Saturday, June 8: It is a no-brainer to check for viruses, and Ottawa specialists pioneered the method right here, says one reader. You may write to us at letetrs@ottawacitizen.com
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Wastewater testing for illness is a no brainer
Re: Ontario’s wastewater testing program to be replaced by a federal program that is significantly smaller, June 6.
Have they misplaced their minds? The choice by the Ontario authorities to close down a world-class waste therapy surveillance program is dumbfounding. As we proceed to be below menace from COVID and different infectious illnesses, Ontario is shutting down the sensible initiative Rob Delatolla pioneered right here in Ottawa to observe infectious illnesses. An easy, comparatively low-cost means to observe threats to our well being is being summarily cancelled.
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What can we do? If Ontario received’t do it, then town of Ottawa should step up and be sure that native hero Delatolla, and his colleagues, proceed to get the funding they should perform the dear work they do to guard our well being. It’s a no brainer; offering a lifeline to this lab can also be offering a lifeline to this metropolis’s well being and security.
Arieh Bonder, Ottawa
Wastewater testing trumps beer gross sales
Doug Ford’s ending of the wastewater surveillance program is only one extra instance of his blatant disregard for the precise well being and welfare of Ontarians as he strikes towards an election. Maybe that is how he plans to pay for the cancellation of the Beer Retailer contract?
Sharon W. Moren, Kanata
Excessive crime isn’t scaring rental sellers
Re: Lowertown’s crisis of violence is the entire city’s problem, June 4.
So excessive charges of crime occurring across the ByWard Market and Lowertown would scare off potential consumers of rental flats in these areas, would they? Nope. The Realtor.ca web site exhibits rental flats on the market round this neighourhood are nonetheless at excessive asking costs.
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Any trustworthy realtor ought to embody a warning on each posting of any rental or property which is topic to excessive crime.
Jean-Pierre Vekeman, Kemptville
ByWard violence is a civic failing
The federal authorities division answerable for defending our nation, and whose work surroundings contains conflict zones and abroad coaching of overseas forces, is retreating from the ByWard Market/Rideau Road space, as a result of it’s an unsafe place for its staff. The irony is overwhelming.
Transferring out just isn’t an answer. It’s a testomony to the failure of the Metropolis of Ottawa, the Ottawa police, the provincial and the federal governments to fulfil their elementary duty to maintain Canadians protected.
Sadly, property homeowners and residents within the space endure the prices related to this declaration by the federal government of Canada that the world — the guts of our nationwide capital — has deteriorated to the purpose the place staff of our army, can now not work there.
David Keithlin, Gatineau
‘Historic’ designation wants authorized enamel
Re: Rockcliffe Park named nationwide historic website, Could 28.
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Declaring Rockcliffe a nationwide historic website may please individuals dwelling within the village, however the necessary distinction is that “the federal designation doesn’t deliver with it any extra authorized protections for the heritage parts of the neighbourhood.” In different phrases, it’s fairly fluffy and somewhat an inconsequential, feather-cappy sort of moniker.
There have been homes through the years in Rockcliffe, historic and architecturally vital, which have been torn down in favour of latest cash or as a result of the prevailing home didn’t match into the brand new proprietor’s plans. The substitute home is often new structure and never consistent with the normal European / English model of structure.
What Rockcliffe actually wants whether it is involved about its historic and stylish architectural look is laws with “enamel” that may forestall a longstanding home from being changed by a nondescript, architectural trendy oddity. Something with out authorized safety is mere tinsel, much like an honorary doctorate diploma.
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa
Clear up your trash, Ottawa
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Re: Council unanimously approves three-item trash restrict, Could 29.
Trash alongside residential streets is especially the results of individuals turning a blind eye to the litter on their very own lawns, driveways and road fronts.
Be taught to correctly pack your blue field (containers inside containers, and no used furnace filters, thanks).
Jean Currie, Ottawa
Desperately in search of a household physician
What occurs when a disabled senior couple, residing in Ottawa, discovers their household physician is closing store?
After seven years, our doctor is leaving household follow for a hospital place. Almost 1,000 of his sufferers are with out a substitute. I’ve written each stage of presidency, obtained a response from our provincial NDP, and have been ghosted by everybody else.
