Energy’s evolution, plus other letters for May 9: ‘Ecology and economy must be held together in harmony for the long haul.’

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Just one planet

Re “The uneasy intersection of oil and climate” (Editorial, May 7): Your discussion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion left me flabbergasted. Especially the third paragraph, which stated the Liberals’ strategy “was that the fount of wealth from the new pipeline could help underwrite public spending – speeding the arrival of a greener future and a swift decline in Canada’s climate-heating emissions.”

Such poetic prose, evoking a beautiful future. However, it makes no sense. If Canada continues to extract, process and sell fossil fuels, then they are going to be burned somewhere and the emissions from that combustion will affect the whole planet, including Canada.

Canada is the seventh largest emitter of CO2 in the world. There is just one planet and just one atmosphere. We have the science understanding and the technology necessary to fix things. We need to change the business-as-usual mentality.

Roberta Tevlin Toronto

Renew the renewables

Re “TransAlta shelves wind farm and other initiatives citing provincial rule changes” (May 4): Alberta needs to repent and embrace renewable investments. Pausing at this time sends the wrong message and appeases climate-change deniers. Views deterred now by windmills may be the only way we can have any view of the mountains in the future.

Short-term pain, long-term gain. Ecology and economy must be held together in harmony for the long haul.

John Pentland Calgary

Selected outrage

Re “Protest encampments must clear: Ford” (May 7): I find it interesting that Ontario Premier Doug Ford is quick to demand the removal of pro-Palestinian encampments at universities that have so far provided no evidence of interference with day-to-day operations at the various academic institutions to warrant police intervention.

Contrast this with his apathy during the 2022 truckers’ convoy, where he was in essence AWOL to the electorate in Ottawa, where a group of predominantly white men took over our downtown core. The group’s actions closed the Rideau Centre for a day. As a precaution, the city closed the Parliament train station. Oh, and a citizen managed to secure a court injunction against the convoy. For this, Mr. Ford hid under the mantra that politicians do not dictate to the police. So much for consistency.

John G. Watters Ottawa

Registry flaws

Re “Ottawa proposes foreign-agent registry” (May 7): Canadians voters will feel protected from foreign-government agents. We assume that all will register for monitoring, and we will live happily ever afterward.

What about local foreign-government friends, not paid agents? They can be independent thinkers who mirror foreign factions over there. They teach the local diaspora community how to think about issues, and then apply shame pressures to get votes for local Canadian politicians who promise support for particular factions over there?

Presumably, these locals will see themselves as independent players, coincidentally allying with that foreign government. Will they be exempt from Canada’s new Interference Act monitoring?

The new plan seems to give reassurance for the sanctity of the Canadian electoral process, free of foreign hired hands. How will it protect from foreign agents who are actually local supporters, not hired from abroad, and yet can deliver the votes of local diaspora to manipulative Canadian political candidates? This may be the big defined loophole.

Allan J. Fox Toronto

Foreign influence in our elections must be addressed, but we’re missing the forest for the trees, as poor voter turnout compounds a systematic flaw in how we judge voting results.

It is time for mandatory voting. Too long, we have enforced rights and encouraged responsibility, which has done nothing but allow increased cynicism and corresponding apathy. This cornerstone of our system must be shored up to allow us to solve the problems facing our democracy.

The entitled view of allowing the freedom not to vote presupposes that those who do not vote don’t know the issues. That is difficult to prove. And it’s just as difficult to prove the reverse – that those who do vote know the issues.

Equally concerning is electoral system allowance of plurality. Fundamentally undemocratic with more than two choices, the first-past-the-post electoral system needs reform. The best solution is to hold a runoff in those ridings where no candidate has achieved 50-per-cent plus one votes. It will be understood by all.

Giving our democracy away from within must stop.

John Kolb Waterloo, Ont.

In us to give

Re “When will the ‘right’ kidney come along for me?” (First Person, April 30): The story by Judith Morrison of her search for a kidney donor was of interest to me because I recently had surgery to donate a kidney through the Canadian Blood Services’ kidney paired donation program.

I began to consider living-donor kidney donation because my friend had received a live-kidney transplant after developing kidney disease similar to Ms. Morrison’s. Someone saved their life with a kidney donation. I had never considered doing anything like this before. But once I learned my friend’s life had been saved, I began the donation process.

I am no hero, I’m just a normal average guy. If I can do it, anyone can do it. In a way, I feel I am simply displaying the decency and compassion that exemplifies the best of Canadian values and the Canadian people, of helping each other in a time of need.

The Canadian Blood Services’ website has lots of information if anyone is interested in exploring the idea of donating a kidney. I found the series of animated videos of conversations between kidney donors, people with kidney disease and kidney transplant recipients, and medical professionals to be particularly helpful.

Thank you for publishing Ms. Morrison’s story. I hope it increases interest in living kidney donation among the population of our great, and still kind-hearted, country.

Doug Williams Montreal

Data go dark

Re “The crisis in health care staffing is no secret – so don’t try to hide the gruesome data” (Opinion, May 7): About 20 years ago, I was studying trends in the volumes of laboratory testing in order to assist in human-resource planning.

My request to the Ontario Ministry of Health for anonymized aggregate data of lab test volumes was denied. I concluded that the guiding principle for the ministry was akin to that of a mushroom farm: “Keep ‘em in the dark.”

Terence Colgan MD, professor emeritus, University of Toronto Burlington, Ont.

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