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At the root of it, the Indian Act
Re It Can't Just Be About The Women (editorial, Aug. 5): The crisis situation on all fronts for aboriginals in Canada can be traced back to the Indian Act of 1876. The act is the mechanism which maintains the reserve system, which in turn flows funds to native communities. It prevents inhabitants from owning land, thereby trapping aboriginals in hopelessness and taking away positive societal incentives to better their lives. Judging by the on-going, acrimonious national funding debates between indigenous leaders and the federal government, this is not an unimportant factor.
As long as native leaders support the financial framework which maintains the restrictive and isolated reserve system, things will not change – regardless of public hand-wringing and well-meaning national inquiries.
Nancy Marley-Clarke, Calgary
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Entering the 'threat window'
Ivan Semeniuk and The Globe and Mail are bang on to highlight much of Canada's lack of knowledge about our seismic susceptibility to rare, but potentially large-magnitude earthquakes that may occur in known seismic source zones near some of our largest cities (A Groundbreaking Effort Against 'The Big One' – Aug. 3).
The front-page map of the earthquake epicentres along the offshore Cascadia Subduction Zone only showed the fault zone as far as southern Vancouver Island. A larger map would show the zone extending south past Washington and Oregon to opposite the northern part of California. The eastward-dipping subduction-zone fault that may all break at one time is more than 1,000 kilometres long; the potential earthquake magnitudes are between 8 and 9. At 316 years since the last "Big One," the West Coast is slowly but surely entering the "threat window."
The C.D. Howe Institute report that discusses our national preparedness from a financial point of view notes that areas of the St. Lawrence River Valley experienced large events in 1925 and on Feb. 5, 1663. The latter earthquake was studied by John Ebel in a 2011 paper. It was not just felt "as far away as Boston," but as far away as St. Peters, near Nova Scotia's Canso Strait – and probably even beyond.
The study of historic earthquakes, while very important to define seismic source zones, is severely hampered by widely dispersed population centres in the 17th and 18th centuries, few newspapers of record, even fewer persons who kept diaries – or if they could read and write, could afford the cost of paper, pen and ink to record their observations.
Alan Ruffman, adjunct professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University
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Re Shaken To The Core (Report on Business, Aug. 3): This article provided a good illumination of seismic-risk financing in Canada. Two more key points:
1) Provincial and federal government disaster-financing legislation does not allow for funding when insurance was available to the homeowner or business owner, so theoretically, those not buying coverage would be ineligible for government funds;
2) Deductibles for insured earthquake losses are based on a percentage of the amount insured, typically, a minimum of 10 per cent. A home insured for $500,000 in Metro Vancouver would have an earthquake deductible of 10 per cent or $50,000. The insurance industry has steadily increased earthquake deductibles since the 1980s, when 2 per cent was standard. Most people wouldn't have the financial resources to absorb their deductible and couldn't borrow against an asset that was already damaged.
About 95 per cent of mortgage loans are backed by real estate, however, many lenders don't require the borrower to purchase earthquake insurance.
Karen MacWilliam, risk management and insurance consultant, Wolfville, N.S.
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Was there. Saw that. Twice
As an eyewitness to two Moment in Time events profiled this past week, I must have reached some milestone where I have been around long enough to have a few good stories in my back pocket.
After an au pair job in France, I made a point of being in London to see the Royal Wedding on July 29, 1981. I awoke early and tip-toed over hundreds of sleeping Brits camping in Green Park to get a front-row view of the fairy tale coach taking the newlyweds back to Buckingham Castle for that balcony shot. I have a grainy photo of my own to prove it.
A few years later, on Aug. 4, 1983, I was in the cheap seats at the infamous seagull game with my dad and had a perfect view of the back of Dave Winfield in the outfield. We witnessed the toss to the bat boy that Winfield fully expected would send the seagull flying in plenty of time. He was as shocked as everyone in the stands that day that the combination of the drowsy seagull and his perfect aim would result in such a bizarre display of his skill.
His true character, however, was evident in the ensuing weeks when he showed such grace during the silly furor that erupted over accusations of cruelty to birds. Even though it wasn't his fault, he made apologies and large donations to animal protection groups and clearly felt truly terrible.
Susan Hudson, Guelph, Ont.
PS: I only feel a little guilty that I jumped the queue way back in July, 1981.
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For sale. In Toronto
My biggest chuckle reading Friday's Globe wasn't generated by the comics, but from a realtor's quote in Bidding War Erupts Over Willowdale House. The listing agent's priceless observation – in the context of a $2.8-million selling price and $12,000 in annual property taxes – was: "The location is prime Willowdale with convenient access to TTC!"
Budget-friendly public transit clinched the deal!
Frank Kreisz, Orillia, Ont.