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Don’t discount training in medical diagnoses

Re: “Give pharmacists a greater role in health care,” editorial, April 14.

I am a retired GP who worked for 40 years in general practice. My job was largely treating the “worried well,” that is, patients who had minor health problems or who required monitoring of chronic disease. Preventative health care was also a major part of my job.

The most difficult and probably the most important part of my job was differentiating serious from not serious disease. This was what I spent so many years training for.

Diagnosis of disease is often not straightforward and this is the aspect of medical care that pharmacists have not been trained for.

As an example, a simple urinary tract infection seems like an easy problem to treat. The fact is that the symptoms of UTI are identical to those of urethritis, an inflammatory problem and not an infection at all.

The only way to be sure the diagnosis is indeed a UTI is to test the urine for infection.

If everyone with UTI symptoms is treated as a UTI, there will be overuse of antibiotics which has many drawbacks, not just for the patients involved but for the medical community, causing the emergence of bacteria resistant to more and more antibiotics.

Similarly, it is not possible to tell if a sore throat is strep throat without at least an examination of the patient, and better yet, a rapid strep test.

Without this, once again, there will likely be overuse of antibiotics. Skin rashes are sometimes the hardest thing to diagnose. Allergic reactions, fungal infections, and other skin infections are very difficult to differentiate, even by dermatologists at times.

To give pharmacists the authority and the responsibility to diagnose diseases that they have had minimal training for is not a safe and effective way to take pressure off the crisis of medical care in our community.

Gwen Isaacs

Victoria

Pacific Salmon Treaty needs to be re-imagined

Re: “sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½-born salmon often caught by Alaskan fleet,” commentary, April 5.

Judith Lavoie’s commentary only perpetuates U.S. and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ salmon allocation battles and distracts from bigger issues harming Pacific salmon stocks, including industrialization of the Stikine and Fraser Rivers for gold mining – an issue Lavoie herself has reported on extensively.

In her piece, Lavoie references Alaska’s troll fishery, which she says “a district court found takes food from southern resident killer whales.” On the contrary, science clearly shows that habitat loss, dams, vessel traffic, and toxic water pollution are contributing to the Pacific Northwest’s chinook and orca declines, not Alaska’s small-boat troll fishery.

More importantly though, Pacific salmon don’t belong to anyone. We are all tied to their life cycle and are all responsible for protecting what they need to survive.

That’s why Alaska’s fishermen have been advocating to protect and restore critical salmon habitat along sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s transboundary rivers and the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia River. That’s also why Alaska’s trollers have cut their Chinook harvest at every Pacific Salmon Treaty renegotiation. Conservation is our bottom line.

History has shown that ignoring habitat loss will only lead to continued salmon declines. It’s time for the U.S. and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ to re-imagine the Pacific Salmon Treaty to account for the salmon’s entire life cycle, including its time in freshwater.

If we continue to only focus on allocation and passing blame onto Alaska, wild salmon will soon disappear and with them an irreplaceable way of life that both Alaska and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ families depend on.

Amy Daugherty

Executive director

Alaska Trollers Association

Juneau, Alaska

Jeff Farvour

Board member

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and the Alaska Trollers Association

Sitka, Alaska

Don’t allow weapons on public transit

There have been many recent incidents of violence using weapons on public transit, most recently the sad loss of a young man in Surrey who was stabbed on a transit bus.

So imagine my horror, when earlier this month I travelled on a local public bus, and a man got on the bus openly wearing a nine or 10 inch knife on his trouser belt.

The knife was housed in a leather holster, and admittedly he was not displaying antisocial behaviour. However, I was shocked that he was allowed on the bus.

The response from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Transit was “there is no law banning the act of carrying in public knives with sheaths, assuming they are not carried for a purpose dangerous to public peace or for the purpose of committing a criminal offence.” It seems to me in the current climate, and the increase in antisocial behaviour, situations can change on a dime.

I urge the government to change this law, and zero tolerance of weapons on public transit.

Joanne Wiggins

Victoria

CRD residents ignored in amalgamation issue

Unlike all other provincial Commonwealth governments, it’s too bad sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s NDP has decided all by themselves that regionalism is dead in Greater Victoria and have basically removed the voting rights of regional citizens who at the ballot box requested a regional amalgamation review.

In other provinces, the provincial government is subservient to the will of the people. It’s preposterous, in one example, that Esquimalt residents voted 70 per cent in favour of an amalgamation review in the 2014 election are now denied a seat at the amalgamation discussion table.

Meanwhile, in failing to order a review, the NDP has left the region ostracized from its own democracy. Parties sit on sidelines and have to listen to the biased views of the Saanich mayor who doesn’t care squat as to the interests of social equity in the regional core.

He manipulates for his own purposes; he does not represent the interests of regional citizens, including his own. So to expect him to envision a newly minted regional municipal government representing a new larger boundary, including his own, is too much to ask.

John Vickers

Miramichi, N.B.

Heat pumps help the environment

Having recently had a heat pump installed, I have noted the following:

I now have consistent uniform warmth throughout the house. (Have also installed new electric water tank.)

Have eliminated both the LNG fireplace and on demand LNG hot water system ( an unreliable device at best).

My hydro bill is 30 per cent less than my old combined amount for both Fortis LNG and BC Hydro.

