A woman arrives at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Montreal on June 1, 2021.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
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Vaccinated session
Re All MPs Should Be Vaccinated Before They Return To Parliament: Blanchet (Sept. 30): Vaccination will be mandatory for the federal work force, but this requirement currently will not extend to MPs. Before anyone cries foul regarding an apparent double standard, consider that this may be a rational decision based on simple risk assessment: The employees who spend the least amount of time at work present the lowest risk for COVID-19 transmission.
Jonathan Taylor Lethbridge, Alta.
More conservatives
Re The Wrong Way To Pick A Party Leader (Sept. 29): Conservatives span the entire political-right spectrum, from O’Toole-like genuine-or-pretend Red Tories to hardcore Harperites and far-right radicals. There is no other choice but the Conservatives, but voters never know quite what version of the party they’re getting.
Erin O’Toole’s strategy to accommodate everyone backfired with Conservatives and voters at large. We have seen this movie before. It should be back to two conservative parties.
Sure these voters will be divided, but two varieties of conservatism could always form opportunistic coalitions. It happens all the time in Europe.
Reiner Jaakson Oakville, Ont.
Energy futures
Re Canada Isn’t A Problem When It Comes To Energy Subsidies (Report on Business, Sept. 29): Columnist Konrad Yakabuski points out that loans from Export Development Canada are available to all sectors, not just the oil and gas industry. However there are also tax expenditures, or forgone federal revenues, in the vicinity of $4-billion a year that benefit Canada’s oil patch.
Many of these have been phased out or sunsetted, including accelerated capital cost allowances, investment tax credits and exploration and development incentives. Given the enlightened strategy adopted by most of Canada’s integrated oil and gas companies to commit to research and development in the renewable energy sector, any remaining so-called subsidies from Ottawa should be redirected to support investments by the oil and gas industry in cleaner energy.
Roy Cullen PC, Victoria
I find the Canadian oil industry is in the process of self-destructing without any help.
The bulk of companies are concentrating on paying back debt and reducing capital expenditures – that is, not replacing depleting reserves. At the planned rate, the industry’s reserve life index should decline until there is none left.
Peter de Auer Former Director, Ontario Hydro Pension Fund; Port Hope, Ont.
Re Can Canada Help Rich Countries Repair Broken Trust On Climate Funds? (Report on Business, Sept. 30): If rich countries really care about the unfolding climate catastrophe and not just the grade they get on a report card on domestic action, they should do much more to help lower-income countries.
This is justified in terms of responsibility for cumulative emissions and because it represents high returns on investment. Let’s hope Canada and Germany are successful in upping commitments and spending by developed countries and achieving better transparency.
Our future depends on it.
Anne Lambert Founding director, International Conservation Fund of Canada; Chester, N.S.
SNC and DPAs
Re Slap On The Wrist (Letters, Sept. 30): A letter-writer feels there are two systems of justice with respect to the SNC-Lavalin application for a deferred prosecution agreement. Perhaps this is because DPAs are not offered to individuals.
Perhaps a parallax view sees that a company may have a code of conduct for all employees. Perhaps some employees decide it would be in their interest to renege on that code and cover their tracks. Our system is built on trust. However, there is a need for gatekeepers with a level of professional skepticism.
I believe DPAs are the essential “carrot” to get companies to self-monitor and self-report potential misconduct. Without it, companies would naturally hope for the best and suffer the “stick” if and when they had to. The challenge is to find the proper balance between trust and skepticism.
The reason Jody Wilson-Raybould refused to offer SNC a DPA may not have been applicable in this case.
Gary Mortimer Surrey, B.C.
Nunavut and internet
Re Nunavut Remains An Internet Desert, Affecting All Aspects Of Residents’ Daily Lives (Sept. 23): Thank you for profiling the connectivity challenges and needs in Nunavut. Northwestel’s 500 northern employees have helped make remarkable progress, but there is much more to do together.
As recently as 2018, Nunavut was served by satellite networks only capable of delivering 2.5 megabits-per-second home internet to most of the territory’s 25 communities. Half of them had no wireless service.
Thanks to significant joint investments from Canada, Northwestel and Bell, speeds have increased 600 per cent. Our rates have also dropped $240 annually, now ranging from $60 a month to $109 a month. All communities now have LTE wireless service.
These are concrete improvements to service and affordability, but there is more work to do to reduce rates and bring speeds to the national standard. As we look toward next-generation solutions, let’s remember the progress made when communities, governments and the private sector step up, invest and work together.
Curtis Shaw President, Northwestel; Whitehorse
Only way out
Re Trapped Sudbury Miners Climb Kilometre Of Ladders To Safety (Sept. 30): Many years ago, my summer job was working underground at the salt mine in Goderich, Ont.
One night, our lift cut out while the shift was going down. I looked at the rusty ladder and thought it would be a tough job to climb up one-third of a mile with water dripping down, in complete darkness save for our headlights.
These miners were two times deeper than I was. And while I am glad they are now safe, I know climbing close to a kilometre in those conditions was not easy. And many are not 21 like I was.
I am more than a little embarrassed thinking about the number of times since that I have complained about my working conditions.
David Ross Edmonton
Easy being green
Re Puppet Master Jim Henson Is Born (Moment in Time, Sept. 24): I worked with Jim Henson as a casting director.
“What?” one might ask. “Why would he need a casting director for his puppet show?”
It was a Muppets Christmas show shot in Toronto, centred around a live family. My job was to find two relatable kids and their parents (the adults were only seen from the knees down).
It was a small job, but in this shark-filled world of television, Jim was a prince. If Kermit the Frog expressed the snarky things he withheld, then maybe that’s why I found him forthright, charming and a joy to work with.
Anne Tait Toronto
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