We are responsible, so we should try to fix it
Re: “Politicians, bureaucrats should get some blame,” letter, July 13.
Please allow me to correct some of the letter.
It said that I assigned “no blame to the politicians and bureaucrats who served through those years” so as not to “tick off some old buddies.”
First, allow me to heartily agree that politicians and bureaucrats of all stripes over decades are primarily to blame, along with those who put short-term profit above a livable world.
I have spent my professional life calling out politicians, bureaucrats and corporations who serve the gods of power and money instead of caring for our only home.
I never said: “You baby boomers have f—— up this nation.”
I said: “Baby boomers have f—ked this planet, and we can’t walk away and leave it for our kids to fix it.”
I am a boomer, my husband is a boomer, lots of us are boomers. We are responsible for the state of the planet — our consumption of resources has been far greater than any generation of people in history, and our consumption of fossil fuels has done irreversible damage to the planet we’re soon to depart. We have done this, we continue to do it, and we show few signs of changing.
We all need to work as hard as we possibly can in the years left to us to bend the curve of fossil fuel pollution, to do as much as we possibly can to save what’s left for our children’s children’s children.
I hope the letter-writer will join us.
Elizabeth May
MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands
Careful with claims about the other side
How dare Alberta Premier Danielle Smith suggest that “progressives” tone down their rhetoric in light of the Trump assassination attempt?
When was the last time any of us saw “progressives” driving around with “f**k Trudeau” signs on their vehicles … or worse?
Nice try, Danielle. Perhaps look a little closer to home.
Janet Laxton
Victoria
University has a role in the community
Taking a page from the communication playbook for announcing bad news, the University of Victoria waited until the start of summer holidays to announce the upcoming closure of the McKinnon Pool.
The announcement suggested McKinnon Pool users will need to find swimming opportunities elsewhere. But UVic seems unconcerned about the impact this closure will have on our region’s existing facilities.
Our already overstretched public facilities will now have to cope with what will probably be a considerable increase in demand. This demand will certainly reduce access and will not improve the experience of present users.
And no doubt there will be some immediate and long-term financial burdens that will be borne by those paying property taxes, a tax not shared directly by the 22,000 UVic students who will enjoy access to these facilities.
The decision to close the McKinnon Pool suggests that UVic places little value on its role in this community and does not fully appreciate the public investment it has always relied on for campus development.
The McKinnon Pool was constructed thanks to public money to serve both UVic students as well as the wider community. The announcement that repairs would cost $1.5 million should be seen as an opportunity to engage the public at large in a new fundraising activity that would build on the original 1975 investment and extend the life of the pool.
Perhaps this might be a good moment for our local elected representatives and alumni to remind the university about the importance of its community links and how this decision is making waves in the wider community.
Brian Groos
Saanich
Don’t delay replacement of Crystal Pool
The recent announcement about the closure of McKinnon Pool at the University of Victoria highlights the urgent need for Victoria to build a long-term replacement for Crystal Pool.
Many of the regional pools in the Capital Regional District are getting older, and require more and more time and money to maintain.
Oak Bay’s pool is closed for two months, McKinnon will close permanently and there are plans for potential closure of the Gordon Head pool.
As the region grows, it is critical that we have updated recreation infrastructure for the region. I hope voters support the plan to rebuild Crystal Pool in Victoria.
It’s expensive, no doubt, but will only get more pricey as the years go by. Delaying it will cause so many residents to miss out on the critical opportunity to swim locally and stay healthy.
Paul Stanhope
Victoria
Growing Gordon Head needs new rec facilities
With the recent news of the McKinnon Pool closure and public interest in the fate of that facility high, it is important to also remember that the University of Victoria’s ice facility at the Ian Stewart complex is also slated to close in 2026.
The closure of this ice space, along with the pool, means that people of all ages will have far fewer options for engaging in physical activities in the Gordon Head area.
Currently, the Ian Stewart arena is home to hundreds of skaters of all ages who participate in figure skating and hockey. Ice, like pool time, is at a premium across the region, so it will be challenging to find space in other facilities to house these programs.
Saanich has stated it will begin looking into the feasibility of building a new facility in Lambrick Park that includes an arena, but that it will take several years before work even begins on the project.
Our young people need a space to skate and swim now — not in five or 10 years. With more people moving into Greater Victoria, and to the Gordon Head area in particular, the more recreational facilities we will need.
Multi-family dwellings and apartments are being built along the Shelbourne corridor and along Tyndall Avenue. We should be looking to the future and building more, not closing facilities that are valuable to a large portion of the community.
I encourage UVic and Saanich council to think creatively about saving these facilities or including new facilities in their future plans.
Perhaps an arena and pool can be housed on the ground floor with apartments on the upper floors, for example?
The university’s students will also benefit from having places to be active.
Chelsea Thomson
Langford
Our rights matter even when inconvenient
In a recent letter, a Victoria retailer has demanded to know why rallies protesting Israel’s genocide in Palestine should be allowed to continue.
He does so by offering this rationale for limiting rights: “People may have the right to free speech, but not necessarily at the expense of Victoria citizens’ freedom of movement or business incomes.”
Pedestrians in Victoria also have the right to freedom of movement on busy sidewalks. Yet in order to boost their business incomes, some shop owners narrow access by placing tables on both sides of the pathway.
What’s the phrase about the pot and the kettle?
The same letter writer asserts, entirely without evidence, that the weekly rallies against genocide have “never declared [themselves] to be an expression of free speech.”
In fact, their very existence, week after week for over nine months, through downpour, wind and uncommon heat, despite violent assault on their participants and regular cries for police and authorities to suppress them, is a powerful declaration of freedom of speech, a reiteration of the fundamental rights guaranteed in this country.
Democrats should be lauding this tangible expression of rights, not calling for them to end because they’re inconvenient.
Larry Hannant
Victoria
Some people need involuntary care
Years ago we had Riverview, Glendale, Brannen Lake, to name a few, where places for people who had mental health and drug related issues could be taken care of.
Due to pressure from the public, government closed these facilities as it was felt that people requiring care would manage better in the community.
This has led to Pandora Avenue and other locations where no one is getting the help they need. This 25-year experiment has been an utter failure. Some people need to be housed involuntarily.
Karen Fry
Saanich
A council committed to discussing trivia
Re: “Victoria residents trapped by crime deserve compensation,” commentary, July 11.
In the commentary, Victoria Coun. Stephen Hammond gave reasons for his motion that said: “That council directs staff to investigate options for methods in which residents affected by crime, nuisance and/or social disorder might be compensated and return to council with recommendations for such methods, including implications for the implementation.”
He also said that Coun. Jeremy Caradonna immediately called to end the discussion and four colleagues fell in line.
Near the end of the commentary, Hammond said that at the same meeting, “council spent 21 minutes and 27 seconds debating and discussing how the wood from the soon to be removed sequoia in Centennial Square would be transformed into wooden cradles for orphans at the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Centre.”
The behaviour of council best demonstrates C. Northcott Parkinson’s law of triviality.
Wikipedia provides this commentary: “Behavioural research has produced evidence which confirms theories proposed by the law of triviality. People tend to spend more time on small decisions than they should, and less time on big decisions than they should.”
Triviality reflects the leadership style at Victoria City Hall.
Jim Ferguson
James Bay
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