Letters to the editor, Feb. 21: ‘Lack of affordable child care is glaring. Why should families have to win the lottery to afford or find it?’

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Re “Data Dive with Nik Nanos: Canadians are clamouring for a stronger military” (Feb. 14): So 64 per cent of Canadians “think that the priority when buying military equipment shroud be creating jobs.” To that I say nuts.

With seven years experience as a professional officer in two Canadian armoured regiments, my priorities when buying military equipment would be simple: Give our soldiers equipment that is technically efficient and lethal, and provides them the best opportunity to both accomplish combat missions and come home alive.

Martin Birt Uxbridge, Ont.

Fertile ground

Re “Policy alone won’t fix Canada’s fertility crisis. We need a cultural shift” (Opinion, Feb. 14): I agree with calls for not only a range of child- and parent-friendly policy changes, but also attitudinal change: less emphasis on the costs and burdens of having children (real though they certainly are) and much more emphasis on the many ways in which raising children is a wonderful experience.

Children are indeed a joy, and so is parenthood.

Don LePan Nanaimo, B.C.

One major reason why so many women are turning away from motherhood? The failure of men to participate equally.

Women are tired and drained from doing it all. They have seen legions of women before them shoulder it all, to the detriment of their mental and physical health as well as their careers.

Women need men to step up and share equally in parenting responsibilities. Until more men do, who can blame them for not wanting that lifestyle?

Denise Davy Burlington, Ont.

In my own family of five siblings, we have not managed to do well in the area of procreation, with only five offspring amongst ourselves.

Pronatalist urgings to provide a few dollars for families to have more kids feels short-sighted. A bit at the front end? What about the next 20 years?

The lack of affordable child care is glaring. Why should families have to win the lottery to afford or find it? If titans of industry want to support their existing work force and those of the future, pressure should be placed on governments to initiate policies and practices that better support families and children.

Until then, women and couples will vote with their own interests in mind, and no one will be able to change them.

Cathy Griffin Burnaby, B.C.

When I joined the world in 1945, the global population was about 2.3 billion people. Fast forward to today and that number is now roughly 8.2 billion – in one lifetime.

I suspect the decision not to have children may well be related to this unsustainable growth rate. With this has come ecological destruction, global bickering, pollution and mental and physical health issues.

Economic growth is not the only factor that creates quality of life.

Barbara Heidenreich Otonabee–South Monaghan, Ont.

Mentioned briefly is the dire state of our planet as a reason to forgo motherhood. I knew by 12 (circa 1989) that overpopulation was an environmental catastrophe, and I would do my part by not contributing to it beyond progressing with my own life.

I don’t believe it is overly dramatic to say that if complex and diverse ecologies are to have a chance of survival on Earth, we will have to reckon with the economic effects of declining human population. The sooner the better.

Anita Jain Vancouver

I appreciate the argument that the onus of child-bearing and child rearing falls disproportionately to Canadian women. However, I recoil at the proposal of a cultural revolution celebrating the sanctioned joy of children.

Inherent in this suggestion is that the universal virtue of children justifies the necessary emotional suffering of caregivers (largely mothers). To elevate the role of family in our culture, we should radically reimagine child rearing as a communal act.

Let us celebrate the joy of being present with those who live around us, rather than further sanctify increasingly individualistic family units.

Natalie Munn Uxbridge, Ont.

Human nature

Re “Being in a relationship isn’t the only path to happiness. This singlehood scientist explains why” (Pursuits, Feb. 14): As we aim to better understand singlehood, it is worth remembering that our evolutionary history has given us a strong propensity to pair-bond. It should be seen as a worrying development that a large and growing proportion of young adults are single, with many having given up on dating.

I would surmise that a significant proportion of people who claim in surveys to remain single “by choice” are avoiding the less socially desirable answer of involuntary singlehood. While desires for career advancement and “personal growth” are often cited as reasons for remaining single, one should not lose sight of the importance of fostering healthy, stable, long-term relationships as a source of health and well-being.

For those single people who report unhappiness and life dissatisfaction, this may be more of a warning signal from the brain to stimulate social connection and pair-bonding than the result of social pressures to partner.

Thomas Johnson Montreal

Reap dividends

Re “I’m retiring with my dividends, but Investor Clinic lives on” (Report on Business, Feb. 14): I feel the loss of a kindred spirit, but wish columnist John Heinzl nothing but the best for his next phase in life.

Dividend investing was taught to me by my father sitting around the kitchen table when I was in my teens. I became a financial adviser in 1997.

It was with great joy that I stumbled across Mr. Heinzl’s column in the early days of 2009. I truly felt this chap writes about what I believe in, and the proof is in the pudding.

A focus on dividend investing has kept many a client out of trouble by following sound advice: It’s hard to beat rising cash flows, even if the market gets grumpy from time to time, which is normal anyhow.

Mr. Heinzl should not give BCE or Algonquin Power & Utilities another thought; nobody gets it right all the time. May his cash flows continue to rise.

Patrick Eckert Mississauga, Ont.

Thanks to columnist John Heinzl for the education he provided over the years to many novice and experienced investors. I tried, like many others, to catch his articles and reflect on my portfolio (let’s forget about Algonquin Power & Utilities).

I retired last year at 62 and I can share that Mr. Heinzl will enjoy it immensely, provided he has interests he always wanted to pursue. Now he can at his leisure.

Happy retirement.

Karim Bhaloo 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