Important to note both聽sides of the story
A recent letter asked readers to believe that anyone opining publicly that residential schools brought benefits to students is 鈥渢he equivalent of Holocaust deniers.鈥�
In question is an Abbotsford school assignment requiring students to collect some positive stories about these schools on websites listed in the assignment and ones they find on their own.
The websites cited acknowledge the suffering of some students while asserting the benefits for others, using native sources.
In my 40 years of journalism I had no difficulty finding positive as well as negative stories. At the hearings here in Victoria, residential school survivors admitted their parents sent them willingly so that they would be adequately clothed and fed.
Certainly the feigned hysteria attending attempts to report more than one side of the story suggests it will be at least a generation from now before a balanced approach will be possible in the 鈥渨oke鈥� culture of either higher or lower education.
Steve Weatherbe
Victoria
Beacon Hill Park is just not that bad
The litany of complaints about Victoria city council is repeated so often and includes such extravagant inventions that even this progressive wonders if there鈥檚 not something to it.
Living near Beacon Hill Park I suspect I must be one of those people who have, according to a recent letter writer, 鈥渉ad their lives ruined鈥� because council has been 鈥渢urning a blind eye to criminality, and essentially making large portions of our urban parks inaccessible.鈥�
Surely I鈥檓 like the multitude of Victorians who are 鈥渂ecoming more nervous in their own homes and about venturing outside.鈥�
This morning 鈥� like every morning, and many afternoons 鈥� my dog and I took our lives in our hands in a walk through Beacon Hill Park.
Oh the horrors! We were forced to dodge around peacock poop that had rained down from the Garry oaks. Step lively over tree limbs downed by the previous day鈥檚 winds. Confronted by a poor fellow trying to reorganize the shambles of his home. Turns out, he just wanted to offer a genial good morning.
Fear is rampant these days. Let鈥檚 not exaggerate it by propagating imagined gripes. Above all, let us be human and recognize humanity in others. To my mind, that鈥檚 an essential characteristic of progressives.
Larry Hannant
Victoria
Whose heritage is it, anyway?
Re: 鈥淏uildings are worth saving if they can be living, breathing part of community,鈥� commentary, Dec. 1.
In light of the city鈥檚 stated visions of reconciliation, why do we not stop to ask questions such as 鈥淲hose heritage are we protecting?鈥�
A brave, bold act of true reconciliation would be a reckoning with the fact that many of the 鈥渉eritage鈥� buildings in Victoria are preserved for their contributions to an affluent, settler-based economy of the past.
What message is council trying to send, when they proclaim to want reconciliation, but place the design ideals of architects of European descent on a pedestal?
How is council preparing our city for an almost certain future seismic event, by insisting that brick facades (among the highest death toll contributors in Christchurch) are retained at all cost?
When, as in the case of Northern Junk and other developments, the heritage argument is made at the cost of providing market rate rental housing, council is dealing a further blow to the downtown and area businesses who need a local customer base.
Jessi-Anne Reeves
Victoria
No monstrosity on our waterfront
The idea of building a condstrosity on Wharf Street, blotting out views of the harbour and the beautiful new bridge; and from the water, our heritage buildings 鈥� big mistake.
These buildings could be put to far better use integrated into a harbourside park devloped round them. Future residents of this beautiful city will thank us.
Don鈥檛 do it!
Doug Hayman
Esquimalt
Put people first, give聽them health care
I put it on my calendar to sign up for health care at the Health Care on Yates clinic.
Due to the overwhelming response, they schedule new intake applications once a month, starting at 8 a.m. on the day.
I had it on my calendar but I was too slow. I didn鈥檛 click on the contact button until 8:18 a.m. The result was 鈥�503 Service Unavailable This Service is Busy, Try Again Later!鈥�
On Sept. 30, when I tried to enroll, the website said the intake form was suspended so they could process the applications already received.
I don鈥檛 have a doctor. News stories tell us regularly that hospital care in Victoria is excellent. Happily for the gentleman featured in Sunday鈥檚 paper, one of the first COVID-19 cases at Royal Jubilee Hospital, he received life-saving care after his family physician told him to call 911.
He has a family physician! Can I have one? In the five years and three months I鈥檝e lived in Victoria, relying on walk-in clinics, not once in a medical setting has anyone measured my blood pressure.
In Saturday鈥檚 paper we learned about Premier John Horgan鈥檚 To Do List for his new cabinet; the main theme is 鈥減ut people first.鈥� Great.
Also 鈥渄eliver a fair deal to sa国际传媒 颅drivers鈥� with an ICBC rebate, if possible. Sounds fair.
Is access to family doctors on Horgan鈥檚 list? Thousands of people are going without routine health care. That鈥檚 not fair.
Ann Tiplady
Oak Bay
As long as it鈥檚 green, the聽deer will eat it
The Dec. 1 issue of the sa国际传媒 showed a deer foraging in the Uplands area 鈥渋n search of autumn greenery.鈥�
It would seem that 鈥済reenery鈥� for deer is in short supply this year as the deer in my neighbourhood have eaten an artificial green plant in my front yard.
Jennifer Shore
Victoria
We need more info on聽COVID locations
I have to applaud Premier John Horgan and the team of health professionals that have been leading our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been difficult for some people to get with the program because they have not seen how close the danger actually is.
Every day the health care professionals hit the airwaves to announce the latest numbers of infected/hospitalized/recovered and deceased persons due to the virus. These numbers are given both provincially and for each individual health region.
This is not enough information.
I live on Vancouver Island and where are the cases? Are there more cases in Victoria or on Sointula?
I understand that identifying locations that have a greater infection rate may lead to more people not taking the necessary precautions seriously if they don鈥檛 live there. On the other hand, knowledge of where the virus has struck may indicate to the layman that this is a dangerous pandemic, it is travelling to your neighbourhood and you must take precautions.
Every Ontario community has a hotspot map that is updated regularly.
I believe that more knowledge is better than less, and that information provided by such a map would be highly beneficial to everyone. It is my sincere hope that the province of British Columbia can see its way to doing something similar.
Blaine McMillan
Comox
March 2021 deadline? Don鈥檛 believe it
I would love to believe that Victoria councillors will follow through on their stated target of ending 24/7 camping in city parks by the end of March 2021.
Unfortunately, the city has bungled the whole issue of homeless encampments so badly that this may not be achievable.
By resolutely sticking this long to their catastrophic decision to allow 24/7 camping, they have created a situation whereby campers are so entrenched in the park that it will be impossible to get them to leave.
If indeed housing is found for some, they鈥檒l be replaced by other campers migrating to the city from elsewhere. I seriously expect that we will not get our parks back in 2021 and perhaps not for many years.
Under this council not only has our parks system been largely ruined, but the downtown is dying and the whole city is a more unsafe and sinister place.
The March 2021 deadline to end 24/7 camping looks more and more like a cynical ploy to create the illusion of progress so that yet another 鈥淭ogether Victoria鈥� candidate can be elected.
If that happens I truly despair for the future of this city.
Paul Haynes
Victoria
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