Get Real
Get Real
Editor:
Carole James and the NDP need to get real about the Port Mann Bridge. The bridge is hopelessly and totally gridlocked.
It needs to be twinned, and suggesting otherwise is ludicrous.
The NDP’s opposition to twinning the Port Mann is not supported by the majority of people in Greater Vancouver. Plans to twin the bridge have been on the books for a more than a generation.
The NDP’s opposition to twinning the Port Mann isn’t even supported by many NDP supporters who have to endure 14-16 hours a day of unacceptable traffic congestion on that bridge, along with everyone else.
Trudy Gordon, Burnaby
Commuting woes
Editor:
Intriguing isn’t it? For years there has public clamor about how long it takes to commute in the Lower Mainland.
The NDP didn’t look after the situation 15 years ago when the population began to increase.
Everyone else was aware of it. Builders provided housing; city councils provided infrastructure; community groups provided support.
It must have caught the NDP off guard because no one realized that these same people would need to get around.
So, now the current government is addressing the problem, but Carole James opposes it. Does the NDP Leader really not understand that without roads and bridges there is no public transit?
Ann Mayo, New Westminster
Snail mail wins
Editor:
Like most people these days I receive many emails.
Many are extremely clever. Some have amazing pictures and animation.
Others have the wisdom of the ages imbedded in their text and many cry out for help of the less fortunate or on behalf of our animal brethren.
The latter I attend to without trouble.
Often a small cheque balms one’s soul until the next equally disturbing plea for help arrives.
But the number of emails keeps on increasing and I find that because someone forwards information to you, you feel obligated to return the favour.
Where does it all end? And who is the anonymous author of some of these absolutely brilliant gems that electronically appear on my computer screen?
Not only do I find myself spending valuable time adding names and pushing the ’forward’ button to my far-flung correspondents, but I find that once I have digested the contents of most emails, they depart from my brain as rapidly as they arrived.
I don’t know if this is because of old age or is it just a phenomena of the medium? Things I read in print on old fashioned paper seem to have a much better retention value.
Mike Harvey, Langley
Leadership changes
Editor:
Looking at today’s political landscape, I can certainly say the provincial leadership in Victoria has changed dramatically from the past.
Today I firmly believe we have a BC Liberal leadership that listens to the citizens of the province by holding open forums directly with the citizens on important issues.
To me this is a far better solution than the previous 30 years of controversial leadership.
Every citizen is aware of the fact, that in the past, the government never listened; many citizens even refused to exercise their democratic right to vote because they disagreed with all of the political parties’ agendas.
As politics have changed, so has the world; China has opened up her doors to Canada and British Columbia.
This truly does make British Columbia “The Best Place on Earth” because geographically this province is the best North American gateway to China in Canada.
Not only are we in the North positioned to take advantage of that opportunity, but we also must remember that most of the wealth of British Columbia comes from the natural resources located in our remote reaches of this province.
This one fact tells me that the provincial leadership in Victoria is doing the right thing by listening to the citizens of this province. By listening and taking advantage of the opportunities available to us, we will all benefit.
Glenn Martin, Thornhill,
A ‘third way’
Editor:
The Prime Minister recently traveled to Latin America to offer what he calls Canada’s “third way.” An alternative in which he, “cast Canada as firmly distinct from the U.S.” Latin Americans could choose a path other than to “return to the syndrome of economic nationalism, political authoritarianism and class warfare, or to become just like the United States.”
He argued that under his “third way” Canada differs substantially from being like the United States. “
Our cultural values and social models have also been shaped by unique forces and we’ve made our own policy choices to meet our own needs.”
However, Latin Americans can be forgiven for being unable to distinguish Mr. Harper’s shaping of the Canadian alternative from the path to becoming just like the United States. Politically, Mr. Harper is moving Canada closer to the American model of fixed election dates and elected senators. Economically, the aim of Mr. Harper’s participation in the Security and Prosperity Partnership Summit in Montebello is explicitly focused on generating even more Canada-U.S. economic harmonization and integration. In terms of security, “Some observers of U.S.-Canada relations say that since 9/11, the security perimeter is being erected regardless of what Canadian officials call it.”