I ask, are any politicians at any stage with out a physician? Why have the Ontario Conservatives did not see the disaster in household well being care at the moment? How can this senior couple acquire entry to the well being care we have to dwell out our crippled lives? Does anybody care?
Desperately in search of MD,
Peter Gallant, Ottawa West
Non-public clinics have been useful
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Re: Province goals to hike diagnostic imaging at non-public websites, June 5.
The Ontario NDP and Liberals hold warning us that we should use our bank cards at non-public clinics, however that has not been our expertise. OHIP has been accepted in any respect the non-public clinics now we have been in and nobody ever requested for a bank card. Wait instances had been brief and companies had been skilled.
There’s positively a necessity for extra locations that provide diagnostic imaging companies; ready a very long time for a check just isn’t an choice for many individuals.
Ada Hallett, Ottawa
Is it time for a Canada geese cull?
Re: Ottawa man, 68, charged with causing pain and suffering in trampling death of gosling, Could 24.
There are fences alongside Dow’s Lake; golf programs use skilled canine; and airports use noise-making gadgets — and there are increasingly more geese yearly! They aren’t solely turning into aggressive however are befouling our private and non-private areas, and it’s getting worse every year.
There’s a culling of deer in British Columbia. Possibly we must always think about that precept right here?
David Burns, Portland
Lengthy home arrest for automobile thieves
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Automotive theft is slowly being lowered by police forces beginning to work collectively and discovering automobiles in containers at ports. One very disturbing truth from the current arrests and warrants for some 30 automobile thieves is the very fact the a few of these criminals are being arrested for the second time in a really brief interval.
May we not use ankle bracelets for prolonged intervals of home arrest as an alternative of short-term jail sentences in order that repeat criminals might extra simply be tracked down? This is able to be a greater deterrent than lowered sentencing.
The Citizen reviews that a person was given 18 months of home arrest for posting antisemitic posters (which I agree with). I might assume 24 months of home arrest for automobile theft would save the taxpayer cash and actually decrease automobile theft.
These automobile theft insurance coverage losses are being amortized again to each insured car, and charges are up as a result of the courts haven’t taken the matter as severely as members of the general public, who really feel it of their pocketbooks.
Brian Vachon, Greely
Train empathy about Jews and Palestinians
Re: Mother and father say antisemitism on the rise in metropolis colleges, Could 30.
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Educators ought to use horrific incidents equivalent to these described within the article as a possibility to assist the 2 sides perceive one another.
College students who’re involved in regards to the hundreds of deaths and accidents among the many two million individuals trapped in Gaza want to know that many Jewish college students are the victims of generational trauma brought on by the Holocaust and the numerous pogroms that preceded it. From early childhood, they’ve discovered in regards to the massacres, deportations and different merciless acts inflicted on the Jews of Europe. They’ve been taught to worry that any Jewish loss of life is a harbinger of tens of millions to come back. They’ve been persuaded that Jews will at all times be hated by different individuals and that solely a robust state that’s managed by Jews can hold them protected. Traumatized by the way in which that the world ignored what had occurred to their ancestors, many appear to have been blinded to the struggling of different human beings.
College students who’re satisfied that solely a state managed by Jews can hold Jews protected want to know that what Robert Burns described in 1784 as “Man’s inhumanity to man” didn’t finish when the Nazis had been defeated. It nonetheless, in his phrases, “makes numerous hundreds mourn!”
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Simply as Jewish college students are nonetheless traumatized by what occurred to their ancestors, many different college students are incensed by what is going on within the Palestinian territories proper now and traumatized by the flexibility of many people to disregard the ache and struggling of tens of millions of individuals.
Each teams oppose barbaric savagery and any apathy in the direction of it; in the event that they had been capable of perceive one another’s emotions, they might work collectively to show the world right into a state the place individuals of all ethnicities are protected and have equal rights. Jews and Palestinians can solely be protected in a state that makes everybody protected.
Every hateful incident might develop into a “educating second.” It can take decided educators to use that chance.
