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Letters To The Editor News

Letters to the Editor: Scarborough restaurants deserve more attention


ISIS explained: blame military industry 

Thank you for Scott Taylor’s article Flying Blind On ISIS (NOW, March 26-April 1). He’s right that we don’t know what victory in Iraq and Syria will look like. But who wants victory? Doesn’t the military-industrial complex want only never-ending wars?

Gary R. Johnston

Toronto


Is U.S. behind Canada’s Syria misadventure?

There are certainly plausible reasons for Canada to take the fight against ISIS into Syria, but one that has not been much discussed is probably at the forefront in the minds of the Harper government – namely, American pressure. 

As recently evidenced by his interference in Israel’s election, U.S. president Barack Obama has shown himself to be vindictive and petty. It is entirely possible that he is stalling on or threatening things that Canada wants unless Canada becomes more of a “team player.” I’m not saying Harper is not a willing victim, but Canada’s involvement is clearly something America wants.

Jonathan Story

From nowtoronto.com


Harper’s stupid war in perpetuity

With Prime Minister Stephen Harper issuing his edict to sustain his convenient little war in Iraq and expand into Syria – thereby serving the interests of dictator and mass murderer Bashar al-Assad – anyone paying attention to Canadian politics must conclude that Harper will wage war in perpetuity, without an exit strategy. Even his most obedient acolytes and sycophants must be scratching their heads about his real purpose. Harper loves the stupids.

Mendelson Joe

Emsdale


The new immigration scare 

Re Is Canada Becoming More Racist? (NOW, March 19-25). I fully agree with the findings of the EKOS poll about Canadian attitudes toward immigration and immigrants in general. Attitudes have certainly changed since I immigrated. One thing that has been forgotten: becoming a citizen is a privilege and not a right! 

Norman Britting

Toronto


Get off cops’ backs about paid duty

I don’t understand why the media in this city are so obsessed with police officers getting paid duty during their off hours (NOW, May 19-25). No, I am not now, nor have I ever been, in any way associated with law enforcement. Who cares what they do when they’re not working their regular shifts for the Toronto Police Service? Would you care if they were mowing lawns or painting houses or washing windows? Everyone involved agrees that the city benefits from it, thanks to the 15 per cent premium it collects in administrative fees from those who hire the officers. Give it a rest. It’s nobody’s concern. Being anti-establishment is fine, but only when there’s actually some logic to it.

Gord MacKay

Toronto


Help for homeless will cost us less in long run 

I got quite a kick from letter-writer Rick Davies’s suggestion that the Landlord and Tenant Board is contributing to the homelessness problem (NOW, March 12-18). I used to rent rooms in my home in Little Italy. We had a few good tenants, but most were very bad. I felt sorry for them because lots had problems with drugs and alcohol and holding a job. I agree, however, that our government must help these people, because in the long run it will cost less. 

Patrick Wu

Toronto


The One finger salute

In Richard Longley’s piece on the proposed retail/condo tower for Yonge and Bloor (NOW, March 19-25) – the one they call The One – he noted that the Mizrahi Developments plan really “reeks of elitist triumphalism.” Described like this, The One sounds like just the kind of place the 1 per cent would enjoy calling home. But for Toronto heritage preservationists disturbed by the high-handed demolition of the charming little architectural touchstone that was the 115-year-old Stollerys store, The One will forever stand out on the skyline like a mammoth, 80-storey one-finger salute stuck right in their faces.

Robert McBride

Thornhill


Scarborough: dining capital of the world

Famous economist/food blogger Tyler Cowen says, “Scarborough is the dining capital of the world.” Cowen obviously doesn’t read NOW Magazine. According to NOW, the only restaurants worth reviewing are located in the Queen West and Ossington area.

Gary Timoshenko

Toronto


Time to license cyclists

Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes the incredible increase of bikes on streets. It would be good to sell licence plates for bikes, as they did in Montreal when I was a kid, for two reasons. First, it would produce a revenue stream to support proper bike routes and second, it serves as a means to identify stolen bikes as well as rude riders when necessary.

Imagine a fee of $15 per bike. That would be about $10 million a year for improved bike lanes. Let the mayor know.

Steven Levy

Toronto


NOW welcomes reader mail. Address letters to: NOW, Letters to the Editor, 189 Church, Toronto, ON M5B 1Y7. Send e-mail to letters@nowtoronto.com and faxes to 416-364-1166. All correspondence must include your name, address and daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length.

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