Letters June 3: Denounce vandalism; heat damage to our marine environment

The mayor, the council must speak

The vandalism and violence perpetrated by radical protesters against historic artifacts in Victoria must end now.

First, the mayor and council removed the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, creating an authorization structure for more radical elements to increase the stake.

Next, we saw the bust of the Queen at Beacon Hill cut away.

On Canada Day, the city’s very namesake, Queen Victoria, was disfigured and the statue of Captain Cook was brutally shot and dumped in the Inner Harbor as Victoria police watched.

All of these events are perpetrated by those who, in their anger and with their own brand of righteous morality, wish to undo the story instead of looking at the story in context.

The injustices done to indigenous peoples do not justify this kind of behavior.

It is high time that the Mayor and Council of Victoria publicly declared that statues and historical figures are, for better or for worse, part of our history and that this history must be understood in context.

They should also be clear that while peaceful protests are the right of all Canadians, destruction of public property will not be tolerated.

Considering the passive reaction of our civic leaders to these events so far, how long will it be before some of these protesters move on to other targets such as churches, as we have already seen? seen in other parts of British Columbia?

Sadly, these events send the world a very bad message about Victoria and the lack of respect by some for history, law and order.

Jeff Kucharski
Victoria

Choose vandalism over celebration

So let me understand … on Canada Day instead of Victoria having fireworks and enjoying Canada and the fact that we don’t live in North Korea or Saudi Arabia or other places. horrible places with violence, few rights and very little food, a local group destroys and throws a symbolic piece of metal covered with red paint (toxic?) in the ocean.

I really don’t think pollution and vandalism is the right way to protest. If they threw the equivalent metal in the form of aluminum cans and paint into the ocean, no one would agree with that.

Why do some think it’s OK because he’s shaped like a person (Captain Cook)? What is this doing to help someone right now?

Marion smardon
Victoria

Limit the risks in this orgy of destruction

What did poor old Captain James Cook do to deserve his statue to be demolished and desecrated by a mob?

He was here only briefly, he was British, not Canadian, and he barely made landfall on our shore. Remember, the statue was holding a compass, not a gun.

Perhaps all statues, commemorative plaques, totem poles, etc., should be removed from the grounds of the Legislature and stored somewhere until this orgy of destruction is over.

Robert pellow
Parksville

Serious damage to the intertidal zone

Along with all the bad news about human deaths and fires caused by the recent thermal dome, there has been another calamity that doesn’t seem to have been noticed in the media.

The intertidal zone – this precarious and fragile transition between sea and land – occupied by many evolved species to survive a drastically variable environment, was decimated by the heat wave.

Online discussions with various wildlife groups have indicated a massive killing from top to bottom of the island, and almost certainly of the entire coastline of North America, from California to Alaska.

The stench of rotten oysters, mussels, snails, limpets, crabs and barnacles is reported wherever these species once thrived.

This massive destruction may seem insignificant, yet involves countless trillions of organisms, and is just the very first finger of a summer at the start of the coming climate catastrophe.

Fire is a dramatic and devastating consequence of climate change, but destruction on a much greater level is also occurring, with consequences unknown to us and our planet.

Nathaniel Poole
Brentwood Bay

Governments do nothing about the climate

The feelings of anger kept mounting as I listened to reports of the Lytton fire roaring through the village.

We talked about climate change while our governments, provincial and federal, pretend and then continue to cut old forests, ship logs to China; buy a pipeline; increase subsidies for fossil fuel extractors; continue with site C despite the loss of agricultural land in the north; determined to make every last penny, all of this on the backs of the First Nations whose resources we have stolen, evicted their lands, made our wealth on their backs while their children are placed in foster families, even still, even now.

I wait for politicians who mean what they say and strive to right the wrong. Meanwhile, individuals are installing solar panels and heat pumps knowing that we can’t wait for governments to do much.

Dorothy Champ
Victoria

Extreme weather plans needed for apartments

As a result of the recent extraordinary heat wave, numerous “excessive deaths” were reported by the coroner. The majority of the deaths apparently took place, not in long-term care facilities, but in people, especially the elderly, living in apartments, rented or condominiums.

This type of neglect should not be happening in an advanced country like Canada. Apartments tend to retain heat much more than single family homes and are therefore more dangerous during heat waves.

Some strata councils have established earthquake contingency plans, which include locating their residents in such circumstances.

I suggest that all strata boards make contingency plans that include checking all units during extreme weather conditions to prevent people from dying from heat stress.

Rental apartments should also have such contingency plans by the rental agent or property manager. City councils should act to encourage these emergency plans.

Kenneth mintz
Victoria

Deeply grateful for this country

There was no official national Canada Day celebration this year, and we all understand why. The descendants of the first peoples of this land are suffering and now is not the time to rejoice.

We need to surround them with our love, respect and understanding, now and always.

Nevertheless, there are countless people today who, in their hearts, are deeply grateful for this country. In 1940, with Nazi German troops just across the Channel and an unarmed Britain helpless, many British children were sent to Canada alone for their safety, and, when I was 10, I was one of them.

Canadians welcomed us, clothed us, supervised our education, celebrated our birthdays, treated us like theirs and all without thinking of paying. Unnumbered food packages were sent to our parents, restaurants threw Christmas parties for us, and complete strangers gave us niceties that we long forgotten.

At the end of the war, children were often sent home with a new wardrobe, as Canadians were aware of severe clothing rationing in Britain. And the food packages kept arriving.

But due to strict UK exchange regulations, Canadian foster parents were never reimbursed for the not always easy five years of caring for children (I know, I was one of the ‘between them).

Thank you Canada for that, and thank you for welcoming me in 1958.

Elizabeth chatfield
Victoria

We could solve problems on Earth

If global warming is our reality, why aren’t all the rockets launched to Mars, the Moon, space stations and now space tourism never mentioned as contributing to global warming?

Instead of turning space into a dumping ground and giving a thrill to a privileged few rich, maybe the savings could be spent on solving some problems on Earth.

Wendy lojstrup
Brentwood Bay

Billions for Parliament, Indigenous Excluded

I cannot imagine the frustration, angst and sense of hopelessness of many Indigenous Canadian citizens when they consider federal government priorities and spending like the Center Block restoration project on Parliament Hill.

Doesn’t that sound obscene? Who are our representatives? Only the rich and the privileged?

Given the billions of dollars to modernize capital assets, not to mention other inexplicable military spending, I would ask how much of the federal budget is spent on improving the environment and the health of First Peoples?

Simple question, I hope.

What are the numbers in fact?

What if the staggering comparative lack of investment in Indigenous communities across Canada was simply due to a lack of political power, that is, of votes?

It would be quite overwhelming. It is, I’m afraid.

It is undoubtedly racism. We are a rich nation. Let charity begin at home.

Bob wishlow
Saanich Center

Downtown crime and these “conditions”

Not long ago a woman was arrested for assaulting a man with a hammer, a young woman and her dog were attacked by a man with a hammer while they were sitting in their downtown van , a man with a knife and “other weapons” entered a downtown restaurant and started damaging the walls, and a man who threatened a security guard with a knife in a downtown shopping mall has been arrested.

What do all of these incidents, and more, have in common? These armed and violent individuals are released with a court date and “conditions”.

Does anyone going downtown these days feel safer?

Ian macdonell
Victoria

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