At 84, not happy about what we have done
Re: “Two decades to fix deer problem, nothing done,” letter, Nov. 16.
I agreed with the letter until the last comment about “these invaders.” Who are the invaders?
We invaded the whole area and displaced all, or most, of the animals. We invaded the oceans and now we are desperately trying to find a whale. The local herring runs are extinct. We are now trying desperately to bring back a lot of the salmon runs that we have invaded.
We are having to go further and further to try to make the tuna extinct. We invaded the world forests to the point where we can’t even find some species. Plants and animals and trees and bugs and just about everything you can think of has been effected by our invasion.
Because we have invaded, we now have millions of non-migratory “Canadian” geese that invade our parks and playgrounds. Millions of seals and sea lions that we can’t or won’t do anything about.
Such terrible disruption. And of course we, I, could go on and on about who is the invader and what this invasion has caused in this wonderful place.
And now, on the other side. I’m 84, and for those 84 years, I’ve enjoyed being one of these invaders, in this wonderful place. Now I’m getting old and starting to think about what we have done and I don’t feel very good about it.
I don’t know what else we could have done or how we could have done it differently. We grew, we progressed and things just happened. And this is what we have.
Two last things out of all of this. I guess I don’t want to hear anyone talk about the deer being the invaders. And now I hear that the world population is now eight billion. Wonderful.
Lyall Eriksen
Colwood
Well, the deer were here before we were
Re: “Two decades to fix deer problem, nothing done,” letter, Nov. 16.
Every time I read a letter complaining about deer invading our gardens, the thought that comes to mind is this: We invaded their territory, not the other way around. We must now live with what we’ve created.
Claudette Preece
Courtenay
Plenty of experts tossing blame around
Finally, a real truism in the Wednesday comment section. The cartoon is telling the truth about challenges to our culture — blaming, rather than constructively and factually discussing issues.
Bravo Vance Rodewalt for showing that Canada is “never at a loss for (so called) experts.”
Eric Jones
Victoria
Losing the rail bridge means better visibility
I say good that the rail bridge at Recreation Road is gone. It should not be replaced “in the hope” that one day rail lines will “resume” operation.
I lived on Recreation Road for 13 years while my kids were growing up, and it is a horrible stretch of road with limited visibility when pulling out from both side streets.
The speed people drive down the hill usually exceeds safe limits, and there is no sidewalk or alternate route for children who need to get to school bus stop.
With the bridge overhead gone, the visibility would be much better for all.
Cathy Bhandar
Victoria
Veterinarians just love what they do
Re: “Will doctors ever catch up to veterinarians?” letter, Nov. 16.
I hate to state the obvious but it’s apparently required. Veterinarians treat many animals that they never get paid for out of the goodness of their hearts rather than see them suffer, as doctors used to do for people before Canada introduced socialized medicine.
Sorry to break it to the letter-writer, but I’m sure veterinarians rates take this into consideration, and she’s paying for this.
I doubt veterinarians are getting rich either, they just love what they do.
Bobbi Sheridan
Victoria
Never mind vets, what about dentists?
Re: “Will doctors ever catch up to veterinarians?” letter, Nov. 16.
The letter-writer bemoans the high cost of veterinarians compared to what doctors are paid for the same length of visit. Try comparing what dentists can charge.
I paid $200 for a non-emergency chipped-tooth filling that took 10 minutes. It is doubtful our family physicians will ever get commensurate pay for service in comparison.
Mike Wilkinson
Duncan
Be careful to consider drugs, risk management
The idea that making dangerous drugs legal will assure, somehow, that they will become less toxic and therefore less dangerous is problematic, even if some sort of a safe supply can be established.
They will still be dangerous. Some, like methamphetamine, are dangerous enough on their own, without added toxic boosters. The idea also does not consider an individual drug user’s system of risk management.
Every one of us adjusts life’s risks continually. A good example can be found in the use of masks during the COVID period. Those who were responsible and wore them during the early stages, really wanted to not wear them, and subsequently adjusted their use based on updates provided by health authorities and their own interpretations of the risks involved.
As time passed, they were willing to gradually assume more risk.
If it is possible for extra drug toxicity to be removed from the supply, those who use drugs, if they have not already degraded their mental capabilities to the point where risk management is not even in the picture, will not stop taking the drugs that they want, and will probably make the risk assessment that everything is now OK, and go full speed ahead.
They will still die. It will just take longer.
Barry Carlson
Saanich
Kneecapped by know-nothings
Wow, Germany built an LNG terminal in 200 days!
Meanwhile in Canada, the low-information crowd is denouncing and delaying our attempts at LNG export terminals.
Why did Justin Trudeau and John Horgan let the country be kneecapped by know-nothings?
Grant Maxwell
Nanaimo
Canada’s monarchy no match for U.S. system
A recent letter claimed that our Canadian monarchy betters the United States’ constitutional democracy. I thoroughly disagree.
The United States Constitution — made by Americans for Americans — is based upon a system of checks and balances that has withstood attacks by authoritarian presidents such as Richard Nixon and Donald Trump.
Our Canadian Constitution — written by faceless English bureaucrats — has handed the executive branch of government — the prime minister’s office and the government bureaucracies — a complete monopoly of power.
If a Nixon or a Trump gains power here, our democracy will collapse like a a house of cards, as the democracies of Zimbabwe and Singapore have collapsed.
Canada needs a constitution made by Canadians for Canadians containing an effective structure of checks and balances.
Tim Davis
Victoria
Central licence authority needed for our doctors
I agree that there should be a central registering body for physicians in Canada. The existing system is too parochial and inefficient.
I obtained my specialist qualifications (FFARCS) in the U.K. before emigrating to Canada, and I practised as a GP in Manitoba until I passed the Canadian fellowship exam and was registered as a specialist.
However, when I applied for a licence in B.C., I was informed that I needed to pass an additional basic medical exam to work here. Ironically, if a B.C. resident was taken sick in Manitoba I could provide them with an anesthetic — but not in B.C.
There seems to be a prevailing attitude at the B.C. College that physicians are lucky to get a licence here and there will always be an endless supply of applicants.
When working in the U.K., our training requirements and performance were audited by the College of Anaesthetists in London, no matter where we worked. Hospitals had their accreditation suspended if the standards were not met and the College could audit physicians’ records.
Not so here. In 25 years of practice, the College never inspected any of the facilities where I worked and none of my charts were audited by an independent body.
The College in B.C. commonly denies a licence to foreign physicians, but has granted privileges to practice to Canadian graduates that have failed their final exams because there was a shortage of physicians in one particular hospital. This calls into question their integrity.
Furthermore, there is limited communication between one provincial College and another and this means there have been instances when physicians having their licence withdrawn in one province still hold a valid licence in another.
The provincial Colleges need to be dissolved and a central pan-Canadian College be created that treats all physicians equally and ensures standards are met across the country.
David Turner, FRCPC
Salt Spring Island
Home invasion by spotted owl
If an owl breaks into your home and causes damage, don’t expect compensation. Owls don’t give a hoot.
Cheera J. Crow
Brentwood Bay
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