Jamil Jivani arrives on Parliament Hill ahead of a Conservative Party of Canada caucus meeting in Ottawa on May 6, 2025.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
And they’re off
Re “The post-Poilievre leadership race has begun” (Feb. 18): I respect a politician who stands up for the constituents who sent them to Ottawa to do good things for their community. The good folks of Bowmanville-Oshawa North deserve to have a representative in Parliament to advocate for their industries and citizens.
Jamil Jivani would be better off keeping his focus on matters that pertain to his riding. Trying to make himself look like a hero to his buddy JD Vance is not a good look.
When his own boss is not on board with his comments about Canadians having a “hissy fit,” something has gone awry.
Brian Yager Toronto
Big picture
Re “Why do we have such extraordinary centralization in the PMO?” (Feb. 17): As a former deputy minister and former inhabitant of the Privy Council Office, much of this analysis I agree with. However, I see more to the issue.
Nature abhors a vacuum. When clerks, the PCO or the corps of deputy ministers are not strong, the Prime Minister’s Office will, inevitably, fill the gap, as it has done, particularly since the Harper years. While it would be fair to say that was his preference, it would also be fair to say our early slowness to prepare adequately for deputy minister succession and some less than impressive clerks (albeit not all) created vacuums to be filled.
The current clerk, if he sees his role as rebuilding a capable PCO and a strong corps of deputy ministers, could do much to redress the balance. In that context, the last deputy minister shuffle was a welcome straw in the wind.
W. P. D. Elcock Ottawa
Political fuel
Re “Aid the Cuban people, not their oppressors” (Editorial, Feb. 18): Oil is essential.
It is needed to provide electricity to hospitals and fuel for garbage trucks and a great deal else besides. There is no getting away from the need for it.
Canada, in conjunction with Mexico and I think with Spain, could provide sufficient oil to Cuba (Davos middle powers working together).
For decades, Canada has had its own policy toward Cuba and we have not kowtowed to U.S. demands. Sending oil may “unnecessarily anger the U.S.,“ but surely, by now, we are well beyond worrying about that.
James Robert Brown London, Ont.
Basic training
Re “Mandatory national service in Canada? Amid AI’s rise, that’s making more and more sense” (Feb. 16): I wholeheartedly support a Canadian national service for youth, but don’t go reinventing the wheel.
Katimavik, introduced in 1977, continues to offer young people such opportunities to serve communities, build their résumés and discover Canada and Canadian culture. Back when it started, there was also a basic military option. What foresight.
I suggest we start with a successful program we already have in place and build up from there.
Carol Gottlob Katimavik alumnus (1978-79); Burlington, Ont.
Community connection
Re “Vancouver residents push back on plan they say will obscure rare mountain view” (Real Estate, Feb. 13): Nearly 45 years ago my wife, young children and I moved from Los Angeles to Vancouver and purchased our first home on the east side of Trout Lake.
Shortly after moving, we received a notification that a transit line would go through Trout Lake. I went to a consultation meeting and asked several questions. I received similar dismissive answers.
Several neighbours asked if I would co-ordinate their mobilization against the planned route. Initially, not many were involved. But over time, we had upward of 1,000 people attending meetings.
Ultimately, Trout Lake Park was saved and the line went up Commercial Drive. The park is a treasure that allows the community to meditate on the beauty of the mountains, a rare opportunity in East Vancouver.
I hope the community will be heard again 45 years later. Planners and architects can do so much more with the space than build view-obliterating high-rises.
Jack Lee Toronto
Out of the way
Re “Italy’s all-over-the-map Olympics went too far” (Sports, Feb. 14): Spreading events across existing venues was a deliberate effort to limit new construction, control costs and avoid the legacy of underused Olympic facilities. That is exactly the kind of reform critics have long demanded.
Yes, it requires planning. Spectators choose which events to attend and how to structure their experience.
A 40-kilometre trip taking over an hour may be inconvenient, but in many major cities, Toronto included, that is an ordinary commute. So is the parking issue.
The larger concern is that many traditional winter sport nations are increasingly reluctant to bid because of escalating costs and political risk. If fiscally cautious democracies step away, the Games may increasingly be hosted by wealthier, less accountable states willing to spend freely with little regard for long-term public value. That would be far more troubling than dispersed venues.
If this model reduces unnecessary building and manages cost responsibly, it deserves recognition.
Martina Young Toronto
This reads more like a concierge’s travel grievance.
By focusing on the “nightmare” of scattered venues, the convenience of privileged tourists are prioritized over the one group that should truly matter: the athletes. If a remote slope in Bormio provides superior technical conditions for a world-class descent, that should be the end of the conversation.
For the millions of us watching from home, the “sprawl” has been a visual delight. The innovative use of drone vantage points has offered breathtaking views of the Alps that a compact urban Games could never replicate.
G.R. Fahel Ottawa
Clean sweep
Re “Canada has gone full villain in curling” (Feb. 16): True story, I curled in the 1992 Olympics.
I was recently at a bar beside a woman discussing how the Swedish men gave officials the right to make winners and losers, a very bad thing. They disputed an obscure rule that, in practice, has little bearing on where the rock will end up 100 feet down the ice.
(After identifying myself as an Olympic curler, it turns out she curled for Linda Moore at the 1988 Olympics. She had her medal with her.)
I know the Swedes. They are good guys and, at their peak, they were unbeatable. Now I can’t help but think they have lost a step and are grasping at straws to win. They seem to have no idea about the monster they may unleash.
My team was once accused of cheating at the world championships by Scotland, so I know what our guys are going through.
Dan Petryk Calgary
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