Lastly, I should mention the monthly savings of about $80 on gasoline every month as we charge our old EV at home and can honestly say that the increase in our hydro bill is minimal. (Hopefully we are eligible for a rebate on the installation.)

So we are now fossil free (with the exception of our barbecue). I would recommend a heat pump to anyone, it just makes sense.

Bernard Emms

Sidney

Controversy can trigger some discussions

Re: “Marine business in Sooke pays price for boatbuilder’s controversial signs,” April 14.

I know the signs and yes they are very often controversial, but isn’t that actually firing up the discussions in a democracy?

If people rate on Google without knowing the business at all and give a bad rating for a company which has nothing to do with Silver Streak, well the issue is exactly these people.

They just wait for news so they can express their unwanted and often unqualified opinion.

Shouldn’t it start a discussion? I see his signs more as a satire, often very controversial; I agree on that.

In my opinion, it’s better when people say what they think, that way you have still a way to start a discussion and may change their opinion. If they don’t do it, do you think they then change their mind?

We have more important things to do than being outraged about some people’s misbehaviour or controversial statements. We run into a climate catastrophe, we destroy our environment and so on, where are all the loud people with their opinions and solution proposals?

Carl Drogow

Sooke

Resist the pressure to spend on military

According to a recent letter, “you can have a first-class medical care system and social programs, but also spend two per cent on defence as Finland has shown.

Of course you can, as long as the taxpayers are willing to pay the cost.

NATO is now pointing out two per cent of GDP is the minimum, a clear heads-up to all taxpayers living in countries that are members of NATO.

The reality is we live at a time when those who are always looking to increase defence spending have a much easier time because of the war in the Ukraine.

It’s the age-old question, guns or butter. Let’s hope Canadians will continue to resist the pressures from the military industrial complex.

Carl Eriksen

Saanichton

Unfortunately, this word isn’t allowed

Like many of the readers, my “go to pages” always include the letters to the editor. Lately every letter about densification, amalgamation, policing, and/or mental health issues contain, for me, “disallowed words.”

My most respected leader during my working years was Jim Dinning, at the time Alberta’s provincial treasurer. Jim would not sign a letter we drafted if any paragraph began with what he called “fuddleduddle you” words (use your imagination) in response to a taxpaying individual or entity.

“Thank you for your letter respecting xyz” … but “however,” “unfortunately” and any other similar “excuse for rejection or not doing something” were banned.

Imagine our letter writers trying to do the same? Unfortunately …

Michael Faulkner

View Royal

Amalgamation talks are great but expand them

Don’t stop at amalgamating Victoria and Saanich, amalgamate all 13 South Island municipalities and have a much smoother, efficient, cost-effective local government.

We don’t need or deserve 13 bickering local governments with paid council members, mayors and duplicate staffing.

Toronto has one local government for 2.2 million residents so it should not be hard to amalgamate 13 governments of 380,000 population.

Robert Gardner

Sooke

Senior’s advocate role is a valuable one

In a recent letter to this paper, a reader took issue with the senior’s advocate position. I disagree.

When the former sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Liberal government appointed a senior’s advocate, British Columbia became the third province to do so. The NDP government wisely kept the position.

I would agree that having the senior’s advocate report directly to the legislature is a worthy goal.

The seniors demographic is increasing. It is vital we have someone to look out for seniors. The advocate is doing a tremendous job of researching, meeting with seniors through the province and encouraging the government to act on areas of concern.

How is eliminating this position going to improve seniors situation?

The senior’s advocate has raised the very concerns the previous writer commented on.

Silencing the advocate would not improve the conditions seniors are facing.

C.A. Brydon

Victoria

No, seniors advocate is not that valuable

Re: “Isobel Mackenzie has helped many seniors,” letter, April 12.

The caption is inaccurate and misleading. The author is the only person being “helped” here, with mere speculation about any “others.”

My personal experience with the Office of the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Seniors Advocate has been absolutely soul-crushing and I have talked to many seniors who share my feelings.

The writer’s experience is bewildering since the Office of the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Seniors Advocate has a strict mandate of no personal advocacy. I have been turned away by this so-called ‘advocacy’ office and refused help when I desperately needed it.

The April 6 letter, questioning the value of this Liberal-appointed position, was a welcome dose of reality. Mackenzie’s hard-hitting reports on seniors’ poverty are a useless waste of taxpayers’ money when she is not prepared to act on her words.

After our urgent issues were totally ignored in the NDP’s new budget, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ seniors deserve better than this toothless impotent ‘advocacy’ office.

Doreen Marion Gee

Victoria

National anthem wording is exclusionary

I became a Canadian citizen at the age of 12. The ceremony was brief, and all were asked to join in the singing of “O sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½” en francais, in Quebec.

Very soon, I found that the lyrics excluded me, as well as everyone who sought citizenship.

“O sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, our home and native land” – sorry, but all who seek citizenship cannot call forth the word “native.” Since none seeking citizenship was born here, that word is specious and requires a simple adjustment.

Can whomever is in charge of our national song please supplant the offending word “native” with “chosen.”

In French, the wording is equally problematic. “O sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, terre de nos aieux” translates as “O sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, land of our forefathers.” Evidently that cannot be the case for aspiring new citizens.

Their forefathers have been left behind in their country of birth.

Please amend the wording as appropriate. No need for setting up a commission to study the matter. Invite people to write in with suggestions and have the newspaper editor (for example) decide the matter.

Eric J. Ronse

Shawnigan Lake

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