What Mr. Harper offers as a Canadian option appears to be the path to becoming incrementally more and more just like the States. Sadly, our Prime Minister’s actions belie his promise of offering a Canadian “third way”.
Eugene Parks, Victoria
Evolution of table tennis
Editor:
The game that initially was named Ping-Pong by Parker Bros. games when first introduced, has changed dramatically.
Now going by its new title of Table Tennis, it is world-wide in scope and played by millions of enthusiasts.
Table Tennis is a fast paced, energetic game that not only provides good exercise, but is excellent for hand-eye coordination.
Langley boasts a number of high calibre players.
Most play out of the Langley Senior’s Centre but others travel to Walnut Grove Recreational Centre and as far as White Rock to participate. The largest club in Langley is named the Mellow Yellows that has distinguished itself by coping numerous medals in the Provincial Senior’s Games.
Initially, the game was played to 21 points.
Nowadays, it is played to 11 points and the winner is decided upon in winning either two or three games. As speed is a prerequisite of the game, the scores, who is serving and such often go awry in the excitement.
This is due to the fact in these friendly matches there is no umpire and the participants are senior citizens.
Mike Harvey, Langley
Bad idea
Editor;
Desperate attempts by the NDP to re-interpret and re-style the meaning of what Carole James said just aren’t going to work. People have been waiting for years for James and the NDP to articulate a policy on the twinning of the Port Mann Bridge, and now they have: The NDP are opposed to twinning the Port Mann Bridge. Carole James couldn’t have been more clear.
What part of “no” don’t the NDP understand? Everyone in the B.C. clearly understood what Carole James meant when she said “no” to twinning the Port Mann Bridge. She was pretty darn clear: she meant “no” to twinning the Port Mann Bridge.
I can certainly understand why NDP stalwarts are so freaked out by the NDP’s policy of opposition to the bridge twinning project, and why they’re so desperate to rewrite the history on this one. It’s because they know the bridge and highway expansion projects are popular and supported by a huge majority of people in the lower mainland.
Re-interpreting and re-styling the meaning of what Carole James said just isn’t going to work for the NDP.
Trudy Gordon
Burnaby, B.C.
Get Real
Editor:
Carole James and the NDP need to get real about the Port Mann Bridge. The bridge is hopelessly and totally gridlocked.
It needs to be twinned, and suggesting otherwise is ludicrous.
The NDP’s opposition to twinning the Port Mann is not supported by the majority of people in Greater Vancouver. Plans to twin the bridge have been on the books for a more than a generation.
The NDP’s opposition to twinning the Port Mann isn’t even supported by many NDP supporters who have to endure 14-16 hours a day of unacceptable traffic congestion on that bridge, along with everyone else.
Trudy Gordon, Burnaby
Commuting woes
Editor:
Intriguing isn’t it? For years there has public clamor about how long it takes to commute in the Lower Mainland.
The NDP didn’t look after the situation 15 years ago when the population began to increase.
Everyone else was aware of it. Builders provided housing; city councils provided infrastructure; community groups provided support.
It must have caught the NDP off guard because no one realized that these same people would need to get around.
So, now the current government is addressing the problem, but Carole James opposes it. Does the NDP Leader really not understand that without roads and bridges there is no public transit?
Ann Mayo, New Westminster
Snail mail wins
Editor:
Like most people these days I receive many emails.
Many are extremely clever. Some have amazing pictures and animation.
Others have the wisdom of the ages imbedded in their text and many cry out for help of the less fortunate or on behalf of our animal brethren.
The latter I attend to without trouble.
Often a small cheque balms one’s soul until the next equally disturbing plea for help arrives.
But the number of emails keeps on increasing and I find that because someone forwards information to you, you feel obligated to return the favour.
Where does it all end? And who is the anonymous author of some of these absolutely brilliant gems that electronically appear on my computer screen?
Not only do I find myself spending valuable time adding names and pushing the ’forward’ button to my far-flung correspondents, but I find that once I have digested the contents of most emails, they depart from my brain as rapidly as they arrived.
I don’t know if this is because of old age or is it just a phenomena of the medium? Things I read in print on old fashioned paper seem to have a much better retention value.
