April 30: Confederate flag is racist, rethink our priorities, street parking review and other letters

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We must fight world food crisis

I would like to know what, if anything, the province of Ontario is doing about the imminent world food crisis precipitated by the war in Ukraine. Ontario has millions of hectares of unused farm land where wheat, corn and other grains can be grown. It will be an absolute shame on our province if these empty fields are not used to reduce this humanitarian crisis. Ownership of fields by prospective developers should not be a barrier. The goodwill by taking immediate action will be incalculable. The growing season is upon us so there is no time to waste.

Mariette St Pierre, Dundas

Reflect on our priorities

Thousands of our fellow human beings huddle under a steel factory in Mariupol, trapped by the Russians, without water, food or electricity, abandoned by the world, and waiting to die. Thousands of their fellow citizens lie in mass graves throughout Ukraine. Millions of others are on a run for their lives. And for over a week now Spec readers debate the merits of a cat story on the front page?

Personally, at a time when my faith in humanity is being sorely tested by our unwillingness to do what it will take to save lives in Ukraine, I found it heartening to see the community, motivated by compassion, mobilizing to find Dwight. What I find troubling is the endless ink spilled over whether the story deserved the attention it got, while the war on Ukraine is slowly becoming yesterday’s news. Let’s give our heads a shake and reflect on our priorities.

Dorothy PawluchHamilton

Language inflation

The April 25 editorial on inflation was talking about money — but it also showed a serious degree of “language inflation.” So every setback or challenge is dubbed a “crisis,” and every bump in the road is a “scandal.” The porterous claim is made that today “we inhabit a nation in crisis.” Really? Today’s “crises” may be better described as challenges, which are certainly not insurmountable. Inflation is not new — who recalls that in the late 70s, mortgage rates were around 20 per cent? We’ve been here before, and survived.

Another example of language inflation is that every bit player in a TV show or movie is described as a “star.” What then should we call the real performing stars?

Personally I’d prefer more balanced language — admittedly duller, but a better reflection of reality. Less alarming, so maybe sells fewer papers.

Street parking review

I address comments made by Coun. Pearson. She stated that she has seen empty driveways where residents prefer to park on the street. Did she not see boats, campers, trailers parked in driveways? Is she not aware that garages most often do not house cars, but have become man caves, storage units and workrooms? Is she not aware that some residents have three-plus vehicles which eventually take up parking spaces for days at a time? I for one have left my driveway purposely empty, put my car on the road so that my company can have somewhere to park. I welcome a review of parking but with a plausible solution. Perhaps parking permits, limit the number of vehicles per household, alternate parking, more bylaw officer presence, however removing the 12-hour limit would only exacerbate the situation.

Gale Bankowski, Lower Stoney Creek

Don’t dump parking limit

We live in an older section of Stoney Creek where there are three apartment buildings and two condo buildings, all come with parking spaces, parking spots on our road are at a premium. These spots are needed by PSW workers and visitors but we have people in our buildings who prefer to park on the road rather than in their own spot. One man even moves his vehicle from the underground and parks it on the street all day long then moves it back every night. Some cars are parked on our street for days and never move. I have had to rely on a health-care worker for in-home medical procedures and many times they could not find a parking spot. Removing the 12-hour parking ban would only make our situation that much more difficult especially around holidays and special occasions.

Linda C Arnold, Stoney Creek

Faulty logic on EVs

Does Coun. Sam Merulla really believe we will need more lanes on the Red Hill Parkway with the advent of electric vehicles? He feels more people will drive because it will be less harmful on the environment. I don’t think he is a student of human nature!

Russell Pope, Stoney Creek

Confederate flag offensive

I’m with Amie in Binbrook. You go girl! There’s no place for such an offensive symbol of racism in Canada let alone the world. I would suggest the ignorant person flying it take a hike and join the good old racists in the Deep South. You’re not welcome here.

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