‘As far as I know, cancer is the only thing that grows forever.’ Readers on Airbnb and economic growth, plus other letters to the editor for Sept. 10

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To whose benefit?

Re “Canadians think ‘economic growth’ is a bad thing. What is going on?” (Report on Business, Sept. 6): Tony Keller is commenting on a Boston Consulting Group survey that came up with surprising, to him, information that a significant percentage of Canadians question the positivity of continued economic growth. Perhaps they also read about the catastrophic parallel growth in CO2 in the atmosphere leading to so many stories of summer heat and wildfires and draw a logical conclusion.

Tony Bull Ottawa

Ever more

Re “Investors beware: Airbnb is part of the mass tourism issue” (Report on Business, Aug. 31): Eric Reguly states that the business model of Airbnb rests on never-ending expansion. Isn’t that what our entire economy rests on? Eternal growth or, as we currently put it, growing the economy, presumably forever. Of course, to grow the economy, we must grow the population. We have certainly been doing that for the past couple of years in Canada. As far as I know, cancer is the only thing that grows forever. Well, at least until it kills its host.

Patty Benjamin Victoria

Not our problem

Re “Social media must clean up its messes” (Editorial, Sept 6): Today it boggles the mind that the common carriage legal protection was ever allowed to stand for the social-media giants – presumably the authorities who allowed the establishment of the precedent weren’t aware of the modern aphorism “If you don’t pay for the product, you are the product.” Unlike mail services and telephone providers who carry paid private communications, social-media companies directly benefit from the increased traffic viral content brings, no matter how misleading or abhorrent – more eyeballs equals more ad revenue – so they have a large disincentive to err on the side of safety in policing what’s propagated on their networks.

Patrick Winter Toronto

Him again?

Re “Canadians are fretting too much about Trump’s trade threats” (Opinion, Sept. 5): I disagree with Lawrence Martin. Donald Trump has proven to be highly unpredictable, vindictive and petulant. I also see him as highly impulsive, irrational and even unhinged. Anything could set him off in any direction. In his term as president, his senior advisers were mostly successful in curbing his worst tendencies. However, most of those have stated they would never serve him again. Also, quite worrisome is his proud proclamation that the most important quality he looks for in all candidates is loyalty (read “yes man/yes woman”). In a second Trump administration, I fear there would be no one willing to speak truth to power. We should be very concerned and very prepared.

Mark Roberts Gananoque, Ont.

Africa policy

Re Canada won’t close embassy in Sahel, Joly says (Sept. 6): According to this article, Canada is withdrawing our peacekeeping troops from Mali because of the danger of a coup. But we are leaving the embassy open in Mali, endangering Canadian embassy staff?

This sounds as kooky as closing our embassy in Afghanistan while there were still Canadians there and Afghans who worked for the Canadian Armed Forces were in danger from the Taliban. Thank heavens other countries stepped in and helped some of them get out.

We need a new guard in Ottawa because we’re not being guarded. I’m saying that as a lifelong Liberal voter. Time for Justin Trudeau to go. We must be a laughingstock in the international community.

Alison Dennis Calgary

So much for online banking

Re “Canadian banks need a history lesson on the perils of money laundering in the United States” (Report on Business, Aug. 30): When I went to my bank to transfer money abroad, I was told that I could do so online at less cost, and so I did. Soon I received a notice from the section of the bank that monitors such transactions, and some functions that I normally use were limited. I called to explain why I was transferring money and was cleared, but told I had to also talk to my local branch. I did, but a few weeks later I discovered that some functions were still limited. These were, I thought, cleared, but I could not tap when using a credit card, even with a reissued card. After another visit to my bank, I was able to use my card. I now wonder if it is simply better – and cheaper in terms of time – to pay my bank $30 for them to transfer money abroad rather than using the much-advertised “convenience” of transferring money using my own computer.

Alexander Darling Hamilton

Peacekeeping

Re “What will it take to resolve the long-simmering conflict in Cyprus?” (Opinion, Sept. 5): I strongly disagree with the perspectives that Robert Rotberg outlined in his Globe opinion piece on the Cyprus conflict. He makes it sound like the entire crisis was caused by the Turkish invasion 50 years ago. He fails to point out that at that point, in 1974, Canadian peacekeepers had been on the island for 10 years to prevent the genocide of the Turkish-Cypriot minority. He also fails to inform the reader that Turkey had every right to intervene as a result of the Greek military coup. This change of the status quo meant that Turkey could intervene as one of the three guarantor powers.

He also mischaracterizes the referendum to unify the island, which Turkish-Cypriots overwhelmingly voted for. He claims that “concessions made by the UN to the North … upset the South; its citizens voted robustly against the plan.” He does not mention that the Greek-Cypriot political leadership sucker-punched the EU and the UN. The Greek-Cypriot leaders had negotiated the deal, and this negotiation was a key requirement to enter the EU. But then, at the 11th hour, the president of Cyprus lobbied strongly for his citizens to reject the deal, which they did. With help from Russia, the UN deal was dead in the water.

But I do agree with Mr. Rotberg that there is “almost no chance that the frozen Cyprus conflict will be resolved soon – and maybe never.” As I point out in my book Cyprus: An Ancient People, A Troubled History and One Last Chance for Peace, a famous modern songwriter got it right when she said, “We are never ever getting back together.” Too bad, as the island would be far better off united. So many Canadian peacekeepers served in Cyprus with that goal in mind.

Lawrence Stevenson Toronto

Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com