91Ô­´´

Does anyone care about the Saanich Inlet?

In memory. Basking sharks. The last time I saw one I was 17, so 50 years ago. These beautiful, gentle giants frequented the waters of Saanich Inlet every summer. Their five-foot triangular dorsal fins were a sight to behold. They loved these warm shallow waters.

I won’t talk of their demise excerpt that it was just another example of human cancel culture. No respect for anything that is not us.

That said, I’ve seen so many species extirpated from here. I can’t believe our government won’t protect Saanich Inlet, except I can. Same old. People first, and last, I’d say. It’s sad.

Mud sharks, who cares? The beautiful gem that is Saanich Inlet, who cares?

Heather Graham

Saanichton

Dog decision brings concerns for future

Saanich council’s decision regarding leashing dogs demonstrates disregard for the wishes of its electorate, disdain for meaningful consultation, and a shocking lack of fiscal responsibility.

This is not an example of how democracy works, rather one of elitist politicians pursuing policies that serve their own vision, a vision that is unresponsive to the will and needs of the people.

Saanich undertook an expensive, blatantly biased consultation process and then ignored the factual evidence gathered, almost 9,000 signatures on a petition, hundreds of letters, and the alternatives presented.

Council touted the support of the SPCA for this proposal as a basis for the decision, however, while the SPCA expressed general support for the strategy’s stated commitment to respectful co-existence and use of park spaces, it did not express support for this specific proposal.

Dog owners have had their concerns minimized, misrepresented and rebranded as myths, and have been characterized as a group engaged in ‘bullying, intimidation, and aggression’ by this council. Demonizing and misrepresenting those with differing views is unworthy of anyone, but it is especially distressing when elected representatives do so.

Any democratic government’s source of power is the people, and its power is not legitimate if it disregards the wishes of its citizens. Even if you are among the minority who agree with this decision, you should be concerned about the actions of this council and what they may decide is best for us in the future.

Deb Bastedo

Saanich

That negative feedback does not reflect everyone

Re: “Saanich council does not understand democracy,” letter, July 6.

The letter writer confounds the results of the People, Pets and Parks public engagement survey with Coun. Colin Plant’s comment on feedback since the recommendations were released.

Most respondents in the survey were in favour of the more restrictive options. People in favour of the on-leash proposals are the “silent majority.”

Their preferences were already expressed in the survey and were reflected in the recommendations, so they have little need to speak further on the issue.

Those opposed, however, have a strong incentive to speak up. Not surprising that the feedback on the proposal has been predominantly negative; however, this does not mean that most Saanich residents are opposed. The survey results suggest the opposite.

Mark Pocock

Saanich

Saanich parks survey was not a referendum

I would like to thank Saanich council for doing their job concerning the People, Pets and Parks Strategy. They determined that changes were needed and proceeded accordingly.

Some people seem not to have noticed that the public feedback that council solicited over many months was not a referendum. Saying that “the majority” is against the new strategy is incorrect.

No one knows how many residents were for or against the strategy; and in any case, the number of submissions was only a few per cent of the more than 100,000 residents of Saanich.

If Saanich council had stated that submissions would be used as proxy votes, then I would have encouraged many people I know to submit letters in favour of the strategy.

I did not, because that is not what was requested. Instead, I submitted one letter summarizing the views of myself and other people with whom I had talked.

Now perhaps this should have been decided by a referendum; but the same could be said for many other decisions that Saanich council makes. The reality is that we elect council to make decisions on our behalf. This they did, after processing a lot of data.

In some cases, we are dealing with matters outside of Saanich jurisdiction. Cadboro-Gyro Park, for example, is part of the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a federal protected area.

Most bird sanctuaries do not allow leashed dogs at all, let alone unleashed ones, for obvious reasons.

Robert Von Rudloff

Saanich

Elected officials should represent the majority

Re: “Humans have rights even with pets around,” letter, July 6.

The letter, responding to a previous letter, stated “What a ridiculous comparison: Saanich is not an English “rural village.” The previous letter said that there were not leash restrictions in the Royal parks in London such as Hyde Park.

For many people, particularly seniors, their main activity is their daily walk with their best friend, their dog. This joy is increasingly under attack from non-dog owners and in this case cyclists.

It could be argued that cyclists pose more of a danger barrelling along paths that were designed for walking, not cross-country racing. Reminder, walkers and dog-walking owners were using our parks and trails long before cycling became fashionable.

A Saanich councillor conceded that if it was based on public input, the vote would have been a no-brainer and stated “There’s no denying three quarters of the letters and 90 per cent of the public input has been in opposition” to Saanich’s People, Pets and Parks strategy but the unanimously voted for it anyway. This is not democracy in action!

Wayne Cox

Saanichton

Dogs deserve a bit of freedom

My family and I have lived in Victoria for three generations. Our family has always had a dog and pets.

Dogs help us in so many ways. The love, the natural devoted behaviour, the responsibility we learn at all ages, even a feeling of security around the home and out for a walk at night.

My dog has looked after our chickens, keeping them safe.

He is 11 now and walks without a leash. He is a one-call dog. He is this way because of a bond, patience and understanding.

Many passersby meet him on the walk they and get very emotional, by feeling the compassion the dog “Jake” gives. I leave them to bond in private.

We need more animal interaction, not less.

Off leash is very important. It creates a different type of animal. A different kind of understanding.

We are all used to ferry scheduling. Perhaps we alternate days allowing off-leash on odd days. It’s worth the effort.

Perhaps a special licence for one-call dogs.

My dog and past dogs have lived their lives devoted to my family. The least we could do for dogs is a bit of freedom.

Peter Willis

Victoria

Worry about climate, not dogs off leashes

Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth. Such high ­temperatures result in brutal conditions all over the world. Global warming is expected to add to our problems in the days ahead.

So why do people in Victoria whine so endlessly about off-leash dogs in city parks? Do they not realize that our parks might soon be burnt to a crisp? On the other hand, that would solve the dog problem!

Cheera J. Crow

Brentwood Bay

Criticism of B.C. Ferries is not justified

I am disappointed to hear all the criticism of B.C. Ferries and the desire to change it back to a Crown corporation from a special operating agency.

My memories of the B.C. Ferries of the 1990s are of a fleet of old rusting boats with continual labour unrest and strikes.

If you want to see what the fleet looked like back then, look no further than the state of Washington State ferry fleet of today. Almost the whole fleet is operating well beyond its anticipated lifespan with no plans for replacement.

That’s what happens when there is too much government interference.

B.C. Ferries is suffering from the same labour shortages that most transportation industries are facing. Don’t think it is unique to them and don’t blame it on their governance model.

Add on to this, I suspect B.C. Ferries has an on-time track record that is the envy of the airline industry. And I use the ferry system regularly.

Next time you take a ferry, take a moment to admire the quality of the vessel you are sailing on and the staff that operate them. Love you, B.C. Ferries!

Paul Brown

Victoria

We need to stop using fossil fuels

The Times 91Ô­´´ carries many reports on record temperatures, forest fires, heat-related deaths, but no mention of what needs to be done to address the long-term problem of global warming.

Clearly, Canada needs to stop mining coal, to close the Alberta tar sands, to stop building the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

Everyone needs to work towards eliminating carbon emissions.

Recently, the Times 91Ô­´´ had photos of the new Hullo fast ferry, planned to run between Nanaimo and 91Ô­´´. This is an example of new, fossil-fuel-hungry transportation that will add to the problem. How was this approved?

We desperately need to do better!

Jim Gower

North Saanich

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