Don’t give up on rail in the Island corridor
Re: “Local governments given another year to use $18 million for Island rail corridor planning,” Jan. 12.
I breathe a tentative sigh of relief that one more year has been given to corridor planning authorities to plan its future.
This corridor stands as part of the future of Vancouver Island. It is a major unimpeded route running mainly north and south.
Given that “80 per cent of the population live within 10 km of the corridor” it is not difficult to see the value of this unique ribbon of land.
It has been allowed to deteriorate and the beginnings of fragmentation are taking hold. If this continues it will be the death knell of the corridor.
It is imperative that the concerned parties, including First Nations, band together and get moving with recommending a major transportation route.
A modern light rail system seems to be the most obvious answer with provisions for nodal development along the line. This will benefit everybody.
Imagine travelling from say Duncan to almost downtown Victoria in a modern light rail passenger car.
Of course, a large investment will be necessary and it is not clear how the financing would work. As a start, part of the planning needs to include major feelers being put out to all levels of government and relevant private sources.
Perhaps that has been done but dare I say not effectively. “Too costly” cannot be an option. But for the very present, that corridor must be preserved.
Robert Milan
Victoria
Many Americans oppose bullying sa国际传媒
The thought of becoming a part of the most politically corrupt, socially backward, amoral Western country in the world is too abhorrent to imagine.
My sane, well-educated online American friends feel ashamed, embarrassed and horrified at the thought of their country bullying sa国际传媒 into submission.
Those those who fully support that mentally unbalanced buffoon seem to lack an even elementary school level of education.
For reasons which perhaps only Fox News could explain, they seriously believe our country doesn’t have a military, air force or navy. They also have the delusional idea their country has been completely and totally responsible for protecting us from the big bad Russians for decades.
Recently, one of these clever geniuses suggested the U.S. should simply nuke all of our major cities, which would then force us become a part of their cesspool of astounding ignorance.
My genuinely intelligent American friends are angry, heartbroken and terrified for sa国际传媒 and for themselves.
They are very much hoping their election in 2028 will turn the majority of states blue and remain that way for decades. All is not lost!
Marie E. LeBlanc
Victoria
Who’s driving the bus for the federal Liberals?
As the Liberal bus is careening downhill on the road towards Suicide Corner, who is driving the bus?
The current driver has quit his job and doesn’t want to drive anymore. Who is driving the bus?
On the bus are a number of people who want to drive. Do you choose someone who has never driven a bus, or someone who has driven a smaller bus or someone who is already a backup bus driver?
I would choose the backup bus driver.
They are the most qualified driver able to jump into the driver’s seat and take control of the bus before it’s too late.
Fred Mallach
Victoria
Pool helps children learn how to swim
Victoria is a coastal community, meaning children and residents must have strong swimming and water safety skills.
Learning to swim is a critical life safety skill that all children should learn at a young age. Across sa国际传媒, drowning deaths have sharply increased after the pandemic, as many young children didn’t have the opportunity for swimming lessons.
As Victoria considers building a new Crystal Pool, we must remember that local pools are essential for the safety of the community.
Children learn to swim here, search and rescue workers use it for training and groups like kayak clubs, canoe clubs and scuba divers use it to develop skills.
A municipal pool is not a luxury, it is a critical component to a healthy and safety-aware community. A new pool will help save lives in our region.
I’m worried that without a new pool, Victoria children might not have access to the lessons they require to keep safe on the water.
John Redekopp
Victoria
Police should do regular police work
The Greater Victoria School Board is on the right track. Armed police officers, except in very rare situations, should not be in our schools.
There is no added value, and it turns schools and police away from doing the jobs they are supposed to do.
Police and schools are always feeling short-changed. It cost schools and police time, resources and money to operate.
Money allocated for schools should be used for educational purposes. An armed police officer provides nothing of educational value.
An armed officer in a school setting adds nothing toward police activities, other than one or two fewer officers on patrol, and the community is already over-run by people violating road safety rules.
An armed police officer adds much more to road safety and enforcement than to a school setting.
Let educational specialists run the schools, as they are trained to do. Let enforcement personnel “serve and protect” the community, as they are trained to do.
Additionally, the school board is meant to help educate pupils. School boards are set up for local input. Allow local input into local schools.
The police have enough work without being charged with non-police issues.
Robert Townsend
Saanich
Making more sense of the border question
I agree with president-elect Donald Trump’s statement that the sa国际传媒-U.S. border makes no sense.
And as apparently the “Great Again” part of MAGA seems to refer to the 19th century (Dredd Scott! It’s Manifest Destiny!), I have a couple of proposals to consider.
Firstly, we should re-open the Oregon Treaty and redefine the sa国际传媒-U.S. border west of the Rockies to follow the Columbia River, as God and nature intended. I am sure that after a couple of years of Trumpism, northern Oregon and Washington state will happily join the Canadian Confederation.
I know that Ontario Premier Doug Ford proposed we buy Alaska, but we have enough snow, tundra and oil.
My second proposal involves Hawaii. They already have a Union Jack in their state flag! After all, the U.S. acquired the islands under sketchy circumstances, after some American plantation owners pushed out the Hawaiian monarchy.
I propose we match up one of the Windsor children with a descendent of Kamehameha, and bring the islands into the Commonwealth, if not fully into Confederation.
As for all the military bases in these territories, we would lease them back to the U.S. and put the proceeds toward our two per cent NATO contribution.
It’s a win-win set of proposals and better than burning down the White House again.
R.B. Paterson
Brentwood Bay
Police not the answer to school safety
I support the Greater Victoria School Board’s decision to end the school police liaison officer (SPLO) program. This decision reflects concerns raised by sa国际传媒’s human rights commissioner about the harm police in schools can cause to marginalized students, especially Indigenous youth and students of colour.
The SPLO program had no formal oversight by the school board, leaving officers without defined roles, clear objectives or accountability.
Unlike teachers, counsellors or other adults in schools who must meet strict standards, police officers resisted similar measures of accountability. They operated outside the structures designed to protect students, creating a troubling double standard.
Students have shared negative experiences with SPLOs, which further highlights the risks of having police in schools without transparency or checks on their actions. A program with this much potential for harm demands rigorous oversight, which was never in place.
Even more concerning is the Education Minister’s threat to dismiss the elected district board if it doesn’t reintroduce the program.
Note that most other school districts in sa国际传媒 have no SPLO program. The minister’s threat undermines democracy and disregards the board’s careful, community-informed decision.
Overruling an elected body sets a dangerous precedent for government overreach into local governance.
Schools must be safe, but a police presence isn’t the answer — especially one without accountability. The board’s decision prioritizes equity and student well-being, and we should respect it.
It’s time to invest in inclusive safety strategies that build trust and protect all students.
Patrick Schreck
Victoria
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