Air Canada planes are parked at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ont., on April 28, 2021.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
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Fight for your rights
Re The End Of Roe V. Wade Is The Searing Legacy Of Trump’s Presidency (June 25): In a country that fervently protects its constitutional rights despite sometimes tragic societal implications, it is shocking to see that the rights of American women to privacy and control of their bodies no longer exist.
Politics overtakes precedence when a woman can be criminalized for seeking safe reproductive care. When legal rulings dictate that the mental and physical health of a woman carrying an unwanted pregnancy is of no importance. When policy carries no regard for the lives of children born into situations where they are unwanted.
This needs to be a call to action for American women. To stand up for women’s constitutional rights to make decisions about their own bodies and lives. To show U.S. lawmakers that women will continue the relentless fight for reproductive rights and justice. To stand up for all women whose rights need and deserve to be protected.
Sara J.F. Becher Toronto
Here we are now
Re The West’s Own Myopia Led Us To This Energy Crisis (Opinion, June 25): So, to sum up the current energy conundrum: Western Europe became increasingly dependent on Russian natural gas because they deemed it preferable to fracked gas from North America.
In the scramble to displace Russian gas, U.S. gas producers diverted supplies from China to Europe. China responded by replacing gas with high-carbon coal, ramping up domestic production and importing more low-quality coal from Indonesia and Mongolia.
Germany, meanwhile, is shuttering low-carbon nuclear plants and restarting idled coal plants as Russia cuts off its supply of gas. Joe Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia – a country he labelled a “pariah” state – to appeal for increases to oil production to help drive down crude prices.
This complicated web of tradeoffs and unintended consequences – this existential dilemma – could be best summarized by philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, who wrote: “If you marry, you will regret it; if you do not marry, you will also regret it; if you marry or do not marry, you will regret both.”
Mark Bessoudo London
Full disclosure
Re RCMP Veterans Defend Officer Behind Lucki Allegations (June 23): To fellow retired members of the RCMP, regarding the inquiry and matters related to the Nova Scotia tragedy: Did you have access to all relevant information? Did you have access to the investigators’ notes? Were you present for all relevant meetings? Did you read all transcripts or were you present during testimony? Did you provide testimony or were you invited to do so?
If the answer to any of the above is no, then we should reflect on our training and experience, which taught us not to guess or surmise and let facts speak for themselves. Piling on, for or against, seems highly unfair, certainly unproductive and not in keeping with the standards of the RCMP.
Norman Inkster RCMP commissioner (retired), Toronto
Travel anxiety
Re Unions Urged Ottawa To Boost Staffing Before Passport Backlog (June 23): We might make allowances for Passport Canada and Service Canada not gearing up in time to meet a predictable surge in passport renewals following the lifting of travel restrictions. We should make no allowance for Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development of Canada, and her latest response blaming the victims for her agency’s failure to find creative solutions to the mess we are witnessing.
As a retired assistant deputy minister who was responsible for Passport Canada, I know there are solutions. Expired passports can be extended with a simple endorsement on the observations page for a period of perhaps one year, to spread the renewal load over the next 12 months and let Canadians, who expected adequate levels of service, take sorely needed vacations.
The public service seems to have lost sight of a basic tenet of the job: service. If ministers don’t provide leadership, improvement will be a long time in coming
Raphael Girard Montreal
Re Delays, Customs Chaos Are Hurting Our Business Reputation (Report on Business, June 24): I certainly agree that delays, customs chaos and the antiquated ArriveCan app is hurting our business reputation.
Add to that the fact that Air Canada is cancelling 10 per cent of its flights and delaying countless others, and the cherished idea that Toronto is a world-class city seems distorted.
Remember the days when passengers clapped after their pilot landed on the tarmac of their destination? Now, they clap if the plane takes off.
Douglas King Burlington, Ont.
Money trail
Re A Junior Hockey Scandal That Should Sicken Us All (June 24): I too am sickened by this alleged gang rape of a young woman by junior hockey players. But why the coverup? I would follow the money.
I grew up watching the National Hockey League’s Original Six, a time when the modestly paid teams played for the love of the game. Now we have big business masquerading as hockey, where millions are made by most of those involved, from players to owners to those hawking hockey paraphernalia.
If an in-depth investigation were to reveal that some of those players involved in this alleged incident are in the NHL, a shadow would be cast over the whole of hockey, and the bottom lines of everyone involved would suffer.
Follow the money. This young woman, and society as a whole, deserve better.
Ted Parkinson Toronto
Save for later
Re Canada’s Inflation Rate Climbs To 7.7%, Pushed By Energy Costs (June 23): The one-year inflation rate of 7.7 per cent draws much attention, as it should. However, does anyone believe that the last three years have been typical?
A year-over-year statistic can be misleading in volatile times. Over three years, the consumer price index has averaged 3.6 per cent – more than we would like, but I think a better reflection of reality.
Randall Dutka Oakville, Ont.
Re Super Savers Are Fighting Rising Grocery Costs And Inflation, One Bargain At A Time (June 23): A so-called super saver can take up to 45 minutes to check out at the grocery store. The cashier turns off their “open” light when they see a super saver coming.
If this frugal behaviour becomes widespread, grocery stores may have to shut down and switch to home delivery. One cashier could accommodate about 10 to 12 customers in an eight-hour shift – not a profitable business model.
Susan Harrop Burlington, Ont.
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