Subsidizing Victoria, getting little in return
Re: 鈥淧aying fair share for Victoria policing,鈥� letter, Sept. 12.
I find it very interesting when members of the Victoria city council and some Victoria residents want the entire capital region to pay for Victoria policing. They seem to have forgotten that we are already subsidizing transit and the cost of the new sewage treatment facilities at very little benefit to those of us who live in the outlying municipalities.
Everyone who purchases gas for their vehicle pays taxes toward funding for the transit system. I live in Colwood and the nearest bus stop is six blocks away so it is of little use to me and probably many others. For those who live on the outskirts of the CRD and use their vehicles to travel to and from Victoria for work, or doctors appointments, we are paying more than our fair share to pay for your transit service as we are consuming more gas and, therefore, paying more tax.
Regarding the sewage treatment facility, we as homeowners in the CRD pay a portion of our property tax for the construction of this facility with little chance that this sewage system will ever reach us. There is little or no sewage infrastructure in much of the outlying municipalities and the logistics of attempting to install sewer mains and other necessary infrastructure would be close to impossible.
We are doing our part to pay for services that benefit Victoria residents while getting very little in return.
Stephen Reichardt
Colwood
Victoria has unfair policing burden
Re: 鈥淐ity fires volley at province for rejecting single police force,鈥� Sept. 6.
Victoria council is quite right to challenge sa国际传媒 Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth on his dismissal of calls for a regional police service.
It is grossly unfair for Esquimalt and Victoria to bear the inordinate financial burden for services that those of us who live elsewhere receive at no cost. This enables us in Oak Bay to allocate our own policing dollars to activities such as jiggling our door knobs while we take nice holidays.
Lesley Ewing
Oak Bay
Auto insurance rates too聽high in sa国际传媒
I just want to say how screwed up ICBC rates are. After moving back to Alberta and getting the same insurance as sa国际传媒, it cost me nearly $500 less with private insurance. When is sa国际传媒 going to open insurance up? Also, Saskatchewan has government insurance and my nephew pays less than sa国际传媒
Ken Mcgechen
Wainwright, Alta.
Don鈥檛 call it a hot聽housing聽market
I find the Time Colonist鈥檚 use of the term 鈥渉ot housing market鈥� offensive. Winning teams are hot. Winning streaks are hot. A housing market in which the vast majority of people are hanging on for dear life for some place to live is not hot. It is predatory and inflated. The vast unwashed are not fodder for sharpies stuffing as much money into their pockets as they can. They are society, and society should not be preyed upon.
Bill Appledorf
|James Bay
Set up a cross-party climate-change cabinet
Re: 鈥淓lizabeth May urging formation of cross-party cabinet to battle climate crisis,鈥� Sept. 6.
Good for Elizabeth May for suggesting a cross-party cabinet to 鈥渇ight鈥� to deal with our climate-change emergency. This crisis is on par with knuckling down to fighting a war, as was done in 1939. As a country, we need to co-ordinate all the forces necessary. I only hope the leaders of the other federal parties will agree to such a plan.
Daphne M.Taylor
Saanich
Pointing fingers in the forestry industry crisis
Re: 鈥淭eal-Jones halts logging operations,鈥� Sept. 11.
The executive director of the sa国际传媒 Truck Loggers Association says: 鈥淲e鈥檙e actually in a crisis here. I don鈥檛 know if everyone鈥檚 woken up to the fact yet.鈥�
Take a deep inhale breath. Exhale. Repeat.
Yes, many people in sa国际传媒 have been awake to the fact that the current unsustainable forest management practices that clear-cut old growth trees and everything else in the way are in a deep crisis. And聽we鈥檝e known it for quite some time. Only one per cent of those majestic giants remain on Vancouver Island.
Perhaps we aren鈥檛 the ones who have been asleep.
I find it amusing that the Liberal forestry critic, John Rustad, is blaming Premier John Horgan for the problem.
The sa国际传媒 Liberals were in power for 16聽years and it was during their leadership that the sa国际传媒 forestry industry began to go sideways. Greed is the culprit, not Premier Horgan.
You know the old saying: When you point a finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.
Lia Fraser
Victoria
Humans are pillaging聽the聽planet
Re: 鈥淪almon collapse hitting workers hard,鈥� Sept. 11.
The fact that overfishing is never mentioned in this kind of story is bizarre and tiresome.
The 鈥渟uicidal鈥� behaviour and mindset of the fishing industry has been well documented for decades worldwide, for centuries in some areas.
A changing global ocean and climate, and widespread habitat degradation, are certainly not helping at this point.
The fact that humans are super predators pillaging the planet blindly is best illustrated by what we do to fish in general and the activities of the fishing industry in particular.
Jacques Sirois
Victoria
Paying $3,000 for聽speculation tax
My wife and I have owned a condo in Sidney for many years. We are Canadians and our two-bedroom Sidney condo is our聽vacation home where we spend various聽periods of time, up to six months per year.
We have paid $3,000 for the speculation and vacancy tax for 2019.
We may sell our condo and rent a two-bedroom condo in the Sidney area for about $2,000 per month for six months or so.
I am told that our condo would sell for about $700,000.
How does this transaction help with the affordable housing situation?
David Clarke
Sidney
This place is way聽too聽crowded
Regarding recent letters complaining about downtown, Yogi Berra said it best: 鈥淣obody goes there anymore. It is too crowded.鈥�
Doug Magnuson
Victoria
Sewage work should include other utilities
Was the laying in of additional capacity for the delivery of power to James Bay (read Ogden Point) and 5G communications infrastructure considered and analyzed when the sewage project plans were made? It鈥檚 a huge missed opportunity.
Disrupt once, not potentially three times, as is now likely the case.
David R. Schneider
Saanich
鈥楳oving forward鈥� is聽going聽too far
鈥淢oving forward,鈥� a rather meaningless phrase used primarily by the prime minister, is now being used by almost everyone in politics, and in news and sports reports.
Think about it. Every sentence, speech or comment has those two words added at the end.
William Jesse
Oak Bay
Send us your letters
鈥� Email: [email protected]
鈥� Mail: Letters to the editor, sa国际传媒, 2621聽Douglas St., Victoria, sa国际传媒 V8T 4M2.
Letters should be no longer than 250 words and may be edited for length, legality or clarity. Include your full name, address and telephone number. Copyright of letters or other material accepted for publication remains with the author, but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic and other forms.
