LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Get the downtown arena built already

Re: LeBreton Flats plan in jeopardy after ‘unresolved issues’ between Melnyk and Ruddy, Nov. 23.

Building a new hockey arena on LeBreton Flats will reinvigorate the Ottawa Senators and bring new life to downtown Ottawa.

If this deal doesn’t go through, the Senators will remain out in the sticks, 30 minutes from Ottawa, and will attract only the very hard-core fans or those who live in Kanata, Stittsville, et cetera.

If this deal is blown, then it’s probably the end of a rebirth for the Senators.

The only Senators left in Ottawa will be on Parliament Hill.

This area has made huge mistakes. Moving the train station out of downtown Ottawa was one.

Putting a hockey arena out in the middle of nowhere (which it was when it was built) was another.

Build the stadium downtown — even give it a new name — and they will come, and in droves. Please don’t get bogged down in petty rivalry and bureaucratic dead ends which will eventually lead nowhere. Douglas Cornish, Ottawa

Abandon these development fiascos

Surely it’s time not only to abandon what has become a nightmare scenario for developing the critical public lands of LeBreton Flats, but also to reverse the white elephant decision to build a new “central” Ottawa Public Library at a site which is far from central and which could leave the library to stand alone for many years. J.C. Sulzenko, Ottawa

Closing family shelter is heartless

Re: Councillors decry Dec. 15 closure of aging family shelter in Mechanicsville, Nov. 15. Closing a family shelter on Dec. 15? Just before Christmas? What a heartless thing to do.

How will parents deal with children’s expectations for Christmas?

As residents of the city of Ottawa, we all should be deeply concerned about those least able to cope with the challenges of life. We can all hope that federal or provincial governments address the problems of the homeless through guaranteed annual income or other provisions. But for now, we must take responsibility for fellow citizens of Ottawa.

I, for one, would be happy to pay more tax if that is what is required. We must consider our own reaction if we were evicted or forced to relocate. It would be terrible and we should not stand for it happening to others. Michael Wiggin, Prescott

Thanks, Father, for speaking out

Re: ‘Sickened and discouraged’ — being a Catholic priest in a scandalous age, Nov. 17.

I want to thank Father Allan MacDonald for speaking out about clerical abuse and coverup in the Catholic Church. The Companions of the Cross are fortunate to have him in their flock. Mary Dalton, Ottawa

Appreciate honesty on clergy abuses

Thanks to Kelly Egan for bringing the views of Father MacDonald on clergy abuse to the public view. I applaud Father MacDonald for his honest and forthright position on this issue, and his courage in expressing it. Such expression promotes acceptance and understanding among the faithful and advances the fundamental belief in our vulnerability as humans regardless of our vocational calling. Celia M. Carter, Brockville Father MacDonald “feels deflated and lied to” and suggests we should reaffirm our faith in God and remain “in the boat.” If Father MacDonald feels deflated and lied to, how does he think the thousands of victims of pedophile priests feel?

If his God is the same omnipotent power that allows pedophile priests to exist in the first place and then creates the Archdiocese structure to cover up the abuses — I would rather swim alone in the ocean then cast my lot with the hypocrites in the boat. David Thompson, Ottawa