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A passenger checks in at Toronto's Pearson Airport on Oct. 29, 2021.Chris Young/The Canadian Press

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Mandates today

Re Not Like The Other (Letters, May 13): A letter-writer’s granddaughter posits an equivalence between those who oppose abortion and those who protest vaccine mandates. Another writer, in reply, reverses this by suggesting that those who support choice when it comes to abortion want to deny choice when it comes to vaccines and mask mandates.

No one will come down with an abortion from exposure to a woman who has had one. With COVID-19, we are still at risk of serious illness and even death from associating, even casually, with people who cannot grasp the concept of community, and their responsibilities as part of it.

Bill Molesworth Midland, Ont.


Re Do We Still Need Travel Vaccine Mandates? (May 13): Banning Canadians from air and rail travel feels no longer appropriate for a number of reasons. At this point, I find it an unnecessary and illogical infringement on individual rights of mobility.

I have had four vaccines, but have always been uncomfortable with this particular policy.

Jill Wykes Toronto

Second thought

Re Mass Shooting In Buffalo Demonstrates The Failure Of The U.S. To Stop Gun Violence (May 16): As long as our friends below the 49th parallel have a constitutional rights to bear arms, U.S. governments will not be able to stop gun violence. Period.

Vicki Nash-Moore Collingwood, Ont.

Half-life

Re Wrongfully Convicted Of Murder, David Milgaard Dies At 69 (May 16): David Milgaard died at the age of 69, but given the 23 years stolen from him, it is more like he only lived 46 of them.

Our police forces and justice systems should do better.

John Overing Lorraine, Que.

Extreme intoxication

Re Top Court Rules On Extreme Intoxication (May 14): The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that intoxication to the point of automatism is an admissible defence. This should send chills down the spines of not just the weak and defenceless, but any Canadian who harboured respect and trust for our Supreme Court.

John Scully Toronto


I’m not a lawyer. However, it seems that our Supreme Court got its decision on extreme intoxication wrong.

The court says one shouldn’t be punished for involuntary conduct. However, a person would have been in control of themselves when becoming intoxicated or high, and should therefore always be responsible for subsequent actions.

Actions have consequences. This might be a good spot for government to use the notwithstanding clause in further legislation.

Peter Hambly Hanover, Ont.

If you build it

Re Opening The Door To More Home Building (Editorial, May 13): Building 1.5 million new houses is not simply a matter of zoning. It would be a physical impossibility.

The construction industry in Ontario is suffering from a shortage of skilled labour and already falling behind in completing projects under way or approved. Add to this supply chain issues and the scale of the problem becomes obvious to me.

My neighbour in Muskoka is a contractor. The question his colleagues ask each other is not, “How much work do you have?” but rather, “How many guys are you short?”

Where will Ontario find the thousands of carpenters, masons, roofers, plumbers and electricians to build these promised homes?

Jim Reynolds Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.


“Ontario saw 81,158 housing completions in 2021, up 20 per cent from the average of the previous five years.” How many of these homes came at the expense of older ones?

In our Toronto neighbourhood, well-built bungalows are typically razed to make room for monster homes two or three times as big. The city might go to great lengths to save old trees on lots, but homes of similar age are demolished without much fuss.

Many benefit through this crazy cycle, but the number of homeowners does not increase and the environment tanks. More civic oversight ought to be placed over the demolition of older homes – say at the level given to old oak trees – and perhaps a hefty demolition tax imposed in the case of well-functioning ones.

Matthew Edwards Toronto


Certainly more homes are needed where population growth is making housing unaffordable. Urban density is also better for the environment. But good grief, let’s do this with a bit of sensitivity to existing residents of affected neighbourhoods.

My little side street in Kitsilano accommodates single-family homes and two-storey duplexes. If Vancouver’s Broadway Plan is endorsed by city council on May 18, it would rezone my street to allow 18-storey rental towers more suited to arterial roads.

While that would help get politicians off the hook regarding the housing crisis, it won’t do much for me. I bought my “half-duplex” nine years ago as a retirement home, with my life savings, being unable to afford a detached home.

Please, city councils, a little common sense and consideration.

Barbara Yaffe Vancouver


Re Overdoing It (Letters, May 13): In discussing housing, a letter-writer asks: “Would any sensible society open up the food supply … to be bought and controlled for profit?” Isn’t that exactly what our society does?

George Olsen Calgary

The future is …

Re It’s The Climate (Letters, May 13): The existence of “buyers willing to burn it” does not make the failure to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels okay. It merely underscores to me how far Canadians have come: from a market-based economy to a market-driven society.

Frank Grossman Toronto


Re Mind’s Eye (Letters, May 13): Inspired by stunning photos of a black hole, a letter-writer’s eloquent testimonial invites us to “just imagine what the future will bring.” If our daily fare of global news is any guide, the future doesn’t look good.

Our living planet could end up a lifeless rock spinning aimlessly through space, laid to waste by human exploitation, wars, greed, violence and ignorance. But medieval mystic Julian of Norwich counsels us not to despair: “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

But there is a problem with this. As a piece of folk-wisdom puts it: “We get too soon old, und too late schmart.”

Michael Hadley Victoria

55 years

Re Leafs Face Long Road Back As Another Postseason Slips Away (Sports, May 16): Look at the bright side: The Leafs, against all odds, kept their streak alive.

John Beamish Toronto


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

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