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OAK BAY NEWS - Friday, June 29, 2012
Optical illusion A couple walking along the causeway in the Inner Harbour appear to share a single shadow on a recent morning stroll. Don Denton/News staff
LETTERS Many good reasons for church’s assets Re: Pope having a butler raises eyebrows (Letters, June 22) Yes. The Pope has a butler. Mr. Lamb has covered a lot of territory in his letter. There are a few key points that would benefit from some clarification. Yes, there is a Vatican Bank, or as it’s more properly called, The Institute for Works of Religion. It was formed to provide for the safekeeping and administration of property and assets that are donated to the church. It is a not-for-profit institution and any surplus is used for religious or charitable services. The property and artistic treasures of the Catholic Church do not belong to any individual. They are administered by the church, but are for the benefit of all of humanity. That’s why they are not sold to pay expenses. Yes, the Pope has a butler. This is not a reflection of his wealth, but rather of the busy life he leads as the head of a very large organization. All churches and charitable organizations solicit donations in order to carry on operations. It does not follow that amassing material capital is a church’s
primary aim. People have given, are giving, and will continue to give to the church because they believe it is fulfilling its stated goals. Anastasia Pearse Saanich
Speak out strongly for your Canadian values Re: Democracy wilting in Ottawa (Our View, June 15) That was the most polite way of saying the Harper government is screwing with Canadian values I have ever read. At the top of the list of Canadian values, I believe, are caring for others and the environment. They actually go hand in hand, because as we wrestled our nation out from the wilderness, supporting each other was a necessity. Today, many aspects of the internationally recognized characteristics of being Canadian – things like universal health care and education, the protection of our food and the preservation of our diverse nature – are being threatened by a government hellbent on throwing the individual aside and opening the floodgates to profiteering of all that we value. Here in the Saanich-Gulf Islands
riding I may be preaching to the converted, speaking to those who saw the need for responsible government and ousted the smooth-talking status quo. But a reminder to us all: voice your opinions, take action and be loud and clear. Contact (the less than honourable) Mr. Harper and his puppet ministers on a regular basis. It will indeed be a long few years and it is our responsibility to make it not end badly. Frank Gee North Saanich
Graffiti removal needs team approach Re: Graffiti removal ends in wake of Saanich budget cutbacks (Vic News online) It’s interesting to learn that Saanich has cut part of its graffiti removal budget, with the end result being, I fear, graffiti will start building up in the community. The City of Victoria, on the other hand, is calling on citizens to fight against graffiti in hopes that increased reporting will reduce tagging. The Downtown Victoria Business Association alone has a budget of $144,000, plus $15,000 in equipment for its clean teams, which will paint over graffiti for
free. I think our municipality and businesses need to co-ordinate their efforts to help remove graffiti. Certainly it will cost money to do that, but there is no other way around it. Brian Butterfield Saanich
Execs’ pay explanations don’t make sense
“holdback?” Cadieux said the “new compensation package” was approved by the CLBC’s board of directors and the public sector employees’ union and took effect on April 1. How convenient to justify another permanent and generous pay raise. Martin Battle Victoria
Wow, another week of the B.C. Liberals’ gibberish and verbal shuffling in order to appease a very bewildered public. Both Premier Christy Clark and Social Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux recently declared that Community Living B.C. executives did not receive a pay hike. They insisted the annual bonus the managers receive is just a “salary holdback.” Why would you hold back part of a person’s salary and call it a bonus? Was it a performance bonus or not? The public understands that a performance bonus is paid out only if certain conditions or quotas are met, usually on an annual basis. What would have happened if the annual targets or quotas were not met? Would the provincial government then deduct part of the employee’s salary from their
Letters to the Editor The News welcomes opinions and comments. Letters should discuss issues and stories covered in the News and be 300 words or less. The News reserves the right to edit letters for style, legality, length and taste. The News will not print anonymous letters. Please enclose phone number for verification of your letter’s authenticity. Phone numbers are not printed. Send your letters to: Mail: Letters to the Editor, Victoria News, 818 Broughton St., Victoria, B.C., V8W 1E4 Fax: 386-2624 Email: editor@vicnews.com
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