VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

JEOPARDY! JOY RESTORED

I have been a Jeopardy! fan all my life, practically since its present incarnation debuted in 1984. I had hoped to one day qualify to become a contestant myself, if luck ever chose to shine on me.

With the death of Alex Trebek in 2020, much of the spirit that fuelled my love of the show and trivia in general was dampened for a time. But thanks to the enthusiasm, grace, and knowledgeable flair of Mattea Roach, my Jeopardy! joy has been restored, thankfully!

She has been a wonderful ambassador for Canada, the province, and her beloved Cape Breton that we have needed so much. I can’t recall how long it’s been since so many of my friends and community members have joined in cheering on a fellow Nova Scotian for something other than a sporting event!

Among the countless Jeopardy! contestants I’ve observed over the years, Mattea exemplifies how to compete with a sweetness and a class that few have matched.

Even on those nights when she trounced her opponents, she did so with such humility, showing how thankful and fortunate she was to just get on the show in the first place.

As we gradually emerge from COVID (here’s hoping), Mattea has given us the pick-me-up we need to help us along, and I believe I speak for many of us in saying we are honoured to have been graced with her presence on a different kind of world stage.

We eagerly await the upcoming Tournament of Champions! Way to go, Mattea!

Ian Harrison, Baddeck

STIRRING VEES MEMORIES

I thoroughly enjoyed George Myrer’s May 7 article about the Nova Scotia Voyageurs hockey team, 50 years after that Calder Cup victory. It was quite thorough, including references to the players of the day. Wow, names that I haven’t heard in years: Randy Rota, Chuck Arnason, etc. It brought back memories, for sure.

I grew up in the town of Pictou. I followed the Vees, even though I disliked their parent club, the Montreal Canadiens. I was 11 years old at that time and I was a typical hockey-crazy kid — I lived and breathed hockey, and like many Canadians we likely were born with skates on (Canadian mothers tend to have difficult child births).

I dashed out of bed each morning to read The Chronicle Herald sports pages — to check up on my Bruins, and then the Vees. (Incidentally, that actually started my love of newspapers, which carries on to this day).

I grew up one of four siblings raised solely by a mom and there was not a lot of extra money floating around. My mother was acutely aware of me and my brother’s love of hockey, so she surprised us one day by telling us that she was taking us to a Vees game. Fifty years ago, driving from Pictou to Halifax was not as readily done as it is today. To us, this was a big deal.

I remember entering the Halifax Forum — Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. Baltimore Clippers. The Forum was pretty rough in those days. It smelled like a rink, infused with cigarette smoke and booze. Our seats were in an end zone behind the goaltender and up quite high, relatively speaking. I am sure they were the cheapest tickets and the ones that my mother could afford. And yes, it was a rough section. Those were the days when smoking in the stands was not uncommon. As well, I vividly remember a good number of guys in our section drinking and lots of backand-forth shouting and swearing (not by us). Imagine a mother and two children plunked in the middle of all that!

And the washrooms — I have a memory of peeing into a long trough, lined up alongside other gents doing the same. The Forum that night was likely not the best place for an 11-year-old and a nine-year-old. But we were thrilled to be there.

We watched the game (the Vees won) then drove the two hours back to Pictou afterward. And the next morning, we couldn’t wait to tell our school buddies about our adventure.

Fifty years on, I remember that night like it was yesterday, and as an adult, today I have a deeper appreciation of what it takes for a single mother to raise kids. Thanks, Mum. (My mother died in 2013.)

A great retro sports story. Great hockey in those days. Good job on your article. Go Vees, go!

Rob Mcdowell, Pictou/halifax

CHOKED WITH GARBAGE

Re: Jen Taplin’s May 7 article about the litter-tracking app designed to help clean up HRM. In my heart, I hope this approach works — and it might just succeed in the downtown core.

If you venture further afield, the issue can no longer be described as litter! We are surrounded by mounting piles of garbage and it is choking us! At times, I think I am the only one who sees it. I guess I have a superpower!

I’ve been reaching out to governments for three years with my concerns. They pass the buck from one level to another. Nothing gets done. The garbage is building up, and this spring is the worst I have even seen. Garbage is everywhere throughout HRM. I am disgusted, embarrassed, appalled and enraged. The powers to be are again waiting for the grass to grow, and the bushes to sprout green leaves in the hopes that the verdant foliage will cover up a multitude of sins.

There is no app or contest that is going to clean this up! If by some miracle this does happen, I will be the first to applaud the endeavour!

To reinforce my concerns, I have driven around and photographed a few areas. I went to Cobequid Road, the Bedford Highway, Glendale Drive and the 102 Highway between the Bedford and Bayers Lake exits (inbound is the worst). Please keep in mind, this is just the tip of the iceberg! If you are in the passenger seat, you can observe the mounting debris in the ditches.

We do have a beautiful province, but the growing garbage is heartbreaking and casting a dark shadow.

Darlene Hersey-boutilier, HRM

GAS HIKES GRITS’ FAULT

Watching the news has become painful because of complaints about gas prices.

I have written letters for years about getting oil and gas to Saint John, N.B., from Western Canada. Instead, we are paying higher amounts for tankers to bring fuel down the St. Lawrence River from foreign countries. The price of petroleum products is not the fault of Russia but of the Trudeau government. The prime minister is making it harder to develop our own resources.

The Americans are worse: Joe Biden stopped the pipeline from Alberta and most fracking. We could be helping Europe, as they are trying to stop using Russia’s fossil fuels.

Nova Scotians keep sending Liberals to Ottawa. Now we are all paying the price.

Dorothy Clifton, Kingston