Election will be a test for all
All life is an IQ test, or, rather, a series of tests. The federal election provides a good example.
Anyone living in the Interior of B.C., or indeed anywhere in B.C., and has watched towns burning in person or on TV, and who votes for either of the two major parties, both of which claim to care about climate change but act otherwise, has failed the current test.
Ian Cameron
Brentwood Bay
Election: Waste, waste and more waste
As the cost of a federal election now exceeds $500 million, it is irresponsible to hold another election only 23 months into a 60-month mandate.
I will be casting my vote for a fiscally responsible government.
Patrick McAlister
Oak Bay
What does Canada need? Radical change
At a time when we need for our political leaders to work together in the war against COVID-19 and dealing with climate change, one of them calls for an election.
I am sure that I am not the only one who is sick and tired of politics and want our leaders to come together to do what we elected them to do and are paying them to do.
Maybe Justin Trudeau should look at what Winston Churchill did during the Second World War. He established a “war cabinet” made up of members of all parties, to establish a strategy to win the war in the shortest time.
In the meantime, a minority government is not a bad thing and I think that an election at this time is not likely to change that.
Trudeau should be reaching out to the other three leaders, who should be eager to help to establish winning strategies.
A recent letter that Erin O’Toole, leader of the Conservative Party, sent to the public (at some considerable expense I am sure), does not give me much hope. His platform is long on nicely worded but vague initiatives that insult our intelligence.
In today’s world, given COVID-19 and climate change, we need a national approach.
We cannot have individual regions and provinces going in all directions on what are Canadian issues that equally affect all Canadians such as education, health, pharmacare and trade.
It is time to overhaul Canada’s governmental system. We need a bold government and a new constitution.
Vincent Devries
Ladysmith
The gods looked down and were not happy
They say that the gods are not malicious, but what about the Taliban, a federal election, the turmoil in the Green Party, and now the incineration of a Wayne Gretzky rookie card in Monte Lake — we must have really annoyed them.
Albert Macfarlane
Port McNeill
Yes, the CRD has long-term water plans
Re: “Everyone needs to join the climate change battle,” letter, Aug. 12.
The letter suggested there is no long-range thinking about available resources such as drinking water — but long-term planning for drinking water supply is a top priority for the Capital Regional District and the Regional Water Supply Commission. We monitor population growth and per capita demand (water consumption) closely.
The latest update shows that demand across the region is about 340 litres per capita per day. Based on this report, there is enough water storage in Sooke Lake Reservoir to serve about 170,000 more people before requiring additional supply.
In a typical year, about 35 per cent of the storage volume in the reservoir is used before the winter rains recharge the reservoir. However, water conservation and wise use of our precious water resource remain as important as ever, as reinforced by the weather conditions this summer.
In 2007, the CRD purchased the Leech water supply area, about 9,600 hectares west of the Sooke water supply area. The Leech area will be used to supplement flows into Sooke Lake Reservoir.
Potential timelines for the use of the Leech area will be determined in an update, that has already been started, based on current population and water-demand projections as well as impacts of climate change.
We will also assess the feasibility of accessing deeper water in the north basin of the reservoir with a deep intake, which would defer the need to use the Leech area. A second intake would ensure access if the existing intake is affected in some way.
These and other important initiatives were identified in the most recent Regional Water Supply Strategic Plan.
Lillian Szpak
Councillor, Langford
Chair, Regional Water Supply Commission
Physician shortage is cause for outrage
Re: “Lack of family MDs hurting our health care,” editorial, Aug. 14.
This situation has been deteriorating for decades, and it is true across the country. It is true for family physicians and all specialties.
Directly because of this, Canadians are dying and their chronic health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, COPD, congestive heart disease and many others are worsening.
I have worked in Ireland, England and Canada, and I have worked with physicians and surgeons from all over Europe and Australasia, and I found their education and clinical abilities to be as good or better than those of Canadians.
The major issue, I believe, is Canadian ego and hubris. Canadian authorities claim Canadian health care is the best in the world and unparalleled.
They believe that all others are simply inferior and substandard compared to Canadian standards. This is absolute rubbish. It is the duty and obligation of each provincial medical licensing body, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, to assess candidate competence and issue licences to practice medicine.
There are constantly candidates from all over the world applying for licences to practice here, and these are being refused.
Each provincial college can and does issue “temporary licences” allowing time for the candidate to prepare for and pass the qualifying exams of the Medical Council of Canada, but this they are not doing.
This has nothing to do with provincial governments. One of the tenets of the Hippocratic Oath is “First do no harm,” yet this is exactly what is being done.
What must occur to attempt to change this scenario is national outrage but I don’t think this will happen in Canada. This is a deplorable situation and Canadian physicians are doing nothing to change it.
Dr. Paul Fenje Jr.
Victoria
Looking for health care? Everything is at capacity
Re: “Lack of family MDs hurting our health care,” editorial, Aug. 14.
In the past six years I have found myself suddenly without a doctor three times — each of those doctors were facing their own health crisis that forced their resignation.
I was unable to get another doctor because so many doctors are retiring from their stressful occupations and cannot entice new doctors to purchase their practice since there’s no longer a profit in family medicine due to high administrative costs.
As a senior with emerging health needs, it’s scary to be without support. A year ago I finally got a nurse practitioner. Initially that went well, but now they are swamped and patients cannot get an appointment (even by phone) without a one-month wait.
A friend who has more serious health issues has been coping with pain for seven months and she cannot even get help from an urgent-care clinic because they are “at capacity.”
The 911 paramedic and ambulance response currently involves a six- to eight-hour wait because hospitals are “at capacity” and paramedics cannot leave the hospital until their patient has been seen by a doctor.
Hospital beds aren’t even available. Get used to hearing “at capacity” because that’s the taped message you will hear from every health clinic and health line you try to contact.
Why isn’t anything being done to alleviate this crisis? During this election campaign, we all need to be asking our parties what they plan to do about this critical health situation.
Barbara McDonell
Victoria
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