DON’T CHERRY PICK

As one of the civic administration’s original drafters of the Year of the Veteran parking initiative in 2005, I feel that there is an important piece of the puzzle missing in the interpretation, if not the spirit of the bylaw.

To be eligible, an individual had to meet one of three criteria: Must have served in the First or Second World War or the Korean War; served honourably for a minimum of three years full-time in the regular force or have 1,095 paid days of service in the reserve forces; served honourably in NATO operations or as a member of a UN Peacekeeping Force with either the Canadian Forces or Reserves, the RCMP or other Canadian police force; or an allied force.

These qualifications for veterans were not decided by city council or administration but determined by the Saskatchewan Command of the Royal Canadian Legion.

In drafting the report to council, I neither envisioned Canada’s commitment in Afghanistan lasting until 2014, nor that our family would have to deal with the pain and immeasurable loss of our son in that conflict.

What I did expect was that neither administration nor council would cherrypick who qualifies. It was never open for individual interpretation. Afghanistan was a NATO operation, and so those who served honourably do qualify.

The City of Saskatoon should live by the sprit of the document, or scrap it. Brian Boyes Fort McMurray, Alta.