Parliament Hill’s rink receives icy reception from taxpayers
Re: Rink of rules, Nov. 25. Spending $5.6 million for a rink on Parliament Hill is a waste of taxpayer dollars. There is already a rink at city hall, and of course, the Rideau Canal, for those who wish to skate.
These taxpayer dollars would have been better spent assisting the needy in our local community rather than indulging in some nebulous Canada 150 activity.
I am certainly proud of what Canada has achieved in the 150 years since Confederation.
However, it would have been a true celebration if we had started on the path this year to begin correcting the inadequacies in health care, housing, education and potable water on our impoverished First Nations reserves. Bertram Frandsen, Nepean
Why not times for hockey, too?
No one will be able to perform a triple Salchow on Parliament Hill’s rink and no pucks will be allowed on the ice either. Cellphones are prohibited. In a way, it sort of makes sense. I don’t know who this someone would be but, imagine someone on the Hill twirling in the air three times and landing on a puck while a texter skated into them.
What I don’t understand is why there can’t be skate times designated family, which would include the show-offs, and other times designated for hockey. Jill Young, Ottawa
Rink costs too much for short time open
Although some people may not appreciate the restrictions for the Parliament Hill rink, with the expectation that there will be many skaters it is understandable that safety and enjoyment must be a primary consideration.
Those restrictions, however, should be of secondary concern when you consider the cost for the rink.
In a time when Canadians are reported to be overloaded with debt, the federal government is certainly not leading by example when it spends millions on a rink that will be used for only a couple of months. Dale Boire, Ottawa
Another way we could spend that money
Re: Family pleads to keep medal in Canada; Rare Victoria Cross awaits clearance for transfer to foreign buyer, Nov. 24. It would seem to me that if we can drop $5 million on a skating rink for three months, we should have a few extra grand to buy this medal sitting in a bank in Kemptville.
I know the medal won’t melt. Just throwing the idea out there.
Happy 150th. D.J. Brayley, Gatineau