Richmond council adopted right policy on Chinese signage
I commend Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and council for taking the route of education and outreach to address the issue of Chinese signage in Richmond.
A couple of years ago, Richmond Chinese community leaders formed a group called Signs for Harmony, which took the lead in convincing Chinese businesses to use both English and Chinese on their business premises. It makes sense. This is a healthy and productive approach to address an issue that has brought some rather unwanted attention to this community.
Businesses that have signs in Chinese only need to be convinced — rather than forced — that having signs in both languages is simply good business practice, bound to increase their exposure and customer base.
Richmond is a diverse, multicultural and multilingual community proud of its intercultural harmony.
A minor issue like this should not be allowed to adversely affect that.
— Balwant Sanghera, Richmond
Anti-bridge views ignorant
Kathryn Wilder’s letter to the editor falsely pits transit against a bridge at the Massey Tunnel.
Does she know that Highway 99 is part of the West Coast’s major route and carries far more than commuter traffic? Does she know that SkyTrain won’t handle thousands of 18-wheelers that use the route? Does she know that it takes a minimum of 55 minutes each business day to cover the three kilometres in the counterflow lane during rush hour? Or that millions of vehicles idle needlessly each year outside our congested tunnel?
Does she know that South Surrey and Delta cover more area than all of Vancouver and that a SkyTrain network to service them would take decades to build?
Sorry, but we need more informed opinions than hers. — Clare Stevens, Delta
Moving cars lessen pollution
Why can’t people understand that bridges and highways do not create traffic and pollution? People need to travel over the bridges and through the tunnel. They are going to use them regardless of their capacity.
Now, they can sit in traffic for hours, spewing exhaust into the air, or we can build proper infrastructure to get everyone to their destination quickly. Which causes more pollution? A vehicle travelling for 90 minutes or one travelling the same distance in 30 minutes? — Pamala Combs, Langley
NDP fails to deliver
The NDP’s first provincial budget did not fulfil two promises that were trumpeted on the hustings during the provincial election campaign — $10-a-day childcare and an annual payment to renters.
These two promises may well have garnered votes, but what did we get? They apparently sunk without trace with profound silence. — James Jack, Langley
Waiting for cheap insurance
It doesn’t surprise me that the NDP broke its campaign promises of $10-per-day childcare and a $400-per-year renter’s rebate. After all, I’m still waiting for the $25-per-year car insurance former NDP premier Dave Barrett promised us back in the 1970s.
What does surprise me is that Premier John Horgan is letting Green party leader Andrew Weaver and the other two Green party MLAs hold such sway over the political agenda of our province.
— Gary Tupper, New Westminster