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New homes are built in a housing construction development in the west-end of Ottawa on May 6, 2021.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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High cost
Re The Challenge Of Affordable Housing (Editorial, May 24): The key factor is “affordability.”
Burlington has fought tooth and nail against high-rise development, but to no avail. Our downtown has been decimated by tower construction. In one case, a six-storey co-op is being levelled to make way for a private and expensive 18-storey care facility.
These projects will likely accomplish nothing in terms of affordability or appropriateness for young families. Prices for one- and two-bedroom units are well over $900,000. How is that affordable?
Would it not make more sense for developers to be challenged to provide family-friendly units at reasonable prices when applying to develop a site? It would be a more balanced approach to a crisis.
Carol Victor Burlington, Ont.
Long-term growth?
Re Dollarama CEO’s Pay Doubles From Prepandemic Levels (Report on Business, May 23) and Executive Bonuses At LTC Firms Rose During First Full Pandemic Year (Report on Business, May 16): Articles on compensation in long-term care and at Dollarama tackle a tricky subject, concentrating on numbers and downplaying value added by management.
A fundamental challenge is that there is a disconnect between benchmarks for management and investors. The former identifies company metrics, usually return on investment and perhaps growth. The latter measures stock market prices and to a lesser extent dividends.
Dollarama, for example, now employs 20,000 people, a major increase in recent years thanks to management efforts. And management strategies for low prices benefit consumers, much like Amazon. In the case of long-term, management at Chartwell Retirement Residences and Sienna Senior Living should be given credit for transforming their companies to tilt toward relatively lower cost assisted living. This segment represents the best growth prospects for investors.
The challenge is that these are mostly not quantifiable on a numbers basis, and judgement calls tend to carry less weight.
Peter de Auer Former director, Ontario Hydro Pension Fund Port Hope, Ont.
Re How Ontario’s Elder-care Policies Favour For-profit Facilities (May 21): A stunning indictment of the Ford government’s intentions regarding elder care in Ontario.
Profit before care. Large institutional facilities favoured over home care. Legislation allowing for lengthy licenses without regard for past performance.
Other options exist and could be introduced into our elder-care system, enabling more normalized living settings and reducing unnecessary risks proven to exist when profit enters the equation.
The Ford Conservatives cannot be let to continue on this path. Other parties are prepared to do an about turn on elder care and eliminate for-profit facilities in the sector, as well as introduce small, home-like models of care.
This is the future for Ontario, and the future of Ontario families, unless Ontarians make this stop.
Linda Till Sharon, Ont.
Not only have more than 4,300 grandmothers, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers died; others suffered without water, food and companionship because profit came before care.
It doesn’t make sense to me to continue to build these institutions, when COVID-19 proved how dangerous congregate living can be. No senior that I have talked to wants to go into a long-term facility. They want to stay in the home they created over years, filled with love and memories.
Care should never be an industry. Seniors should rise up. We should have a revolution and refuse this path of profit over care
Joyce Balaz London, Ont.
Cannabis choice
Re Ontario Candidates Pledge Cannabis Review (Report on Business, May 25): Last summer, Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab released a report that surveyed Canadians about their perspectives on cannabis. One question asked Canadians if they agreed that municipalities should be allowed to ban cannabis retailers within their boundaries.
A majority of respondents (56 per cent) disagreed or strongly disagreed with such bans. Canadians want access and convenience. (Both cannabis consumers and non-consumers were included in that segment, and I expect that proportion has risen.)
Say what one will about the Ontario Conservatives. On this issue, they seem to have the stronger grasp of what people think.
Let’s see what the market wants and let people decide.
Brian Sterling Oakville, Ont.
Rapid fax
Re Lack Of Data Affecting ‘Broken’ Health System (Report on Business, May 19): I’ve been mediating the back-and-forth between my doctor’s office and pharmacy trying to get a prescription filled. The blame for the difficulty in doing so falls squarely on the fax machine.
My work for the past 40 years has occasionally involved the transmission of documents nationally and internationally. For $1-million, I could not tell you the last time I used a fax to do this.
John Cartledge Kingston
Not well
Re Hi, My Name Is Canada. I’m An Oil Superpower (Editorial, May 9): Do high fossil fuel demand and prices warrant the conclusion that “there is no economic or environmental logic in trying to artificially restrict Canadian oil production?”
Demand, evidenced by price, is a measure of preference in competitive markets. Renewable forms of energy exist, are now cheaper than most fossil sources and can be rapidly increased in supply. Economically, this is precisely the time to incentivize renewables and limit fossils.
The environmental logic for restricting oil production is equally clear. Every increment in global greenhouse gas emissions increases the cost of mitigating and adapting to the damage to ecosystems upon which our lives depend.
Around 80 per cent of emissions from fossil fuels occur not in production but when they are burned. The atmosphere doesn’t differentiate among GHGs by country of origin. To ignore them because they occur outside Canada is illogical self-harm.
Gail Greer Sociologist and environmentalist (retired) Toronto
Keeping time
Re Police Called To Help At Pearson (May 23): That Transport Minister Omar Alghabra would blame delays at Toronto Pearson International Airport on the traveller, who is subject to arbitrary and inconsistent screening measures globally, speaks volumes to me about the ethos around the cabinet table.
That our flagship carrier provided no comment, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesperson blames the airlines and the government, does not bode well for a transportation hub that is to serve the Toronto region.
I would suggest that these officials and their deputies in operations and human resources, along with union leaders, meet at an airport conference room, walk the arrivals and departure areas daily, and not leave until the 75th percentile customer can transit through in 30 minutes.
Stephen Halman Toronto
One way to do it
Re No Two Ways About It: One-way Roads Have Had Their Day (May 21): Sad that drivers will no longer be able to go through Hamilton in minutes, which was possible when I last visited the city. Contrast this with Toronto.
A recent trip from the Yonge Street area to the Roncesvalles neighbourhood took about 90 minutes to cover a handful of kilometres. We were delayed by streetcars, road repairs, condo construction and the installation of even more bike lanes.
With regard to the latter, it can be said that the war on the automobile is still raging in Southern Ontario.
Dave Ashby Toronto
Brantford, like Hamilton, is another city that should convert its main downtown streets to two-way from one-way. Pandering to suburban through-traffic does not allow for the reurbanization of downtown that residents, businesses and institutions seek.
Brantford is currently in the midst of studies to improve the streetscape of its two main streets. Unfortunately the city continues to justify a one-way system, instead of looking at what other cities are doing to achieve more livable and workable movement in their downtowns.
Brian Bee Brantford, Ont.
Not exclusive
Re Mediocrity Can’t Be The Solution For TDSB’s Specialized Programs (May 25): I applaud students Kate Blumberg and Sophie Daum for standing up for excellence and merit.
In Canada, it seems we have yet to understand that if we want to function at a world-class standard, we should support both excellence and diversity. Excellence is a combination of talent and hard work, and is possible for people of all groups.
The essential thing should be to make sure there are no hidden blocks limiting the admission of excellent candidates from historically underrepresented groups – not abandoning the idea of aspiring to superb achievement.
Robert Girvan Toronto
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