Crucial starting point
Bill C-51 (anti-terrorism) contains one glaring omission. The ultimate terrorist threat to all of us is economic/ecological [“Finding a balance,” February 18].
Corporations are operating around the globe without scrutiny and with impunity. Tax havens are nation destabilizers which lead to deficits and cuts to life-enriching services.
There needs to be a redistribution of financial wealth—transformation from a super concentration for a tiny fraction of the population to a major dilution to the population at large. Massive, extreme poverty leads to extreme measures of desperation in a vacuum of vulnerability. However, that pales in comparison to runaway climate change-induced extreme weather events and patterns which threaten our critical infrastructure and financial stability. Millions of Canadians are becoming fatigued constantly rallying for a renewable low-carbon future.
There is an ever-increasing global epidemic of disenfranchised, disengaged youth who feel futile and hopeless about their future. Regardless of which country you are from or what your individual belief systems are, climate change is the common thread that binds us all. If we are to prevent radicalization of the next generation then it is incumbent upon all of us to inspire optimism and hope for their future.
The immediate and urgent transitioning to renewable low-carbon future is a crucial starting point. We have to treat the symptoms before we can overcome the challenge.
Steve Perkins
Blair Road, Texada Island
Service unreliable
My daughter and I were visiting my parents in Powell River recently [“Recognition paves way,” December 3, 2014].
We arrived in Powell River on Friday evening (February 20) by Malaspina Coach Lines from Vancouver.
We set out on Monday morning at 6:10 am to start the journey back to Vancouver from Powell River. We took a cab to the depot behind Powell River Town Centre Hotel to be greeted by a woman who said that the bus would not be running that day due to personnel problems. Needless to say, we were shocked but the taxi driver said that he was not surprised and that this situation has been happening frequently. He was very helpful and drove us to the airport. We were fortunate to get the last two seats on the 7 am flight. But, of course, the cost was more than we had planned on paying for our return trip home.
I wanted to send this letter to the coach line people but there is no email address for them. I asked the woman at the bus station how one could find out if the bus was running and she said to call the depot. They are not there, however, at 6:30 am to answer the phone.
It would appear that the critical bus link between the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast and Powell River is becoming tenuous to say the least. For those who cannot afford to fly and who have no car, this is a vital service. This service must be brought up to a standard of excellence that reflects the part of the province that it serves. We are not living in the third world.
My trips to Powell River are very important to stay in touch with my family. If I can’t count on the bus service I will be very disappointed and unable to visit as often as I should.
Charlene Tatham Gavel
North Vancouver
