Your letters for July 29: Fix the mess we're in
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Writing the local councillor gets you a form letter. Writing the city, you get 'We'll take your letter under consideration. It's time we voted in a council that looks after infrastructure and takes control of the administration.
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Here in Toronto, if the AIMCO office on King Street catches fire, we will not call it 'an Alberta fire' and fault Smith for allowing employees to leave flammable paper on their desks.
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Should firefighters now understand the basics of constitutional law in Canada?
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Jim O'Reilly, Toronto
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Verdict leaves many unsatisfied
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Regardless of the outcome of the hockey players' trial for sexual assault, their behaviour was atrocious. It speaks to their character, whether defined as criminal or not.
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None of their parents can be proud of the actions admitted to by their sons. We can do better as parents to instill better values, Team Canada can do better by not turning a blind eye to actions that scar our nation as a country, and hockey as a sport enshrined in our very identity can do better at preventing a mindset that allows this kind of conduct to be minimized.
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Stop revising history
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Calgary city council was wrong to rename Fort Calgary. Their decision to make this name change behind closed doors and with no opportunity for Calgarians to endorse or reject it was cowardly.
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The establishment of a North West Mounted Police presence here was an important step in extending Canada's sovereignty and preparing Alberta for widespread settlement.
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Montreal Gazette
2 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Opinion: Provinces must align on health care, not just trade
Op Eds We can borrow a line from Charles Dickens to describe our current state of politics in this country: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' The 'worst of times' describes the international trade turmoil caused by Donald Trump's fluctuating tariffs and erratic deal-making, with significant implications for our economy. What is less frequently discussed is 'the best of times' impact — the unity the U.S. president's actions has created among premiers and the federal government. Pan-Canadian trade barriers are falling, and interprovincial project ideas abound. This is good news for Canada, even as a possible trade deal with the United States presumably wends closer. As patient-partners in health research, and part of a non-profit organization that helps cancer patients receive essential treatments, we ask: If we can find equal footing among the provinces and territories on trade, why not on health care? Why can't we streamline access to medically necessary treatment for patients across the country who are badly in need of them? For many, this is a matter of life or death. At the moment, provincial and territorial governments make their own decisions about what drugs to reimburse for eligible people and under what conditions. There are many instances across the country where governments don't reimburse people for essential medications at all, leaving patients to find the money on their own. This includes cancer treatments. Sometimes this means people must go without necessary drugs or necessary food. This is the 'choice' our so-often-called 'patchwork quilt' of coverage sometimes provides. The federal government also has its own drug plans for groups under its jurisdiction — and recently, for contraceptives and diabetes medication through the 2024 Pharmacare Act (in provinces that have finalized their agreements with the federal government). Now that we have decided to become Team Canada on trade, there is no reason not to extend this to drug access. During his election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney talked about 'Canada Strong,' his plan to unite, secure, protect and build Canada, including comprehensive measures to build and protect our health care system. He talked about adding doctors, building hospitals and delivering better mental health services. He said we would build a stronger health care system. A stronger health care system includes ensuring that people in Canada have equal access to medically necessary services, and that the coverage is portable across the country. These are among the five key principles underpinning the Canada Health Act. Provinces are already on board for getting people medically necessary treatments. Last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who heads the Council of the Federation, comprising all provincial and territorial premiers, said one of their aims is to accelerate getting life saving medications to people who need them. So if every level of government supports the need for medically necessary services — and drug treatments should surely fit into that category — why are we not tearing down the barriers to our patchwork quilt of public drug reimbursement plans? Where you live in the country should not determine whether or not you receive essential medications. Access to health care in Canada — including life-saving medications — should be seamless across provincial and territorial borders. It is not only the right thing to do for patients, but it is also a boon to the economy — getting people healthy and contributing to our society in any way they can. So we ask Carney and the Council of the Federation: If we can find practical solutions to remove trade barriers that are bad for our economy, why can't we find a practical solution to the barrier of unequal access to medically necessary treatments across this country, too?
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Calgary needs more public golf courses — not fewer fairways
In 1915, Calgary built Shaganappi Point Golf Course, one of the first municipally run golf courses in Western Canada. It was a forward-thinking development for a city of about 80,000 residents. Article content Article content Article content In 1968, Calgary built Maple Ridge Golf Course, a full 18-hole municipal layout in the city's southeast. It was a smart investment in outdoor recreation at a time when the city's population was nearing 400,000 and expanding rapidly into new communities. Article content Article content Article content In 1981, Calgary built McCall Lake Golf Course, a multi-course public facility near the airport with both 9- and 18-hole options. At the time, Calgary was approaching 600,000 residents and experiencing another population surge. Article content Article content Article content Since then? Nothing. No new public courses. No expansions. And no concrete plans. Article content Article content Meanwhile, Calgary's population has nearly tripled, yet the number of city-run golf courses has remained flat — or worse, declined. Courses like Richmond Green, Shawnee Slopes, Highland Park, and Harvest Hills have been closed or handed over to redevelopment. Some were turned into housing. Others remain fenced off and dormant. What hasn't changed is the increasing demand for affordable public golf. Article content Article content Booking a tee time on a public course in Calgary today feels like trying to buy tickets to a sold-out concert. Online booking systems are flooded. Weekends are gone within minutes. Families, seniors, kids, shift workers — all trying to squeeze into a system that hasn't been updated since the early 1980s. Article content Article content Article content This is more than a mild inconvenience — it's a civic failure. Article content Article content Calgary has invested billions in road infrastructure, recreation centres, public art and dog parks. Those are all valid and valuable. But somehow, golf — a sport enjoyed by tens of thousands of Calgarians and growing rapidly since the pandemic — is being ignored, or worse, treated as a luxury that doesn't deserve attention. Article content Article content Public golf is not about exclusivity or elite memberships. City-run courses like Shaganappi, Maple Ridge and McCall Lake are where people learn the game, spend time outdoors, find community and enjoy low-cost recreation. They're used by working families, school groups, retirees and youth programs. They offer seasonal jobs, volunteer opportunities and health benefits. Article content Article content So why hasn't the city built more? Article content Article content There's no shortage of land in Calgary. There's no shortage of tax revenue. There is, however, a shortage of leadership and imagination when it comes to investing in golf as part of our public recreation system. Despite Calgary surpassing 1.6 million people, not one new municipal golf course has been added to the city's offerings in over four decades.
