The Polish government has banned the use of phrases such as ‘Polish death camps’ to refer to the concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, that the Nazis installed in occupied Poland during the Second World War.Alik Keplicz/The Associated Press
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Leave Poland out of it
It appears the phrase "Polish death camps," referring to Nazi extermination camps in Poland, such as Auschwitz, is not only being repeated but is now defended and even justified (Restricting The Phrase 'Polish Death Camps' Only Raises Its Profile, Feb. 6).
The Auschwitz camp was exactly as Polish as the Guantanamo prison is Cuban.
It appears that repeated explanations of why the Nazis sited those camps in Poland have had no effect, nor has the awareness that hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish Poles died in them along with the Jews.
Hitler would be delighted if he knew how persistently the No. 2 nationality on his hate list is being accused of being his accomplice.
There are legitimate reasons for criticizing the current Polish government, but its attempt to stop the continuous smearing of the Polish nation is not one of them.
Andrzej Derkowski, Oakville, Ont.
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It begins with pain
Perry Kendall is correct when he says that "we are going to have to think more broadly" about our response to the overdose epidemic (B.C. Health Officer Calls For Greater Focus On Opioid Crisis, Feb. 1).
One significant limitation in British Columbia's response to the crisis is the failure to address pain as a driver of substance use. Pain has been recognized as a significant contributing factor in the overdose crisis by the BC Centre for Disease Control, Fraser Health, the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council, and even the B.C. government's own Behind the Numbers project. Despite this, investment in pain services is negligible.
Effective pain management strategies are vital to addressing the root causes of substance use. We need expanded access to interdisciplinary care, integration of pain management into addiction services, and solutions to the unintended consequences of new College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia standards for opioid prescribing. Without these, we may see the crisis continue unabated.
Maria Hudspith, executive director, Pain BC, Vancouver
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Why ports are federal
In response to all the anti-pipeline letters, I would simply say one reason our founding fathers made Canada's ports a federal jurisdiction is so British Columbia couldn't hold the rest of the Canada hostage when it comes to our ports and the national interest (Politics Of Energy, Feb.3; Pipeline Politics, Feb. 6).
I understand British Columbians live there and want safety, but otherwise this is simply a case of national NIMBYism. No need to bring up the billions of litres of raw sewage the city of Victoria dumps into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, our ocean.
I'm sure B.C. wants unfettered access to the rest of Canada, so it should play nice. I am not a Liberal voter but I do appreciate Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's stance in favour of the pipeline on this issue.
Dan Petryk, Calgary
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Power of sports
One can gather that Michelle Kaeser endured much during her gymnastics career, and through her writing seems to have processed her feelings and overcome her sense of failure (Almost Golden, Feb. 3).
I do not mean to belittle her feelings. However, working with gymnastics coaches, parents and athletes for more than five years has allowed me to witness a wider range of experiences, especially when it comes to the end of an athlete's competitive days.
In the majority of cases, their gymnastics experience is so positive and they are so bonded with their teammates, coaches and their gym that many of them become coaches themselves, starting when they are teenagers through their university days and beyond.
In the 40-plus years our gym has been in existence, we have seen with pride the amazing successes our athletes achieve in life as professionals, parents and community leaders. When asked, many of them credit the valuable life-long lessons learned through the sport that taught them how to push through fear, how to build self-confidence, how to overcome disappointment and the incredible power of having a mentor-coach that believes fully in their potential.
Ana Arciniega, executive director, Delta Gymnastics Society, Delta, B.C.
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Eating bugs
I have been a researcher and entrepreneur in the edible insect field for the past 11 years. Corey Mintz's article on insects as food identified factors that well could make edible insect protein less sustainable than promised by some advocates (Bugging Out: Why Eating Insects Won't End World Hunger, Feb. 5).
The real potential of insects lies in their inherent ability to process various forms of biowaste as feed, thereby decreasing the overall amount of farmland and pasture land. We're already using alternative feeds such as used microbrewery grains and expired foods.
The article correctly pointed out that environmental savings will diminish as the scale of the edible insect industry expands. But this was assuming the current big agro-business model. My research proposes a counter strategy for scale economies.
Urban areas are the largest concentrations of biowastes on the planet. Insect farming requires no land clearance and is adaptable to constrained city spaces. Small urban farms can capitalize on the variety and proximity of different types of easily available waste from grocery stores, restaurants, microbreweries, and so on. We thereby establish a virtuous cycle of waste reduction and feed provision, all working locally.
This is not futurism. In March of 2017, I began operation of Canada's first city-approved urban edible cricket farm, with other modular urban cricket farms about to launch in San Francisco and Toronto.
These are demonstrating now that the promise of high nutritional load for low economic and environmental cost is a present reality.
Jakub Dzamba, Mississauga
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Faster, higher, stronger
Whereas mere mortals can normally tap into just 65 per cent of their maximum muscle strength and endurance, elite athletes, such as the Olympians in Pyeongchang, through mental and physical training and the adrenalin of competition, can access 92.5 per cent (How Top Athletes Dip Into Usually Inaccessible Reserves Of Strength And Endurance, Feb. 6).
They're going to need every extra percentage point to get through the 110,000 condoms (about 37 each!) that Pyeongchang organizers are supplying to athletes.
Rudy Buller, Toronto