One clear loser: Not聽the sa国际传媒 Greens
Re: 鈥淥ne clear loser in key vote: Weaver鈥檚 sa国际传媒 Greens,鈥� column, Jan.聽31.
Let鈥檚 be very clear, neither NDP nor Green voters wanted the sa国际传媒 Liberals to win the byelection in Nanaimo. Since we lost the referendum for proportional representation, many Green voters chose to vote NDP to keep the government in power. End of story. No need to predict the demise of the Greens, or criticize their politicians.
Karen Ledger
Victoria
Tree brought pleasure to thousands each day
Re: 鈥淒owntown birch felled for bike lane, crosswalk,鈥� Jan. 29.
Early on the morning of Jan. 28, the Humboldt tree was violently cut down before her time by city workers. Planted at the corner of Humboldt and Government streets, the white birch grew into a large, majestic tree, a prime example of her species so important to the history of sa国际传媒. She served the city for many decades, welcoming tourists from around the world to Victoria.
The Humboldt tree brought pleasure every day to the thousands of people in Greater Victoria who walked, biked or drove past her. She was a faithful friend in all weather conditions and at all times of the day and night. She harmed no one.
Thousands of her friends tried to save her from the chainsaws, but to no avail. Their questions, letters, emails and petitions to city hall fell on deaf or uncaring ears.
The Humboldt tree will be missed by her many friends in Victoria, the region and around the world.
There will be no service for the Humboldt tree by request of city hall. In lieu of flowers, please send your thoughts to the mayor and council at 1聽Centennial Square, Victoria, V8W 1P6 or [email protected].
Barbara Marshall
Victoria
Propagate some replacement trees
Re: 鈥淏eloved birch tree could live on,鈥� letter, Jan. 31.
I propagate half a dozen or so natural dogwood trees every year from our half-acre property, which has 22聽mature ones. I would gladly give the City of Victoria some young trees to plant, so that future 鈥渃ity fathers鈥� and 鈥渕others鈥� would not be able to cut them down.
Peter White
North Saanich
Birch could give much-needed shade
Re: 鈥淏eloved tree could live on,鈥� letter, Jan. 31.
The saga of the birch family continues. As they grieve the loss of their magnificent elder, they took it upon themselves to find a new location for son of a birch and what better place than next to the entrance to city hall, where they could visit while paying their property taxes and utility bills.
Ah, but alas, this did not sit well with the bike people, who were reminded every time they were lobbying city hall to have the remaining street parking transformed into beautiful new dedicated lanes for them.
So the mayor had many meetings behind closed doors to find a suitable solution that would be good for all the people of Victoria.
Then early one morning, the work crews were mobilized and son of a birch was taken away to an unknown location for safekeeping.
When queried about this, the mayor鈥檚 only comment was: 鈥淪on of a birch will provide much-needed shade for Sir John A., when we find a new suitable location for him.鈥�
Lawrence Watling
Saanich
From glass house, Victoria throws stones
Re: 鈥淰ictoria riles Alberta with support for oilpatch suit,鈥� Jan. 30.
How noble of Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt to hop upon his high horse and lead council鈥檚 charge in supporting a class-action suit against oil and gas companies for their alleged role in provincial climate change.
Especially since we live in balmy Victoria, when much of sa国际传媒 today is heating homes in morning temperatures ranging from -15C to -28C.
People who live in glass houses shouldn鈥檛 throw stones. While we condemn hypothetical tankers for threatening the endangered orca population, the City of Victoria supports the whale-watching industry that harasses them.
While we demonize the fossil-fuel industry for polluting the planet, many celebrate the increase in monster cruise ships to our port, which spew effluents into the air because we do not provide onshore power. And we ignore their fuel consumption in getting here, increasing the carbon footprint on the planet.
Some also hail the one million-plus who flew into YYJ last year, now said to necessitate a larger airport. More carbon in the air 鈥� along with that produced by an ever-expanding harbour airport.
As for Victoria鈥檚 loudly touted bicycle lanes, what binds them? Asphalt, a petroleum product.
Aside from our glass house, it is delusional to think that sa国际传媒 municipalities could match the coffers of Big Oil in a prolonged class-action suit.
Find another cause, council. One that is closer to home.
Rosalee van Stelten
Victoria
Council should focus on core mandate
Re: 鈥淰ictoria riles Alberta with support for oilpatch suit,鈥� Jan. 30.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is right. If Victoria sues big oil and gas companies for past practices that allegedly contributed to climate change, it is only logical that others should sue Victoria for its past practice of flushing raw sewage into the ocean for decades.
By belatedly embarking upon an $800-million wastewater-treatment plan, the region has acknowledged that its past practice was wrong and contributed significant damage to the marine environment to the detriment of all Canadians, and indeed to all world citizens. Otherwise why would it be spending this money?
Failing to acknowledge past wrongs and then paying significant reparations, as Victoria is asking oil companies to do, would only make Notley doubly correct when she says that the 鈥渉ypocrisy鈥� of Victoria鈥檚 proposed lawsuit is 鈥渁stounding.鈥�
On the other hand, maybe the mayor and council should lower their sights a little and begin to focus on their core mandate, which is to provide appropriate services to the citizens of Victoria, such as cleaning up the hundreds of cigarette butts in front of the Salvation Army residence on lower Johnson Street, and leave more worldly matters to higher levels of government.
John Amon
Victoria
Corporate scoundrels crippling Venezuela
Re: 鈥淢aduro鈥檚 backers are dictators,鈥� letter, Feb. 1.
The writer supports yet another South American regime change because: 鈥淎 brief reading of news sources reveals that Maduro鈥� has done bad things, including alleged election rigging.
Responsible analysis requires more than a 鈥渂rief reading,鈥� and it鈥檚 na茂ve to trust and repeat the news narrative from mainstream media companies that are owned and controlled by the very corporate scoundrels who are after Venezuela鈥檚 oil reserves.
They have already crippled the country through sanctions and financial constraints, but President Nicolas Maduro鈥檚 significant 2018 election win (all 23 states) signals the determination of his people to block the U.S. puppet Juan Guaido and his greedy, ruthless backers from yet another U.S.-backed plunder of sovereign gold reserves and natural resources. Assembly speaker Guaido never even ran in the May election, yet the U.S. wishes to install him as president.
Donald Lovegrove
Victoria
sa国际传媒 has been trying negotiation
Re: 鈥淰ultures are circling above Venezuela,鈥� 鈥淪upport negotiations, not regime change,鈥� letters, Jan. 31.
The writers of these two letters appear to have different facts than most other media. From what I have seen, the best description of sa国际传媒鈥檚 efforts regarding the crisis in Venezuela is contained in an article in the Globe and Mail on Jan. 28 by Ben Rowswell, who was sa国际传媒鈥檚 ambassador to Venezuela from 2014 to 2017. It appears that sa国际传媒 has been following the negotiating route and promoting the path of the Venezuelan people to decide their fate. Remember that the leader of the Venezuelan assembly was elected by the people of that country.
Robert MacLachlan
Colwood
Double entendres at聽the legislature
The wood splitter caper at the legislature reminds me of that old double entendre: 鈥淣o expense will be spared.鈥�
Christopher Causton
Victoria
