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Unfair, unequal
Re Entire Russian Team Banned From Paralympics Over Doping (Aug. 8): A hypocritical double standard is at work here. I agree with Maria Zakharova that the decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to ban all Russian paralympians is "astoundingly mean and inhuman," particularly as the decision affects athletes whose efforts for obvious reasons would be that much more physically and emotionally demanding.
The sacrifices they made to achieve what they have been able to accomplish is immeasurable.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stopped short of a blanket ban on Russian athletes at its Rio Games now under way, with IOC president Thomas Bach calling such a move a "nuclear option."
This is an appalling display of unfair and unequal treatment of paralympians.
R.J. Mazza, Stoney Creek, Ont.
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Your editorial misses the point (Watch The Games, Not The Games – Aug. 8). Since the disgrace of Ben Johnson in 1988, Canada has arguably led the way in demanding that those who organize the Olympics and other high-profile events get serious about identifying cheats and holding cheating athletes and abetting nations accountable.
The IOC had a golden opportunity to do so at the Rio Games and, disgracefully, did not. It is ironic that the International Paralympic Committee, on behalf of disabled athletes no less, took the high ground for morals rather than medals.
It is no longer just about the eye-watering expense, the crass commercialism and the TV-generated emotional manipulation and hype.
It is about the fact that honest and dedicated athletes are, too often, competing against cheats while those who could do something about this travesty, choose not to do so. For me and countless others, this competition is irrevocably tainted.
Victor Godden, Toronto
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In the moment
I heartily agree with Elizabeth Renzetti's call to put down our devices long enough to enjoy the moment. I'd go so far as to say "live the moment" (See It. Shoot It. Post It. Share It. Why Not Just Enjoy The Moment? – Aug. 6).
Saturday's front-page photo showed our red-blazered Canadian delegation marching into the stadium for the opening ceremonies, behind our beaming flag bearer. Athletes can be seen looking at their phones, or taking photos. Apparently, not even representing Canada on the world stage is enough to put down the device that will distract, document and deter from the moment. If walking into that venue for the Olympic opening ceremonies as a world-class athlete isn't sufficient reason to bask in the moment, breathe it all in, and remember the moment, nothing is.
Canadian Olympic officials should identify this as an issue of respect. Respect for the millions of people watching, respect for the country which proudly supports these participants. Whenever a person is looking at a device rather than the person or persons with them, they send a message that right now, this moment, my device is more important than our interaction is.
Deanna Hutchings, Victoria
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Listed at, sold for
Re TREB Replies (letters, Aug. 8): Toronto Real Estate Board CEO John DiMichele is disingenuous when he cites privacy laws as obligating TREB to maintain secrecy over sold prices.
Agents routinely provide this information to clients making themselves gatekeepers to data that could be more easily accessible to the public.
Jaffer Sunderji, Toronto
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About the women
Re It Can't Just Be About The Women (editorial, Aug. 5): It must be about the women. Because it is the stories of the women's lives and experiences that will lead to everything else.
Everything else being family, (partners, husbands, children, parents, elders), community (network, support), geography (north, south, rural, urban, on and off reserve), status (imposition of and impact of), gender (role of indigenous women in family, community, country), culture (role of indigenous women in their own culture, impact of settler culture) and so on.
Finding solutions first requires understanding the reality of the lived lives of indigenous women.
Diana Ellis, Vancouver
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Nice surprise
Re Okay, Really, What's With The Hair? (Aug. 6): Looking at the side-by-side photos of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, I thought, not for the first time, that these two are candidates for a separated-at-birth scenario. I was also pleasantly surprised that it was male, not female, celebrities/politicians having their hair and appearance commented upon in an unflattering fashion.
Heather Park, Waterloo, Ont.
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Death by planting
Re When A Tree Falls (Aug. 6): When it comes to planting trees in Toronto, I'm convinced much of it is tokenism. I'm sure my neighbourhood isn't atypical. I've seen the city plant trees in drought conditions, in blisteringly hot weather on major streets. They are badly planted, stuffed into holes or cement tree coffins, then ignored. No water, even dandelions don't survive.
I talked to a planter the other day. He had a Kentucky coffee tree and a maple and was trying to decide which to use (and thus condemn). I suggested that he save both, stick a two-by-four in the hole and affix a label indicating the preferred species.
Post-planting care and maintenance is something that should be arranged before a tree goes in. If the city can't provide this service, then let's get groups, businesses, individuals to become adopters, and street by street by street, adopt a tree. If nothing else, it would save tax dollars.
Helen Godfrey, Toronto
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Flossing fans
Re So Much For Flossing – And For The Tyranny Of Expertise (Aug. 6): In my view, Margaret Wente overstates the case against dental flossing, while the Canadian Dental Association overstates the case in favour of it. Saying the results of studies are now considered "unreliable" is very different from saying that flossing is "useless."
To quote a BBC report on the subject, "even skeptics of flossing say that cleaning between your teeth is good for you."
Ms. Wente references a dentist who advocates using an interdental brush. It seems self-evident to "flossers" that flossing is effective in removing interdental debris, and until reliable studies are done, the case against it must be considered "unproven."
Roger Leekam, Toronto
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That the British dental establishment disparages flossing perhaps explains the aphorism about the English: Nice manners, bad teeth.
Dan Cameron, Regina