91Ô­´´

Acknowledging others might just catch on

Re: “Uncommon courtesy: On bell-ringing and thanking bus drivers,” column, Jan. 5.

In addition to Patricia Coppard’s Islander column, I would like to add my perspective on uncommon courtesy we all see but sometimes don’t see, as unfortunately it’s seldom practised or even appreciated.

It’s interesting how some folks thank their bus driver when exiting the bus, but only after several others have started the chant. I have also noticed it’s usually the young people and students that show their appreciation to the driver and they are also the ones that jump up to offer their seat to a senior, without hesitation. Nice.

Why are we prompted to tip an employee for our meal at most fast food outlets or coffee shops in a mall, and yet diners never bother to acknowledge the cleaning staff in the food court and the malls, that are keeping the tables, chairs and floors spotlessly clean and sanitary for us to shop and dine there?

Who leaves them a tip or gives them a simple “Thank you” when they’re finished their meal?

My wife and I frequent a local coffee shop. The staff is friendly, courteous and efficient. When it comes time to pay, a 10% prompt appears for a tip. Imagine, only 10%! Personally, that prompts me to tip even more and thank them, as all the staff there are students and do a great job, and that’s why we return.

Patricia, please ring your bell when you are approaching me on the trail, and “Thank you.” Imagine if everyone gave a “Thank You Thumbs Up” to a first responder (fire, police, paramedic, air ambulance, health care worker) as they whiz by to help someone in need? This simple gesture would likely mean a lot to them.

Unfortunately, common courtesy isn’t that common however, everyone could do their bit to change that, offering a “Thank you” or a simple “Smile” and just maybe it might catch on. It really does feel great! We need it more now than ever in 2025.

Brian W. Shaughnessy

Victoria

Those warnings about health care were correct

Re: “Family waits 14 hours in ER for toddler to see doctor,” Jan. 4.

Shameful. Embarrassing. Inhumane. When I immigrated to Canada 23 years ago I was warned by friends in my home country about the reputation of the sad state of the national health care program in Canada.

They were spot on.

Sherry Krieger

Victoria

Health-care wait shows a system that’s broken

Re: “Family waits 14 hours in ER for toddler to see doctor,” Jan. 4.

Pity the poor child, pity the parents. I’d say the system is pretty goddamn broken.

David McDonald

Oak Bay

Public education needed for our roads

Reading about bicycle accidents in Greater Victoria is a strain on believability in the quality of traffic-planning.

Why, when so many streets are made barely usable by infrastructure work, when many drivers are so obviously impatient, untrained in and unfamiliar with driving among bicyclists or even in our heavy traffic, and often driving large powerful vehicles built for comfort and with distracting interior electronics, would a city suddenly install bicycle lanes everywhere with or without barriers?

Gaps in barriers for vehicles to turn right are invitations for disaster, given the low quality of skills among both vehicle drivers and bicyclists.

Side-swiping or open door swiping bicyclists on streets without barriers is a common fear and problem. Auto drivers are busy watching maybe two directions at once and a third over-shoulder glance often can’t happen quickly enough or is being hampered by a honking driver behind.

Encouraging bicycling when vehicle drivers are not signalling in advance of a change, nor shoulder-checking, and when bicyclists themselves are not well-skilled or using visible clothing or flags in traffic, seems unwise.

Investing in a focused media-savvy public education program for all, or limiting bike lanes to a few suitable cross-city routes or entirely off-road alternatives, would be wiser.

Parents with children on their bikes have miraculously so far avoided tragedy — should that even be permitted in this mix?

Janet Doyle

Victoria

Check the public mood before spending money

It would be nice if Victoria city council took a hard look at the mood of the public before making budget decisions.

Unless things radically change, there’s going to be a massive conservative swing on the federal level. More recently here in B.C. the David Eby government just barely squeaked out a victory.

Nearly half the voters voted Conservative in spite of some candidates having dubious backgrounds. I’m guessing housing, homelessness, crime and disorder and our crumbling health-care system has got something to do with the shift we are witnessing.

What do we have to show for the record high debt we are in both federally and provincially? I’d argue that the average taxpayer has become sick and tired of being taxed to death while getting nothing but failed policies in return.

Victoria council needs to stop expanding core services such as Dowler Place.

As for the myriad of social programs the city has been funding, it’s time to hit the reset button. I’m sure all the programs have their own merits and deserve consideration but the days of carefree spending while simultaneously putting the squeeze on VicPD are over.

I’d like to remind Victoria city council that we’re likely going to be hit with the Crystal Pool debt and council’s primary mandate is public safety and fixing potholes, not solving all the world’s social problems.

Ronald Webster

Victoria

Systemic discrimination and a job description

Re: “Setting the record straight on police in schools,” commentary, Jan 3.

In the job description of the human rights commissioner, the first point is to “Identify and promote the elimination of discriminatory practices, policies and programs.”

When your worldview is that systemic discrimination is present everywhere you look, no doubt you will find it in the school police liaison officer program.

Kasari Govender’s commentary states “All of this data — and lack of data — taken together is enough to raise a reasonable and serious concern that the SPLO programs cause more harm than good.”

There you have it. Next. There will be no end to this lunacy when your job depends on the existence of systemic discrimination.

Wayne Cox

Saanichton

Infrastructure work needed near Uptown

There is a pressing safety and accessibility issue at the intersection of Saanich Road and Oak Street, near Uptown. The bus stop at this location frequently creates hazardous conditions as B.C. Transit buses often stop in the middle of the intersection, blocking sidewalks and ramps.

