LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Overrated Phaneuf bad move for Sens

Re: Phaneuf joins Senators in a nine-player deal, Feb. 9. Have Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray and owner Eugene Melnyk lost their minds? Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf is a terrible defenceman. Two years in a row, a Sports Illustrated survey of NHL players ranked him most over-rated in the league. He brings nothing to the Senators but a grossly inflated salary that will hamper future attempts to sign quality players. John Butcher, Ottawa

Prayers for a great and admirable lady

Re: Shared disease drives Ottawa mom, Feb. 8.

What a surprise it was to see the benevolent face of Teresa Buffone with the photo of her husband and children. I worked with this great lady years ago, and I’ve always had love, admiration and respect for her. She helped me a lot, always encouraging me with her big smile and vast energy. We lost track of each other, but I’ve always thought about her kindness.

I am really saddened to read about her husband’s death to myotonic dystrophy. I remember attending their beautiful wedding and reception with my husband. I wish the best for her son and daughter (also diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy) and will pray for the whole family. I am behind Teresa all the way. Gihane Abboud-Mongrain, Ottawa

Hospice deserves our gratitude

Re: Hospice offering quality of life, Feb. 9.

I couldn’t help but smile after reading about the May Court Day Hospice Program. I was reminded of when my grandfather was in a hospice. While he wasn’t there long, I really hope he had something like this to enjoy.

The hospice deserves every “Thank you” it gets from guests using the day program; being able to give people in that situation something to smile about is what matters.

They’ve taken the old saying, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,” and brought it to life in the most spectacular way possible. So to the hospice: thank you. Catherine Arbour, Ottawa

Drop of oil prevents mailbox freeze-ups

Re: ‘Super’ mailboxes aren’t so super, Feb. 9. There have been a number of complaints about community mailboxes freezing up. Obviously, if water gets into the lock mechanism and the temperature drops, the likelihood of the lock freezing is very high.

What if the water could not get into the lock in the first place? Here’s a simple solution: Put a drop of thin oil (3-In- One or similar) into the lock when it’s dry, while using your key to work it in. Moisture cannot then get into the lock mechanism, as the oil is there to repel any water. (Please note I said a “drop”: too much oil could make a mess in the box!)

Maybe Canada Post should look at this approach. It would be a long-lasting solution and much cheaper than sending a crew every time there is a frost following rain. Ernest J. Moore, Ottawa

CF-18s not essential to fight against ISIL

Re: Reflections of a leader, Feb. 9.

Many commentators and the Conservative Opposition are criticizing the Trudeau government for not providing a good rationale for ending the bombing mission. I will start listening to those armchair critics only when they are able to explain convincingly why our lowly two per cent contribution to bombing is so critical to the fight against ISIL.

Most experts agree that no war is ever won by bombing alone. More than 50 countries in the coalition have understood that and have chosen not to participate in the bombing but are fighting ISIL in different ways.

The new mission proposed by the Liberal government is much more ambitious and courageous than the previous one. I, for one, am proud to support it. Christiane Horne, Ottawa

Trudeau only part right on ISIL fight

Re: Problems in ISIL plan, Feb. 9.

In his speech outlining the new direction for Canada’s involvement against ISIL, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the words “the Canadian way, and this is what Canada is about” as a way to justify his position.

It is fair, then, to wonder when the Canadian way came into being. First, we engage in combat by way of fighter jets, then we withdraw with no rationale for withdrawing. What is Canadian about that?

The Canadian way, and the way of most countries, is to be able to contribute humanitarian aid, train fighters, work on diplomacy, and actually do some fighting to weaken the enemy, which was the role of the bombers. Trudeau seems to get part of it, but not all of it.

Trudeau’s new vision of what our role against ISIL is to become is not accepted by the majority of Canadians.

A majority government gets to do what it wants, and after a debate, this new vision will pass through Parliament. But passing through the House and being the right thing to do are two different things. Jeff Spooner, Kinburn

To end extremism, tackle its causes

A bomb cannot destroy the root causes of extremism. The United States-led coalition has been bombing ISIL strongholds since 2014, yet we have not significantly diminished their strength. The shift in policy that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has started makes sense and might go a long way in Middle Eastern development.

I believe that a focus on development will not just increase Mideast security, but also world stability. High youth unemployment, coupled with other developmental failures such as poor educational systems and health, have made the area a hotbed for terrorism.

By helping these countries eliminate the causes of extremism, we can help the region become stable in the future. If we don’t build their capacity to resist terrorism, we will be forced to intervene again and again. Ashton Heaps, Ottawa

Local input key for clean Ontario power

Re: Ontario’s wind plan fails rural people, says study, Feb. 4.

A recent article regarding the work our government has done to build a modern, green electricity generation system overlooked a significant level of important detail: Ontario’s government is focused on supplying power in a way that respects local communities.

One of my first actions on becoming energy minister in 2013 was to introduce competition in how we procure renewable energy, change the way we consulted with communities, and ensure that only the most cost-efficient and locally supported projects get built.

We now require mandatory community engagement including public meetings, and take local needs and considerations into account before contracts are offered. And to better incorporate these interests, particularly those in rural Ontario, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has engaged with municipalities and community associations to get feedback on Ontario’s new competitive procurement for renewable energy projects.

As a result, we have increased local say over where renewables are sited and brought stability and predictability to procurement prices.

We’ve also taken action to slash prices and remove system costs for renewables. Since 2011, no large renewable project has been procured without a competitive process. And by renegotiating the Samsung Agreement and cutting FIT prices, we reduced system costs by $5.6 billion. For example, solar costs have reduced by as much as 73 per cent. Bob Chiarelli, energy minister

Pipelines lock us in to climate change

Re: No mayoral input on pipelines, please, Feb. 9.

With respect to David Goldsmith’s letter, it may be that “Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere At All” (BANANA) advocates are out there, but the International Energy Agency does not fall into that camp.

The IEA has warned that because infrastructure such as pipelines lasts many decades, if we continue to invest in such projects we “lock in” those many decades of climate-change emissions associated with the oil that pipelines carry.

The IEA goes on to warn that this makes it ever more costly and difficult to solve the climate-change challenge (see Redrawing the Climate-Energy Map — IEA 2013). Charles Hodgson, Ottawa