Ontario Premier Doug Ford makes an announcement at a Magna International production facility, in Brampton, Ont., on Feb. 15.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Still waiting
Re “Desperate wait for help in Syria as earthquake rescue operations continue” (Feb. 14): The Syrian people have endured more than 10 years of tragedies. And now the earth itself has shaken beneath us.
More than 33,000 people have died across Turkey and Syria, but most of the aid has gone to Turkey. The bitter truth is that no one is coming to the aid of Syria, because no one is listening; no one has been, for more than a decade.
Syrians have prayed, are praying and will pray some more. But so many of us have died that, for Syrians, death isn’t sad. It is now, for many of us, an expectation. The only sad thing is the betrayal, hypocrisy and ignorance that happen along the way.
People have been donating, praying and trying; some world governments are doing the same. But Western governments have failed long ago to make the kinds of commitments that would help Syrians.
I wish I felt otherwise. But based on the last decade, I have to assume that the world will soon forget about the Syrians buried under the rubble – where forever they will remain.
Hassan Al Kontar Author, Man at the Airport Vancouver
Grounded
Re “Dutch F-35s intercept three Russian military aircraft near Poland” (Feb. 15): How is it that a small country like the Netherlands is already flying F-35s, yet Canada has dithered and wasted time and money. We will be flying, what, four jets by 2026?
Based on our track record on military hardware, I’ll be surprised if we hit that target date.
Stephen Gill East Gwillimbury, Ont.
Building a…
Re “Developers at Doug Ford’s daughter’s wedding only deepen the mystery over his Greenbelt decision” (Editorial, Feb. 14): I don’t know why you use the word “mystery.” I see no mystery about it.
Paul Stephen Huron East, Ont.
Re “Ford defends stag and doe party with $150 admission fee, calling questions ‘ridiculous’ ” (Feb. 16): Doug Ford angrily declares that “no one can influence the Fords. No one.”
Apparently the people that cannot influence Mr. Ford include those who believed his Greenbelt promise to not use the land for development, only to change his mind after re-election – objections be damned.
John Hague Mississauga
Who you know
Re “The Ottawa school for ethics dunces” (Editorial, Feb. 16): Mary Ng has apologized for her “mistake” in hiring a friend to do $22,790 worth of media training and public-relations work. Anyone familiar with crisis communications might empathize with her lapse in judgement.
The human instinct to work with people we know and trust is amplified when stakes are high. As a long-time Liberal strategist and principal of a respected PR firm, there is no question that Amanda Alvaro had the necessary professional credentials.
Being a friend, she was also deeply familiar with Ms. Ng. This was her true edge: As most communications specialists will agree, understanding a client’s voice and manner is key to helping craft talking points and speeches that ring true.
One could argue that, for this particular contract, Ms. Alvaro was uniquely qualified. One could also argue that, in the grand scheme of Liberal spending on outside consultants, Ms. Ng got the “friends and family” rate.
Katherine Gougeon Principal, Top Button Communications Toronto
Better service
Re “Rogers, Shaw and Videotron extend takeover deadline again pending final approval from Ottawa” (Feb. 18): Most of the debate around this merger mess continues to focus on big-picture policies to improve telecom competition. While most of those policies are important to debate, there are many smaller ones that could go a long way toward more competition.
Ban the practices of bundling services and tying the sales of phones to phone plans. Prohibit telecoms from operating their own “budget” providers such as Chatr, Fido, Virgin, Koodo, Lucky, etc. These practices inhibit small players from entering the market and can give consumers the false impression that they are “saving” money.
I am sure that there are many more possibilities, but these are a few.
Ed McDonough Toronto
More to move
Re “In the bag” (Letters, Feb. 12): Our family started with one cow in 1973 and increased to a herd of about 75. We made specialty cheese with all the milk produced.
In 1978, the former Ontario Milk Marketing Board told us we had to buy quota. It knew we were not making profit from milk production and recommended we sell the herd. Given the low price of milk compared to the cost of production, we sold.
In 1978, quota already cost the same as a new first-calved cow; this is not new. However, the cost of quota is determined by what others are willing to pay at open auction. The farmer does not have to repurchase that quota when the cow is no longer able to produce, but they do need to replace the cow.
So the cost of quota should be considered fair and more in keeping with having to house animals, not replace them.
Pasqualino (Pat) Morra Oshawa, Ont.
Delayed
Re “Ottawa’s LRT didn’t go wrong. It started wrong” (Opinion, Feb. 11): I had a distinct sense of déjà vu on hearing of all the troubles surrounding Ottawa’s light-rail transit.
In 1990, I was transferred to London to work on the Canary Wharf project, a huge development of the city’s defunct docklands by Canadian company Olympia and York Because this development had no existing rail connection, the Docklands Light Railway was built.
I used the DLR daily to commute to the site and know exactly what Ottawans went through: It was broken down more than it ever worked, and I often spent an hour or more waiting on the platform or in transit.
It was the butt of many jokes, and was universally called the “Defective Light Railway” by frustrated riders.
John Porter Oakville, Ont.
Take control
Re “Pay up” (Letters, Feb. 12): A letter-writer compares Toronto to London, Paris, Rome and New York with regards to being world class and, thus, expensive places to live.
There are limits on what government can do to make the cost of housing more affordable. However, all those cities have various forms of rent control, rent support and public housing that are far more significant than in Toronto, and Canada in general.
Having said this, I do hope the plumber or electrician the letter-writer may need to hire in the future has not taken his advice and found “an affordable detached house with backyard beckoning in Saskatoon.”
Paul Thomson Loyalist, Ont.
Name that tune
Re “BBC ends the Toddlers’ Truce TV programming blackout” (Moment in Time, Feb. 16): I would have been eight years old back then. Before reading this, I did not remember the show Six-Five Special from 1957.
But the theme song came back to me immediately and I was delighted to find it online. Some memories run deep!
Caroline Lee Deep River, Ont.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article misidentified Amanda Alvaro. This has been corrected.
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