A day for everyone to celebrate Canada
On July 1, I hope that 91原创s of all backgrounds and nationalities combine to put aside petty differences and celebrate our wonderful country Canada.
Every week in my hometown, a couple of disgruntled citizens stand at the Welcome to Campbell River sign to continue to protest the various rules related to COVID.
Unable to move on, they focus their energy on the past and what they consider to be injustice to their personal beliefs.
While I support their right to protest, I am hopeful they will once again embrace the freedoms and rights they have as 91原创s.
I think the COVID mandates and rules were a small price to pay to allow our country to defeat the pandemic and return to normalcy.
On July 1, I will celebrate all the rights and freedoms I enjoy as a 91原创. We are a country that is the envy of all other countries as seen by the rates of immigration to Canada.
Raise our flag as a symbol of pride and not as a symbol of protest, and be thankful for all the rewards we enjoy as 91原创s.
Doug Puritch
Campbell River
Farewell, fountain, glad you are leaving
I totally support plans to remove the fountain from Centennial Square, and to redesign and improve the square to reach its full potential as a truly vibrant, functional, beautiful public place.
While the central sculpture perhaps has some artistic and heritage value and could be repurposed elsewhere, the fountain as a whole is obnoxiously ugly and ill-placed.
(The former placement of “Commerce Canoe” in Bastion Square was also an ugly, ill-placed blunder, which degraded the surrounding heritage and public space.)
The current fountain hinders what could be — and I hope will be — a truly great central public park and gathering place, suitable for a wide variety of social, cultural, commercial, recreational and natural uses.
Good on Victoria’s mayor and staff for moving ahead with this beneficial and sensible redesign initiative. I eagerly look forward to the new and improved Centennial Square, sans fountain.
Graham Briggs
Victoria
We need champions of what we have
The old saw “familiarity breeds contempt” came to mind upon learning that the wonderful fountain behind Victoria City Hall will soon to be reduced to rubble. Erected to commemorate the city’s centennial year, it is a rare and exciting example of late mid-century modern architectural enthusiasm.
It seems a shame the city currently lacks a James Nesbitt or a Michael Williams to stand in the path — as they both did — of easy, think-for-the-moment development.
Nesbitt’s foresight helped save Craigdarroch Castle from neglect while Williams’ commitment saved Lower Johnson from contemporary development all those years ago.
One can only speculate that those visionaries might have identified the fountain as another of our cultural and economic assets worthy of a future.
But, hey, out of sight, out of mind … next?
Denton Pendergast
Victoria
Paying taxes in B.C., but no health service
I used to be a resident of Victoria. While I was, my GP gave up her practice, and I have been without access to primary care from a general practitioner, nurse practitioner or physician assistant for five years.
About one million British Columbians are in the same boat as myself.
As a result of my situation, and because I have a chronic endocrine condition, I have had to cobble together health care where I can get it, and pay privately for it.
To add insult to injury, I have now been told t hat I must cover all of the cost of my lab tests from LifeLabs.
The Ministry of Health, led by Adrian Dix, seems powerless to provide the essential service of primary medical care to its residents, and is punishing patients who must seek care from private providers.
I am a taxpayer in B.C., and am not receiving an essential service that I am paying for; this is a breach of the social contract. It is not acceptable, and it needs to change.
Teresa Cederberg
Tobiano
No meaningful action about campers in parks
We must know by now that banning campers from parks is a strategy with extremely limited effectiveness in remediating the issue of homelessness — unless, of course, we are trying to remediate the impacts of homelessness on neighbourhoods by shuffling campers out of one area, only to have them relocate with intensity into another neighbourhood. So, that’s the short-term plan, I guess.
As I understand it, the mid-term plan is to allocate $25,000 to a relocation co-ordinator. That $25,000 will get you someone working no more than two days a week. Again, not very effective.
There are about 10 other teams, of multiple people, already engaged in this outreach work from the Housing Assessment Resource Tools team to peer-based teams trying to house people every day.
There is nothing special or specific about this underfunded token position. What might be more helpful is to create a full-time team and petition for more provincial funding that co-ordinates participating outreach providers to focus time on campers.
The private market is not cheap and current subsidies won’t cut it.
Finally, the long-term vision is to see dozens of tiny homesites pop up around the Capital Regional District? Is that the best we can do?
It might be a small piece in what should be a much larger, long-term and upstream solution that sees more supportive sites being built, more affordable housing developments prioritized and developers incentivized to partner with housing providers.
Right now, it just feels like a shell game.
Chris Forester
Esquimalt
More room needed for hockey and skating
There is a pressing need for more ice sheets in Greater Victoria, and especially Saanich. Just like the region’s population, hockey is growing in popularity, making it imperative that we address the shortage of suitable rinks capable of accommodating the rising demand.
The establishment of the Victoria Reign in 2019, a female hockey association, exemplifies the rapid growth and interest in ice hockey within our community. The NHL and NHLPA’s First Shift program has gained tremendous success, further fuelling the surge in participation.
There was a call for more ice even before the announcement that the University of Victoria would be closing the Ian Stewart Complex. There are numerous programs in Saanich that rely on limited ice facilities, such as recreational skating lessons, figure skating schools, adult “beer league” teams and three hockey associations.
The demand has surpassed the current capacity, leaving many participants struggling to secure adequate practice and game times.
Adding two ice sheets is the minimum that should be considered by Saanich to meet the growing demand and the future loss of the UVic rink. I commend the mayor and council for their proactive approach in advancing this potential project. It is crucial that a firm commitment to constructing new ice facilities is made in advance of the next municipal election, ensuring that progress is not delayed any further.
Matt Belanger
Saanich
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