R.E. Mountain name deserves to be preserved for school
I am a former R.E. Mountain Secondary School student and I want to express my concern about the school potentially losing its name.
I believe that changing the name of the school is a form of disrespect to the Mountain family and to the man himself. He was a very well-respected member of our community and taking his name off the school will remove his legacy.
Moving the title of R.E. Mountain Secondary School to another building will simply disregard the history of the school altogether. Jasmin Peterson, Langley
Leave HandyDart alone
My wife has been a regular user of the fantastic HandyDart service for years. The drivers are polite, well-trained and treat all users with dignity and respect. The same applies to the people who book trips.
I suspect any complaints come from riders who expect the service to be like a taxi, where you call and they come within an hour or so and take you anywhere you want for $2.85.
How is “nationalizing” this service by eliminating private contractors and having HandyDart run by TransLink, as the union wants, going to change any of its positive qualities? Bill Richardson, West Vancouver
Police should monitor Boyle
I’m not sure why letter-writer David Merke would say that his “heart goes out” to released hostages Joshua Boyle and his family.
Take a look at the picture of Boyle and his wife that appeared in the media. This is the way they present themselves, as though they belong to the terrorist group that, according to their story, held them captive for five years? What? No time for a shave and a change of clothes?
The fact that Boyle was previously married to the radicalized sister of convicted terrorist Omar Khadr is a concern. I hope the police keep an eye on these two.
Steve Bodajla, Surrey
Guns lowered murder rate
Letter-writer Ray Arnold noted last week that gun culture prevails in the U.S., but there’s a reason and even the need for it.
In 1990, the homicide rate in the U.S. was 9.4 murders per 100,000 people and climbing. Only a couple of states allowed for the carrying of handguns for self-defence — New Hampshire, Vermont and perhaps Alaska. But conceal and carry was becoming the norm, and since that policy was introduced all over the U.S., its homicide rate has now dropped to 4.5, according to FBI figures.
Yes, we are still safer in Canada, for now, but before comparing us to the U.S., we should wait until Canada’s population is as large as in the U.S. Otherwise, we’re comparing apples to oranges.
Den Robinson, Burnaby
Evergreen trees better
Clogged drains at this time of year isn’t a new problem. But why do municipalities allow developers to clearcut perfectly healthy 50- to 100-year-old evergreen trees when clearing lots and then replace them with deciduous trees that produce leaves that most homeowners today can’t be bothered to rake, let alone clear from their drains? Marilyn Davies, Coquitlam