Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre at the Conservative Party of Canada English leadership debate in Edmonton, on May 11.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
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Re Conservative Challenges (Letters, May 19): Like a letter-writer, I too joined the Conservative Party so I can have a say in who will lead what may be Canada’s government-in-waiting. We should all be worried about the prospect of Pierre Poilievre’s divisive, toxic approach to politics disrupting how our country is governed.
For the record, I will not be voting Conservative in the next election, but I do hope for a civil official opposition.
Glenna Jenkins Lunenburg, N.S.
Fingers crossed
Re Hoping For The Best Isn’t A COVID-19 Plan (Editorial, May 19): Vaccination and masking are the best societal defences against future waves of COVID-19. What’s the best way to encourage anti-vaccine Canadians to get their shots? Vaccine passports.
Unfortunately, our politicians have scored on their own nets and allowed these elements a win, getting rid of our defence before the battle was won. Require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, indoor shopping and sports facilities and for travel. Resistance to vaccines would disappear, except among the truly extreme.
Fail to take this simple action and more waves seem a certainty.
Glen Morehouse Severn, Ont.
Governments often prefer that voters see how they solved a problem, as opposed to avoiding it altogether. Hence, they would kill an ounce of prevention (door-to-door visits to unvaccinated residents, for example) in favour of higher-profile reaction to the next outbreak.
Good luck with that.
Rick Walker Toronto
We should raise public awareness of the health and economic consequences of hundreds of thousands of Canadians developing long COVID.
Public Health Ontario recently put the prevalence of developing long COVID at 51 per cent to 80 per cent. Elsewhere, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey commented that the country has seen a significant drop in the labour force that is unusual and persistent, and linked to hundreds of thousands of British citizens developing long COVID.
It’s happening here in Canada and will continue as long as we don’t take more evidence-based precautions. To pretend the pandemic is over would cost us economically and continue to risk our health and health care.
Where is significant new funding for long COVID research and treatment? We are far behind other countries such as Germany and South Africa.
Lynn Carlile Ottawa
Justice delayed
Re Both Tenants And Landlords Exasperated By Delays At Ontario’s Rental Dispute Resolution Tribunal (Real Estate, May 20): Despite the well-documented digital divide in Ontario, including limited internet access in rural areas and notoriously high rates for service in Canada, the Landlord and Tenant Board moved to permanent online hearings in September, 2020.
This is in contrast to the courts, which returned to in-person hearings as soon as they were able, effectively creating two strands of justice in Ontario. It is impossible to know how many tenants in Ontario have lost their homes because they could not access their hearings owing to lack of service, mental or physical disabilities or age, among other barriers (the LTB fails to keep track).
If we’re going to address housing affordability, we should also create a tribunal committed to an equitable hearing process. Until then, think of it as our very own Squid Game.
Tracy Heffernan Toronto
Multimillion-dollar question
Re If You Build It (Letters, May 17): A letter-writer’s “little side street in Kitsilano” is not hers. The only thing that belongs to her is the “half-duplex” she lives in.
The cheapest classified ad I was able to find for such a dwelling in this neighbourhood costs more than $2.2-million. An 18-floor rental building that she speaks against (and, incidentally, precisely the kind I live in) would fit more than 130 apartments.
Now this homeowner is asking for “common sense and consideration” when it comes to development that could house 130 families?
I. M. Starwell Toronto
Unfriendly Canada
Re Canada’s World Cup Friendly Match Against Iran Is An Insult To The Victims of PS752 (May 17): If Canada Soccer truly represents Canadians, they would be less concerned with an extra practice match and more concerned with the message this sends the families of 85 Canadian residents who died on flight PS752, none of whom will ever see or play a soccer match again.
There were 30 other World Cup countries to choose from. With so many teams and so many countries, why would Canada Soccer stain our football with blood?
Abdolghader Balouch Member, Iranian Writers’ Association in Exile; Vancouver
New Canada
Re Canadian Searches Grow For Far-right, White Supremacy Content (May 17): I had the unpleasant realization that we are all being replaced by the next generations. We have even been training them and helping them to replace us.
This must be stopped!
Philip Pye London, Ont.
When I came to Canada in 1965 with my British passport, I was fast-tracked through immigration. Back then, Vancouver was not a great international city; Richmond was a sleepy white suburb; the Orange parade was a big deal in Toronto; European immigrant societies were still thriving.
Fast forward 50 years: Vancouver is a an international destination for the super-rich and Richmond is famous for its Chinese night market. I’ve learned to cross-country ski, cook curry, grow bok choy and savour microbrewery beer. My son is bilingual and my grandson is a multihyphenated fourth-generation Canadian with a heritage to match.
What’s not to like?
Alan Ball New Westminster, B.C.
Best Canada
Re From Freshwater To Fork: How Two Chefs Turned Fishmongers Are Trying To Rejig Fish Supply Chains (May 17): Amidst all the tragedy we have in today’s world, this article gave this 75-year-old so much hope.
Hope that two young settlers, working with an Indigenous fisher pursuing his traditional ways, can show Canadians how to “do” reconciliation in real life. Hope that this initiative to take sustainable advantage of natural resources will prove an example for other sectors.
Hope for the environment by sourcing locally and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, while cutting food waste. Hope for a more equitable Canada where businesses can pay employees a living wage and remain competitive. Hope for the future, when I see this young generation taking risks to produce world-class products in this country.
Who gave this hope? Matt Taylor, John Klip, and Allen Robichaud. Bravo! Thanks to The Globe and Mail and contributor Lindsey Campbell for showing business and government an example of how to move toward meaningful wins for Canada.
Sheila Terjanian Ottawa
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