Dave Parnas, Ottawa
Public servants are working, not pouting
Re: Public servants shouldn’t pout about partial return-to-office, June 4.
Public servants have been at work, albeit at house, since 2020.
There was a pattern throughout the public service of downsizing workplace house and desks. So it’s completely possible {that a} public servant will spend about an hour on a commute solely to seek out that there is no such thing as a desk for them to work at. The selection is to return house, losing extra time and power, or sit on the ground.
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Despite the fact that there was plenty of time to remediate the buildings once they had been empty, there are nonetheless federal buildings with bedbugs and bat poop.
And when the employees get to the workplace, what do they do? Open their laptops to have interaction in Microsoft Groups conferences, which in addition they might do fairly conveniently at house.
So public servants should not pouting. They’re just a little bored with being portrayed as lazy and entitled.
Eleanor Abra, Ottawa
What in regards to the attainable election of Poilievre?
Re: Brace for a possible tsunami of illegal migrants if Trump is re-elected, June 4.
Tasha Kheiridden talked about some issues that may occur if Trump is elected. However she ignored the possible election of Pierre Poilievre, which might deliver the elimination of carbon pricing and setbacks to decarbonization and local weather change; reductions in environmental safety; tax reductions to the wealthy and cuts in social companies; and growing earnings and wealth inequality.
We’ve good motive to be fearful.
Michael Wiggin, Ottawa
Overseas meddling: right here’s one resolution
Re: Some MPs ‘wittingly’ helped foreign agents, June 3.
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The Liberal authorities received’t launch the names of MPs and senators who’ve been discovered to be supplying overseas governments with confidential info. My resolution: subsequent election, vote for anybody however an incumbent.
Edward Farnworth, Ottawa
Liberals are proper about NATO
It has develop into trendy to criticize nearly each Liberal/NDP coverage. These days, it’s NATO coverage. However for as soon as I agree with their stand. Canada can not promote peace by spending more cash on weapons and retired generals.
Years in the past, we had been an admired center energy, specializing in peacekeeping.
It’s lengthy overdue for a overseas coverage overview — to return and construct upon what have been our previous successes: selling peace, catastrophe prevention, well being promotion, illness prevention and restoration.
In brief, to commit our efforts to forestall wars and to take care of their horrific aftermath. And to take action proudly, not apologetically.
Reginald Warren, Ottawa
CAF has issues, but in addition nice advantages
Re: Soldiers leaving Canadian Forces over ‘toxic leadership’, top adviser warns, Could 28.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have had loads of dangerous press, in lots of instances unjustified. I’ve been out of the RCAF for a dozen years now, however can relate to among the points skilled by CAF members at the moment. I even have a son and son-in-law presently serving, who hold me updated.
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The image usually introduced within the media of a sexist group, rife with racism and abuse, doesn’t sq. with my expertise, nor that of my members of the family. Whereas I acknowledge that dangerous issues have occurred to some, the comb strokes painted are far too broad and denigrate the overwhelming majority of serving members. All members of the CAF come from a cross-section of Canadian society. If there is a matter in CAF tradition, it’s reflective of our society as a complete.
One facet of your article I utterly agree with is the problem of postings, housing and the influence on household. Over seven postings, discovering an appropriate house on a five-day home looking journey and spending more cash that we ever thought attainable had been supremely traumatic experiences. Frequently upending spousal employment, discovering a physician, baby care and altering colleges, it’s no surprise that some elect to go away. Sadly, there aren’t any simple solutions.
From my expertise in a recruiting detachment, candidates primarily need a job, but in addition wish to do one thing completely different, difficult and get an opportunity to see the world. A dumbing down of coaching requirements, damaged previous tools and fewer coaching and operational deployments on account of price range constraints, don’t encourage them to remain. A bored soldier is an sad soldier.
I imagine that the RCAF was good for me and a optimistic expertise for our household. Lifelong friendships had been solid and we skilled this massive, lovely nation from coast to coast. Our children grew as much as be extra worldly, resilient and impartial and we’re all higher residents for it.
Would I do it once more if I might? You guess: “There’s No Life Like It.”
Randall (Randy) Sannes, Ottawa
Really helpful from Editorial
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