Decolonizing education
Re Decolonizing Design by I. Rattan (NOW, August 31-September 6).
Yes, we need better education. That will hopefully help us not fall into the next trap: that Indigenous peoples did not know greed before the evil white people arrived. First Nations also played a big part in the fur trade.
Julia Wille, Toronto
Ex for “extinct”very soon
Re Why Is There No Hip-Hop At The Bandshell? by Paul Salvatori (NOW Online, August 25).
Are you really shocked? The Ex uses a very poor rendition of a 1958 Danny and the Juniors song, At The Hop, as their commercial jingle? The Ex will be (or should be) extinct very soon.
Alan Kidd, Toronto
Susur Lee takes the easy way out?
Re Petition Asks Susur Lee To Pay Back Employees (NOW Online, August 23).
Typical. Only after an online petition was started did Susur Lee agree to reimburse his staff withheld tips. Jerk. I’ll never patronize his restaurants ever again.
Jim Dawson, From nowtoronto.com
Slippery slope on anti-abortion protests
Re We Need To Talk About Those Anti-Abortion Posters (NOW Online, September 1).
No one is asking anti-abortion protestors to stop voicing their opinions. This is not actually a left versus right issue.
This is about decency in a public space. It’s the images of mutilated fetuses in a various states of decay used by protestors that cause anger and disgust.
Marc Dambrosio, From nowtoronto.com
On Ezra Levant, you’re preaching to the choir
Re Did Ezra Levant Just Kill The Conservative Party? (NOW, August 31-September 6).
NOW preaches to the choir in the GTA echo chamber.
The left likes to congregate amongst their own in Toronto and Ottawa where no one challenges the groupthink mentality. The rest of the province is mostly sane.
M. Anderson, From nowtoronto.com
Far right balancing act
Kudos to NOW for printing a balanced article on Ezra Levant and the Conservative Party that can be appreciated by those with different political perspectives.
Both sides of the story fairly told is a nice change – and will no doubt please most of your readers.
Do it more often.
Patricia Starr, Toronto
Patrick Brown knows what’s best for PCs
On Patrick Brown’s efforts to remake Ontario PCs by Michael Coren (NOW, August 17-30), I think Patrick Brown knows a little more about winning the upcoming provincial election than his hardcore non-followers.
Unless the PCs make major inroads in left-leaning urban Ontario (the GTHA, Ottawa and, to a lesser extent, London), Kathleen Wynne remains Premier. Brown knows that new, younger, more adroit candidates – irrespective of their moral politics – are key to the PCs owning the Premier’s office.
Ian Scott, Toronto
T.O.’s food truck scene needs shot of culture
What’s the skinny on our food truck scene in Toronto? It is shameful – bricks and mortar prices with mini portions at best, this is a disgrace to the food truck scene. Check out the U.S. to learn what the culture is all about.
Bob Murphy, Toronto
The best way to handle bike-lane blockers
Letter-writer Casey Irwin suggests that the best way for cyclists to handle cars parked in bike lanes is just to go around them (NOW, August 31-September 6). Suddenly veering into a hot traffic lane and having to share the space with an 18-wheeler might be a trifle uncomfortable but that’s life.
Another tack might be to engage and ask the driver – if there is one in sight – to maybe park somewhere else. That will be a dead end, of course, and is likely to get you an earful.
However, drivers are often idling in the lane as they wait, so if you can get them to switch off, that’s at least one out of two.
Look for the silver lining, I say.
Geoff Rytell, Toronto
Black Creek solitude for Jane-Finch kids
Re Hidden Gem: Toronto’s Black Creek by Kathy Toth (NOW Online, August 16).
I grew up in the Jane and Finch area. My friends who worked at the Jane Street McDonald’s used to walk along Black Creek more than 30 years ago and found those hidden gems in the greenery as a chance to commune with nature in a very unnatural world of concrete and steel.
We always felt like we were breaking some kind of law travelling those waterways. But they also mellowed us after a long day of work as we made our way to other forms of relaxation, like movies and shopping or eating. They have a charm of their own and now the murals along the route add a touch of beauty.
Thanks for sharing these hidden natural breaks for everyone to enjoy.
Kim Lewis, From nowtoronto.com
