot to be sent to me in New Brunswick.
Normal delivery time is five business days. The ballot finally arrived on Oct. 18. The envelope was stamped at the City of Victoria mail office on Oct. 3, which means it took 15 days to cross the country.
I filled in the ballot, sealed it in the mailing envelope provided and headed down to the local Canada Post outlet. I hoped that Express Post would be able to deliver it in time. Unfortunately, the two delivery days advertised for Express Post does not include the day an item is posted or the day it is delivered.
It was suggested that I try Purolator — coincidentally, a company owned by Canada Post.
At Purolator, I explained that the envelope needed to be delivered to city hall in Victoria no later than 8 p.m. on Oct. 20. I was assured that next-day delivery would meet that deadline and would cost only $66.08. With that assurance, I shipped the ballot off to Victoria.
Imagine my surprise when I tracked the ballot this week and discovered that it was delivered on Oct. 24. So much for guaranteed delivery times.
Cullen Morton
Victoria
Nurses’ union uses scare-mongering ads
The B.C. Nurses’ Union is bombarding TV with ads that make anyone who has a loved one in a hospital or is going to need time in a hospital scared stiff.
Ads such as: “We’ve been waiting for six hours!” and “I’m the only one on here, I’ll get to you when I can!”
These fear-mongering ads, put on, no doubt, as a bargaining tool for contract talks, make one wonder if it might be better looking for a hospital stay in Syria.
Bob Beckwith
Victoria
Comments were patronizing
Re: “Don’t worry about ballot’s second question,” column, Nov. 14.
Could anything be more patronizing than the comments from the politicians in Les Leyne’s column? They might as well have been saying: “Don’t worry your pretty little heads about your vote. We’ll take care of it for you.”
As a North American, I’ve just returned from Montana, where I helped get out the vote, in the hopes we could put a check on the wayward president. Walking from door to door, it was a privilege to talk with people from both sides who have real cares and issues about what was happening in the U.S. The voter turnout was historic. I’m proud to have been a small part of that.
To come home to this kind of bloviating and, frankly, disrespect for voters was disheartening. I have already voted no on the proposal because I want no part of my vote to be cast for political philosophies I find anathema.
This thinly veiled disrespect for the intelligence of voters reinforces my decision. Keep the power of your vote in your own hands.
Donja Blokker-Dalquist
Sooke
Vote for PR, don’t obsess over it
With proportional representation, the NDP will be part of the government more often, the B.C. Liberals less often.
With first-past-the-post, the Liberals will be part of the government more often, the NDP less often. Other parties will be discouraged from forming, as they would be unlikely to be in government.
With PR, voters who support the views of the Green Party will likely elect more MLAs, reflecting their percentage of the provincial vote. The same will be true of other parties that might run candidates.
With FPTP, it is more likely that a party will have complete government power with less than 50 per cent of the provincial vote. Depending on the number of parties and independents competing for the vote, complete power could come with less than 40 per cent of the vote.
With PR, there will likely be more parties competing for the power of government, giving voters a greater opportunity to have their views reflected in the government. It is also more likely to mean that more than one party will form the government in a coalition arrangement.
PR places less emphasis on voting for a particular candidate, more emphasis on having the number of MLAs elected from a party reflect the percentage of that party’s votes. With FPTP, the emphasis is on voting for the party candidate, leader, policies or ideology.
I’m not going to obsess over the three options for proportional representation, but I will vote for it.
Errol Miller
Victoria
