Re: How Ottawa’s stunt-driving is spiralling out of control, Sept. 5.
Stunt-driving penalties do not appear to be deterring drivers from excessive speeding. Every day, there are stories about these charges. It amazes me that a lawyer can use negotiation to reduce the penalties.
Whether it’s a driver’s first offence or not, the penalty should not be reduced. Drivers need to feel the consequences of their non-compliance with traffic laws.
Roberta Goulet, Ottawa
Thank you for the article on stunt driving. We live near Westgate Shopping Centre. We’ve been there 37 years. On way too many nights, we hear the loud zooming of cars and/or motorcycles.
Hilary Kemsley, Ottawa
In his book “Lemon Aid New Car Buyers’ Guide,” author Phil Edmonston referred to a Pontiac Trans Am as “a muscle car for muscle heads.” The description fits, as we struggle with stunt driving on our streets and roads.
To purchase a firearm in Canada I need to pass a background test that includes checks on mental health, a possible criminal record and any history of domestic violence. Surely the risk of allowing persons to drive high-performance cars and motorcycles is similar, if not equal, when public safety is the concern.
You should have to pass a similar test to own or drive one of these over-the-top cars and bikes and you should also be held responsible for anyone other then yourself behind the wheel of your “muscle” car.
Thomas Brawn, Orléans
Speeding and other traffic violation tickets are meant to discourage repeat offenders. However, a $200 ticket might be devastating for a poor driver but water off a duck’s back for a wealthier person. So the idea of making the ticket cost a function of income seems like a way to improve effectiveness fairly.
And if that seems too harsh, a first offence might require the offender to only pay part — say 50 per cent — with the balance payable upon a second offence. This might discourage violators better while increasing revenues to offset the cost of providing traffic surveillance.
Michael Wiggin, Ottawa
Your cover story on stunt driving praises Coun. Sean Devine’s crackdown on car racing, yet fails to mention any effort to work with the community that enjoys these activities. Demonizing people without offering safe, legal alternatives is not a solution.
More concerning is the lack of coverage of Devine’s inaction regarding affordable housing and local commerce. I’ve sent letters, emails and voicemails about the demolition of modest homes and the commercial mini-mall at 350 Viewmount Dr., to no avail.
Original homes are being easily and rapidly replaced by oversized mansions, displacing families who can no longer afford to live here. Permits could at least be more costly to provide needed revenue. At 350 Viewmount, tenants were priced out with unjustified rent hikes, leaving the property vacant, likely to justify rezoning for condos. The only walkable commercial space near many homes must remain commercial.
The councillor should be held accountable for what he neglects.
Caitlin Doyle, Nepean
Re: Denley, Championing speeders is an awkward look for law-and-order Doug Ford, Sept. 11.
Wow! We have lost our way — especially the premier. These speed cameras identify cars that are breaking the law by speeding above the posted limit. (Let’s not forget that there is a grace allowance in the measurement of the speed.) Why wouldn’t these drivers be ticketed? Why are there questions about keeping the cameras?
I understand that these cameras are unpopular with lawbreakers, and that politicians like Ford see an opportunity to gain some favour with them. Why? It seems the premier is willing to bend to any wind regardless of the implications. These cameras enforce safe speeds for all of us. They are not “tax grabs.”
I was caught, unintentionally, by a speed camera and it taught me to be more aware of my actions. It is a lesson I appreciate.
The comments made by the premier are wrong, ill-advised and harmful.
Stephen Silcox, Ottawa
Re: Doug Ford’s vow to ban research on dogs will have chilling impact: Carleton researcher, Sept. 9.
It is preposterous to compare inducing heart attacks in dogs to the use of dogs in hemophilia research. The first causes unbearable pain and cruelty. The second obviously involves taking blood for analysis from what are described as well cared dogs with hemophilia.
If the researchers who conduct studies on animals truly believe that they are doing the right thing, why are they hiding their involvement? Ditto for the medical research organizations facilitating such activity.
What oversight is applied to these activities? Are animal welfare experts invited to visit these lab facilities to ensure humane treatment of the animals? Are the researchers asked to submit their findings for review by independent scientists to determine how best to ensure that animal cruelty is not caused by their research?
From the articles published so far on the subject of the dogs subjected to induced heart attacks, I gather that medical opinion is divided with respect to the usefulness of such research. Hence, it is high time for an in-depth review.
Two-and-a-half years ago, I was looking for a home for my small business, Rideau Rollers. I visited a tiny storefront at Somerset and Booth streets in the heart of Chinatown. As a longtime resident of Centretown, I was excited to work a few minutes’ walk from my home. The shop was close to public transit and a thriving community of small businesses. At the bus stop outside of the store, I could see my neighbours sitting on a bench in the shade waiting for the Number 11 bus.
Last winter, the BIA petitioned to close the safe injection site at the Somerset West Community Health Centre. This was supposed to reduce crime and make us safer. Now more people are using drugs outside because they have nowhere else to go. Closing the safe injection site didn’t make anyone safer.
