LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Police may catch the culprits but they’re often freed next day

I live in the inner city. In the past couple of years, the crime in our neighbourhood has increased exponentially. I receive emails from our Neighbourhood Watch group alerting us to criminal activity on a very regular basis.

This morning’s email indicated that last night, there was a great deal of vandalism in our neighbourhood. A number of vehicles, parked on the street, had their windows smashed or were ransacked, garage door openers were found and used to steal a variety of items from garages, etc.

I spoke to a police officer this afternoon who came to file reports on the damage and stolen goods. He told me the police try to apprehend the “bad guys” and they might even catch somebody in the act. But, after filling out all of the forms, and filing the reports, the guilty party almost always gets off the hook.

He told me we should contact City Hall and the provincial government to demand changes with respect to arresting, processing, and judicial process of these criminals. The police are doing their job. But it is all for naught if the perpetrators are released the next morning. Such a waste of their time.

I do not feel safe in my neighbourhood anymore.

A.E. Tyler, Calgary

Majority in B.C. back pipelines

Polls that I have seen indicate Canadians favour pipeline and see the benefit to the economy. Albertans and approximately 50,000 Canadians from other provinces will continue working the oilsands and building pipelines. They will work weeks from home and families. Suppliers from all over Canada will benefit from the billions of dollars of materials supplied to the gas and oil sector.

In Kelowna we have seen the results of local polls on pipelines. Our local news outlet takes a poll twice a year related to pipelines. It simply asks if we in the Okanagan Valley are in favour of pipelines. Usually, the 8,000 responses are 70 per cent in favour. Much more in-depth polls are done in the Vancouver area and results are very similar.

Yet, we have a premier who never recognizes these polls in favour of pipelines. He and his second in command Green leader always say they are against Alberta energy because that is what his riding wants. They refuse to listen to the people in this province and would rather battle Alberta and the federation. Very similar to Quebec.

The people of B.C. are with Alberta. After all, 40,000 of us work in the Alberta oil and gas industry and another 25,000 work in our own oil and gas industry. All our income taxes are paid in B.C.

The tide is changing; judges who find it necessary to entertain every environmental supporter must change too, our PM needs to change. It is not necessary to listen to every person with an opinion or our economy will be in further trouble.

G. Niki, Kelowna

Urbanization and climate

Much of what we hear in the media today focuses on carbon emissions, but not so much on urbanization as a cause of climate change. Over the last century, urban centres across the world have grown by leaps and bounds, with several now exceeding 20 million people, and growing! These huge expanses of concrete, roads and highways absorb tremendous heat from our sun, and radiate that heat back 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. One can observe the significant temperature differences between rural areas versus city and inner city.

There is tremendous focus on carbon emissions, but why do we not hear how urbanization itself contributes to climate change? Can we also find ways for the world’s major urban centres to reduce their effect on climate change? Hugh Lavallee, Calgary

A use it or lose it benefit

Re: Government sick days reaching epidemic levels, Opinion, Sept. 7

For some people, sick days are a benefit to use or lose, regardless of public or private sectors. The mindset becomes “if I don’t take my sick days, I’m missing out on a benefit.”

If the research is available, or becomes available, I think it well may show that government employees are entitled to more sick days than the private sector on average, thus explaining the discrepancy.

Jim Royer, Calgary