Olympics distract from bigger issues

Re: Big tax shift is becoming scary for local businesses, Opinion, Oct. 31

It’s time for everyone to take a 10-minute mindful pause and give their head a good shake. Amid all the Olympic articles in the Herald, Chris Varcoe’s article brings us back to the basics of daily living and the additional tax hurdles we face.

We have a serious downtown vacancy problem. As a nation, we can’t even get our own national pipeline built. We can’t house our veterans or poor. We have among the highest unemployment rate of any city in Canada. Yet, more than one article tells me that certain members of city council admit that they have been too distracted by the Olympics to take care of the basic needs of Calgarians.

Jan Boydol, Calgary