Childish protesters should think of others
Re: “Police failure discredits the rule of the law,” letter, Aug. 14.
The letter makes an excellent point that disruptive protests should be cleared away by authorities such as police.
Over the past several hundred years, wise people have worked to define the conditions that would have to exist for millions of people to live peacefully in diverse democracies like Canada.
One necessary condition is that every person should have rights that are only limited when those rights reduce the rights of another person.
In addition to the disruptions that the letter mentions, the paper reports on a thuggish disruption of a council meeting in North Saanich, the trial of the thugs who blockaded Ottawa, a blockade of a railway line in Vancouver, a blockade of the Golden Gate Bridge, and that the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police want more support as they try to protect the rights of people who are not protesting.
If a group of protesters has a valid cause, they should be able to raise support by presenting their facts and logic. Because they do not present facts and logic, we can assume that the protesters do not have a valid cause.
Therefore, the protesters have to use the negotiating style of a bunch of four-year-olds who want more ice cream: They have incoherent temper tantrums that reduce the rights of other people.
We adults can only hope that childish protesters eventually think deeply about their actions and then exercise their rights without harming the rights of others.
David Stocks
Victoria
Creating a spot for illicit drug users
The group to whom the City of Victoria gave $300,000, and pledged $1.8 million in operating funds, is not some benign housing placement organization.
SOLID stands for SOciety Of Living Intravenous Drug users. Check their website. Their purpose for existence is to provide services to intravenous drug users, drugs being the main criterion.
The Dowler Place building will be the focal point where drug users congregate, which naturally makes it an ideal place to sell and exchange illicit drugs. That is what it is there for.
And Victoria’s mayor and council are complicit.
David Hansen
Victoria
The best places for social service centres
It would appear that the only criteria for the location of social service centres in Victoria is that they be no closer than 100 metres from each other.
I would propose that this be amended so they are also close to the primary residences of the mayor and council members.
Two social service centres to be 100 metres apart and 50 metres from a councillor’s residence.
The mayor and councillors would then be able to assuage residents’ concerns by stating how confident they are in their proposal by them setting such a prime example.
How about it, mayor and councillors?
Brian Summers
Victoria
Firefighter suspension should worry everyone
Re: “Union confirms Victoria firefighter suspended for letter sent to premier,” Aug. 15.
A firefighter got suspended from his job without pay because he wrote a letter expressing his opinions to the premier?
He got suspended from his job without pay for that? I don’t like his opinions. I disagree with him.
But I find it deeply alarming and wrong that he got suspended for expressing them, especially outside of his workplace. I kinda think everyone shoud be alarmed by that.
Beth Carswell
Esquimalt
Who fingered the fireman?
News sources in Victoria have told us that:
1. A member of the Victoria Fire Department was suspended without pay for sending a letter to Premier David Eby complaining about the soon-to-be-opened social service (drug use allowed) centre on 2155 Dowler Place, a short distance down the street from where the home the fireman and his family live.
2. The Fire Department suspends the fireman for writing the letter.
3. Premier David Eby’s office said they had no hand in the suspension.
4. Mayor Marianne Alto’s office said they had no hand in the suspension.
So, who “fingered” the fireman (in his letter he identified himself as a “first responder”)?
And — who ordered the suspension?
John Sedley
Victoria
Give employees the right to protest
Since when can you not protest against changes coming to your neighbourhood because you work for that municipality.
The City of Victoria has shown disrespect to one of their workers. Who wants to work for a municipality that dictates what you can say – are we a communist country? I am disgusted with this type of treatment to someone who does so much for our city.
Council should rectify this suspension immediately and make an apology to this employee as well as update their policies so this never happens again.
Eileen Cannon
Victoria
What will happen to us if we disagree?
In response to questions concerning the suspension without pay of paramedic Josh Montgomery after he wrote a letter expressing his concerns regarding a social service facility planned for his neighbourhood, “A City of Victoria spokesperson said mayor and council have no role in the operational decisions of the Victoria Fire Department.”
How very carefully that has been phrased! If they had no influence or input into this decision to punish Montgomery for expressing his opinion, as we all have a right to do, they could have simply said so.
Compare the response from the City of Victoria to the unequivocal denial issued by the premier’s office.
A great many people in this city including myself do not agree with the measures taken and about to be taken by the mayor and the majority of the city council.
Will retribution be visited upon all of us?
Ian MacDonell
Victoria
James Bay tower would not fit in
Re: “James Bay tower better than a parking lot,” letter, Aug. 14.
The letter dismisses opponents to the Montreal/Quebec/Kingston parking lot redevelopment approved by Victoria council last month as “not wanting to accept change.”
The writer says that along with his neighbours, he can’t wait to see the land developed.
Living immediately adjacent to the site, I may be a neighbour but I emphatically do not share his support for the current design – and I resent his labeling me as change-averse.
Nobody I have encountered is calling for the parking lot to be retained as-is: there are far better uses for this site, housing chief among them.
However, any development must be sympathetic in scale, scope, and density to its James Bay surroundings, and fit into existing neighbourhood infrastructure.
The proposal — 108 units, including a 14-storey tower — fails to meet these requirements.
Adrienne Canty
James Bay
More pressure on Commonwealth pool
With pool space time at Saanich Commonwealth Place for competitive swim teams/clubs already being tight, I question UVic’s decision to close the McKinnon Pool.
This decision will further increase the demands on pool time at Saanich Commonwealth Place, unless UVic has decided to end its University Swim Team program and doesn’t need any pool time at Commonwealth Place.
However, with the recruitment for a new UVic coach it doesn’t seem likely that the UVic varsity swim program is ending.
How can the university assume that there will be space for their program and swimmers at Commonwealth Place when they close their pool?
Closing the pool at UVic will just increase the demand on pool time at Saanich Commonwealth Place, affecting user groups.
The university is not a good community neighbour when they have a pool that’s usable.
Don Sutton
Saanich
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