Hard to know if Trump will learn anything from Harvey
It’s hard to imagine there might be a silver lining inside Hurricane Harvey’s massive cloud, but there is a very slim chance U.S. President Donald Trump will have a moment of transformation.
When he sees the unprecedented flooding in Texas and contemplates the widespread anguish and hears about the enormous restoration costs, maybe, just maybe, he will change his mind about the contribution that fossil-fuel consumption is making to global warming and climate change.
Perhaps he will stop his dismissive, fakenews blustering and his chronic, pathological lying long enough to really listen to some bona fide environmental scientists. Don’t hold your breath, because a wise man will admit his mistakes, but a fool will try to defend them. Lloyd Atkins, Vernon
Other side to ferry story
Letter-writer Gordon Larkin says the pay scale for B.C. Ferries workers is justified, since they save stranded boaters.
May I remind him that these competent, well-trained workers also managed to run a ferry aground, sinking it, as they were more concerned about their personal relationship than the safety of passengers, two of whom died.
It is also noted that B.C. Ferries CEOs have been paid three times what the boss gets at Washington ferries.
Edward Fox, South Surrey
ICBC legal bills are an issue
I believe one main reason ICBC is so grossly mismanaged is the fact that appraisers are permitted to charge up unbridled amounts of legal fees defending their decisions. Those decisions clearly can be shown that the party being defended is lying to get damages against the other driver.
In 2010, I was forced to sue ICBC to correct an $1,800 claim against a vehicle that clearly drove into my vehicle. I supported the claim with an accident report that clearly proved the collision was caused by the defending driver.
In the end, 21/2 years travelling back and forth to New Westminster from Kamloops defending the claim, the judge found that the claim against me was spurious. It cost me nearly $5,000 to defend my driving record as a professional driver.
Gerald Antoniak, Kamloops
A pile of unfulfilled promises
When my father was a boy, he would be lucky if he got one orange in his Christmas stocking. Nowadays, we can eat oranges to our hearts’ content.
This is just one of the countless improvements in our diet over the past century. Study after study has shown the direct link between good nutrition and good health.
Good nutrition is critically important during a child’s earliest years when the brain is still developing. Missing this small window of opportunity can have a profound effect on a child’s entire life, such as their ability to learn and complete school, and they are likely to earn 20-percent less than their peers who were well-nourished when they were young.
It is just as important that the mother be well-nourished during pregnancy. But often this is not the case due to economic and cultural gender biases. Canada aims to address these biases with its new Feminist International Assistance Policy.
According to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, empowering women and girls is “a matter of basic justice and also basic economics.” Unfortunately, practically no new money was announced to implement this major policy change.
It seems that the size of our deficit is only surpassed by our growing pile of unfulfilled promises. Stephen St. Denis, Ottawa