'Granny killing'
André Picard correctly reminds us of the two waits for emergency care: those in the waiting room and, more importantly, the sick and elderly who languish in ER hallways waiting for a ward or ICU bed (Seniors-On-Stretchers: A Health Care Disgrace, Sept. 23). It is the latter group who are prone to increased complications, including higher death rates.
Mr. Picard is too polite, however, in describing the consequences of this wait. "Festering" and "gasping for care" doesn't begin to adequately describe the experience. Our British and Australian colleagues have taken off the gloves: In essence, they're saying that crowded ERs can kill your granny and make her suffer before she dies.
In Canada, we've been much too polite. As a consequence, we've let governments off far too easily. It's time to call ER crowding what it really is: government-sanctioned granny killing.
Alan Drummond, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
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We recently faced the seniors-on-stretchers scenario. It is beyond stressful for the patient and their advocate. Both are in distress, one in pain, the other frantic to get something – anything – done to resolve the situation.
Adding another layer to the dilemma is the fact that EMS take the patient from whatever facility they are in to whatever acute-care hospital is closest or whose ER has availability. Over several months, the patient can be treated in half a dozen health-care centres, resulting in a lack of continuity of care.
The situation can only get worse; we all know the statistics, aging population etc., etc. We need a more compassionate way of treating these patients. It can only result in savings to the health-care system.
Helen Godfrey, Toronto
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Climate: who gets it
Re The It Girl Of Climate Change Doesn't Get It (Sept. 23): Margaret Wente writes that "China alone now accounts for a whopping 28 per cent of the world's CO2 emissions – twice as much as the U.S."
It seems that she doesn't get it. These statistics also show that on a per capita basis, U.S. emissions are twice China's and eight times India's. To say "the developing world is now responsible for nearly 60 per cent of global emissions" is a meaningless statistic. To compare apples with apples, only per capita figures are significant. For example, China's GDP is 10 times that of Switzerland, but Swiss GDP per capita is 20 times China's. It is the per capita figure that gives us a true picture of the relative wealth of the two countries.
Allan Lee, Toronto
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According to Margaret Wente, Naomi Klein doesn't get it, Vogue doesn't get it, the Guardian, the Nation, the CBC, The New York Times's Mark Bittman, various other news outlets and politicians, and even I don't get it when it comes to climate change.
That would leave Ms. Wente as one of a select few who do get it. She should write her own book and enlighten us, the great unwashed. We're waiting for action.
Joy Ruttan, Gatineau, Que.
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Presumed consent
Re Organ Donation: The Case For Presumed Consent (Life & Arts, Sept. 22): As noted, the issue of how to increase organ and tissue donation in Canada is not straightforward nor easily addressed on the basis of a single initiative. It needs to be considered on a system-wide basis and incorporate multiple approaches to achieve a "culture of altruism" in which donation is naturally considered, together with other end-of-life directives, as a normal step in life-planning and communicated with family members.
Continued systematic research into the many aspects of public engagement and scientific inquiry that could contribute to development of a uniquely Canadian approach to low donation rates is essential for the benefit of the thousands awaiting transplant.
Lori J. West, director, Canadian National Transplant Research Program; Edmonton
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Don't/do bet on it
Re Senate Says No Dice To Fast-Tracked Private Member's Bill (Sept. 22): Senators are right to have concerns about this gambling legislation. If Bill C-290 passes, provincial governments will soon begin offering single-event sports-gambling products.
We know from empirical evidence that increases in gambling opportunities lead to increases in gambling problems.
Bill C-290 would open the door to particularly dangerous forms of gambling. In countries such as Australia, where single-event betting has been legal for some time, we see worrying trends: Live, in-game betting tends to be quick, continuous and impulse-driven, making it particularly problematic for at-risk individuals.
Provincial governments rely on gambling for revenue but policy-makers should keep in mind that gambling expansion comes at a cost. The harms of problem gambling are enormous; they include bankruptcy, divorce and suicide.
The health of Canadians needs to take priority over revenue generation. Gambling policy shaped by public health perspectives would guide us away from these risks and harms.
W.J. Wayne Skinner, deputy clinical director, Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
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Canada has had legal sports betting for decades. Bill C-290, which is supported by nine provincial governments, is a simple bill to remove a section of the Criminal Code that prohibits betting on the outcome of a single sporting event. Provinces will then be able to make the choice to offer the option or not.
Those who complain about how the House of Commons dealt with the bill should understand that it was before the House for more than five months – ample time to examine and address it. Criticism for the alleged lack of review should not be directed at those who supported the bill.
The Senate review was thorough, involving five committee meetings that received written or in-person testimony from more than 20 organizations and individuals.
We agree with Senator Bob Runciman that senators should not deny the wishes of the provinces they represent. It's time that Bill C-290 is brought to a vote.
Bill Rutsey, CEO, Canadian Gaming Association
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IMHO it's sad
Elizabeth Renzetti's commentary on texting is dead on (Just A Phone Call Away From A Silent Future – Sept. 22).
I returned recently to Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto, where we piled out of the aircraft and streamed onto the ferry connecting us to the mainland. Toronto from this vantage point is a spectacular vista, but almost all the ferry passengers were staring at their phones, texting.
The silence and indifference among these weary commuters toward each other and their surroundings was sad. I had a flashback to an airport transfer in Chicago a few years ago, where, in the waiting lounge, the cacophony of phone conversations in many languages was dizzying. I thought at the time this was a strange world we are living in. But at least you could establish some human contact by eavesdropping.
Leah Bradshaw, St. Catharines, Ont.