Victoria鈥檚 hypocrisy is鈯噑taggering
Re: 鈥淰ictoria riles Alberta with support for oilpatch suit,鈥� Jan. 30.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is right to point out Victoria鈥檚 hypocrisy in a proposed lawsuit against energy companies. Aside from the sewage situation, sa国际传媒 exports a huge quantity of coal each year, and the woolly headed politicians in Victoria might want to know that coal is just a slightly harder version of that nasty stuff Alberta is exporting.
If they are serious about this nonsense, they should also blockade the harbour against those colossal carbon-belching cruise ships that inject $100鈯噈illion into the local economy each year. Even though I should know better, the hypocrisy of this idea is staggering.
Len Dafoe
Nanoose Bay
Fossil fuels still play crucial role in sa国际传媒
Re: 鈥淰ictoria riles Alberta with support for oilpatch suit,鈥� Jan. 30.
sa国际传媒 was built using massive amounts of fossil fuels. This continues today.
Victoria councillors and municipalities need to understand the crucial role fossil fuels continue to play in keeping the economy of sa国际传媒 growing and prosperous. Annually, about 75鈯噋er cent of the energy consumed in sa国际传媒 is still sourced from fossil fuels, with few viable alternatives.
As well, upward of 80 per cent of the CO2 emissions from these fossil fuels is emitted here in sa国际传媒, by sa国际传媒 residents and business sectors. Maybe these same councillors need to sue their fellow sa国际传媒 residents for all the environmentally damaging impacts being shouldered by the region.
If the availability of fossil fuels on mainland sa国际传媒 or here on Vancouver Island ended abruptly, sa国际传媒鈥檚 economy and sa国际传媒 communities鈥� ability to manage daily affairs would collapse in a few days. Is this what the councillors want?
Some residents and environmentalists in sa国际传媒 seem to hate hydroelectric dams. On the other hand, it would take at least 10 more Site C-scale hydroelectric facilities to replace the energy provided by natural gas consumed in sa国际传媒, supplied by Fortis Gas. Remember the panic in sa国际传媒 when Fortis鈥檚 supply was interrupted last October by one pipeline failure on a warm day?
sa国际传媒鈥檚 mining of thermal coal for Asia continues. LNG export infrastructure and upstream pipelines and wells will locally and globally add enormous amounts of CO2 into our biosphere.
Councillors need to do their homework.
Richard Caldwell
View Royal
Premier Notley, let鈥檚鈯噈ake a deal
Re: 鈥淰ictoria riles Alberta with support for oilpatch suit,鈥� Jan. 30.
I want to thank Alberta鈥檚 premier for making it clear that she believes her province鈥檚 dirty oil is no dirtier or more environmentally damaging than Victoria鈥檚 sewage effluent. For (almost) as long as Victorians have been pumping their sewage into the ocean, Alberta has been pumping its black gold into the atmosphere.
So, let鈥檚 make a deal: The day Victoria鈥檚 new wastewater-management system comes on line and its sewage remains on land, Alberta stops its production of dirty oil and it stays in the ground.
Howard Brunt
North Saanich
Council makes us look鈯噇ike rubes
Re: 鈥淢unicipalities asked to explore climate suit,鈥� Jan. 11.
Since the revelations of irresponsible spending at the legislature have come to light, Victoria city council鈥檚 recent decision to seek compensation from the petrochemical industry for the future wrath of nature has taken a wee bit of a back seat in the national headlines. Happily for us citizens of Victoria, it is all of British Columbia who are being made fun of in the national media over this latest gaffe.
However, we have still made the top three in the national political Razzie awards with this declaration of hypocritical environmental purity.
Say what you will, about 鈥測ou have to start somewhere,鈥� this declaration of intent is both foolish and self-serving, while accomplishing nothing.
I put to council the following challenge: Log an assessment of the global environmental health at this point in time, then stop buying (and taxing) all goods and services produced with the aid of petrochemical products for a period of two years, and then do another assessment of the world鈥檚 climate change.
I guarantee two things. First, absolutely no change in the progress of global warming will be observed or measured. None. Zero. And two, the current council will no longer be in office, as it is impossible to live in the 21st century without petrochemical products, and people with forks and torches will be at the gates of city hall.
Council should apologize to the citizens of Victoria for making all of us look like rubes.
M.D. Hansen
Victoria
Loss of downtown tree is devastating
Re: 鈥淒owntown birch felled for bike lane, crosswalk,鈥� Jan. 29.
I have lived in Victoria my entire life, and this is the first time I鈥檝e felt so compelled to write to the City of Victoria. I am devastated that the city arbitrarily decided to cut down that beautiful birch tree (and many other trees within the city) to make way for bike lanes. Don鈥檛 they understand that they are ruining the beautiful charm of our city? Don鈥檛 they understand that not every person can ride a bike? Don鈥檛 they understand that trees matter? I am so appalled that they cut down a beautiful tree that has graced our Inner Harbour since the 1940s.
Even though I am a resident of View Royal, this is still my city. How many trees do they have to cut down to make this city more attractive to bike riders?
I am shocked that Lisa Helps was re-elected as mayor. Sorry to make it personal, but this is very personal to me and my husband. Helps says this was a public process. Then why are we only hearing about this over the past two weeks? And why doesn鈥檛 she care about the public outcry?
I am so disappointed in Helps and the council. It makes me resent this whole bike thing in the downtown core (and I鈥檓 not the first person to say this).
I hope she hasn鈥檛 ruined this city by the next election. It鈥檚 a shame the entire region doesn鈥檛 get to vote on who gets the honour of being the next mayor of Victoria.
Candy Little
View Royal
Save the birds with鈯嘺鈯団�榗at bib鈥�
Re: 鈥淐ats, not bird feeders, are the problem,鈥� letter, Jan. 29.
There is a simpler solution to the problem of cats catching birds. A鈯嘽at鈯嘼ib.
It attaches to a collar, hanging like a bib. It is soft and flexible, and when the cat reaches up to catch a bird, it flaps up in front of its face and paws, preventing the cat from catching the bird.
It took my cat some getting used to, but after a while it accepted that if it wanted to go outdoors, especially in the spring when there are vulnerable chicks needing mom to come home to feed them and new fledglings, it had to wear the collar and bib. Occasionally it would lose a bib, but I always had a spare and would often find the lost one under a bush or on the lawn.
I know that this won鈥檛 help with feral cats, but this is a responsible way to have an outdoor cat, yet not once have I seen this solution mentioned. Just Google cat bib.
Claire Bouchard
North Saanich
Our leaders should feed the good wolf
Re: 鈥淲hen the pickins are easy, the temptation can be too great,鈥� column, Jan. 27.
Iain Hunter鈥檚 column brought to mind a little story my doctor emailed me.
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said: 鈥淢y son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
鈥淥ne is Evil 鈥� It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
鈥淭he other is Good 鈥� It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.鈥�
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grand-father: 鈥淲hich wolf wins?鈥�
The old Cherokee simply replied: 鈥淭he one you feed.鈥�
For the most part, we all possess morals, that quiet voice of reason that speaks to us on what鈥檚 right versus what鈥檚 wrong, and becomes non-existent over time when we justify our wrongful decisions. The moral individual soon possesses more qualities of an amoral individual. The world needs leaders who feed the good wolf.
Michael J.C. Anderson
Victoria
Explain reasons for鈯嘺ll鈯噁oreign trips
As a taxpayer, one would like to be informed of the justification for foreign travel by dignitaries of the legislature (London, China and other places). The reasons for these trips and details of expenses should be transparent and made public.
Alix O鈥橤rady
Saanich
