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SAANICH NEWS - Friday, August 19, 2011 VICTORIA NEWS - Friday, August 19, 2011
LETTERS Take a little off the top of pesky bird population Does anyone else think there are too many seagulls and crows in our city? It seems the only birds we see are these noisy and aggressive birds which attack us and drive out the more timid birds. Not only do they have no natural enemies but there is, I believe, a law which states that we are not allowed to disturb their nests or eggs, at least in regards to seagulls. Surely these aggressive and noisy birds which have fouled all our sidewalks and roofs with their excrement are not in any danger of extinction! Is there any way to reduce the numbers of these birds, which are breeding in an unnatural way and nesting on the roofs of so many buildings in the city? John Cobban Victoria
Fletcher column reveals party’s flip-flop Re: Green Party gets lost in static (B.C. Views, Aug. 3) Never before have I agreed with any of Tom Fletcher’s Liberal party cheerleading. However, this article did contain a priceless nugget of information. I did not know that the B.C. Green Party’s 2009 platform had called for installation of smart meters by 2012, followed by imposition of time-of-use electricity pricing to reduce electricity consumption. Its recent demand to halt B.C. Hydro’s smart meter program is thus an abrupt about-face. This policy flip-flop follows an equally breathtaking volte-face on the HST
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referendum. In both its 2005 and 2009 policy platforms, the B.C. Green Party called for a harmonized sales tax. A provincial news release in 2009 called it “common sense,” while Elizabeth May said they supported the HST “in principle” while concerned with its method of imposition. So much for social justice of imposing a massive tax shift from corporations onto taxpayers. At the provincial Green Party’s April convention – because of internal strife – members agreed that they could vote either “Yes” or “No” in the HST referendum. This bold stance of being for and against the HST is a pattern of behaviour by a party nowhere close to being ready to govern – or apparently even engage in serious, coherent policy discussion. Green leaders who sit on the fence of current issues will find such action almost as painful the we citizens who have to observe such erratic conduct. Ron Faris Victoria
Green Party’s about-face a result of hearing the voters Re: Green Party gets lost in static (B.C. Views, Aug. 3) Tom Fletcher is missing the point in his attack against the Green Party. He doesn’t seem to understand that people are worried they are not getting the facts. Elizabeth May and Jane Sterk are acting responsibly. They are responding in accordance with public feedback. This is what politicians must learn to do. It just appears that the Green Party is more responsive. B.C. Hydro has given us one set of facts, and not the whole truth. When they say radiation exposure is equal to 30 minutes on a cellphone it is very misleading. Smart meter radiation is whole body exposure, not just into the brain. They may need to update their meters, but it is not necessary to do it wirelessly. The ITRON meters can be wired, as stated in the patent by the makers. Tom Fletcher also needs to understand that people are worried because some of them are showing EMF sensitivities now, such as tingling in the hands and arms, constant ringing in the ears and hearing humming or high-pitched sounds constantly. Many are experiencing difficulty sleeping and higher levels of anxiety. Fletcher himself is not immune to these effects, as much as he wants to ridicule them with the words “tiny tinfoil-hat” movement. This is a serious question: will our technology do us more harm than good? Patricia Irwin Victoria
Best Buy - CORRECTION NOTICE
Electrical use could rise with smart meters We are like sheep waiting to be fleeced, as B.C. Hydro installs its smart meters in Victoria this month. Thousands of people in Ontario and California complain that smart meters doubled or tripled their electrical usage. Smart meters use energy, and we have to pay for it. How is that smart? Especially since Hydro is paying over $90 million for them. Christy Clark, please take note: Families don’t want to be fleeced! We are happy with our dumb old hydro meters that do the job, won’t cost the province a billion dollars, and don’t cost customers more money. Grace Wyatt Victoria
Bring on the rush: Victoria is behind the times Re: Rush to rapid transit too rapid (11th-Hour Musings, Aug. 12) Some of your readers have been trying to persuade their neighbours as well as municipal and provincial representatives to do something about our burgeoning traffic congestion problems for at least eight years. Now that this goal has almost been reached, your Roszan Holmen says that she feels “rushed.” Please tell her and her readers to read the evidence that we are already well behind other North American cities, many no larger than ours, that have proven the economic and livability benefits of the transition from automotive indigestion to electric rail order, efficiency and long term savings for the public purse, the individual transit user, and the local and world environment. Transit-oriented development will produce transit-oriented benefits for Victoria, too. Lloyd Skaalen Victoria
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On the Aug 12 flyer, pg 16, please note that the Fido LG Optimus 2X (Web Code: 10175272) shows an incorrect monthly rate plan for the price advertised. Be advised that the phone is available for $49.99 only on a 36-month select voice and data plan. Also, please note that the incorrect product specifications were advertised for the Samsung 14" Laptop (SF410-S01CA/ WebCode: 10176436) found on pg 6 of the Aug 12 flyer. This laptop features 4GB of memory and the 1st generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, NOT 6GB of memory and the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, as previously advertised. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.
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