A clock stands outside the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, in August, 2025, in Calgary.Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Elsewhere
Re “Domino effect” (Letters, Oct. 26): A letter-writer says that Israel’s striking of Hezbollah targets is “undermining Lebanon’s right to sovereignty.”
Respectfully, we believe there can be no discussion of “sovereignty” in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah, a radical Islamist terror group and an Iranian proxy, continues to act as a state within Lebanon.
When Hezbollah is disarmed – and it won’t do so willingly – then Lebanon can enjoy peace, and hopefully even ties with Israel.
Robert Walker Assistant Director, HonestReporting Canada Toronto
Further to this letter, I would draw attention toward another, perhaps deliberately forgotten, front.
After the fall of the Assad government in Syria, and without any provocation from the new rulers, Israel took advantage and seized most of the land in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force buffer zone, in addition to long occupying the majority of Syrian territory in the Golan Heights.
Ignoring calls for retreat, it has been reported that Israel aims to flood the area with settlers. It has already established a number of military bases to counter resistance.
As if this was not enough, it then turned toward Syrian military infrastructure and assets, now either destroyed or neutralized. It’s a pity we hear little protest or condemnation from anyone, be it the UN, Israel’s Western allies, even Islamic countries including Syria itself.
How far will this domino effect go?
Masood Khan Mississauga
Flat out
Re “Taxing stuff” (Letters, Oct. 24): A letter-writer suggests a flat tax should be brought in so that anyone can do a tax return quickly and easily.
Tax calculations are the easy part for corporations, trusts and individuals. A flat tax should not be the solution to complicated tax returns, because the issue is calculating the income to which tax is applied.
For individuals, examples include the calculation of rental, partnership or self-employment income (which allow certain expenses to be deducted), different types of investment income such as dividends (which are paid out of corporate after-tax income, so it should be taxed at a lower rate than other types of income) and capital gains (which require the cost base to be determined).
Tax rules should be simplified, but a flat tax does not solve the complexity.
Benita Loughlin Vancouver
After receiving a notice of reassessment from the Canadian Revenue Agency last week, I called to question what I believed was an error in the government’s favour.
The representative confirmed I had entered income on the wrong line, but could not grasp my larger concern: Why was a tax credit removed? After 1.5 hours and a discussion with a supervisor, it turned out the CRA was wrong and the credit should not have been disallowed.
Disconcerting, to say the least. Being somewhat cynical, I wonder if I could bill the CRA for my “consulting services.”
But beyond the irony lies a deeper issue: systemic inaccuracy. Would it not be fair to require all CRA employees to pass an exam on this material with a minimum grade of 80 per cent? That may sound harsh, but when accuracy reportedly sits at 17 per cent, Canadians deserve better from well-paid federal employees.
Marg McKaig Calgary
Make sacrifices
Re “Canada needs to rein in spending. How about we stop handing out billions to wealthy seniors?” (Oct. 25): I recall the 1980s, when I graduated from university filled with idealistic views of politics and society.
But with double-digit inflation, 21-per-cent interest rates and increasing unemployment, homeownership wasn’t even a consideration. As the decade progressed and the Conservatives continued to run up tens of billions of dollars in annual deficits, my idealism turned to realistic pragmatism.
Friends, colleagues and most of the country knew that more responsible fiscal management was an imperative to protect our way of life and position the country for a more productive future. We eventually had to make sacrifices, but none too painful, and eventually the massive deficits were gone.
Until recently, I had no idea the cost of Old Age Security is more than $80-billion annually. As a retiree, I would much rather see the money go to seniors who really need it, and to country-building projects that build the economy for future generations.
Michael O’Hara Oakville, Ont.
Keep it together
Re “There are divisions in every part of the country. Is Canada at the breaking point?” (Oct. 25): Contributors John Ibbitson and Darrell Bricker lament Canada’s deep divisions and urge emphatic action to prevent fracture and rebuild a country where each region speaks to the other in friendship.
To let each region be heard, each region’s votes should count. But that’s not what happened in the last federal election.
While some voters were fairly represented, Quebec Conservatives cast 23.3 per cent of votes in the province, yet elected only 14.1 per cent of their MPs. Alberta Liberals cast 27.9 per cent of the votes there, yet elected only 5.4 per cent of their MPs. Saskatchewan Liberals cast 26.6 per cent of their votes, yet elected only 7.1 per cent of their MPs. B.C. NDP voters cast 13 per cent of the votes there, yet elected only 7 per cent of their MPs.
Let’s fix our electoral system so every vote counts.
Wilfred Day Port Hope, Ont.
Price is right
Re “The EV industry is sputtering. Too bad Ontario bet so heavily on a battery-driven future” (Report on Business, Oct. 25): “The customer has spoken and they don’t much want EVs.”
In my neighbourhood in the Lower Mainland, there are many electric vehicles. According to the B.C. government, nearly 45,000 new zero-emission vehicles (mainly plug-in) were registered in 2024, representing just over 22 per cent of total new light vehicle registrations.
Recently I talked with a neighbour about his plug-in Ford F-150 pickup. He was very pleased with its performance and ability to make the roughly 300-kilometre round trip from the Lower Mainland to Whistler on a single charge.
The primary barrier to EV uptake is price. The federal government should open up the Canadian market to Chinese EVs on the same basis as other foreign manufacturers, such as Toyota and Honda, to offer more affordable options.
Derek Wilson Port Moody, B.C.
Timeout
Re “It’s almost time to change the clocks – again. Here’s what it means for your health" (Oct. 27): Notwithstanding the scientific arguments put forth, I am certain that Daylight Savings Time is appreciated by most Canadians on lovely, long summer nights.
The effects of time shifts on sleep are well documented, even statistically significant. But taken to its logical conclusion, if time-shifting is dangerous, travel across time zones is also dangerous.
A trip from Toronto to Winnipeg? Begin preparing days in advance. If it is an overnight trip Catastrophe.
I have had seasonal affective disorder for years and its onset is almost always in late October. It gets supercharged when we return to standard time. I know it’s not only me: There is an entire industry selling various lights and supplements to SAD sufferers.
We live in a country blessed with so many resources, but I don’t think we have a surplus of sunlight. Either retain the current practice of seasonal time change or, alternatively, make DST permanent.
John Harris Toronto
Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com