Letters, Dec. 24, 2019: Where are the politicians with spine?
Credit to Author: Stephen Snelgrove| Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2019 02:00:32 +0000
A week ago Friday night was a rainy one. My daughter was getting ready to leave a company Christmas party in Gastown as she had earlier reserved a cab for a set time. Five minutes before the scheduled arrival the cab company sent a notice to her phone cancelling the reservation. No reasons given.
She tried phoning cab companies just to be placed on hold for 20 minutes before giving up. After midnight, in the rain, she then walked the two kilometres to her residence.
The cab companies have much more business than they can handle. At the same time they have been unbelievably successful in buying off or threatening our political class into blocking access to ride-hailing. Our unaccountable political class should hide their heads in shame.
In the community where I live, underground ride-hailing is thriving.
Few people embrace or enjoy change. So many individuals and businesses have had to cope with change brought about by technology, both good and bad. Why should our politicians protect one business and in doing so unnecessarily inconvenience the public? Where are the honest political leaders with spine?
Eric Sykes, Richmond
On Wednesday morning I read the letter regarding a child being bullied at school. I know this is not an isolated incident in playgrounds everywhere, but today I was moved to respond.
The other day I listened to the podcast “Finding Fred.” Maybe we all need to be reminded of Mr. Rogers words: “Every child is special. Every child should be loved ‘just the way they are.’ We need to love ourselves so we can learn to love others.“
The colour of our skin does not define us. Imagine a garden composed of only white flowers. How boring! Give me a garden with flowers of all colours.
It is our differences that make us special, not our sameness. And isn’t it interesting that scientists have spent thousands of dollars trying to grow a black rose?
With all my heart, I hope Ms. Boll’s daughter and all victims of bullying find the strength to love themselves, see themselves as precious and valuable and that they become contributing members of our society and work to make it better.
Judy Burge, Vancouver
I haven’t even finished reading Vaughn Palmer’s column and I feel compelled to call out our premier.
I do agree that ICBC needs an overhaul. But wouldn’t a refocused effort to re-galvanize our suffering forest industry and its affected communities and families be a better use of government’s time?
OK, maybe a concurrent focus: ICBC and forestry.
This province was built on the backs of our loggers and through poor forest management practices going back decades and multiple governments, we are now realizing the effects.
B.C. is renowned globally for its scenery and wildlife, but more and more our appearance in the media has to do with clearcut practices, poor tree management, mill closures and environmental harm.
Of course all that run-off and erosion from clear cuts goes somewhere … don’t get me started on our salmon stocks. If the salmon go, we all go.
NDP, show some respect for our hardworking forestry families. And fix the dumpster fire that is ICBC while you’re at it.
Allison Welters, Maple Ridge
The citywide planning process is coming up and we will go through the motions of a democratic process, discussion, listening and agreeing upon things. It will be written into city policy.
A few years will go by and suddenly the agreed upon citywide plan will become inconvenient to whatever powers that be and they will make a spot change to suits their purpose. There will be opposition from the people who remember what the citywide plan was all about. They will expect to be brought back to the table to update the plan to accommodate what they acknowledge are changing times. It is a democracy, after all.
But that process will be considered a pain in the neck so they will create a fast track so that the poor councillors don’t have to waste their time.
Optimistic? Not so much.
Janet Buckle, Vancouver
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