Freestyle skiers Mikael Kingsbury and Marielle Thompson carry the Canada flag for Team Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 6.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Stay strong
Re “Thanks to the IOC, Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych went from hero to global icon of resistance” (Feb. 13): While most of us in Canada are fortunate enough to enjoy our safe and warm homes, Ukrainians are literally freezing from the biting cold in homes constantly under shelling, day and night.
Tired of the war as much as Ukrainians are? Brave enough not to look away? Enough sense not to believe Donald Trump’s claims that Russia wants peace? Enough humanity to stand with Ukrainians?
Please reach out to any Ukrainian friends in Canada and say, “How can I help your loved ones who are fighting for their lives every day?” Only with the unwavering support of the global civilian community can Ukrainians withstand this brutal “blood and ice” ordeal and ultimately win.
Helen Lysenko Coquitlam, B.C.
Take the lead
Re “Sherritt warns Cuba mining operations could shut down amid fuel shortages” (Report on Business, Feb. 12): The world abhors a vacuum. An unattended Cuba would attract China, or Russia again.
Some country will step into the void. Why can it not be Canada?
Canada already has trade with Cuba and Canadians have been vacationing there for decades. Canada could form an alliance with Caribbean, Central American and South American nations to transform Cuba into a democratic state, send its leaders into exile, restructure the economy and encourage investment.
Few nations want to invest in Cuba because the government cannot be trusted. An alliance of nations would ensure that funds reach their objectives and Cuba is directed toward solvency and, eventually, profitability.
Robert D’Amico St. Catharines, Ont.
Better late…?
Re “Will the Eglinton Crosstown carry Toronto forward?” (Feb. 9): I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that Doug Ford would prefer not to engage in a postmortem of the troubled Eglinton LRT project.
It’s only taxpayers money that was wasted, and he certainly wouldn’t want any of the blame to show up on his doorstep.
Neville Taylor Toronto
Torontonians once gazed upon Montreal’s Olympic Stadium as a cautionary tale of incompetence, corruption and negligence, and we did it with not a small degree of smugness. Well, for mes chums de Montréal, it’s their turn.
The Eglinton LRT dwarves the Big O in schedule and cost overruns. This should give Doug Ford’s “taxpayer-first” constitution severe indigestion. But our Premier seems to be swallowing it whole and moving on.
Et tu, Mr. Ford?
Arman Mirza Toronto
Every time I ride public transit in a European city, I am embarrassed for Toronto, where I lived for 40 years.
On a recent trip to Bordeaux, a French city more than 2,300 years old with a population of 260,000-plus, I experienced their enviable tram system that covers the entire city. With 77.5 kilometres of track, four separate lines that continue out to the suburbs and airport as well as ongoing additions and improvements, it is a marvel of efficiency.
During construction, they had the challenges of navigating cobblestone streets, precious classical architecture and excavations which uncovered significant archeological findings, including Roman ruins. Still, the first phase with 24.3 km of track took only five years.
The next 53.2 km of track were completed in 15 years – nearly triple what Toronto accomplished in the same time, with no historical architecture or archeological findings to work around.
Heads should roll.
Robin Siegerman Guelph, Ont.
A word from…
Re “CBC shouldn’t brush off the over 1,000 complaints it received about ads during Olympics opening ceremony” (Feb. 11): Che vergogna.
Shame on the CBC for destroying the Olympics opening ceremony by intermittently showing a split-screen of commercials.
I understand sponsorship and advertising and the money associated with these deals, but come on. Let us enjoy a few hours celebrating the Olympics and be respectful of the host country and our athletes.
Per favore.
Lisa De Pieri Burlington, Ont.
The Olympics opening ceremony was full of beautiful moments: music, dance, art and speeches about humanity. However, the CBC managed to ruin it by repeatedly cutting the audio and putting advertisements on most of the screen.
The pursuit of advertising dollars could have been handled in a much more graceful way that did not interrupt the ceremony. Instead of watching such an irritating broadcast, we turned to NBC’s U.S. broadcast, which gave the event the respect it deserved.
Let’s hope the CBC stops this practice right away. Can you imagine the outrage should key moments of Canada’s hockey games be interrupted this way?
Cynthia Rowden Toronto
The Olympics opening ceremony should have been one of the few uninterrupted, shared cultural moments Canadians still have. Instead, it was repeatedly broken up by ads that undercut its significance.
This didn’t happen in a vacuum. The Carney government failed to deliver more stable funding that would allow the CBC to protect moments like the Olympics from excessive commercial interruption. When public funding falls short, ad dollars take over, even when they don’t belong.
That erosion has been accelerated by Pierre Poilievre. Years of dismissive, hostile rhetoric about defunding or undermining the CBC have shifted the narrative from “public good” to “political liability.” Even when those comments don’t translate directly into policy, they chill investment, embolden cuts and normalize the idea that uniquely Canadian storytelling is expendable.
A public broadcaster forced to act like a private one is a policy failure. The Olympics deserved better, and so does the CBC.
Kate Dye Hamilton
Right call
Re “As a family doctor, the nearly extinct house call is still a meaningful part of my job” (Opinion, Jan. 31) and “Door-to-door” (Letters, Feb. 6): I operated a solo general practice in St. Thomas, Ont. from 1977 to 2017.
From my arrival, I regularly made house calls until retirement. This was, of course, more feasible in a smaller community such as our own, although I did occasionally venture out to farm family homes and nearby villages. Sometimes spotty directions made this difficult, although the arrival of GPS was a great benefit.
Most (not all) patients appreciated this. For some who were socially isolated, a few minutes of conversation were of as much benefit as any medical services rendered. The insights I gained from observing people’s home environments, economic situations and lifestyles provided valuable information that could not be gained from an office or hospital visit.
I believe house calls add a great deal to our patient care armamentarium and relationships. I urge the new generation of physicians to think about reviving the practice.
Jeffrey Green MD; St. Thomas, Ont.
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