Monday's letters: The sink (hole) feeling from Ottawa spans years

Monday's letter to the editor include responses to last week's letters on speed limits and the symbolism of the Ottawa sinkhole.

A large portion of Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa caved in, causing a massive sinkhole that knocked out power to the majority of the downtown area on June 8, 2016. CHRIS ROUSSAKIS / AFP/Getty Images

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Re. “Symbolism in Ottawa sinkhole,” Letters, June 10

While I agree with Earl Legate on the irony of the latest sinkhole in Ottawa, Justin Trudeau’s black hole is only a small fraction of the giant sinkhole in the last eight years of the Harper government’s cumulative fiscal deficit in excess of $150 billion. It appears that fiscal responsibility is not the paradigm of any party.

Senators and MPs have recently increased their respective House budgets and given the failure to meet the Supreme Court deadline to pass Bill C-14, Elbowgate notwithstanding, there doesn’t seem to be an incremental improvement in collective output resulting from their increased budgets.

Would a taxpayer revolt, a.k.a. withholding of taxes, be in order?

M.L. Clark, Camrose

Testing steers seniors wrong

Re. “Driver fined $2,000 after pedestrians injured in crosswalk,” June 10

In this instance both pedestrians were seriously harmed, one with numerous fractures and a severe brain injury leaving her with no memory of having been hit while crossing on a marked cross walk.

Conversely, Alberta seniors who have never had a car accident or who may even continue to be fully employed are denied their licence when they score low on a cognitive test known as the Simard-MD test which some doctors administer to seniors when they have to renew their licence to drive.

Don’t get old. Ageism is rampant in this province.

Ruth Adria, Edmonton

Bagless movement begs some questions

I noticed more and more Edmontonians “going bagless,” i.e. not bagging their grass clippings. Seems like an OK idea. Less waste to the dump.  

Then again, I have also noticed everyone who goes bagless is just leaving their clippings on the sidewalks of our neighbourhoods to presumably blow away. Suppose all those clippings don’t blow away, and instead end up in the city’s drainage system?  

Would that be a problem? That’s a lot of grass going down the drains.

Bruce Dunbar, Edmonton

Transition zones are speeding trouble spots

Re. “Speed limits are pretty clear,” Letters, June 9

Although Linda Scott is superficially correct that the speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour unless otherwise posted, what about “transition zones” between 60 km/hr. and 50 km/hr. zones? Surely the motorist has a right to be informed about the reduction in speed or does she condone the issuing of speeding tickets without fair warning?

Ron Bereznicki, Edmonton

Letters welcome



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