Re: “Falling productivity creates a grim job market,” editorial, June 27.
While I agree with the headline’s conclusion, this is a pretty messy editorial.
It’s unclear to me how the rise of robotics has negatively impacted Canada’s job market, considering we’re not a major manufacturing economy. Moreover, roboticization and AI are more likely to increase productivity than erode it.
A humanities degree wasn’t a “near guarantee of good employment” when I graduated from UBC with a B.A. in 1997, and I doubt many would expect otherwise today.
Lastly, the abundance (or dearth) of natural resources does not dictate anticipated productivity levels.
I took Econ 101 as part of my B.A. and admittedly didn’t do very well, but even I can see the Grand Canyon-sized holes in this editorial.
Paul Verriour
North Saanich
Re: “Falling productivity creates a grim job market,” editorial, June 27.
Much of this editorial helped explain the effects of economic stagnation on job opportunities for Canada’s youth. However, the statement about an undergraduate degree once almost guaranteeing employment has not been the case for at least 50 years. That was when I graduated with a B.A.
A common joke at the time was about PhD grads driving taxis. It was not a good time to be graduating with generalist education degrees.
Demographics were not included in the article, yet they are a major contributor to job availability. I graduated with the Boomers. The term describes well the sudden increase in those seeking jobs.
That was coupled with a societal change, particularly among women who wanted financial independence as a means to gain more control over their lives.
It was a very tumultuous time. There were no guarantees.
Nancy Brooks
Victoria
In 1988, I was asked to be the vice-chair of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Douglas Street’s restoration committee and am still at it to this day. What has changed is who uses our buildings and why.
Although the traditional membership has aged out, we have a dedicated group who are convinced that a gathering space is a very important asset for downtown Victoria.
A sanctuary space has a new meaning these days; it’s a place where the community can meet in person. Our community is indeed the masses, it’s all of us.
We host Ballet Victoria and their classes, Tea for TUTU for home-bound seniors, two community choirs (Village and Pandora) who practise weekly, AA has six meetings at lunch, professional entertainers have booked our space and the University of Victoria School of Music students perform at Sunday afternoon concerts.
Community users are covered by our insurance policy, whereas concerts with paid attendance must provide event insurance. St. Andrew’s space is used for Christian worship on Sundays, of course, but welcoming the Greater Victoria community into the church is also a goal of this downtown resource.
Our building has been designated as a heritage site, which means it is viewed as a community asset and part of Victoria’s architectural history. Members and friends have raised more than $950,000 since 1990 for restoration projects.
In addition to this money, we have also received support from the Victoria Foundation for the refurbishing of the Dunsmuir windows, as well as the Victoria Civic Heritage Trust for the exterior restoration.
St. Andrew’s is about to undertake a project on the tower at Broughton and Douglas streets. We hope and pray that our asset will continue to be used by the masses.
David McLean
Trustee and co/property chair
St Andrew’s on Douglas
Re: “Enbridge says it would pitch new Alberta-B.C. pipeline only under right conditions,” June 25.
A public policy expert’s comment that “it would take two to three years of engineering, environmental and consultation work before a proposal is ready to be filed,” and then it would take five years before construction would start, deserves a rebuttal.
It is this kind of negative thinking that has held back any positive action from the start.
An old proverb states that: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
That first step should have been taken nine years ago.
Kavas Dadachanji
Victoria
Re: “Belleville terminal cost rises to $416M; province cites geotechnical issues, inflation,” June 27.
The new estimated costs for the Belleville terminal raise questions that taxpayers deserve answers to. With steel tariffs, it seems reasonable to expect Canadian steel bought for projects in Canada would not raise its cost, as we do not apply tariffs to our own steel. If anything, the cost should go down as our main steel customer will not be buying as much of our product as they’ve applied a high tariff on it.
The second question and concern is, where will the contaminated soil be moved to? Why not leave the soil where it is and not disturb it? Not only is excavating and trucking it costly, but the soil ultimately ends up being a contaminant somewhere else.
The last such event ended up costing a fortune and was deposited at the top of a runoff site south of Shawnigan Lake.
David Kinloch
Shawnigan Lake
The federal government is planning to spend unprecedented amounts of money on the Canadian military. It’s about time. They need it. I’m in favour of the spending.
On the other hand, I haven’t had a family doctor in 20 years and while recently in the emergency room waiting nine hours to see a doctor, I had time to observe just how understaffed and overworked medical professionals are.
If only it were as easy for the government to find magical amounts of money for health care as it is for defence.
C. Scott Stofer
Nanaimo
I think Island Health’s Patient Quality Care Office really needs to examine its position on “investigation” and “accountability.” I dealt with these people more than a year ago over some inexcusable conditions at the Duncan Hospital’s Emergency Department when taking my mother-in-law for treatment.
My concerns went well beyond the wait time. The Quality Care Office received my detailed letter of complaint and then told me to obtain her written consent as well.
She died in hospital before I could get it. The Quality Care Office then summarily closed their file due to that lack of consent.
My only recourse was to discover that Google provides an online avenue to rate the hospital’s Emergency Department — which I did and my review has since been well read.
We are the advocates for our loved ones. Our role is to put a voice to the shortcomings we have witnessed and responsibly report those conditions to the appropriate authority. If the patient quality care policy is to gain some sort of permission before they will get up from their desks and go do some work, then they need to get up and go get it for themselves.
They have obviously been ignoring our writings on the wall. If they won’t nicely listen to us, the loving advocates, maybe there’s an independent lawyer out there who is without any conflicts of interest. There must be more than just two of us who have been aggrieved and I’d certainly step forward to effect some systemic change.
Scott Whyte
Ladysmith
Re: “Victorians don’t know how to use roundabouts,” letter, June 25.
The letter-writer can rest assured that the issue of not correctly navigating roundabouts is not unique to Victorians, as Nanaimoites are equally inept at doing so. And rather than a roundabout sign followed by a yield sign as one approaches, why not add a few words — “Yield in, signal out” — to either or preferably both signs?
Then perhaps there will be 50 per cent compliance rather than the current (by my observations) 20 or so.
Dave Kirk
Nanaimo
Please, somebody, create a Canadian social media app to rival the mammoth U.S. apps that Canadians seem to be sadly addicted to using constantly, enriching and emboldening them to take advantage of us all.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent bullying over defending U.S. filthy rich apps copying Canadian news/entertainment content for free or minuscule cost reinforces this dire need for a true Canadian alternative.
How about our federal government creating and promoting a Canadian social media app that’s ad free, scam free? To unite Canadians in supportive, intimidation-free, elbows-up spirit and socializing?
Ralph Saunders
Esquimalt
Re: “Alberta judge grants temporary injunction blocking a transgender health-care bill,” June 27.
In an era of relentless targeting and escalation of misinformation, transgender and gender-expansive individuals face growing hostility, from health-care bans to campaigns designed to erase their identities from public life.
These aren’t just policy debates or media soundbites — they’re real threats to safety, autonomy and survival.
Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has sided with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on trans restrictions. His position on the issue was swiftly met with pushback from his political opponents, who accused him of trying to take away Canadians’ rights.
Members of the trans community and their families expressed the importance of access to affirming care.
Supporting transgender and gender-expansive individuals means committing to more than kindness — it means committing to justice.
It means believing them, showing up consistently, staying informed and using whatever power you have to create access and safety. In the face of fear and backlash, your support can be a protective force — and sometimes, a lifeline.
William Perry
Victoria
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