People use the path for sitting and walking that wraps around Ontario Place's Cinesphere, in Toronto, on Sept. 29, 2022.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Front page challenge
Re “Donald Trump pleads not guilty to charges surrounding 2020 election interference” (Aug. 4): I caution the paper not to sensationalize Donald Trump by returning him to the front page. The news event is important, but a well-placed article in the deeper pages would have sufficed.
The man and his followers thrive on media attention. Please don’t feed the megalomania that is undermining the stability of democracy.
John Crawford Victoria
The caption was not at all what I anticipated for such a momentous event. I am neither a historian nor a newspaper editor, but the caption I expected was: “Donald Trump crosses the Rubicon.”
Steve Harker Kingston
Re “Why Trump’s third arraignment was extraordinary, surpassing the previous two” (Aug. 4): I am reminded of a line from writer Robert Graves’s 1934 classic I, Claudius. Referring to the deification of Augustus, Claudius remarks that it is the office of emperor that is divine, not the person occupying it.
Suzette Blom Toronto
Succession
Re “Justin Trudeau’s quandary: to go or not to go” (Aug. 4): Two words: Mark Carney.
Gary Wilson Toronto
Hard times
Re “BCE’s CEO calls for government assistance for struggling media sector” (Report on Business, Aug. 4): Poor BCE.
Imagine the CEO’s discomfort when his phone business is challenged by U.S. carriers. May that day arrive soon.
Robert Nesbitt Toronto
Family matters
Re “Supreme Court rules judges can appoint lawyers to represent people who would prefer to represent themselves” (July 29): Good ruling by the Supreme Court in the context of criminal justice. Let’s permit and encourage judges to exercise comparable discretion in also appointing such support within the family court system, where amicus with an adversarial mandate may be equally necessary to maintain a fair, effective and speedy trial.
Separating self-represented litigants (more accurately, the “unrepresented”) often deal with significant financial imbalances and coercive control that can generate crippling emotional anxiety. When parenting and residential issues are involved, their children may suffer for much of their growing-up years.
Even though Jordan-type “trial within a reasonable time” rules exist in some child-focused legislative frameworks, they generally don’t apply and aren’t well managed for the benefit of children in high-conflict domestic separations. Less delay with case conferencing, more adversarial amicus in family courts as needed, please.
Ellen Anderson Summerside, PEI
Read on
Re “Mind your health” (Letters, July 29): I read with great interest a letter on prescription drugs, particularly the last line: “I suggest we do our own research.” Unfortunately, far too many people are doing their own “research” with no regard for sources.
Since Google often puts the most popular websites for any given topic at the top of its results, one can find that the looniest conspiracy theories immediately show up. Sources should be checked first before believing or disbelieving anything one reads. Regarding health issues, I always check the Mayo Clinic first.
Steve Kirby Belleville, Ont.
Place to debate
Re “The architects defending the Ontario Place makeover deserve a hearing” (July 29): The province’s plan for Ontario Place has many positive elements. I think critics have been too hasty to reject it.
I love Ontario Place and go there frequently. The new plan would provide 60 acres of freely accessible parkland and also an area allocated for a new spa.
The spa would be a great new facility for Toronto and enhance usage of Ontario Place year-round, particularly in winter. The iconic Ontario Place pods would be retained and renewed, and a new concert facility put in place.
This would all be great for the city.
Peter Hodgson Toronto
Therme builds private upscale spas, which would only serve those who have time and money – certainly not the majority of Torontonians.
There are so many other creative options which should be considered to make Ontario Place a welcoming and accessible space for everyone.
Barbara Sklar Toronto
There has been more than fair opportunity for the public to assess the merits of the Therme spa proposals at Ontario Place.
The province and Therme have filled newspapers, airwaves and cyberspace with claims about the virtues of the proposal. The public has complete access to documents filed with the city of Toronto. Consultations hosted in the spring by the city attracted hundreds of participants.
All this and still the response from many citizens is the same: The Therme spa would be a generational mistake. It seems obvious to most that Ontario Place is too valuable to be privatized for spa users.
In the midst of a climate and affordability crisis, no responsible government should be diverting upward of $600-million to support privatization of a publicly accessible park, which already provides more “wellness” benefits than could ever be expected from a private spa.
Cynthia Wilkey Toronto
Fight the fight
Re “The Christian right has lost touch with the true values of their religion” (July 25): I rarely find myself fist-pumping to words from a priest, but contributor Michael Coren took me there.
I recently returned from Rwanda where I attended Women Deliver, a global conference on gender equality. One of the best sessions was on the insidious power of anti-rights organizations and the effect these groups are having on gender rights worldwide.
The speaker provided a roadmap for those wanting to take this on: Discover and disrobe these organizations, then dislocate them from positions of power and, finally, demonetize them. They’re incredibly well funded and well organized.
Any effort needs to match wits and money.
Alison Pidskalny Calgary
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