This situation poses significant risks to passengers, pedestrians, and especially individuals with disabilities or mobility challenges. The blocked ramps make it impossible for those using wheelchairs, strollers, or other mobility aids to navigate the area safely.

Furthermore, it is not uncommon to see passengers boarding buses while they are stopped in the middle of the intersection — a practice that is both unsafe and unacceptable.

This intersection is heavily trafficked, both by vehicles and pedestrians, due to its proximity to Uptown and Douglas Street.

Yet, despite its importance, the infrastructure is inadequate to handle the volume of buses and people. Solutions such as expanding the bus stop area, ensuring uninterrupted sidewalk access, and implementing clearer signage and designated bus zones are urgently needed.

As a parent and a member of the community, I witness these challenges daily while dropping my child off at daycare in Uptown.

This is not an isolated incident; it happens multiple times each day. The safety of passengers, pedestrians, and community members should be a top priority, and I urge B.C. Transit and Saanich transportation services to work together to address this issue.

Kathy Dallman

Saanich

Quebec referendum could start a movement

Recently a few headlines have suggested Quebec might want another separation referendum to keep their sovereignty intact.

If 91Ô­´´s have to endure another close vote that may cause Quebec to withdraw from confederation, how long will it be before the West (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.) say enough is enough.

The Liberals, under Justin Trudeau, have continued to alienate the people and the agricultural and energy economies of the west, telling us what is best.

Under the transfer payment equalization system, Quebec and others continue to be subsidized with our tax contributions and the west receives nothing but platitudes from Ottawa.

Imagine if the west was free to grow our industries and world markets with the support of the federal government instead of being carbon taxed to death.

The energy, mining, timber and agricultural industries provide products the world needs, the jobs and tax revenues alone would make us a prosperous country coast to coast once again, why do we have to continually fight with Ottawa to get our fair share?

A Quebec referendum will surely set us on a journey of division, no wonder the U.S. president-elect thinks he has a chance to pick up the pieces.

Steve Hertling

Qualicum Beach

Painful circumstance will change our path

Re: “True wealth is much more than money and material goods,” column, Dec. 22.

We can’t blame neoliberalism for the existential problems we are now facing. Neoliberalism is a modern ideology. It’s not part of our DNA.

History tells us past societies were more egalitarian and sought society-wide equality. They didn’t wake up one day and decide hyper-individualism, hyper-competitiveness and short-sightedness were behaviours worth pursuing.

So, why do we continue pursuing them? The answer is obvious: we’ve been convinced our lives are far more pleasurable if we do than if we don’t.

When life becomes more painful we will stop. That’s a survival mechanism built into everyone. But it’s also the reason we continue pursuing lifestyles that use excessive amounts of diversity- and resource-destroying, climate-changing fossil fuels.

Our behaviours and values are the product of the stories we are told about what is, and what isn’t, socially acceptable behaviour.

Unless we can convince ourselves that those stories are destroying life-essential resources, there’s no hope of reconnecting with nature or reawakening our sense of kinship and understanding that we depend on the planet’s ecosystems and resources for survival.

It’s beginning to look like circumstance, rather than human volition will determine the future. And it’s going to be painful.

Ken Dwernychuk

Esquimalt

Be responsible, not just accountable

Re: “ ‘Pinballing’ children means they don’t get help,” commentary, Dec. 12.

I share Dr. Jennifer Balfour’s frustration over the province’s appalling performance regarding child welfare in B.C. However, a telling sign that we don’t truly appreciate the root of the problem lies in how we talk about it.

Her commentary refers to “accountable/accountability” five times. However, she refers to “responsibility” just once.

For too long, legislators and bureaucrats hide from censure by equating “accountability” with “responsibility.”

Yet these concepts are critically distinct in both meaning and implication.

People need not know everything about a problem to take responsibility for the fact that it is their mess to clean up. It might take a while if they have more to learn.

But their sense of responsibility will lead them to push through all kinds of practical barriers until they effect the right outcome. Responsibility instills a sense of duty to act.

People who are accountable need only accurately describe the state of things. Whether an account signals perfection or crisis is of little concern to they who take no responsibility for their portfolios.

We know a lot about what is wrong with the state of child welfare in B.C. Plenty of people claim they are accountable for their portion of the problem.

Children suffer because no one seizes responsibility to fix it.

Bill Stacey

Victoria

Things to consider in the new year

Victoria council should either recognize it was a mistake making Richardson Street solely for bikes, or make Fairfield Road, which is narrow and held up by bike traffic, exclusively for vehicles.

Vehicle and bike traffic could easily have been accommodated on Richardson and it would ease congestion on Oak Bay Avenue.

Municipal councils, Official Community Plans, and municipal planning departments are there to reflect the needs and desires of the communities they serve.

We elect or hire people locally to manage those directives not acquiesce to provincial demands. The premier and housing minister should respect that individual communities have specific goals, priorities and requirements that should not be superseded by mandates from the province.

Why is it that the City of Victoria can find funds to buy a jazz club, and spend $750,000 redesigning Centennial Square but can’t fund VicPD or other important initiatives?

A 30 km/h speed limit will cause more accidents rather than reducing them. Speeds are already affected in order to negotiate the new unnecessary concrete bike divisions or ridiculous turning light delays.

Notice that there is a five-second delay between lights now at many intersections? That will contribute to even slower commutes.

Maybe we need a 15 km/h speed limit for bikes?

Why is Premier David Eby allowed to give his ministers a raise of $60,000 on top of their $120,000 salary for a part-time job?

If it were full-time, there wouldn’t be a legislative holiday until February.

Grant Schnurr

Victoria

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