An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. Passengers and advocates say Air Canada is giving them the runaround on refunds, compensation and the reasons cited for flight delays and cancellations.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham HughesGraham Hughes/The Canadian Press
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Smile
Re Good Grief (Letters, July 4): A letter-writer criticizes Pierre Poilievre for “jumping in front of the camera” during one person’s walkathon from British Columbia to Ottawa to support freedom. Going by our Prime Minister, whose photo ops are multitudinous, it seems posing is the main part of the job.
Say cheese.
Laine Andrews Toronto
Customer review
Re Air Canada Customers Decry Compensation Over Delays (July 8): I spent about six months last year volunteering at a local vaccination clinic. It showed me how difficult a job it is to deal face-to-face with the general public.
It’s easy to let go at an airline employee when a trip has gone sideways. But here’s a plea to recognize that they’re trying to deal with an impossible situation that management has created for them. Rage at the airline if one wishes, but don’t blame the messenger.
A few hours of one’s time aren’t worth inflicting misery on a twentysomething who can’t solve the problem. Airline management shouldn’t have let so many highly trained people go in 2020, and they shouldn’t have tried to normalize faster than their capabilities justify.
But the young woman at the check-in counter isn’t responsible for all that, so give her a break. She’s probably as upset at the situation as we are.
Alec Mitchell Victoria
Who are we?
Re Peace, Order And Good Government (Editorial, July 1): On landing, there out the window on the starboard side: my country. Returning home in 1971, after almost a year on the road, I was relieved to be – in relation to the dozens of nations I visited – nowhere.
Those places had plumes in their caps, tumultuous histories, brother against brother, raised voices, broken glass, spilled wine, bloodshed. Meanwhile, Canada inched along the border like a column of ants, our quiet hinterland on the right.
Canadian identity was in not being burdened with one, our treasure our anonymity. Instead of strife, chaos and bloody hell, we had peace, order and good government and a pair of mitts, one of two lost by February.
While other countries gorged on glory and gore, our stomachs were empty of bile and nauseous pride. Nationalist gluttons spilled grandeur and gravy on their ties and medals. We were blessed to be nobodies.
It suited us, then.
Jerry Thompson Ottawa
Peaceful people
Re Eviction Of The Maasai Moves Forward (July 2): I spent six years of my early childhood in a Tanzanian refugee camp, from 1942 to 1948. After almost two years of exile in the Russian Gulag, we arrived in what was surely paradise, with the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro to watch over us. The nearest town was Arusha, now a booming tourist centre, and the nearest people were the Maasai.
In six years, we didn’t experience a single instance of hostility. We did not interact much, although our boys liked to play football with the Maasai boys (against colonial rules). Not once did we have an unpleasant encounter, let alone any aggression, from the Maasai, whom we saw frequently.
It is heartbreaking to read that the Maasai, who belong there, will be evicted from a place where Polish refugees once found a safe haven. And for what? To create a playground for the rich? Where and how do I protest?
Irene Tomaszewski Ottawa
People first?
Re Dogs Left Behind In Afghanistan Arrive In Canada Ready To Start New Lives (July 5): At the risk of being vilified by pet-loving fellow citizens, I am appalled by our country’s lack of humanity and ability to prioritize. How is it possible to allow “hundreds of dogs and cats” supposedly abandoned in Afghanistan to enter Canada, while hundreds and hundreds of Afghan refugees remain stuck in an endless bureaucratic purgatory awaiting documents to immigrate here?
Many of these people are in grave danger because they happen to have worked for the Canadian military and diplomats in the past. I guess this is the sad realty of the “Canadian way” to favour dogs and cats over people.
Shame on our politicians and government officials. More importantly, shame on us for electing folks who seem to lack basic humanity and common sense.
Michael Varanesi Toronto
Keep it open
Re Protests May Lead To Revitalized Parliament Zone (July 2): I disagree with the suggestion that Wellington Street in Ottawa should be closed permanently. The street is an important part of traffic and transit, and I believe closing it is a sign of defeat at the hands of protesters.
In the past, Wellington has been closed only on a temporary basis, usually for Canada Day or other special events. Should there be more convoys or other “threats” coming to Ottawa, I think the street could be closed on a temporary basis using city vehicles – buses, dump trucks and other heavy transport – to provide temporary barriers that can be easily removed.
Reopen Wellington back to the citizens of Ottawa.
Roberta Driscoll Ottawa
Not so much
Re In The Long Run (Letters, July 3): A letter-writer believes that reusable shopping bags make no sense to reduce carbon emissions. He might be right, except I don’t often see reusable bags hanging from trees, in ditches or clogging waterways.
I find single-use bags too flimsy to be used again. I would be lucky to get to the front door with them. Any sharp edge would puncture them. I wouldn’t trust them for garbage.
On a trip to France, we purchased some reusable bags. They are made incredibly well and have carried weights of perhaps 20 kilograms or more. They are going strong after at least 100 uses.
Here’s a suggestion: Don’t ban plastic bags, but make them stronger. At the same time charge customers, let’s say 40 cents per bag. That way, customers would be incentivized to reuse them many times.
At least not so many bags would end up in trees or plastered against fences.
Ed Janicki Victoria
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com