Today's letters: Stop comparing Canada's crime rate to other countries

Crime rate nothing to be proud of

Re: Canadian murder rates reach new highs — and it’s mainly due to gang violence, Nov. 23.

I wonder whether we should be celebrating the fact that according to the UN, the average homicide rate globally is roughly three times that of Canada, or that the homicide rate in the United States continues “to outpace Canada,” or that we are doing way better than Jamaica, whose murder rate is 22 times higher than ours.

Or should we be very sad to know that “gang related killings represent 23 per cent of all murders” in Canada and that hate-motivated crimes rose 27 per cent?

Statistics are good to tell us what is going on in our beloved Canada but do not tell us the reasons for the rise in crime rates. Is it the type of people we are admitting to this country, some of whom who have baggage or problems from their homeland? Is it the incapability of the police to enforce the law because of multiple restrictions and red tape? Is it because of leniency of the law and the courts? Or is it because our leaders are labelling people with their religion or place of origin, such as Lebanese Canadian, Chinese Canadian, Russian Canadian and so on?

That divides people unintentionally and creates an unintended recipe for hate in a world saturated with turmoil economically, socially and politically. Is it not contrary to what our prime minister preaches: “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian”?

Or are we happy to be compared to the poorer and underdeveloped countries included in the statistics basket, so that we can say we are still better? I, for one, refrain from comparing my Canada except to the best in the world. But to make it the best, we all have the responsibility to work together against crime of any kind.

Badih Shadid, Ottawa

Masking might have prevented death

On Friday, Oct. 28, my elderly mother was on Via train that left Fallowfield station at 10:45 am. She was travelling with her son, grandson and family friend to my son’s wedding in Toronto. I arranged to have them be in business class so they would have more space and lunch provided.

They never removed their masks except to eat lunch. Only my nephew did not eat lunch and kept his mask on. Nearby, a man was coughing and not wearing a mask. All three of them tested positive for COVID by the following Wednesday.

On Sunday, Nov. 6, my mother passed away from COVID after four days at The Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus.

We are all responsible for situations like this. It can be avoided by our personal responsibility and our public duty to protect others by masking up.

My mother never wanted to be a statistic, and now she is.

Rosamaria Kelly, Kanata

It’s time for mandatory masking

Re: Parents feeling ‘abandoned’ as children’s health-care system struggles, calls for provincial mandate swell, Nov. 15.

Nurses, like parents across the province, are gravely concerned about the increasing number of children becoming sick and ending up in hospital emergency rooms. That’s why we have been calling for a provincial mask mandate — for weeks now — to protect children and others, and to preserve our already  strained nursing capacity.

RNAO has advocated for masking throughout the pandemic. At a time when we face the triple threat of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu, it is more important than ever for every Ontarian to do their part.

However, recommendations like the one issued by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health aren’t enough to convince people to mask up. Let’s do everything we can to protect our children. Dr. Kieran Moore: it is time to mandate masking.

Doris Grinspun, Chief Executive Officer, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, Toronto

Pharmacy renewals shouldn’t cost extra

Re: Letter: Allow Easier Access to Renewals of Prescription Drugs, Nov. 12.

Pharmacists are allowed to “renew” prescriptions for certain classes of medications under the Expanded Scope of Practice of the Ontario College of Pharmacists. A number of very rudimentary questions are asked of the patient, and if the answers are acceptable, the original prescription can be “renewed” and the medication supplied for up to one year.

However, some pharmacies and pharmacy chains charge an extra fee in addition to the existing dispensing/professional fee. The extra charge (commonly $15/ prescription) is not covered by Ontario Drug Benefit.

In these days of increasing costs across all sectors, the extra costs of a prescription renewal could be a burden and as your letter-writer says, missing medication can have dire consequences. As a retired pharmacist, I object to the extra cost.

Eleanor Moore, Ottawa

Uncivil disruptions should have consequences

Re: Mask mandate debate at Ottawa-Carleton school board meeting disrupted by hecklers, police called to clear room, Nov. 23.

The Citizen informs us that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board meeting on Tuesday was disrupted by protesters concerned about the wearing of masks in schools. Apparently the protest was so disruptive that protesters were removed from the premises by security staff and police and the meeting was cancelled without concluding the business that evening.

The consequences of the disruption are, as a minimum, threefold. The meeting was cancelled, school board business was delayed and board staff wasted their time and resources in running an aborted meeting.  So they had to do it all over again. Tax dollars were wasted.

For the protesters ejected from the meeting, the consequences were positive. They delayed a decision on masks and since there were no reports on charges, arrests, rides to jail, there were no potential trials and possible penalties. This may have reinforced the idea that disrupting school board business is acceptable and a viable option if the board attempts to consider matters that some people don’t like.

Finally, civility in the community as a whole may degrade since some people may decide that bad behaviour is an acceptable form of protest for anything that bothers them.

In conclusion, should disruptive and uncivil protests be allowed to occur without consequences?  If they are, where are we going as a society?

Robert John Patten, Orléans

What were the police actually doing?

Re: Minister feared police had lost control of streets, Nov. 23.

