City planning staff know more than we do
Re: 鈥淐lover Point should be open to all,鈥� editorial, Feb. 24.
Thank goodness I didn鈥檛 vote for the sa国际传媒 last municipal 颅election.
I cannot understand the TC鈥檚 ruthless defence of the status quo, through an editorial rife with inflammatory and unempirical statements.
It disrespects the professional planning staff at the city, who have spent far more time researching best practice in urban green space and infrastructure than the editors at the聽TC.
This includes accessibility concerns, the balance of which goes much further than simply vehicle access.
No city with Victoria鈥檚 coastal amenities would waste the 颅opportunity to reimagine a site like Clover Point during a major 颅transformation, as the pump station project presents.
I suggest the TC鈥檚 editorial board gain some perspective on forward-facing mixed-use planning before reactively disparaging everything that comes across this council鈥檚 table.
Kevin Ehman
Victoria
Base decisions on what鈥檚 right for society
Re: 鈥淗elps condemns racist 颅comments made against councillor,鈥� Feb.聽24.
My father turns 97 in May. I have not seen him in two years. I may never see him again.
He lives in England and I have lived in sa国际传媒 for 33 years. In the past we have visited every year, more since my mother, his wife of 61 years, passed away.
For over a year, I and numerous others have made a deliberate and conscious sacrifice not to travel internationally in order to protect our families and community.
Councillor Sharmarke Dubow made a different decision and lied about it.
I am immensely saddened that he has been subjected to racist attacks about this. I am white and arguably privileged; however, my personal decisions are not based on my colour or position, but what is right for our society. I suffer no more or no less than Dubow.
I have chosen what I believe to be the right action. Can Dubow say the same and can he live with that decision? If not, he needs to step down.
Alan Humphries
Victoria
Misguided ideas about criminalization
Re: 鈥淟aw enforcement makes it worse,鈥� letter, Feb. 24.
I read with incredulity the letter claiming that enforcing the law makes matters worse for the tenters in our public parks.
The misguided writer 颅actually asserts that police and bylaw 颅officers 鈥渃riminalize鈥� tenters. Check the status of many of the tenters, and follow the logic: Those tenters with solid criminal records have done their own part to 颅鈥渃riminalize鈥� themselves.
So don鈥檛 blame our public servants who put their health and safety at risk to protect her, and the public.
Suggestion: Perhaps the writer should invite some of the tenters onto her property so they can totally avoid the 鈥渃ontinued criminalization鈥� by police and bylaw officers.
sa国际传媒 Supreme Court Judge Carol Ross鈥檚 2008 ruling basically 颅established the right for tenters to homestead in our parks as per 颅sa国际传媒鈥檚 Charter of Rights and 颅Freedoms which states: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
However, it seems clear the 颅ruling curiously ignores that the public, seeking only to enjoy the parks, are excluded from 鈥渆veryone鈥� having 鈥渢he right to life, liberty, and the 颅security of the person.鈥�
Gordon Zawaski
Parksville
Don鈥檛 restrict access to our parks
Regarding parking fees proposed at nine Capital Regional District parks 鈥� simply put, we the 颅taxpayers pay for our public parks and their 颅maintenance.
If council chooses to waste our 颅dollars, then claim to not have enough money to fund the maintenance of our public parks, then maybe they should reconsider how they are spending our tax dollars.
An example is the proposed Clover Point changes that no one wants 鈥� if it ain鈥檛 broke, don鈥檛 fix it.
Families are already stretched with a high cost of living, and many will find even a minimal fee cost聽颅prohibitive, limiting how often they are able to frequent public parks.
The parks belong to the people and should remain free to visit.
Enough is enough!
Leanne Bates
Victoria
Pulling the strings? It鈥檚 Vladimir Putin
Anyone who has not yet realized that the elusive 鈥淨鈥� of the QAnonsense tribe is none other than Vladimir Putin has not been affording the issue the attention it merits.
If I were intent upon sowing civil strife in a given country I didn鈥檛 like, what richer resource would I have to exploit than the monumental gullibility of 50 per cent of its 颅inhabitants?
No money, no commitment of troops, no trade wars; just a few posts on the internet will suffice to propel the lemmings over the cliff and into the sea.
John C. Simpson
Victoria
Travelling councillors show a sharp contrast
Two local politicians travel 颅internationally during COVID-19. Ones tries to hold their ground but ultimately takes a demotion. The other lies about it and continues business as usual.
One is self-employed, the other lives off the public purse. Seems 鈥測ou get what you pay for鈥� no longer applies.
Frank Buruma
Colwood
How we can get through these hard times
Humans were never built to be too soft or too 颅comfortable. The extraordinary challenges we faced throughout history forced us to actively and creatively adapt to any circumstances.
In doing so, we learned, improved, grew and survived.
Today we face a most difficult health challenge. Understanding that we were built to climb mountains may make it easier to navigate our uncertain path through these dark hills.
Like our predecessors, we feel the most frightened when faced with the unknown, the most lost when faced with things beyond our control.
Here are some of the ways we can adapt to reduce these feelings:
1. Wake up each morning with gratitude for all that you have, rather than resentment for what you don鈥檛 have. Go to sleep grateful for the day that you got to live.
2. Stay informed and educated about the health crisis, but not immersed. What you focus on becomes bigger. So focus on the simple things that enrich your life.
3. Be like Pandora: Let the other stuff out of the box, but hang on to Hope. Spend some time imagining the joy we will feel when this crisis is over.
4. Keep love front and centre. Help others any way you can. Be kind to yourself. If you are busy loving and helping, there is less room for fear and uncertainty.
5. Find a small 鈥渕ountain鈥� to climb, to remind yourself that this is who we are: strong, 颅resilient, conquering challenges. Then sit back and 颅celebrate your accomplishment.
Rolfe McCooey
Victoria
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鈥� Email letters to: [email protected]
鈥� Mail: Letters to the editor, sa国际传媒, 201-655 Tyee Rd., Victoria, sa国际传媒 V9A 6X5
鈥� Submissions should be no more than 250 words; subject to editing for length and clarity. Provide your contact information; it will not be published. Avoid sending your letter as an email attachment.