National Observer
12 hours ago
- National Observer
Bike lanes win as Ford and Smith waste time on a losing battle
Of all the asinine battles the premiers of Ontario and Alberta have chosen to fight, the war against bike lanes has got to be one of the most specious. Now that the courts have smacked Ontario Premier Doug Ford upside the head for trying to remove bike lanes along Bloor Street, University Avenue and Yonge Street, Ford and his Alberta counterpart Danielle Smith should surrender and move on to more important matters. Both have a lot on their plates at the moment; housing shortages, a bruising trade war with the US and threats from wildfires to name just a few. But that hasn't stopped Ford and now Smith from targeting bike lanes they blame for gridlock problems plaguing both cities. They studiously ignore evidence to the contrary that shows encouraging cycling with lanes that make biking safer invariably means fewer cars on the road. But this battle has never been evidence-based. It's all about politics and the divide between the interests of voters living in city centres, who are less likely to vote for Ford or Smith, and those in the car-dependent suburbs who support them. How bicycles, which predated cars powered by internal combustion engines by about 70 years, became a woke adversary of the suburban right is a bit of a mystery. But I suspect it's wrapped up in support for developers and sprawl and fealty to the oil and gas industry. The car versus bike culture war is playing out in the US as well. The climate publication Grist revealed this spring the US Department of Transportation is freezing grants for bike lanes and other projects that 'improve the conditions for environmental justice communities or actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.' The freeze is of a piece with Trump's Drill, Baby, Drill plans to boost oil and gas production and fossil fuel consumption. Bikes naturally lose out to internal combustion engines under this scenario; the Trump administration is also trying to suspend a multibillion-dollar rollout of electric vehicle charging stations and is ending tax rebates for EV purchases. Ford, who supports low-density housing in far-flung suburbs, started his crusade against bike paths before the spring election, using cycling infrastructure as a scapegoat for Toronto's horrific traffic congestion. In late 2024, just before voters went to the polls, he drafted a law with a Trumpian-sounding name and overpromise — the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act. The law initially dictated that Ontario cities seek provincial approval for all new bike infrastructure requiring the removal of a traffic lane and granted the province the power to review and remove existing bike lanes deemed to be impeding vehicular traffic. Cycling advocates filed a Charter challenge, arguing removing protected bike lanes on the busy thoroughfares would endanger cyclists. Perhaps anticipating a loss, the province amended the act at the last hour to change 'removing' to 'reconfiguring' the bike lanes and tried to argue that with the new wording, the court challenge was moot. But Judge Paul Schabas used his discretion to rule on the case anyhow, wanting to send a message. He found removing the bike lanes would inevitably lead to more cyclists being killed or injured and pointed out government officials knew this and covered their butts against lawsuits with 'immunity provisions.' Schabas further noted the government ignored evidence that ripping out the bike lanes would actually make traffic worse, not better. Ontario's battle against bike lanes has always ignored facts and evidence. Now Alberta is making the same specious arguments. It's high time they both stopped. @ writes for @ Ford should be embarrassed and Smith should walk back similar plans to remove bike lanes that impede automobile traffic in Edmonton and Calgary. 'We shouldn't be removing roads to create bike lanes if that means slowing down our transportation networks and adding to people's daily commutes,' she wrote in a Facebook post last week. Smith's statement would make sense if there was strong evidence to back it. However, a study of driving times on Calgary streets where temporary bike lanes were added found mere seconds of delay for motorists. That's a small price to pay to encourage more people to cycle. Vancouver went through its own bike lane wars nearly two decades ago when Gregor Robertson, a newly elected mayor and ardent cyclist, used his mandate to massively expand Vancouver's bike infrastructure. The initial pushback from board of trade types who thought cycling would kill business quickly subsided and the city's cycling craze spread throughout the region. Between 2019 and 2023, 466 lane kilometres of bikeway were added to Metro Vancouver's cycling network. Today, one in four people describe themselves as regular cyclists. Even Ken Sim, Vancouver's right of centre, fossil-fuel-promoting mayor, has not cancelled the city's bike lane expansion program. It's too popular. Just last week, a new protected lane opened on the Granville Bridge. It's utilitarian, but safe, which is the whole point. Toronto and Calgary's harsher winters and cycling may mean cycling never catches on as an all-season transportation mode, except for the extremely hardy. But even if residents could cycle safely eight or nine months a year, the number of trips by bike would rise — a cheap win for population and climate health. As much as they hate to give in, Ford and Smith should heed the court ruling, retreat, and let the bike lanes roll.
