Feb. 10: Letters to the editor

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Tory country

George Sipos (Are Our Cities Healthy? - Feb. 8) is correct about the seriousness of the environmental crisis, but he's wrong that the solution would be a campaign urging city folks to "recognize and support the countryside." They already do: In recent elections, Canadians supporting parties in favour of action on environmental issues have been almost exclusively urban voters. Rural voters have overwhelmingly supported Stephen Harper and the Tories, whose policies on climate change, the oil sands, and related issues have led to the dismal assessments of our environmental record.

W. Brock MacDonald, Toronto

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Heed this

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would do well to heed an exchange that occurred between Louis XVI and one of his courtiers at the outset of the French Revolution in 1789: "Is this a rebellion?" No sire, replied the duke, "It is a revolution." Louis, who lost his head on the guillotine, did not understand the critical difference and neither does Mr. Mubarak. (Unmoved By Concessions, Protesters 'Smell Blood' - Feb. 9)

Rebellion is satisfied with specific political reform and removal of the autocrat, but revolution demands fundamental change in the entire system - social and economic as well as political. It will do no good for Mr. Mubarak and his new vice-president to preside over a superficial "transition" as Egyptians are seeking nothing less than the sweeping change only real revolution can bring.

Paul Pepperall, King City, Ont.

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Bell's view

We were stunned by assertions made about Bell Canada in Wednesday's column by American observer Tim Wu. The Internet is the foundation of Bell's future, and we're obviously eager to deliver the best possible online experience to all customers.

That's why we've invested $10-billion in capital in the past three years - to keep Bell, and Canada, at the leading edge of broadband innovation. We also seek to ensure fair access for all. Applying usage-based billing to wholesale Internet service providers - in the same way it's been applied for years to retail services - helps achieve that.

Super-heavy downloaders served by wholesale ISPs can't be allowed to harm the Internet experience of the vast majority. Applying UBB to wholesale actually impacts fewer than 2 per cent of Canadian Internet users, and means the cost of their extraordinary usage won't be passed on to all.

Looking past Mr. Wu's bizarre claims of "horrors" that would be wrought by what is already a well-established pricing approach, it seems we actually agree on some things. We're doing just what he calls "perfectly reasonable" - offering faster connections for those wanting more and discount plans for light users. That's what usage-based billing is all about.

Mirko Bibic, senior vice-president, regulatory and government affairs, Bell Canada

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Pitching in

I was bemused to see John Furlong's observation in his book excerpt that I "pointed fingers from a distance but rarely pitched in with ideas or support" concerning the use of English and French at the Vancouver Olympics (Feb. 4). In fact, my office provided ideas and support to Mr. Furlong and VANOC on numerous occasions from 2008 to the eve of the Games.

For example, we did a study of Games preparations that was launched at a joint press conference with Mr. Furlong in December, 2008, and numerous suggestions from the follow-up study were put into effect. In the summer of 2009, I put forward specific suggestions that were followed. Thanks to the efforts of Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, the government provided $7.7-million to solve some of the problems we had identified.

Mr. Furlong has received well-deserved praise for his work. One would hope he would also accept criticism with a bit of grace.

Graham Fraser, Commissioner of Official languages, Ottawa

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Beating tickets

How sad to see the Globe publish How To Beat A Speeding Ticket (Feb. 7). What is yet to come - how to disprove a Breathalyzer test? How to evade spousal support? How to avoid responsibility for anything for which you may be guilty but damned if you are going to admit?

Young people used to be advised to "stand up like a man and be counted" - what do we tell them now - go ahead and cheat and lie?

Margaret Morgan, North Vancouver

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Who gets hurt?

Marcus Gee (Curb The Hysteria About Contracting Out - Feb. 8) says that such a move would not be the end of the world. Proponents of privatization say the bulk of savings would come from the fact city workers enjoy greater benefits than their private sector counterparts.

So what would be the effect of such a change? I suspect that after time the taxpayers will still pay the same for their services but, while the workers will be paid less, owners and upper management of the private companies could enjoy compensation many times greater than their municipal counterparts. In other words, a transfer of wealth from one segment of society to another.

The greater the gap between the incomes of the many and those of the few, the less chance we have to enjoy a civil society. It is not in the nature of business to reverse this trend. If our democratically elected leaders will not be the ones to do so, then who will?

Ian Argue, Toronto

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Shame!

Re CIDA Pulls Plug On Program After 50 Years Of Canadian Teachers Volunteering Abroad (Feb. 7):

Project Overseas is a half century old, surely one of the most ideology-free programs CIDA contributes to. Its upshots are all positive: Canadian teachers, temporary ambassadors for Canada, enable countless children in the developing world to profit by the education their teachers receive. The benefits are mutual as Canadian teachers learn experientially about a developing country and the impact of poverty on education.

CIDA's explanation? Not the program's "merits" but "a technicality." And this from a government that asserts that mother and child concerns in the developing world are a top priority.

Eileen McCarthy, Welland, Ont.

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Indulge me

Re Bless Me, Apple, For I Have Sinned (Feb. 9): With the U.S. Catholic Church having sanctioned an app for convenient confession over the iPhone, what's next? Indulgences paid by PayPal? I thought Martin Luther had put a stop to this, 500 years ago.

Ila Bossons, Toronto

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Wails over Grapes

If The Globe and Mail seriously considers Don Cherry to be a "Canadian cultural icon" (Editorial - Feb. 8) it's time for me to catch the next plane back to Wales.

Wynne Thomas, Picton, Ont.