PM, gun control
As one who resides in a rural area and has guns, the concept of having them for my safety has never been something I've thought about (Provocation, Pandering And Prejudice – March 17). I suppose if that were the case and I were truly worried about my safety, instead of locking them up and storing the ammunition separately, loaded guns would lying all over the place. It's hard to believe that this is what Stephen Harper had in mind. Instead, chalk the comments up to the mouth moving faster than the brain.
Jeff Spooner, Kinburn, Ont.
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My father spent his early days on granddad's horse ranch in the Cypress Hills where the ethic was to keep one's doors open, whether at home or not, for anyone who needed shelter and a meal.
Americans across the border had a different approach. Our gunslinger PM wants seems to want to bring gun violence north.
Jerry Thompson, Ottawa
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Name game
Re Bet On The League Heading To Las Vegas (Sports, March 17): Now that it seems Las Vegas will have an NHL team, the name game begins. Fold the "Black Aces." More appropriate would be the "Vegas Vultures." It seems everyone gets picked clean in Vegas.
John Uren, Powell River, B.C.
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Transit democracy
Re Vote Yes (editorial, March 17): High housing costs mean lower-income families are moving away from Vancouver, which often results in longer commute times. Parents frequently have to work multiple jobs or shifts. Low-wage earners are heavy transit users: Some 32 per cent of their trips are by transit, double the regional average. With fewer transportation options, parents are spending less time with their children.
The half per cent tax increase proposed in the Vancouver transit referendum would result in an overall 25 per cent increase in transit service, including an 80 per cent increase in night bus service.
Why is this important? Because when parents do better, their children do better. For seniors, there are many barriers to getting around. Transit is a lifeline.
Michael McKnight, president, United Way of the Lower Mainland
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People in Metro Vancouver will be voting on a transportation referendum. The proposed projects cover trains, road and bridges, bus, LRT, SeaBus and HandyDart services, bike lanes, etc. There are promises to reduce pollution, traffic congestion and commuting times, to upgrade infrastructure, and to save money and about 200 lives a year.
The problem some of us have with this great referendum, however, is the "all or nothing" position that city planners and politicians have taken on this omnibus proposal.
A vote for the referendum means a vote for each and every project – end of discussion!
There will be no more opportunities for public consultation and discussion. The referendum calls for a democratic vote to eliminate further democratic input. It's assisted suicide for democracy on transportation issues in Metro Vancouver.
Brian Tucker, Vancouver
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Putin's personas
Re Putin Says Russia Was Ready For Nuclear Alert Over Crimea (March 16): So Vladimir Putin feared that the leaders of the Ukrainian coup would have benefited from the death of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich.
To justify his view, he states that "as one famous historical figure said: 'No person, no problem.' " Makes one wonder about the fate of Boris Nemtsov.
Nigel Waters, Calgary
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Leave it to cartoonist Brian Gable to see through the Kremlin's subterfuge to find the real reason for Vladimir Putin's conspicuous absence: He had a boob job! Now, can someone help me with why (Putin's Is Back. Applause!!! – March 17).
Tim O'Connor, Rockwood, Ont.
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About that halo …
Re Harper's Economic Halo Is Hard To Dim (March 16): Canada has record debt, rising unemployment, a low-wage economy, a rising cost of living and an affordable housing crisis.
How does that make Prime Minister Stephen Harper a good manager of the economy?
More Canadians than ever are struggling to make ends meet, yet the Conservatives would have us believe that things are roses and peaches.
Tax cuts to the rich, keeping the temporary foreign worker program, focusing economic policies around the oil industry, shoddy treatment of veterans, cuts to social programs, millions spent to fight court cases – the way I see it, the opposition has no shortage of ammunition to use against Mr. Harper on the economy.
Ken Erickson, Airdrie, Alta.
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Not to worry
How ironic that we demand transparency and full disclosure of all actions taken in legislation, yet criticize the Supreme Court on the topic of digital privacy because we wish not to be transparent (We All Should Worry About Phone Searches – March 16)? As a law-abiding citizen, one should not worry about others gaining access to mundane data in one's phone because, after all, what is there to hide?
The best protection against "intrusive laws" is not to have controversial data stored in our devices in the first place.
These laws serve to protect Canadians from the exploitation of the digital world, from extremists who have taken recruitment and attacks into a virtual world which ultimately devastates the physical world.
Transparency does not make us powerless, but allows us to build a stronger society under the circumstances of 21st-century technology.
Charlene Lo, Markham, Ont.
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'Too big'?
Re Ontario Launches Sweeping TDSB Review (March 17): The Toronto District School Board has an operating budget of $3-billion a year; Ontario's is more than 40 times bigger.
So which, per Education Minister Liz Sandals, is "too big to really be effectively managed"?
Peter Ferguson, Kimberley, Ont.
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Sláinte!
It's that time of year when things get painted green and we real Irish feel a little twinge of cringe – still, there's no harm in celebrating all things Irish (Why Irish Eyes Are Smiling – March 14).
But when I read the article about Irish whiskey, I couldn't help but cringe some more. Newspaper style rules notwithstanding, whiskey, that is, Irish whiskey, should be spelled with an "e," whereas scotch, or Scottish whisky should be spelled – you get it, right?
"Whiskey" is an anglicization of uisce beatha, which means water of life in the Irish language. It's pronounced ish-geh ba-heh; the English heard "ish-geh" and "whiskey" came into usage.
Catherine Brennan, Toronto