21-05-2025
Letters: Coroner's report into homeless man's death must be followed by action
There are some Gazette articles that should never be forgotten.
One such article tells the story of Raphaël André, the Innu man who froze to death overnight next to a closed homeless shelter and the subsequent coroner's inquest.
The recent 75-page report by coroner Stéphanie Gamache, which analyzes the circumstances surrounding the death and offers recommendations to prevent future homeless tragedies, must be implemented.
Gamache paraphrased the powerful message by the victim's mother by telling the inquiry that on Jan. 16, 2021 — in a city with more than a million doors — all were closed that night.
Let us always have doors that are accessible to those in need.
Meanwhile, as Gamache noted, a warming tent placed in Cabot Square in André's honour has been used by over 108,000 people in the 14 months it was open.
Shloime Perel, Côte-St-Luc
Medical specialists deserve gratitude
An expression of profound gratitude is extended to Dr. Vincent Oliva, whose voice on behalf of Quebec's medical specialists — in a full-page ad in the May 20 Gazette — has vowed to continue to care for Quebecers despite the policies of the CAQ government that have created 'untenable conditions' for the venerable profession.
It is reassuring to know that our doctors will respect their Hippocratic Oath.
Vivianne M. Silver, Côte-St-Luc
A few proposals by special delivery
With the rise of email, text messages and social media, home mail delivery is not as essential as it was 30 years ago.
However, completely eliminating it would create challenges, especially for seniors and people with special needs.
Reducing home delivery to two days per week, instead of five, could reduce costs while still allowing mail carriers to make their rounds and potentially notice overflowing mailboxes of seniors, suggesting a welfare check by authorities is needed.
For people who still prefer home delivery over a P.O. box or a community mailbox, it could be offered for a monthly fee of, say, $20 per home address, but free for seniors and people with special needs.
Ragnar Radtke, Beaconsfield
Blame belongs with aggressor
Re: ' Trump says Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks will begin 'immediately'' (NP Montreal, May 20)
It is morally reprehensible and factually inaccurate when Donald Trump and his administration appear to assign equal culpability to both sides of the Kremlin-orchestrated war against Ukraine.
Threatening to 'walk away' and let them thrash it out fails to take into account that one side is the powerful aggressor and the other the greatly outnumbered victim.
Painting Volodymyr Zelenskyy as 'difficult,' as Trump has done in public comments, suggests the U.S. president now expects Ukraine's capitulation to achieve his dream of being a 'peacemaker.'
Natalie Turko-Slack, Pierrefonds
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