I remember, at the height of the trucker occupation, walking up Kent Street, which was lined (littered?) with illegally parked vehicles: vans, pickups, even a camper. Ahead of me, an Ottawa police cruiser — window rolled down, the two officers inside chatting amiably — emerged from a side street, crossed Kent and continued on its way.

The Ottawa police lost control of the streets? Did they ever have it in the first place?

Thomas Frisch, Ottawa

Citizen action may have spurred government

Has anyone considered that the citizens of Ottawa had begun to take the law onto their own hands?

The weekend before the Emergencies Act was invoked, when police did not act, people of Ottawa stopped trucks near Billing bridge, a dangerous game and one that could have led to injury. It seems to me that was justification enough for the Act.

Dorothy Phillips, Ottawa

A strange standard on parking tickets

I recently got a ticket for parking for a short time in a federal government parking lot in the middle of the afternoon. With most employees working from home, the lot was only some one-quarter full, so I thought it would not be a problem.

And not only did the ticket seem like a particularly unnecessary and petty act, but I was told of people parking trucks in front of the Parliament Buildings for over three weeks without getting a ticket. That can’t be true, can it?

John Arbuckle, Ottawa

Make 24 Sussex into a museum

Re: 24 Sussex closing for safety, though report suggests some issues are minor, Nov. 19.

It seems to me that government in the past has not hesitated to demolish useful buildings or established venues, such as the Hunter building, Sir John Carling building, the Citizen Queen Street building, the Capitol theatre etc. Why are we going to save the prime minister’s house?

Certainly we can do better in entertaining dignitaries with a top-notch modern facility that we can be proud of. Keep the old house and convert it into a historical museum of past prime ministers.

Nicole Beggs, Ottawa

The PM needs a livable residence

Nobody likes bloated government spending but why is it acceptable that the residence meant to house the leader of our government has been unlivable for the last seven years?

Recent governments have been afraid of investing money into 24 Sussex Drive in case it is seen as a self-serving vanity project and irresponsible spending. But can you imagine a similar scenario happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or 10 Downing Street? Spending the money wouldn’t even be a question.

Ignoring the problem, while a favourite Canadian pastime, only exacerbates it. Repairs on the building have been deemed urgent since 2008 and were originally quoted at $10 million. Both the Harper and Trudeau governments have refused to address them, and it will now cost almost four times that just to bring the residence to a basic standard for living. No Canadian would accept their heating and hydro bill being $200 per day. How much has that cost us since 2008?

Regardless of whether the final answer is to renovate or rebuild entirely, Canada needs a primary residence for the prime minister that is reflective of its status on the world stage.

Ryan Lincoln, Ottawa

Votes show jail plan is democratic

Re: Kemptville jail plan another example of Ford’s assault on democracy, Nov. 23.

Aaron Doyle and Justin Piché’s reference to the Kemptville prison in their op-ed is perplexing. If the Ford government’s decision to proceed with the Kemptville jail project is “undemocratic” and overrides the wishes of the people of North Grenville, how do the authors explain the results of recent elections?

Kemptville Mayor Nancy Peckford was re-elected with 75 per cent of votes cast. Her only challenger was Colleen Lynas of the Coalition Against the Proposed Prison. Local MPP Steve Clark also won re-election with almost 58 per cent of the vote. His nearest competitor promised to scrap the prison.

Surely free and open elections are the foundation of a democracy. The results at the ballot box speak for themselves. Please move on.

Margaret Armour, North Grenville

Bill 23 just ties the city’s hands

Do you think that the price of a new house under the “More Homes Built Faster Act” (MHBFA) is going to be reduced because development fees payable by the developer to the city will no longer be levied? Sorry, that cost will eventually be paid by the home purchaser.

Up to now, the developer pays the city, probably with borrowed money, for the infrastructure of the subdivision and then adds that cost to the price of each house to pay off that loan. The home purchasers then add that cost to the size of their mortgages. Under the MHBFA, the city will be required to take out loans to build the infrastructure and then will assess each home a local improvement tax to pay down that loan. So the homeowner, instead of paying more mortgage, is going to pay more taxes.

It’s roughly about the same if everybody is honest about what they are doing. But the city is poorer because it has to arrange that loan to pay for the infrastructure, and thus is denied the opportunity to borrow money to maintain or improve other aspects of the city.

Thanks, Mr. Ford for tying the financial hands of the city.

David H. Gray, Ottawa

Pelosi’s example is even broader

Re: ‘Pragmatic’ Pelosi never faltered as House Speaker. Nov. 24.

Andrew Cohen’s homage to Nancy Pelosi is well deserved. She was an outstanding political negotiator and superb Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in very tough years.

However, his statement that “She is an inspiration to women” is very short of the mark. The video presented by the Jan. 6 committee, showing her taking charge during the attempted coup d’état while senators and representatives were ushered to security, showed that, compared to Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, she was the one with the fighting instincts.

The idea that her example might not be an inspirations to people of all genders is, at the least, shortsighted.

Jean Morin, Ottawa

Find another word, news media 

These days, I’m constantly hearing from the news media that we’re all “scrambling” for something. I empathize with all those parents who must be worn out by all the “scrambling” they’re being told they’re doing. Media, why not give us all a rest break by “unscrambling” and using a less frenetic buzzword or phrase, such as “searching for” or “looking for”?

Peter Robertson, Ottawa

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