Mike Harvey, Langley
Leadership changes
Editor:
Looking at today’s political landscape, I can certainly say the provincial leadership in Victoria has changed dramatically from the past.
Today I firmly believe we have a BC Liberal leadership that listens to the citizens of the province by holding open forums directly with the citizens on important issues.
To me this is a far better solution than the previous 30 years of controversial leadership.
Every citizen is aware of the fact, that in the past, the government never listened; many citizens even refused to exercise their democratic right to vote because they disagreed with all of the political parties’ agendas.
As politics have changed, so has the world; China has opened up her doors to Canada and British Columbia.
This truly does make British Columbia “The Best Place on Earth” because geographically this province is the best North American gateway to China in Canada.
Not only are we in the North positioned to take advantage of that opportunity, but we also must remember that most of the wealth of British Columbia comes from the natural resources located in our remote reaches of this province.
This one fact tells me that the provincial leadership in Victoria is doing the right thing by listening to the citizens of this province. By listening and taking advantage of the opportunities available to us, we will all benefit.
Glenn Martin, Thornhill,
A ‘third way’
Editor:
The Prime Minister recently traveled to Latin America to offer what he calls Canada’s “third way.” An alternative in which he, “cast Canada as firmly distinct from the U.S.” Latin Americans could choose a path other than to “return to the syndrome of economic nationalism, political authoritarianism and class warfare, or to become just like the United States.”
He argued that under his “third way” Canada differs substantially from being like the United States. “
Our cultural values and social models have also been shaped by unique forces and we’ve made our own policy choices to meet our own needs.”
However, Latin Americans can be forgiven for being unable to distinguish Mr. Harper’s shaping of the Canadian alternative from the path to becoming just like the United States. Politically, Mr. Harper is moving Canada closer to the American model of fixed election dates and elected senators. Economically, the aim of Mr. Harper’s participation in the Security and Prosperity Partnership Summit in Montebello is explicitly focused on generating even more Canada-U.S. economic harmonization and integration. In terms of security, “Some observers of U.S.-Canada relations say that since 9/11, the security perimeter is being erected regardless of what Canadian officials call it.”
What Mr. Harper offers as a Canadian option appears to be the path to becoming incrementally more and more just like the States. Sadly, our Prime Minister’s actions belie his promise of offering a Canadian “third way”.
Eugene Parks, Victoria
Evolution of table tennis
Editor:
The game that initially was named Ping-Pong by Parker Bros. games when first introduced, has changed dramatically.
Now going by its new title of Table Tennis, it is world-wide in scope and played by millions of enthusiasts.
Table Tennis is a fast paced, energetic game that not only provides good exercise, but is excellent for hand-eye coordination.
Langley boasts a number of high calibre players.
Most play out of the Langley Senior’s Centre but others travel to Walnut Grove Recreational Centre and as far as White Rock to participate. The largest club in Langley is named the Mellow Yellows that has distinguished itself by coping numerous medals in the Provincial Senior’s Games.
Initially, the game was played to 21 points.
Nowadays, it is played to 11 points and the winner is decided upon in winning either two or three games. As speed is a prerequisite of the game, the scores, who is serving and such often go awry in the excitement.
This is due to the fact in these friendly matches there is no umpire and the participants are senior citizens.
Mike Harvey, Langley
Bad idea
Editor;
Desperate attempts by the NDP to re-interpret and re-style the meaning of what Carole James said just aren’t going to work. People have been waiting for years for James and the NDP to articulate a policy on the twinning of the Port Mann Bridge, and now they have: The NDP are opposed to twinning the Port Mann Bridge. Carole James couldn’t have been more clear.
What part of “no” don’t the NDP understand? Everyone in the B.C. clearly understood what Carole James meant when she said “no” to twinning the Port Mann Bridge. She was pretty darn clear: she meant “no” to twinning the Port Mann Bridge.
I can certainly understand why NDP stalwarts are so freaked out by the NDP’s policy of opposition to the bridge twinning project, and why they’re so desperate to rewrite the history on this one. It’s because they know the bridge and highway expansion projects are popular and supported by a huge majority of people in the lower mainland.
Re-interpreting and re-styling the meaning of what Carole James said just isn’t going to work for the NDP.
Trudy Gordon
Burnaby, B.C.
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