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Wear a poppy for Remembrance Day

Being raised in the 1950s and 1960s. I chose to be a Canadian who was in essence a “peacekeeper.” A pacifist.

Over the years that began to change. Fathers who had gone to “war” were different people than when they went away. Post-traumatic stress disorder is now a term that could be used.

Recently I was in a store and out of the 100 or more people who were shopping, maybe three were wearing a poppy. The cashier and wonderful young woman had one. Yes, I asked her why she wore a poppy and had she noticed many people wear not wearing them? She was flustered but came out with the point to this story.

At school on Friday, they had a full school event that focused on Remembrance Day. This immediately made me feel so good.

The younger generation is still being given the information about what was done to give them the life they have.

We all need to remember something. If you were 18 years old and sent to another country and while doing so watched your friends die. OMG.

I thank each and every veteran for their service. I have had a fabulous life in a country I love. The poppy is a symbol of our respect. Please wear one.

John Sherber

Victoria

Never forget the heroes of wartime

I was born in May 1940 in Horsham, Sussex, England. Horsham is a town south of London, about halfway to the coast.

The Battle of Britain was raging on over London and its surroundings.

Each time Remembrance Day comes around I think of the many young men who risked and sacrificed their lives to shoot the Luftwaffe bombers out of the sky and keep them at bay.

All that to enable people like myself to grow up and live their lives in peaceful surroundings.

I am eternally grateful to those amazing fighter pilots and to those who fought on other fronts in the Second World War.

I am grateful to all who have risked their lives in battle to preserve democracy. Let us never forget them and never stop thanking them.

Roger Taylor

Parksville

A ridiculous idea for McKenzie

I had occasion in the morning rush hour to drive down McKenzie. The two lanes in both the east and west directions were almost bumper to bumper from the university to Quadra Street.

I only saw two buses during that trip.

The thought of reducing McKenzie to one lane in each direction to accommodate dedicated bus lanes is ludicrous.

There are schools, businesses and an expanding university population who rely on the McKenzie corridor to get them to work and school on time.

If this ridiculous proposal actually becomes reality, the rush hour commutes on McKenzie will become a daily chaotic nightmare.

Paul Arnold

Saanich

Force everyone into the buses

Re: “Saanich’s lane removal is the right move,” letter, Nov. 7.

The letter states that Saanich “is doing the right thing” by reducing the capacity of McKenzie and Quadra streets for cars. The writer claims that removing car lanes will “upgrade” those streets to carry more people.

This astonishing claim is based on the assumption that “traffic evaporation” will occur. We are assured that “traffic simply disappears” when car lanes are removed.

The letter truthfully states that the changes “will more than quadruple the number of people who can move through these corridors.”

The key word here is “can” which assumes that we will travel by bus. Will we? Are car drivers ready to lose their individual mobility?

Quadrupling the number of people could be achieved quickly and cheaply by simply requiring everybody to use buses on McKenzie and Quadra. No need for costly changes to the roads.

David Stocks

Deer do not belong in urban areas

A Victoria man and his dog were attacked by an aggressive buck. Who cares?

Certainly not our municipal governments, which for two decades have failed to deal effectively with these rodents-with-horns and their incursion into our residential neighbourhoods.

When they are not destroying the enjoyment of yards they are out there defecating, and when in rut, aggressively attacking taxpayers!

Not to mention the vehicle interactions. A cyclist lost his life several years ago when one ran in front of him.

The ridiculous refrain “Aren’t they cute” or “It’s not their fault they are here” is absurdity at its best.

It is time for our municipal leaders to collectively meet up with provincial government officials and sort out this eco-mess once and for all. They simply don’t belong in urban environments!

John Stevenson

Victoria

The deer were here before we were

Regarding the letter about deer being the problem and not dogs, this land belonged to the deer long before we came and turned their land into roads and housing.

The deer are not to blame and will deal with obstacles in their territory whether it be a dog or a kangaroo. We are the intruders, not them.

Valerie Bellefleur

Victoria

Encourage deer, take responsibility

So, it’s against the law for people and their pets to interfere with the deer in the city and anyone doing so suffers penalties such as fines.

But when the deer is the aggressor, who assumes the liability? The municipal government? The Capital Regional District?

At least two families have lost their pet and/or incurred veterinary bills because of a deer attack. Shouldn’t they be compensated for the deer’s aggression?

Having been chased by a deer on two occasions when I had a dog, I believe that these large wild animals have no place in an urban setting.

They are as capable of killing or seriously injuring a person or pet as other wild animals like cougars or bears.

Those who allow and even encourage deer to be here should be obliged to take responsibility for their actions.

E.L. Kozak

Oak Bay

Be careful with proportional voting

I understand the desire to have a proportional electoral system but I am strongly opposed based on what we see around the world.

Countries that have such a system have many different parties and odd alliances. Frequently the balance of power is held by fringe parties, see Israel for example.

Italy is another country which seems to rarely have any stability in government.

I would support such a system if parties needed to receive a certain percentage of the votes, perhaps 8-10%?

Otherwise we would a multitude of one issue parties springing up and holding too much power.

John Miller

Victoria

Merge municipalities into a single city

When we moved to Langford in 2022 we were struck by the fact that there were 13 municipalities in the Greater Victoria region. I like to refer to them as the 13 colonies as they still seem to be working the way they did a hundred years ago.

Each has their own police services, councils, administration, maintenance departments and development guidelines. And all seemingly and often working at odds with one another in an area that is no bigger geographically or population-wise than a medium-sized city in most other parts of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½.

Why is this? Surely organizational costs and efficiency could be improved by joining forces at all levels. Surely things like police services would provide better protection and coordination between communities.

Is there anyone in governance that could step up and begin a conversation that might ultimately see these disparate entities finally join together to become a proper city?

Pearson James

Langford

Sell the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Lions goodies to help pay the bills

I heard Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto doublespeak about the cost/no cost/in kind price for the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Lions game played here.

I’m sure the taxpayers of Victoria will be on the hook for money. Since it was very unclear about costs I wonder if the mayor would be willing to auction off all of the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Lions swag she was given to help cover these costs?

The mayor isn’t a taxpayer in Victoria, so maybe she should help Victoria taxpayers out since she is such a fan.

I don’t believe a ticket for the game was even needed for the mayor.

Eugene Smith

Victoria

Keep the goal posts, they will be needed

Yes indeed, Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto may want to keep those goal posts handy in event she needs to move them around for her next financial projection.

Terry Medd

Saanich

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