A protester holding a piece of concrete walks towards riot police as clashes erupt in Bristol, U.K. on Aug. 3.JUSTIN TALLIS/Getty Images
Kursk
Re “Escalation“ (Letters, Aug. 19): Ukraine’s Kursk region moves are to be lauded, not vilified. A letter-writer is off the mark in his chastisement of Ukraine, which is showing its Western and European supporters real-time bravery through outside-the-box military manoeuvres and what can be accomplished to end this outrageous war. Bringing down critical infrastructure, capturing soldiers for bargaining chips and boosting morale does not equate to killing civilians, decimating homes and historical structures and annihilating generations by kidnapping children for Russian indoctrination. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a maniacal, aggressive global outcast who started this mess. The Russian people have yet to turn on him, but their time will come. Slava Ukraini.
Marianna Kingsmill Dundas, Ont.
Letter-writer Iain McInnes argues that Ukraine should not be occupying Russian territory. So the Allies should have stopped at Germany’s border in 1945?
Richard Harris Hamilton
Never justified
Re “The petty politics of going personal” (Editorial, Aug. 12): Personal attacks are the bane of civil discourse. Yet I am hard-pressed to find an opinion piece in any edition of The Globe and Mail that does not include a personal attack. “Authenticity,” “hypocrisy,” “dog-whistles,” “populists,” “elites” – to name just a few words plucked from today’s (Aug. 17) opinion pieces – are the kinds of words we use to justify a personal attack on someone or some group.
The Globe’s editorial referred to unjustified personal attacks. In my view, personal attacks are never justified. If somebody said something you disagree with, then focus on that. If they did something wrong, then say so. But leave the attacks on the person’s character out of it. By destroying a person’s character, you destroy your ability to listen and their hope to be heard. There can be no discourse then.
Reg Plummer Kanata, Ont.
No buts
Re “If You Find Yourself Saying I’m Opposed to Violence, But’- Maybe Just Stop There” (Opinion, Aug. 17): We are far enough into this game to understand the fundamental shift in how the right and the left have come to see violence during the past decade. If violence is used against a group they support, it is vile, discriminatory and unacceptable. If violence is used to attack a perceived enemy, then it is an understandable response and the result of the prevailing injustices suffered by the group perpetrating the violence. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, supposed civil-rights activists calling for the burning of Catholic churches, right-wing thugs attacking immigrants in Britain or the actions of Hamas and the Israeli government. If you support violence, it will eventually come back to haunt your cause. So many of our ancestors came to Canada to escape this cycle of violence. My ancestors certainly did. Enough is enough.
Robert McManus Dundas, Ont.
Cool it
Re “Ontario tenants still waiting two years later for air conditioning bill to become law” (Aug. 16): The two-year delay in bringing the tenant air conditioning law (Bill 97) into force is sadly typical of much legislation enacted these days. Colin Freeze has reported on other such legislation, notably the bouncer licensing legislation in Nova Scotia that has not been brought into force in over 10 years. Bills are enacted with great fanfare by legislators and then sit on the shelf waiting for the cabinet to proclaim them in force. Is this because interest groups that did not get their way during the enactment of the legislation in the public proceedings of the legislature find it easier to block the legislation behind the veil of cabinet secrecy?
John Mark Keyes Ottawa
Failing grade
Re “How Loblaw plans to become one of Canada’s largest health care providers” (Report on Business, Aug. 10): Jeff Leger, the president of Shoppers Drug Mart, is quoted as saying he believes pharmacists “can do anywhere from 40 to 60 per cent of what a family physician can do.” Mr. Leger, 40 to 60 per cent is not a pass in medical school.
Laura Di Quinzio, family physician; Kingston
A place to lay your cash
Re “‘Is there any appeal to them whatsoever?’: First-time home buyers shun today’s shrinking condos” (Report on Business, Aug. 19): As homes, no. But yes for wealthy investors who’ll either simply leave these dwellings empty or rent them out. Today’s condo market seems focused still on buyers who want real estate as an investment vehicle and not for those looking for something they can live and grow a family in.
Edwin Lang Markham, Ont.
Where the grass is greener
Re Ontario Education Minister resigns after 10 Weeks (Aug. 17): Why is it that some people use politics to further their careers, and before their political term ends they conveniently and opportunely jump ship? When a politician successfully becomes a politician representing a particular riding, thanks to local voters, there should be a clause written into the contract that they must complete their political term, barring exceptional circumstances that prevent them from doing so. Suddenly jumping to a private-sector job when convenient is not an exceptional excuse. If voters knew their representative wasn’t in for the long haul, they might have second thoughts. Voter beware.
Douglas Cornish Ottawa
Priorities
Re “The temporary foreign worker program is a scam, and almost everyone is in on it” (Report on Business, Aug. 16): I won’t argue the merits of Canada’s temporary visa program, nor the use of immigration caps and quotas. As an immigration lawyer, I accept that I’m biased. But let’s consider some of the sweeping statements here (and forgive my sarcasm in advance). Take, for instance, “Foreign students should not be allowed to work off campus.” Great, of course we want to prioritize wealthy students with no specific career goals over, say, middle-class biochemistry students who need paid work to cover rent and food. Or consider, “With the exception of seasonal farm work, only jobs paying … more than $110,000 a year should be eligible for temporary [work] visas.” Absolutely, that will help working Canadian families seeking home support workers for their aging parents. In all seriousness, “voters will cheer” is not a good enough reason to shut Canada’s door to hard-working potential future Canadians.
Rachel Beaupré Toronto
Slang
Re “New slang, who dis? Explaining Gen Alpha terms for back to school” (Aug. 17): I was amused to read the article in Saturday’s Globe about the kids’ new slang, particularly the nonsense word “skibidi.” I wondered for a moment if our language is doomed. A few pages later, I found the article about Bram, the well-known singer of a classic hit tune called Skinnamarink, and I laughed my head off. The kids are fine!
Patrick Burgomaster Terrace, B.C.
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