A year ago, the BIA removed the bench from the bus stop outside my store. In an email, it claimed removing the bus stop was a response to harassment of a nearby business. Now there’s nowhere for my neighbours — and my customers — to sit and wait for the bus. Removing the bench didn’t make anyone safer.
The BIA is telling people that Somerset West is dangerous. My customers read the news and they ask me if I’m safe, working alone after dark. I tell them I feel sad, and that seeing people in need can make some people uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable isn’t the same thing as being unsafe. I never feel unsafe in my neighbourhood.
Alysha Gardner, Ottawa, owner, Rideau Rollers
So many pillars of our community support Lansdowne 2.0, yet I can’t understand why. Being mostly business people, or allied to them, these people should not want to see public money (more taxes!) wasted, and yet here they are saying that our city should spend a half-billion on this project.
I read that Lansdowne 1.0 is now breaking even, and on track towards profitability. I also hear that the facilities should last for many years (as you would expect if Lansdowne 1.0 were properly planned.) These statements are confirmed by my local councillor and not denied by my mayor. (Full disclosure: he didn’t actually reply to my query.)
So, if Lansdowne 1.0 is heading to profitability, why change things? Why the half-billion?
The only answer I can come up with is that the private partner, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, wants a bigger return. But isn’t it in the nature of public-private partnerships such as Lansdowne that the private partner bears the risk of loss as well as the prospect of gain? That’s how our free-enterprise system is supposed to work.
Can that mean that we, the citizens of Ottawa, are going to subsidize — massively — the profits of one particular company? Why?
Colin Beattie, Ottawa
The immigration of part-time workers is not the problem. The following changes over the past several years are more significant: young people employed as gas station attendants versus self-service pumps; grocery store packing and checkout jobs versus self-checkout counters; robotic developments replacing assignments at industrial manufacturing operations.
Re: F-35 flying into more delays and cost increases, U.S. government report says, Sept. 9.
The ever-increasing costs and delays in the F-35 program have led Spain, Portugal and Switzerland to drop their purchase of this airplane. It is about time that Canada cut its losses by accepting the 16 planes already contracted and buying the Swedish SAAB GRIPEN E/F with a Roll-Royce engine.
The money saved by purchasing the less costly and easier to maintain GRIPEN could be used to procure the SAAB/Erikson/Bombardier developed GLOBALEye AWACs plane. Not only would this free Canada from the draconian upgrade and spare parts control of the United States, it would allow assembly, construction and control by Canadian workers. And it would help us diversify away from U.S. dominance over the Canadian military.
J.A. Summerfield, Winchester
I’m following up on the many letters of disenchantment to the editor regarding Prime Minister Mark Carney not being able to solve any of Canada’s major problems.
I agree with those who don’t understand Carney’s inability to fix everything after a full five months in office — unlike the big beautiful U.S. president who said he would solve all the world’s problems within his first 24 hours on the job.
I’m definitely in favour of buying more Canadian products — the more the better. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement in St. John’s was encouraging as he promoted the east coast.
During his announcement, he mentioned the ability of local seafood producers to trade overseas, in Europe. He mentioned proper preparation and shipping techniques to ensure quality is maintained for export. But when can we in the rest of Canada start buying Canadian east coast (and west coast) seafood?
I have given up seafood, which I love, because I’m tired of having to purchase shrimp from Thailand or Vietnam and even smoked salmon processed in West Germany.
This provincial non-trade policy is forcing us to buy foreign, be it Asian, European or — most regrettably — American products.
Mary sue Boyle, Kemptville
Mark Carney is running around the country handing out taxpayer dollars that Canadians do not have. This what Justin Trudeau did during COVID, and it has gotten the country into a large deficit which at least the next two generations will pay for.
When are Canadians going to learn they must look after themselves and not rely on government bailouts? Continued reliance on government bailouts leads to socialism and I am sure Canadians do not want that system.
Stan Painter, Kanata.
Re: Carney pauses electric vehicle mandate, announces new ‘buy Canadian’ policy, Sept. 5.
It’s ironic that Mark Carney called his book Values, since, when it comes to the environment, his stance resembles the Groucho Marx quote: “These are my principles and, if you don’t like them, I have others.”
Paddy Fuller, Ottawa
The United States is changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. I recall a defence person at a diplomatic event stating that we should consider everyone as a potential foe. But why not consider strangers, including other countries, as potential friends?
With this new mindset, Canada should change our Department of Defence to a Department of Peace. This would signal to the world a different focus for our spending and actions. Since preventing war is preferable and probably cheaper than waging war, we could then focus more on peace initiatives.
As an example, the first step should be to invest some of the defence budget on expanding the training and number of Canadians in UN peacekeeping forces.
Joe Foster, Ottawa
It is 2025. If only we could start reading about a world in which countries and people directed money to ways we can do things in harmony rather than spending it on defence and NATO.
Italy and other countries hope to have the money the use for building bridges and improving infrastructure count as NATO spending, since it improves their military’s ability to move around and protect. This is great; Canada can direct funding to repairing so many of our pothole filled roads.
