Mountains provide the backdrop to a G7 2025 sign in Banff, Alta.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Behind the fence
Re “In Kananaskis, a special security challenge: How to keep world leaders safe from grizzlies” (June 16): The ‘grizzly’ defence fence is a missed business opportunity.
Take some of the Icefield glacier tour buggies and offer trips along the fenceline so that citizens can watch “decision makers” exist in their natural habitat.
The idea of a bear fence protecting the G7 leaders against the resident grizzly bears is humorous and certainly creative.
The fence seems more like protection against the citizens instead of the animals.
Ted Emes Burnaby, B.C.
Keeping the world leaders safe in grizzly-bear country is definitely a Canadian stereotype but it provides a mighty tasty chuckle for all of us, one that we need right now.
And it is mating season, too.
Doesn’t get any better. Thanks for improving my morning.
Edie Lewis Brantford, Ont.
Perhaps all the attendees of this year’s G7 summit need to really do is outrun the President of the United States!
Brad Hankinson Hamilton, Ont.
Market realities
Re “Canadian exporters increasingly shift from U.S. to overseas markets” (Report on Business, June 16): Nicolas Van Praet is to be commended for reporting log data from the port of Montreal showing how Canadian international trade is already diversifying.
I hope this data-reporting continues on a regular basis. Perhaps it could be combined with log data from Vancouver and maybe even Prince Rupert and Halifax.
The growth of the economy will be enhanced as tariff hurdles affecting our exports to the United States are overcome with exports elsewhere.
Ed Dunnett Qualicum Beach, B.C.
Strategic sustainability
Re “Ottawa extends refugee jobs pilot program on day it was due to expire” (June 13): As a Canadian citizen who immigrated to Canada in 2000, I strongly support a thoughtful reset of our immigration system – not to close doors, but to better manage them.
Immigration has fuelled Canada’s growth, but it must be strategic. Many highly skilled newcomers are underemployed, and temporary workers and students, while beneficial, are overwhelming infrastructure without a coherent plan.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre’s call to tighten immigration is not xenophobic – it’s practical. The 11.6-per-cent unemployment rate among newcomers reflects a system that invites people without ensuring they can thrive.
Canada should always welcome talent and diversity – but we must also ensure housing, health care and jobs are available.
Strategic immigration protects everyone: new Canadians, established Canadians and future generations.
Haroon Rashid Khan Ajax, Ont.
Housing remedy
Re “Edmonton’s heritage Garneau district confronts upzoning” (June 13): Whenever an old, established residential neighbourhood faces calls for increasing their densities, the usual arguments of the unique designs of older homes, infill housing breaking up neighborhoods, loss of privacy, et al bleat their chorus.
There is a dire shortage of affordable housing in major cities across Canada. Because of dated zoning bylaws for cities and towns, new residential development continued to expand outwards from places of employment, schools, etc.
Cities had to continue to put in infrastructure before the beginning of new construction.
No day passes without reading about young couples not being able to afford houses.
The remedy is to intensify the densities of older neighborhoods.
On another note, houses in older neighborhoods are primarily owned by older residents.
They would do well to subdivide their lots and build infill homes to capitalize their income and still be able to live in their neighborhoods.
Esmail Jiwaji Edmonton
The science stands
Re “Danielle Smith defends policy requiring Albertans to pay out of pocket for COVID vaccines” (June 16): My wife and I just got over cases of COVID-19. Fortunately, we have been regular recipients of scheduled COVID-19 vaccinations. As a result, the symptoms and the length of our illnesses were quite light.
So it is distressing to hear from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith saying that the COVID-19 vaccination “doesn’t work particularly well, if you want the truth.”
Personally, I don’t think Danielle Smith works particularly well as a Premier.
Patrick Stewart Toronto
The Premier of Alberta said that the COVID-19 vaccine “doesn’t work particularly well, if you want the truth.”
She is wrong.
Dr. Danyu Lin and colleagues, for example, at the U.S. National Institutes for Health, found that both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were 94 per cent to 96 per cent effective in preventing infections from new variants, dropping to around 80 per cent after seven months. Other studies gave similar results.
Lee Harding Coquitlam, B.C.
Party overhaul
Re “Post-Mulroney, the Conservatives’ brand is ‘loser.’ It’s time for an overhaul” (Opinion, June 12): The Conservative Party of today is not the Progressive Conservative Party of yesterday and the “authoritarian, xenophobic, demagogic, vulgar and imperialist” leader of today is not the articulate, charismatic and statesman-like leader of yesterday.
Unless the party pivots and casts its net wider, it will remain a big fish in the small western pond and a small opposition fish in the large national pond.
The Liberals will continue having a fish fry and remain the big fish in the big pond.
Tom Driedger Toronto
Cutting corners
Re “Ottawa to put latest Canada Post offer up to a union vote” (June 13): Shame on Canada Post for bypassing the union’s critical place in this collective bargaining process.
The union negotiating committee was elected by members to represent them at the bargaining table. Once a tentative deal is agreed upon, the union would either recommend the offer or not, and then it would hold a vote.
For Canada Post to deal directly with members ignores the most basic principle of labour relations: the right of the union to represent its members. This direct government interference at such a critical stage in the bargaining process should be considered a threat to all unionized workers.
Members should not participate in this “vote,” and both parties should get back to the table and work out a deal in good faith.
Karen Shortt Nanaimo, B.C.
No benefit
Re “Germany embraces militarism for the first time since the Second World War” (June 13): In an article on German rearmament, an observer states that “expectations will be high that all this extra spending will kick-start the economy”.
Maybe. But what then? Military spending has zero return on investment. It’s completely unproductive. It does nothing to build the economy or create wealth.
It’s an expenditure, not an investment – a sugar high that will leave us with a post-prandial crash.
Brian Green Thunder Bay
Symbolic story
Re “Out of sight” (Letters, June 13): I do not have any tattoos, but has a letter-writer who hates tattoos so vehemently ever asked a tattooed person what their body art means to them?
T.M. Dickey Toronto
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