A pharmacist draws up a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
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Pandemic performance
Re Ontario’s Move To Accelerate Boosters Reflects Severity Of Omicron, Health Officials Say (Dec. 17): This week, Ontario kindly extended me an invitation to receive my booster shot. From what I could see, Ottawa had run out of reservations within hours.
Any restaurant that welcomed patrons to a meal, but employed no one to serve the hungry guests, would quickly be accused of mismanagement. As far as I can tell, this is exactly what Ontario is doing: It has vaccines, but no one to serve them.
If I contract a fatal illness as a result of being among those not served this week, I think I’ll instruct my survivors to sue the province for reckless endangerment and dereliction of duty.
Charles Sager Ottawa
Re Kenney Is Focused On Plans For A Return To Better Times (Dec. 11): Jason Kenney conceded that “the analysis was flawed” when his government relaxed its pandemic restrictions this past summer. That relaxation was widely criticized as premature and irresponsible, yet was not reversed until Sept. 20.
“I suppose you could quibble and say that we should have done so a week or two earlier,” Mr. Kenney added. During just the one week before Sept. 20, 82 Albertans died from COVID-19, yet the Premier dismisses concern over such possibly preventable deaths as a mere “quibble.”
Ron Chalmers Edmonton
Natural value
Re Is It Time To Make ‘Natural Capital’ An Asset Class? (Report on Business, Dec. 11): Wetlands haven’t traditionally been a priority in fiscal planning. In Canada, this has contributed to widespread habitat destruction: Up to 80 acres of wetlands are lost every day, leaving landscapes vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather. Leading the world in developing a natural capital roadmap for wetlands should be our collective calling.
Conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited Canada are working alongside all levels of government, Indigenous communities, landowners and industry partners to conserve and restore wetlands. They are proving to be extremely effective forms of green infrastructure worth billions.
We believe this conversation is long overdue. The importance of wetlands for carbon sequestration, water quality, climate change adaptation and biodiversity should no longer be ignored.
We should learn from the devastation experienced in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada. It’s time wetlands are recognized for their worth – and Canadians band together to protect them.
Larry Kaumeyer CEO, Ducks Unlimited Canada; Edmonton
Re New Banff Train May Cost $1.5-billion (Dec. 8): Using existing infrastructure could save time and material costs, but does not consider those who call Alberta’s Bow Valley home – including wildlife. The region between Morley and Banff is continentally significant for wildlife connectivity, including grizzly bears, wolves and elk.
Canmore and Banff are being loved to death. Every impact should be carefully considered. Right now, too many grizzly bears are killed making their way through the Bow Valley. The leading cause? Train strikes. We should consider ways to retain all the things that keep this place special.
Providing other ways for visitors and residents to get around is a noble effort in the context of our changing climate. However, that alone doesn’t seem adequate. At this time, I don’t think we know enough to responsibly weigh the risks with the benefits of a rail line.
Josh Welsh Canmore, Alta.
Boom or bust
Re Canada Willing To ‘Align’ Electric Vehicle Incentives With U.S., PM Says (Report on Business, Dec. 14): There will still be tens of thousands of internal combustion engines to manufacture. Why not specialize in SUVs and pickups? Not as glamorous for sure, but it keeps the troops turning wrenches.
Eventually Canada could develop an electric vehicle for North America at a price that attracts a customer base. Let’s not always go to Washington with stacks of crying towels, pleading for our survival.
Brian Layfield Oakville, Ont.
We the people
Re Next Up (Letters, Dec. 13): Parliament should have a role in naming the successor to Queen Elizabeth as Canada’s head of state.
Canadian and British law, as well as constitutional custom, does dictate that Prince Charles become king of Canada upon the Queen’s death. But even if that result is imposed upon us by law and custom, Canadians should have the right to speak out, at least to state their views on the matter to the new monarch.
An appropriate mouthpiece would be our democratically elected Parliament. The House of Commons could debate a substantive motion on the succession, ideally introduced by the Prime Minister. We should know whether it is the will of the people that Charles be our king.
David Beattie Chelsea, Que.
This side
Re Dividing Line (Opinion, Dec. 11): Cheers to activist Laurie Bertram Roberts who points out what very few people talk about: Americans don’t seem to care much about children (and their mothers) once they’ve arrived, particularly Black children.
How great would it be if the anti-abortion contingent put their energies into more family planning, better pre- and post-natal care, healthier nutrition, adequate housing and improved schooling? Oh yeah, and maybe they could work to limit the number of guns out there, which kill or wound thousands of children and teens every year.
Mary Anne Cree Toronto
I too am a former fetus that was not aborted by man or nature. I carried two fetuses full term and am a proud grandmother. I too value all life. I am also a vegetarian and a Christian.
Are anti-abortionists ready to stand by with open hearts and wallets to provide for, raise and educate unwanted children? And did God not say, “Thou shalt not kill?” Where are they when U.S. states exercise capital punishment and kill fully formed human beings? Are they out in full force to shame and humiliate the executioners?
A.I.A. Espinaco Edmonton
Silent no more
Re The Women Who Are Breaking The Silence Around Menopause (Opinion, Dec. 11): At 41, I experienced early ovarian failure and started perimenopause. With depression, irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and a lot of urinary tract infections, I went to my doctor who told me I was “too young” to be menopausal.
After a two-year wild goose chase, eventually an internal medicine doctor told me, “You’re in menopause and should have seen a gynecologist a long time ago.” At 43, the gynecologist started me on hormone replacement therapy; it helped immediately.
But after 1.5 years, my hot flashes, night sweats and depression came back. In tears, I begged my doctor for more help, and we decided on antidepressants. I’ve suffered almost every symptom. The fatigue is crushing.
Now, I talk about it as much as I can. It’s shocking that people don’t know about it. I don’t want other women to suffer like I did.
Theresa Putkey Burnaby, B.C.
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com