sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Mulroney sets tone: Bring back real debate

Despite how anyone feels about politics or on which sides of the fence you sit, it was refreshing to read the article on what Brian Mulroney, the former Progressive Conservative prime minister, said about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s style of leadership.

Lori Turnbull, director or the school of public administrations at Dalhousie University, said that it wasn’t so much that Mulroney’s comments were about the difference between political parties, but more of about returning to informed public debate and the PM taking on the responsibilities of the office by staying out of the “noise” of Parliament.

I am tired of the name-calling, finger-pointing and shouting that is currently considered debate. It would be nice to hear some real debate.

Karen Langenmaier

Courtenay

Thanks to Dr. Henry for inspiring words

In the height of COVID, I purchased a t-shirt in a fundraiser for the Rainbow Kitchen, to support the Kitchen and also the work of Dr. Bonnie Henry, who in my opinion did a remarkable job in leading sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ through the pandemic.

Her oft-spoken words at that time — be kind, be calm , be safe — resonated with me and clearly many others in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

I recently rode a bike from Passau to Vienna, and then visited Budapest. At every opportunity I wore this t-shirt and it sparked so many conversations about its origin, which led to conversations about kindness and compassion, that even I was surprised. I felt so proud to be from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Dr. Bonnie Henry is still working her magic.

Ted Daly

Saanichton

Heritage fountain should be retained

I hope the Oak Bay mayor and council speak out against the City of Victoria plan to modify or eliminate the fountain at Centennial Square.

This fountain was a centennial gift to Victoria from Oak Bay, Saanich and Esquimalt and is a heritage structure.

The city is being very disrespectful to its neighbours by considering the modification or removal of this fountain.

A seasonal, removable water feature could easily be incorporated in such a way that the original fountain is preserved.

Doug Taylor Lee

Architect AIBC (retired)

Oak Bay

Blame governments for housing cost

There seems to be a lot of speculation and opinions from people on why rents are high in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ There is not enough rental being built to make rental rates more competitive. It is simple supply versus demand.

Construction costs to provide multi-family units are similar across sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. Interest rates are also the same. So basically the playing field for developer/landlords is level.

The main difference is demand for rental units. Demand is actually greater in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ than anywhere else in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ with the exception of Ontario.

Like Ontario, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ has rent controls that make the ownership of apartments much less desirable than other opportunities for developer/landlords in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. There is your reason for higher rents. Rent control.

In sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, rent increases have been restricted to 2.5 per cent in 2019, 2.6 per cent in 2020, zero per cent in 2021, 1.5 per cent in 2022 and two per cent in 2023.

This is well below the inflation rate. Property operating expenses such as property taxes, insurance, etc. have and are increasing at a much higher rate. Property taxes alone have averaged six per cent, with Langford at 12 per cent.

The best way to lower the rental rate is to facilitate development by removing rental restrictions, providing tax breaks, prezoning property and removing GST, Property Transfer Tax, Community Amenity Charges to name a few areas that would help encourage development.

Look to your governments as they are the main reason we have an affordability issue.

Doug Foord

Victoria

Sewage pellets bring a better quality of life

Re: “CRD seeks proposals for demo plant to show what can be done with biosolids,” June 21.

I am bemused by the public reaction to our sewage problem. Our plant by the harbour produces a sludge which is pumped many miles away and ends up as dried pellets.

Years ago, I used an excellent slow-release fertilizer called Milorganite. Mixed into the soil it helped produce excellent tomatoes and lettuce. Milorganite is dried sewage pellets and I thank the citizens of Milwaukee for producing it.

Now with my vivid imagination our “problem pellets” sound similar to Milorganite. Could we in fact be producing a valuable asset and labelling it a “problem”?

But — I can already hear the cries — what about the heavy metals. These would need monitoring but in our region are not the problem they have been blown up to seem.

For instance, my dentist still does a few amalgam fillings, these are still tougher than the popular white fillings, but the mercury in them is tightly bound up with the other metals and is not released.

In any case, my dentist must have a mercury trap on the drain and the filter from this is regularly tested by the Capital Regional District. Another source of heavy metals is ship repairs and I hope the bilge water is not pumped into the sewer, but I haven’t asked. I should add there is no disease problem since the heat treatment kills any viruses or bacteria.

I see the big remaining problem as the “yuck” factor. This is juvenile, we just have to get over it and welcome sewage pellets as an asset to make life on Vancouver Island better by growing more local produce here.

Joe Harvey

Victoria

Some basic lessons for dealing with police

I have been taken by the letters regarding the school liaison officer program cancellation and how young men, particularly, get injured or killed by their interactions with police.

As a former teacher and principal in elementary schools in Vancouver for 30 years, all but four years in the East End and Downtown Eastside, I can attest to the value of the program to all students.

The liaison officer was assigned to the secondary school into which the area elementary schools fed. He or she would spend time in the elementary schools often and visit classrooms and walk about the playground during recess or lunch.

The youngsters would flock around them and ask questions and engage with them. They learned that these were not people to be feared and were not unlike their teachers.

The elementary kids carried this feeling with them to secondary schools and did not fear the officers.

I remember hearing on several occasions the officer telling the children that if they followed the directions of the police, they would not be hurt or injured. Comply with the requests made of you and deal with any unfairness or concerns after the fact. They instilled that bravado and “rights” are not issues of concern at the time police are dealing with you. Any perceived violations can be dealt with after the fact.

This is a lesson to be learned by all to avoid unnecessary danger to the person the police are dealing with, or heartbreak to families who might lose a child due to non-compliance and aggression.

The two are very much interconnected and can be alleviated when youth know that police are there to help rather than hurt. My experience in schools tells me this very clearly.

Daryl Grunlund

Nanaimo

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