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Here for the beer
Re Strategic Shift Aims To Raise Mulcair's Profile (May 25): If NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair's strategy is to get himself more known and accepted as a man of the people, perhaps he shouldn't be wearing a suit, shirt and tie while pulling pints in a brewery.
Donald Symonds, Markham, Ont.
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Such huge risk
What an incredible, inspiring story your first article in the series on Conflict Photographers was (Folio, May 25). If only more ordinary individuals could or would put into practice Joao Silva's philosophy of coping and moving forward, my guess is that our mental health care system would be relieved of a huge burden.
I have often wondered why photojournalists and war correspondents would put themselves at such huge risk. Now I feel I have a bit of an understanding as to the reasons.
Shelley Gans, Toronto
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Empty chair and all
Jeffrey Simpson got it right: Network Debates Without Harper? No Problem (May 23). Stephen Harper is throwing his weight around in a high-stakes gamble that the show will not go on without him. The networks have an opportunity to stand up to him and, if need be, go to air, empty chair and all, without the Conservative leader. Canadians will understand who's playing politics.
John Harvard, Winnipeg
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Idiocy? Variety: male
As a male motorcyclist who recently fractured his elbow when crashing his 150 hp, 1000 cc Sport Bike, Margaret Wente's column hit a little too close to home (When Men Behave Badly – May 23). Was I one of the idiot males who is "2.9 times more likely to fracture a bone than females are" by reason of the fact that I "like fast motorcycles"?
Imagine my relief when I realized that my age – 61 this year – puts me well outside the under-35 age group of male idiocy.
Randolph Scott, Calgary
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If that heckler had lit up a cigarette instead, he would've been ejected without delay. Why? Because smoking in public buildings is just-that-objectionable. Sadly, sexual harassment remains widely tolerated: Raising "male idiot theory" is not helpful. Men harming themselves and willing buddies is one thing. Men harming others is never okay; perpetrators must never be excused by versions of "boys will be boys."
Justin Tanguay, Ottawa
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Oh, how delicious! There's Margaret Wente in the Focus section, pounding away elegantly about men behaving badly and ascribing execrably misogynist behaviour to Male Idiot Theory.
Then, right below her on the same page, is Jeffrey Simpson pounding away with equal elegance about the Prime Minister's – um, bizarre – refusal to join the other party leaders for a CBC/CTV/Global national election debate. Given the proximity of the two pieces, I couldn't help but wonder if our PM might be exhibiting symptoms.
As I said, delicious …
Larry Tayler, Belleville, Ont.
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A right carry-on
Re Air Canada Begins Clampdown In Toronto On Passenger's Carry-On Baggage (online, May 25): Canada's low population density and vast geography make the domestic airline business a hard one. Witness the many financial failures (JetsGo, Wardair etc.) and government bailouts (Air Canada, repeatedly).
In the case of Air Canada's recent commitment to enforcing carry-on baggage restrictions, the problem is not the policy: It's the airline's approach. Air Canada (and its competitors) should increase fares by $25 or $50 dollars (which consumers won't notice amid constantly fluctuating ticket prices), make it "free" to check multiple bags, and work hard to improve the checked baggage handling process at departure and arrival – instead of putting resources into policing carry-on bag size and weight.
But passengers also need to calm down. Air travel is a privilege, not a right.
Michael Barrett, Toronto
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Patients' rights
Thank you for an excellent article offering strong evidence to support psychotherapy's inclusion in the public health system ('We Have The Evidence … Why Aren't We Providing Evidence-Based Care?' – Focus, May 23). Learning about the much greater availability of such services in other OECD countries was particularly enlightening.
As someone who eventually managed to obtain psychotherapy through the publicly funded system – with small user-contributions – I would like to add a caveat. The system, both as it stands and with more publicly funded psychotherapy, requires a patient bill of rights and a well-publicized ombudsman.
People accessing therapy are at the most vulnerable juncture of their lives and subject to whims of the system in ways which are not conducive to their recovery or to any cost/benefit balance.
"Client centred" should be the reality, not just a buzzword, for publicly funded psychotherapy.
Janet Creer, Ottawa
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Police cameras
Re Giving Police Their Kodak Moment (editorial, May 21): Your editorial states that Toronto officers will start recording with their body cameras when they begin investigating an individual, and that this includes carding situations.
Staff Superintendent Tom Russell, who is in charge of the body-camera pilot project, has said officers have been trained that the cameras must be turned on for an investigative contact with a person. But in my experience in making submissions to the Toronto Police Services Board, it is apparent that carding, now called "community engagement," is not an investigative contact. There is no mention of community engagement in the outline for the camera pilot project.
The community contacts policy approved by the police board in April, 2014, required officers to explain to those they approached that there was no obligation to speak to police and that the person was free to leave. Under the community engagement policy passed last month, there is no requirement for officers to tell a person they are free to decline to talk and are free to leave.
Paul Copeland, Toronto
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Book of Leafs
Re The Redeemer Was Named Mike And He Would Save The Sacred Game (May 23): St. Elizabeth of Renzetti doth, with great mirth, describe the past nearly five decades from the Book of Leafs 5:21.
Alas, can the High Priests of the Sanhedrin, known by their alias, MSLE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment), hide the poisoned chalice so St. Michael can supplant Hannibal as history's greatest military strategist?
Don Kawaja, King City, Ont.