David Johnston, independent special rapporteur on foreign interference, leaves after presenting his first report in Ottawa on May 23.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Inquire within
Re “Public inquiry would restore trust in Ottawa’s handling of Beijing election meddling, legal experts say” (May 25): Can someone tell us how much taxpayer money and wasted time would be involved in yet another public inquiry? Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that David Johnston made excellent recommendations based on thorough investigating.
Let’s just learn from the mistakes and fix the problem,
Donald Sephton Hamilton
Upon David Johnston realizing there was a potential conflict of interest with his appointment from the Prime Minister, a family friend, he asked retired justice Frank Iacobucci for an opinion. However, Mr. Johnston admits that Mr. Iacobucci is a good friend.
He used a friend to find out if using a friend is a conflict. That appears to be a massive blind spot, blocked by an eclipse, in his ability to understand conflicts of interest.
Rob McCullough Edmonton
Re “David Johnston’s tragedy has become ours” (May 26): Given David Johnston’s background and approach, why should we expect anything different than what we got?
Nothing in the report is likely change the opinions of Liberal stalwarts, NDP hangers-on and Conservative doubters. The whole exercise feels like a farce and disrespectful to Canadians.
Carey Johannesson Victoria
How fitting that our Prime Minister should receive a report that essentially tells him to do nothing, and maybe the problem will go away. Unfortunately, it looks like the problem will not go away.
With any luck, this report will be the coda that signals the end of Liberal power and mismanagement (or should that be non-management?) for some years to come.
Kenneth Govias Edmonton
In decline
Re “Right way” (Letters, May 19): A letter-writer expresses a sentiment I have felt for the last several elections: There is no party that adequately expresses where I think the country should go and how they propose to get there.
Some time ago, I learned of an approach that allows me to vote without holding my nose: I immediately return the ballot to the poll clerk and state that I am declining it. In this way, I fulfill my duty as a citizen to vote, while at the same time expressing my dissatisfaction with the choices offered.
I have often wondered what mischief might result if the number of votes cast in a riding were outnumbered by “spoiled” ballots. (At one time, declined ballots were recorded separately from spoiled ballots. Stephen Harper put a stop to this. I wonder if he thought the above scenario would be too embarrassing.)
W. M. Maudsley Calgary
Correctional correlation?
Re “The flip side of bail reform in Canada” (Editorial, May 25): While the number of people in pretrial custody has gone up, the number of crimes has gone down. Could these factors be related?
Hugh Connolly Toronto
Come together
Re “Ontario plans to ‘divorce’ Peel Region in new bill” (May 19): The dissolution of Peel Region continues to reveal the Ford government’s seeming lack of understanding about the role regions play in managing growth, farmland and the environment.
Regions oversee the provision and co-ordination of sewer, water and transportation infrastructure, not to mention community health, housing and social programs. Rather than fomenting internecine disputes amongst local municipalities, a more successful approach can be seen in the creation of single tiers such as the cities of Hamilton and Ottawa, where governance efficiencies are maximized in a single level of municipal government.
Victor Doyle Toronto
Fare unwell
Re “Assaults are up on TTC, but rising ridership reduces risk” (May 20): My wife and I were infrequent users of the Toronto Transit Commission. But now we are faced with regular trips to downtown Toronto to visit our grandchild.
This entails a subway from Finch Station to Union Station, then a streetcar. On one recent trip, we witnessed three incidents of harassment; all were non-violent but stressful, including an individual walking up and down a streetcar screaming obscenities at nobody in particular. If we can witness three incidents in one afternoon’s travel, how many are happening throughout the TTC on a daily basis?
We have an enormous task ahead of us to ensure passenger safety and solve the widespread mental health, drug and homelessness issues that are prevalent in Toronto. I fear it is unachievable and is only going to get worse.
John McMahon Thornhill, Ont.
Reading list
Re “Green space and ‘wildlife passages’ preserve urban ecosystems and health care costs” (Online, May 24): Michael Hough is the foremost Canadian authority on this subject.
In 1984, he published the seminal book City Form and Natural Process. He was a staunch advocate of the merger of natural and urban environments in his lectures and publications. He was convinced that it is not only possible but necessary to couple and interweave natural and man-made ecologies.
Mr. Hough developed a radically new philosophy of landscape and urban design. He was miles ahead of time.
Perhaps some may be interested in reviewing Mr. Hough’s contributions to landscape and urban design advancement. He should not be forgotten.
Vladimir Matus Architect (retired), Toronto
Ever in your favour
Re “CAMH calls for ban on gambling advertising during sports broadcasts” (May 22): Numerous studies have shown that as much as 97 per cent of those who bet regularly on sports lose money. That stat should be on a crawler under all television gambling ads.
Even seasoned gamblers would admit those are not good odds
Tom Scanlan Toronto
Good ol’ hockey game
Re “Brendan Shanahan’s curiously detailed firing of Kyle Dubas marks an ugly end of an era for the Maple Leafs” (Sports, May 20): Who should take responsibility for the Maple Leafs’ failure to progress further then the second round of the playoffs, and not even past the first round for most of a decade? The common denominator is president Brendan Shanahan.
He should take the blame. I see the Leafs as his team and no one else’s.
Brad Hill Kingston
Re “The regular season doesn’t matter anymore, the playoffs do. The Leafs haven’t figured this out” (Sports, May 26): Would the National Hockey League rather be marketing the high-level talent of the Maple Leafs and Oilers during the regular season, or the turgid forechecking and shot-blocking of the four Stanley Cup semifinalists during glorious summer weather?
Watching the first two periods of the Stars vs. Golden Knights on Thursday, before switching off to read a book, I noticed a significant number of empty seats in Dallas. If the NHL can’t keep fans of the surviving teams engaged, it should question the entertainment value of what it now takes to win the cup.
Paul Atkinson Peterborough, Ont.
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