A housing development is seen on the edge of the Ontario Green Belt in the Greater Toronto Area of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ont. on May 25.COLE BURSTON/AFP/Getty Images
Adapt or…?
Re “The summer that climate heating metastasized” (Aug. 1): The National Adaptation Strategy, published late last year, is an overdue starting point. But it’s not because the federal government didn’t know better.
Staff at Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Health Canada have been analyzing climate change and recommending action to reduce emissions and head off the impact for more than two decades. They have been unable to get traction because of failures of political leadership.
When the Harper government first took power in 2006, it disbanded Environment Canada’s adaptation division, which included eminent scientists who had leading roles in the early adaptation work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Liberals under Justin Trudeau acknowledged the issue, but took seven years to produce a national strategy, not least because of foot-dragging by provinces with jurisdiction for many of the sectors most vulnerable to climate impact.
Now the task of reducing the impact is more difficult and much more expensive.
Jennifer Penney ScD; former director of research, Clean Air Partnership; Toronto
A vivid reminder of what our country faces as climate change ravages the planet. But when the bathtub is overflowing, one doesn’t adapt by putting towels down at the door and mopping. Turn off the spigot first.
Canada can only control Canada’s emissions. We should turn off our spigot and stop expanding fossil energy projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline and others in our oil sands and gas fields. Then get on with the important work of adapting to the ravages ahead.
Tim Takaro MD, MPH; Vancouver
Spend wisely
Re “Instead of grumbling about Canada’s defence spending, Americans should look in their own backyard” (Aug. 3): The 2-per-cent defence spending goal is a handy political bludgeon for the United States, but I find it a flawed and somewhat meaningless indicator.
Spending measures inputs, not outputs. It says nothing about efficiency and effectiveness. It excludes contributions in kind and financial transfers to world defence needs. And many countries spread defence efforts across different departments, such as our Coast Guard (though Canada does include it in calculations of defence spending).
Lastly, it takes no account of risk. As we’ve seen, the defence spending of a country bordering Russia and fearful of invasion will be different than others.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t ensure that Canada is a reliable international partner. But this political indicator is just that – a political indicator. It’s flawed, at best.
L.J. Ridgeway Ottawa
Shut out
Re “How? Where?” (Letters, Aug. 2): I am not like a letter-writer who is a professor emeritus of urban planning. I am a married man in my late 30s whose prospects of owning a home have been chewed up and spat out by a generation of leaders and experts.
To me, they remain blind to the hardships brought about by their policies. I thank them for good intentions, but suggest they take a hard look at where such thinking and advocacy has brought us.
Daniel Patrick Visconti Toronto
Take a number
Re “Flight delayed or cancelled? It pays to know your rights under EU and U.S. rules” (Newsletter, Aug. 1): This underscores the difficulties faced by travellers on Canadian airlines.
In June, 2022, I flew from San Diego to Moncton via Toronto. After a two-hour delay, I knew that I would miss my connection. Air Canada assured me that I would be rebooked automatically and provided accommodations.
But in the end, I booked my own hotel. Two nights and $700 (plus meals and taxi fares) later, I finally boarded the first flight on which Air Canada found space for me.
I filed a claim with Air Canada, to no avail. I then turned to the Canadian Transportation Agency, where I learned that I was No. 12,500 in the list of unprocessed claims. Fourteen months later, I can report less-than-stellar progress: I am 8,699 in queue.
It seems neither promised reforms nor staffing increases have made much difference. When will the government take decisive action to correct the airlines’ apparent nonchalance?
Meghan Edwards San Diego, Calif.
On occasion
Re “How safe is our cannabis? Nearly five years after legalization, we still don’t know” (Aug. 2): What about the frequency of smoking joints or hash compared with that of cigarettes?
I have friends who are still tobacco smokers (and at the same time marijuana tokers, too). Their consumption of cannabis is far less than tobacco. I also have friends who only smoke weed occasionally, maybe a couple of puffs off a joint on weekends.
Where is the research here, if any? Even if cannabis has more toxins in its composition than tobacco, surely this must be offset dramatically by the frequency of smoking.
Not many marijuana users smoke 10 or 20 times a day, as some tobacco users do.
Jim Hickman Bracebridge, Ont.
Bug’s life
Re “Amateur entomologists are using their love of bugs to document insect loss in Canada” (July 31): As an amateur entomologist, I was thrilled to read this article that underscores the role of citizen science, and incredible tools such as iNaturalist in contributing to our understanding of the biosphere.
Such tools can impart a sense of wonder at the beauty, complexity and ubiquity of life, revealing unseen worlds in our midst. I have used iNaturalist to document more than 80 species of insects, including many important pollinators, in my modest fifth-floor container garden.
Even as we depend on such insects for our survival, we also share our urban spaces with them, life finding a way in the most inhospitable places. It is a reminder that our built environment is also theirs, and that we are forever caught in their web of life.
Ryan Whyte Toronto
There is an additional way that anyone who loves nature can help.
A community science program called Bumble Bee Watch engages everyday people to provide critical data on bumblebees across Canada. They are one of the most effective and important of all pollinators. Many of the foods we eat each day exist because of their pollination.
Participants can use their phones to upload photos of bumblebees, along with a location and date. Photos are then verified by scientists, contributing to an ever-growing and invaluable database on bumblebee distribution, population trends and identification of species at risk across the country, which then informs the implementation of conservation action.
It is an easy way for anyone to make a meaningful impact to help save Canada’s insect biodiversity.
Lance Woolaver Executive director, Wildlife Preservation Canada; Guelph, Ont.
Editor’s note: Although the Canadian Coast Guard is a separate agency, the government has included it in the country's calculation of defence spending since 2017.
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