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Digital disconnect
I'm a millennial. Earlier this year, I joined the Conservative Party of Canada to elect a new leader.
But I quickly learned that the Tories are digital dinosaurs who are out of touch with the next generation. Look no further than the leadership race which concluded Saturday. I couldn't vote online. In 2017. Really?
The nearest polling station is two hours from me. I'm on the East Coast, hardly a Conservative stronghold. I received my mail-in ballot 24 hours after the deadline passed, meaning my vote would "not be guaranteed."
But the CPC is learning. They send e-blasts! For months now, leadership hopefuls slammed my inbox with ugly political dribble a la "defeat/crush/destroy Trudeau in 2019." Give me a break. I am concerned with policy, legislation and the character of our leaders. Oh, and the opportunity to vote would be nice, too.
But maybe I'm just a snowflake living in handout country.
Ryan McCarvill, Charlottetown
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ZEVs wanted
Re Ottawa Crafting Policy To Boost Use Of Zero-Emission Vehicles (May 26): Car manufacturers definitely need a regulatory push on zero emissions vehicles. I called my GM dealer to order an all-electric Bolt, only to find they had none until 2018, and no information on availability or pricing. If I can't order one, how are they assessing demand and deciding to ramp up production?
Dave Carson, Dundas, Ont.
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A car should only be called a zero-emission vehicle if the electricity it uses comes from a non-fossil source. If you charge your car with electricity from a fossil fuel source, then it is not really a ZEV.
Shirley Baird, Kingston
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Limits of tolerance
Re A Tall Building Next To A School? Oh, The Humanity (May 25): Marcus Gee, referring to parents and residents protesting the construction of a high rise next to a school in midtown Toronto, is correct in noting that there are numerous other towers in the neighbourhood, and perhaps right in saying that other such projects near schools have been undertaken before.
But to mock parents for their worries is unforgivable.
As anyone who lives here knows, this general area has been the site of turmoil and incredible construction activity for years.
Every day, we witness huge dump trucks backing up, going around blind corners, speeding down streets, lining up, and coming and going. Cranes and other construction equipment abound; traffic cones block one lane or another everywhere.
Traffic in rush hour is jammed with cars and trucks changing lanes and trying to weave their way through the mess. Every day is an adventure for a pedestrian and sometimes a dangerous one.
In such an atmosphere, any parent would be concerned. But it is not just the building next to the school that's the problem. It is the whole idea that when it comes to building in Toronto, anything goes. In terms of development, it is the Wild West. The school protest is as much the occasion, as it is the reason. It's simply one building past the limit of tolerance. Residents are sick of it all.
I will put aside Mr. Gee's column. If construction goes ahead, I'll keep it handy in case some tot is run down. At that point, I will return it to him and The Globe and Mail, and see what he and you think of it then.
Larry Rose, Toronto
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Homing instincts
Re Sky-High Condo Prices Aren't A Supply Problem (May 24): Governments' "tweaking" of the residential housing market can no longer solve the problem of affordable housing in the Lower Mainland. Incentives have already been used to persuade developers to build more affordable housing with appalling results. We have given away far too much, with far too little in return.
What must be done so the average working person will have a reasonable chance of obtaining secure housing is for all three levels of government to utilize public land which has not yet been sold off to developers to create affordable living options.
What I envisage is public investment in a variety of housing that is isolated from the real estate market. How is this to be achieved? Simply by building housing that is meant for long-term occupation and not for investment purposes.
This can be done through keeping ownership of the property in the public realm or creating restrictive covenants on resale values, so they cannot increase beyond a rise in the cost of living. In other words, ensure that it is not possible to use the property as an investment but only as a home, which is fundamentally what housing is meant to be.
Myles Ferrie, Vancouver
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Developers are the only group providing new housing, given that the federal and provincial governments stopped doing this in any meaningful way years ago.
Real estate development is not for the faint of heart, as projects begun in one market cycle might not be sold or built until a year or two later in another cycle (think Calgary). As our population increases, worldwide and in Canada, land (and housing) will increase in value, particularly in cities with attractive amenities and opportunities. Until this growth stops, values will rise.
As for the criticism that politicians have failed us, what exactly was it they were supposed to do? Look at what happens when politicians do act – and the predictable results for Ontario (How Wynne Liberals Are Worsening The Housing Crunch, May 20).
Roland Rom Colthoff, Toronto
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Make it mandatory
Re The Social Cost Of Not Vaccinating Your Children (Life & Arts, May 25): It can't be a surprise that unvaccinated children deal with more stigma in society, as parents want to protect their child from the potential harm of being close to a child who hasn't been immunized.
An unvaccinated child is susceptible to harm in two ways: becoming ill and becoming ostracized. The responsibility for this situation lies with the parents.
Child vaccination is described as a "complex problem that poses significant health consequences for the child and the community." This matter is made complex by continually trying to educate the reluctant parent, while allowing a choice not to vaccinate, which puts others at risk.
The science tells us immunizations work for the individual child and for other children in the community (herd effect). Mandatory vaccinations with no exemptions should be the law across Canada.
Roy Sullivan, Sudbury, Ont.
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Not so deep, really
Re The 'Deep State' Is Winning Against Trump (May 24): Benjamin Franklin is credited with coining the phrase "Honesty is the best policy." Donald Trump is not being undermined "by a hostile deep state in the form of a liberalized bureaucracy, media and foreign service." He is being undermined by the truth.
Mark Drury, Mississauga