Letters: September 9, 2015

Hubcap resurfaces

Two summers ago while I was driving up to Lund in my old car, it threw a hubcap in the curves near Hurtado Point Trail. I looked and looked but never did find it. The ditches were full of water so I thought maybe the hubcap was in there and gave up.

At any rate, driving up to Lund the other day there was the hubcap hanging on a branch by the Hurtado Point Trail sign [“Students prove compassion rocks,” May 20]. I send great appreciation to whoever found it.

Ken Kutner, Stager Road

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is concerned by the shortage of family physicians in the province and the effect this situation is having on British Columbians. It is an issue that is complex with no simple solution.

I would like to correct what has twice been reported this month in the Peak: the College’s standard on walk-in clinics and the expectations set out within are not new [“Program recruits family doctor,” August 19].

The revised standard is a combination of two earlier separate standards developed in 2008 and reiterates one basic principle that every physician—no matter what the practice setting—must abide by: that the medical care of a patient, and not the setting of a medical practice, must guide the ethical, professional and clinical decisions around the provision of appropriate medical care. As an example, if a patient who does not have a family physician regularly attends at a walk-in clinic, and presents with a condition that requires a referral to a specialist, the attending physician cannot send the patient away to wait for a vacancy at a family physician’s office to obtain that referral. The physician must provide the referral, properly follow up with the patient, and provide adequate ongoing care should the circumstance require it.

Again, this expectation is not new.

The college’s role is to act in the public interest and to prevent situations where patients are denied care, or receive compromised care. British Columbians deserve the same level of care from physicians no matter where they receive it, whether in a private practice setting or a multi-physician walk-in clinic. The college’s revised standard simply underscores that longstanding principle.

Heidi M. Oetter, MD

Registrar and CEO, College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC

Three bears: Papa, Mama and Baby, were all of voting age. They all wanted Stephen Harper to be retired, the environment to be restored and the economy to again be vibrant and resilient [“Party games,” August 19].

Still, they had differences.

Papa said, “I’ve read that ‘history is destiny.’ I’ll vote for the non-Conservative party that performed best in the last election.” Papa didn’t know that several Green Party victories (federal, provincial and municipal) had overturned the voting precedents of their preceding elections. Papa voted Liberal.

Mama said, “I’ve heard that pollsters are smarter than Oprah. I’ll vote for the non-Conservative party that ranks best in the polls.” Mama didn’t know that pollsters had dramatically failed to anticipate either the 2013 defeat of BC New Democratic Party or the 2015 victory of the Alberta NDP. Mama voted NDP.

Baby said, “I trust my values, principals and beliefs: ecological wisdom, social justice, sustainability, respect for diversity, participatory democracy and non-violence. As a bear, I also value trustworthiness, integrity and reliability.”

Then Canada (bears included) voted. Harper and his Conservative government were defeated. Both Liberals and the NDP increased their seats in Parliament. Yet, Papa and Mama felt disappointed and disheartened.

As the elder bears saw it, campaign promises and policies of both Liberal and NDP parties seemed watered down even before election day. Neither party displayed a deep understanding of the environment. Neither party convincingly wove solutions connecting the environment with concerns for a green economy. Both parties were notably skimpy in their identification of measurable environmental targets. Loose promises seemed likely to be followed by wavering performance. Mama and Papa suffered from voters’ remorse.

However, Baby had voted for Brenda Sayers, Green Party candidate and was a satisfied voter. The Green Party had won 12 seats, enough to become an official party and a decisive factor in close votes in the House. Greens grew in influence as an advocate of environmental values and as a carrier of unspoken truths about the state of our economy and our society. The world survived. Canada thrived.

Rob Arnstein, Klahanie Drive

I was very surprised to read the serious allegations made about changes to voter identification rules in the Peak’s editorial “Unfair election,” September 2. I was so surprised, I felt compelled to do some fact-checking. I urge all Peak readers to do the same. Go to Elections Canada website www.elections.ca and search for ID to Vote. Unfortunately, my view now is that the editorial was very misleading.

There are over 50 different types of valid IDs that can be used as voter ID, including a driver’s licence, passport, birth certificate, indian status card, student ID card, correspondence from your university or college, a letter confirming residence in a long-term care facility and a letter confirming residence at a homeless shelter. If you do not have proof of your address, bringing ID and someone who knows you and taking an oath is sufficient to prove your current address.

The only real significant change is now everyone requires some form of voter ID. Strangely enough, in the past it was possible to vote without any ID at all if someone vouched for you. This story makes me feel more baffled and disturbed by the editorial’s criticizing these rules than by the rules themselves, which seem very reasonable. Maybe it is an indication that we need to be grateful for living in Canada, since such harmless and innocent issues are the ones that get our journalists’ blood boiling.

Mark Merlino, Marlatt Avenue

COMER (Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform), William Krehm and Ann Emmett challenged the constitutionality of the Bank of Canada becoming a member of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). When the Bank of Canada joined the BIS in 1970, our total national debt was less than $22 billion.

“By 2012, the government had paid $1 trillion in interest—twice its national debt. Interest on the debt is now the government’s single largest budget expenditure—larger than health care, senior entitlements or national defense.

Canadians could save hundreds of billions of tax dollars by simply requiring the Bank of Canada to act within its constitutional and corporate mandate.

Why is this not an election issue [“Your vote counts,” August 26]?

Demand a public statement from your candidate of choice.

Demand a public statement from the party leader.

The world economic clock is set at one minute to twelve...now is the time to act.

Guy Hawkins, Lund