Latest news with #JoshFreed
Montreal Gazette
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Seniors lunch group serves up inspiration
Re: ' Wise to the benefits of male bonding ' (The Gazette, May 10) It is obvious that congeniality brings happiness to the elderly. As we age, solitude can become an enemy. Older people are, unfortunately, often perceived as irrelevant, which is so wrong. Susan Schwartz's article is a testament to the fact that even if you are in your 90s, you can still contribute and enjoy life. I hope that these very bright and interesting gentlemen keep on exercising and lunching together until they are at least 100, and that Schwartz keeps updating us about their inspiring gatherings. Louise Horlington, Montreal Even governments can't ruin our spring Reading these opinion articles all on the same page paints an interesting picture of Quebec and Montreal today. First the history of education and the handling of immigrants. It reminds me of a story Josh Freed has told about why Jewish children of his generation know the words to Onward Christian Soldiers. We are still feeling the influence of decisions made long ago. Then the commentary about funding for family medicine. We are living through shortages in medical resources, not helped by the cancellation of the Dawson College expansion — and with it a student-run health clinic that was to 'serve thousands of Montreal patients a year,' according to reporting at the time. Finally a column by Toula Drimonis about the joys of living in Montreal when spring arrives. It's true that, despite the history of poor government decisions, there is no better time to live in the city. As Leonard Cohen is quoted as saying, 'the winter has not killed us yet.' Perhaps we should add: nor have previous government decisions. David Garforth, Pointe-Claire Trump version therapy? Count me in Re: 'Surefire coping methods for current U.S. presidency' (Josh Freed, May 10) I loved Josh Freed's column! Now I know that I, too, suffer from post-T-stress disorder. Sorry, I can't even type his name. I usually call him 'the orange guy.' I was a news junkie, too, with CNN being my go-to channel, but now that channel is off-limits. And I keep my finger on the channel recall button in case his face appears on the local news. I like Freed's suggestion of a cleanse. So a thank you to him for diagnosing my problem. Joyce Stempkowsky, N.D.G. Quebec and Vermont share special bond Re: ' Don't blame all of us Americans ' (Letters, May 7) As an American and frequent visitor to la belle province, I would like to echo the voices calling for readers not to paint all Americans with the same brush. There are many of us who are utterly aghast at the actions and invective of our president and his administration, and we are doing what we can to fight back. Here in Vermont, many of us have taken to the streets (like when Vice-President JD Vance came to Sugarbush for a ski holiday) to show our opposition, and we have left countless messages with our representatives in Washington to express our disagreement with the policies and practices of the Trump administration. Let us not forget that we — Quebec and Vermont — are neighbours and friends, and some of us are family. Our energy flows from your rivers. Your timber frames our homes. Some of you watch our evening news and sail our shared lakes. Ours is a shared land and a shared history, with many chapters yet to write. Merci, je t'aime, et désolé pour mon president. Erik Post, Essex, Vt. Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Montreal Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Hateful comments in med-school group chat shocking
Re: ' Racist, sexist posts flood group chat for Quebec med school applicants ' (The Gazette, May 13) It is shocking that a Discord channel used by Quebec medical school applicants was home to misogynistic, racist, homophobic and antisemitic posts. How did such vile sentiments infect young people planning to become physicians dedicated to helping people? It's so sad that this is happening in our backyard and in our educational institutions. Do we now need to worry that a medical professional might act out their prejudice against those they deem unworthy of treatment? This is beyond the pale and downright dangerous. Goldie Olszynko, Mile End Time to take a break from Trump Re: 'Surefire coping methods for current U.S. presidency' (Josh Freed, May 10) What I enjoy most about Josh Freed's commentary is that, while full of satire and humour, its underlying message is stone-cold true. As much as possible, I try to remain apolitical. But after years of Donald Trump dominating the news, I believe Freed speaks for all of us: We need a break. One person should not be occupying this much space and time in our minds. We should all turn off our electronic devices and TVs, grab a good book and a beverage, and sit outside in the sun. This may be the cure for our collective 'post-Trumpatic stress disorder' (PTSD). Nick Di Cino, Ahuntsic-Cartierville Sentence exposes flawed system Re: ' Judge reluctantly agrees to impose 7-year term for attempted murder ' (The Gazette, May 14) A man stabs his ex-girlfriend multiple times and pleads guilty to attempted murder. The judge says he 'profoundly disagrees' with the joint sentencing recommendation by the Crown and defence but feels 'bound' to accept it because the Court of Appeal had reversed three of his previous harsher sentences. This seems like a glaring example of the inherently terrible failures of our justice system allowing violent offenders to get off too easy and putting the public in potential danger. Gerry Raven, Hampstead Opinion page hits close to home Four sujets de jour, all on the same page, all hitting close to home with me. It could be because I am a proud Canadian who has lived most of my life in my beloved Montreal. Or because I am a Jew familiar with the horrors of the Holocaust. Or because I am a retired longtime EMSB employee with profound admiration for FACE. Our special neighbours to the south should never be placed in the embarrassing position where they feel the need to apologize for their president's destructive and degrading behaviour toward a friend and ally (but we thank you anyway). Prospective American tourists to our world-class city should never feel hesitant about travelling to any Canadian location for fear of reprisals (you are always welcome here). I have no doubt that Holocaust education must be included in all schools to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the dangers of antisemitism and hate. And any permanent dismantling of FACE would put an equally permanent stain on those responsible for carrying out this decision. I know all this makes me sound like my late father when I say: 'What is this world coming to?' Lori Rubin, Hudson Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
