Letters to the editor: A new energy project in Newfoundland? What could go wrong?

Letters to the editor: A new energy project in Newfoundland? What could go wrong? (msn.com)

Letters to the editor: A new energy project in Newfoundland? What could go wrong?

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Letters to the editor: A new energy project in Newfoundland? What could go wrong?

National Post 

 

© Provided by National PostIn November 2016, the federal government guaranteed nearly $3 billion in debt for the Muskrat Falls project after costs ballooned to more than $11 billion from an initial $7.4 billion. The final cost was pegged at $13 billion.

 

‘I do recall something about Muskrat Falls’

Re: Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to sign hydrogen deal in Newfoundland, Aug. 14

So, a new industry, zero emissions, hydrogen, clean energy galore, the first of its kind in Canada, you say? In Newfoundland, you say? What could possibly go wrong? Although I do recall something about the Muskrat Falls hydro project, Hibernia and its endless need for federal cash — could we have just burned those dollars and generated more energy? — and the Delorean. Oh, sorry, that was New Brunswick. In any event, they all have two things in common: Tons of federal cash, and maintaining a goodly number of Liberal seats in the Atlantic provinces every four years.

Tom Curran, Prince Edward County

 

Nobody voted to legalize assisted death

Re: Of Nazis and Canada’s assisted death laws, Colby Cosh, Aug. 13; and Another case of a sick Canadian offered death instead of treatment — this time, a veteran, Tristin Hopper, Aug. 17

 

 

Colby Cosh is right: “Nobody voted … to legalize assisted suicide.” It was imposed on Canadians by a nine-member Supreme Court.

While the initial decision was limited in scope, the provision has been expanded, with Parliament essentially accepting the court’s point of view. As of March 2023, the mentally ill will be able to obtain medical assistance in dying without family input. Pre-screening has been reduced to a pro forma process.

A radical public policy decision has been imposed on the Canadian public with virtually no discussion or debate. What are politicians afraid of? What does this say about the level of the value and norms of Canadians? Perhaps the notion of Nazi is inappropriate. What do we call a society that encourages the premature death of youth, the disabled and the mentally ill? Health care?

Robert Teskey, Ottawa

Canada’s recent controversial assisted dying cases have shades of Hitler’s Tiergartenstrasse 4, which enlisted doctors in Nazi Germany to eliminate “useless mouths.” Canada won’t condone death sentences for serial killers but is more than ready to corrupt the medical profession to kill patients. Dealing with our mortality is a critical element in the development of human empathy and compassion. Offering a fast way out through medically and state-sanctioned murder is inhuman, just like the creators of Tiergartenstrasse 4.

Gordon S. Clarry, Rogers, Ark.

 

First Nations betrayed by new emissions reduction plan

Re: Liberals only consult with Indigenous people who agree with them, Chris Sankey, Aug. 18

The ruthless side of the Liberals is on full display in the blandly titled 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, which is another dangerous ploy to handicap our economy and negate the hopes of dozens of First Nations who have been working diligently to be part of the LNG boom.

The cost to the Canadian economy is beyond calculation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also ignores the current Russian aggression and the world’s obvious need for these products.

This plan is part of a long-term war on the Canadian economy and despite comments to the contrary, the PMO is once again betraying the economic progress of First Nation communities.

Anne Robinson, Toronto

 

Tuning out sports

Re: How much hockey is too much? Viewership for Canada’s sport on the decline, poll finds, Jessica Mundie, Aug. 18

Why are fewer Canadians viewing sports? There is too much advertising, too many so-called experts analyzing, and too many time-outs, making an hour-and-a-half game into a boring three-hour marathon. Baseball, a bore to start with, is now prolonged by little boxes showing where the past 10 pitches landed. The corporations win again.

Noel Hershfield, Calgary

• Letters to the editor: Forget 'happy wife, happy life.' Here's a new marital cliché to live by
• Letters to the editor: Don't insult real Apartheid victims by likening Israel to South Africa

 

Cancelling Lisa LaFlamme

Re: News anchor Lisa LaFlamme ‘shocked’ after CTV replaces her with Omar Sachedina, Aug. 15; That Lisa LaFlamme’s only option may be the CBC is an outrage all its own, Sabrina Maddeaux, Aug. 18; and ‘A silver revolution’: More women are embracing their grey and aging naturally, Lynn Chaya, Aug. 18

What a coincidence! In the same TV broadcast we learned that Canadians are not nearly as happy as formerly; that the French language is waning; and that Lisa LaFlamme had been unceremoniously replaced. We could almost think there was a co-ordinated effort to erase Canada’s history, heritage and culture.

Betty L. Reade, Oakville, Ont.

 

Shelter is a necessity

Re: From the runway to real estate: Supermodel selling houses in Collingwood, Lynn Chaya, Aug. 17

Not only does government have responsibility for the current housing crisis but so, too, do real estate agents, and I found some of the statements in this article insulting to ordinary homebuyers struggling to find their “forever home.” The article said that with over two decades of house-flipping experience in Toronto and investing in Ontario real estate, Monika Schnarre decided to get licensed during the pandemic. “It just makes sense when you’re flipping,” she said. She also said she is lucky to have a wide network because it makes it easier to “market the heck out of it.” These statements are a long way from the idea that shelter is a necessity of life. Trivializing the process of buying a home will not solve the current defects within the real estate industry.

Elizabeth Marshall, West Vancouver

 

Let’s have an essay contest

Re: Kenney says sovereignty act would deliver ‘body blow’ and drive investment, workers away from Alberta, Aug. 16

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and United Conservative Party leadership candidate Danielle Smith are locked in a war of words over Smith’s proposed sovereignty act for their province. What better way is there to get Albertans’ views on the matter than to submit it to an essay contest? The essays could be judged by UCP members of the legislative assembly with top media billing going to the third-place winner. Nobody cares about first and second place.

Patrick Cowan, Toronto

 

Time for Tories to put policies on the table

Re: Why, as an Indigenous-Canadian, I will be voting Conservative in the next election, Chris Sankey, Aug. 15

I agree with Chris Sankey — responsible resource development is supported by many Indigenous communities across Canada and we are more than capable of bringing in our own revenues. But I have yet to see any concrete proposals from the Conservative Party of Canada that will help Indigenous peoples. If they want to win Indigenous support, they will need to offer more than rhetoric and criticism. Time to put some policies on the table and let the voters decide.

Jesse McCormick, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation (Member), Kamloops, B.C.

 

A telling photo of the ‘green guru’

Re: That sound you hear could be the country fragmenting, Rex Murphy, and accompanying print photo, Aug. 13

In his typically articulate manner, Rex Murphy once again reminded us of the misguided and perhaps illegal overreach of the Trudeau government.

Dictating the use of plastic straws, coffee cups, and cutlery merely shows their penchant for pettiness while at the same time being unwilling to address the truly important issues of the day such as national security, RCMP scandal, support for Ukraine and the economy … about which several of the relevant ministers have shown their ineptness. But even without Murphy’s erudition, the photo of the “green guru” (Steven Guilbeault) looking like a bashful schoolboy in admiration of his master did little to inspire confidence for myriad Canadians who have seen their livelihoods shredded on the altar of “climate action.”

Susan Silverman, Toronto

 

© Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian PressPrime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault hold a press conference at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland on Nov. 2, 2021.

 

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