Credit to Author: Gordon Clark| Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:00:10 +0000

Thanks to Langara journalism students for their work on the widespread problem of uneven, dangerous sidewalks in Vancouver. About five years ago, a heaved sidewalk was to blame for my broken wrist.

In the early 1970s, I worked for a temp agency and spent several months at the Alberta Highways Testing Station. None of Vancouver’s asphalt, patched with asphalt, patched with more asphalt would have ever passed muster in Alberta. Nor would the poor edges of these repairs (on materials other than asphalt), which will just leak rain, be acceptable in real winters. If it gets cold enough to form ice in winter, they crack and crumble. At the other extreme, I visited my hometown in a U.S. suburb some years ago, where it looked like the sidewalks had been jack-hammered. No one walks there.

Several years ago, they finally repaved Cardero between Robson and Georgia (before my bike wheels were bent in the potholes). But the sidewalk — especially the west side — is a disaster and where I broke my wrist. My building is largely seniors and we’ve had scooters actually tip over in this lumpy, dangerous mess.

Ellie O’Day, Vancouver

In response to Thomas Ehlen’s complaint about party noise in his neighbourhood, I say “Welcome to my world.” I do not live in Shaughnessy, but just east of Main Street on East 5th.

Every second Saturday during the summer months from noon to 9 p.m., I am bombarded by music from outdoor concerts at the Red Truck Brewery. Calls to police and the city bylaw office have been to no avail. Every day, I suffer from the almost constant noise of traffic, garbage trucks, emergency vehicles, the thump, thump, thump of pile-driving from a construction project behind me, all echoing off a new office building on Great Northern Way, so I hear them twice.

At night, there is the screech of rail cars shunting back and forth. There has been a substantial increase in noise over the 20 years that I have lived here and there doesn’t seem to be any solution except to sell my home and move out of the city.

Patty Hunter, Vancouver

It would be a well-deserved slap in the face for Canada if Lailani Farha, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on adequate housing, were to find that Canada is in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, especially since she is Canadian.

The tent city at Oppenheimer Park is but one of many in condemnation of our society.

Bill Zander, New Westminster

If elected, a Conservative government would make maternity benefits tax-free. Andrew Scheer and Canada’s Conservatives have a plan for Canadians and their families to get ahead by lowering their taxes and putting more money in their pockets.

Having a child is an exciting milestone in any person’s life, but it comes with added costs. The Conservatives would make it easier.

Dean Clark, Langley

For several days I have read with increasing concern, and some fury, the description of attempts by Vancouver supporters of China’s dictatorship to stifle legitimate protest in support of the beleaguered citizens of Hong Kong. The brazen attempts at intimidation include online threats of violence (as described by columnist Daphne Bramham), the use of close-up photography and facial-recognition software to identify and tag Canadian citizens exercising their legal right to demonstrate in support of the people of Hong Kong (as described by human-rights activist Fenella Sung) and other acts, such as driving luxury cars carrying Chinese flags while honking to drown out the voices of protest.

I hope that all Vancouverites who read of these assaults on the basic freedoms of Canadians will support the protesters, here and in Hong Kong. The actions of the would-be intimidators cannot be allowed to succeed as they constitute a threat to all of us, not just those of Hong Kong descent.

Donald Gardiner, Vancouver

Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@vancouversun.com. The editorial pages editor is Gordon Clark, who can be reached at gclark@postmedia.com.

CLICK HERE to report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.

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Credit to Author: Gordon Clark| Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:00:10 +0000

Thanks to Langara journalism students for their work on the widespread problem of uneven, dangerous sidewalks in Vancouver. About five years ago, a heaved sidewalk was to blame for my broken wrist.

In the early 1970s, I worked for a temp agency and spent several months at the Alberta Highways Testing Station. None of Vancouver’s asphalt, patched with asphalt, patched with more asphalt would have ever passed muster in Alberta. Nor would the poor edges of these repairs (on materials other than asphalt), which will just leak rain, be acceptable in real winters. If it gets cold enough to form ice in winter, they crack and crumble. At the other extreme, I visited my hometown in a U.S. suburb some years ago, where it looked like the sidewalks had been jack-hammered. No one walks there.

Several years ago, they finally repaved Cardero between Robson and Georgia (before my bike wheels were bent in the potholes). But the sidewalk — especially the west side — is a disaster and where I broke my wrist. My building is largely seniors and we’ve had scooters actually tip over in this lumpy, dangerous mess.

Ellie O’Day, Vancouver

In response to Thomas Ehlen’s complaint about party noise in his neighbourhood, I say “Welcome to my world.” I do not live in Shaughnessy, but just east of Main Street on East 5th.

Every second Saturday during the summer months from noon to 9 p.m., I am bombarded by music from outdoor concerts at the Red Truck Brewery. Calls to police and the city bylaw office have been to no avail. Every day, I suffer from the almost constant noise of traffic, garbage trucks, emergency vehicles, the thump, thump, thump of pile-driving from a construction project behind me, all echoing off a new office building on Great Northern Way, so I hear them twice.

At night, there is the screech of rail cars shunting back and forth. There has been a substantial increase in noise over the 20 years that I have lived here and there doesn’t seem to be any solution except to sell my home and move out of the city.

Patty Hunter, Vancouver

It would be a well-deserved slap in the face for Canada if Lailani Farha, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on adequate housing, were to find that Canada is in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, especially since she is Canadian.

The tent city at Oppenheimer Park is but one of many in condemnation of our society.

Bill Zander, New Westminster

If elected, a Conservative government would make maternity benefits tax-free. Andrew Scheer and Canada’s Conservatives have a plan for Canadians and their families to get ahead by lowering their taxes and putting more money in their pockets.

Having a child is an exciting milestone in any person’s life, but it comes with added costs. The Conservatives would make it easier.

Dean Clark, Langley

For several days I have read with increasing concern, and some fury, the description of attempts by Vancouver supporters of China’s dictatorship to stifle legitimate protest in support of the beleaguered citizens of Hong Kong. The brazen attempts at intimidation include online threats of violence (as described by columnist Daphne Bramham), the use of close-up photography and facial-recognition software to identify and tag Canadian citizens exercising their legal right to demonstrate in support of the people of Hong Kong (as described by human-rights activist Fenella Sung) and other acts, such as driving luxury cars carrying Chinese flags while honking to drown out the voices of protest.

I hope that all Vancouverites who read of these assaults on the basic freedoms of Canadians will support the protesters, here and in Hong Kong. The actions of the would-be intimidators cannot be allowed to succeed as they constitute a threat to all of us, not just those of Hong Kong descent.

Donald Gardiner, Vancouver

Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@vancouversun.com. The editorial pages editor is Gordon Clark, who can be reached at gclark@postmedia.com.

CLICK HERE to report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.

https://vancouversun.com/feed/