On heritage, T.O. more Ayn Rand than Jacobs
Re It’s All A Facade (NOW, May 19-25). In Toronto, Ayn Rand is queen, no longer Jane Jacobs. In the heritage buildings that have fallen victim to facadism as a last-ditch effort at preservation, we are reminded of what we have lost to pragmatic avarice.
The fascist facades of these glass and concrete towers celebrate nihilism, and we cannot continue to be complacent when a Trump Tower can blend in with our skyline.
Gary Capon, Toronto
Ghomeshi, gah!
Oh, come on. Give us a break. Kathryn Borel held Jian Ghomeshi publicly accountable (NOW, May 19-25)? Borel only waited three years to take her charges to police, but why did she back out?
It is the CBC that NOW should have gone after. They admitted to having had several complaints from different staffers about Ghomeshi, yet did nothing.
Sad for all those women who really are abused and have so few options. They lose once again.
Patricia Starr, Toronto
Garden variety killers
Much appreciation for Adria Vasil’s Victoria Day rundown of which gardening centres are better or worse on the neonicotinoid insecticide killing bees, and hence much of our food supply (NOW, May 18).
Now what about glyphosate-containing herbicides like Roundup? The World Health Organization says glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic.”
The weed-killers are killing us slowly.
Agi Lukacs, Toronto
A capital idea
Re Black With A Capital “B” (NOW, May 12-18). The history of anti-Black racism is unlike other forms of discrimination because it is founded in a belief that Black people are somehow less than fully human.
That history persists in Canada. One subtle example of this is refusing to capitalize the B when referring to Black people. Black is a colour Black is a culture. Proper nouns not only identify a person, country, culture or religion, but are also capitalized to convey dignity and respect.
No copy editor would overlook the lower-case letters in asian, jewish, canadian, muslim or elizabethan. Comparable to “Latino,” the word “Black” describes a wide array of people, whether from Toronto, Atlanta or Nairobi.
NOW Magazine’s choice to capitalize Aboriginal, Black and Indigenous may seem subtle and insignificant but could influence awareness and behaviour and perhaps improve the unequal and sometimes deadly outcomes that Black and Aboriginal people face.
Terry Peters, capital B project, Toronto
Blame carmakers for perceptions on cycling
Living in the most culturally diverse city in the world, I’ve often wondered why the vast majority of cyclists I encounter during my commutes are white (NOW, May 12-18).
Though such discussions can be awkward, I was bold enough to ask a few close friends and co-workers of various cultural backgrounds, many of whom made the same observations as D.C. Matthew.
From influencing municipal and provincial legislation to criminalizing relatively harmless pedestrian and cycling behaviour to buying up and destroying public transportation systems, carmakers are largely responsible for the misperception of cycling as a kids’ activity or something only the poorest people do. Conditioning like that is hard to overcome.
Joe LaFortune, Toronto
Ditch the car for a bike, save Fort McMurray
Bike lanes on Bloor (NOW, March 24-30) were long overdue when I left Toronto in 2004, after readers endured my endless letters to NOW on the subject.
Congratulations to the new generation of bike activists, whose patience has been astounding, and especially to Angela Bischoff, NOW activist of the year, and her Take The Tooker campaign. What planet are we on when it’s “controversial” that people on bikes be able to traverse their city or neighbourhood without being killed by cars?
Half of northern Canada is on fire, as forecast some time ago by scientists, governments and even the fossil fuel industry. One way to show solidarity with the people of Fort McMurray (NOW, May 12-18) is to ditch the car and ride a bike. That simple yet profound action has just been made a whole lot more possible by bike lanes on Bloor. Long live the Tooker!
Anne Hansen, Victoria, BC
Peter Munk thinks he can do anything
Re All That Glitters Is Not Barrick Gold (NOW, May 12-18). Peter Munk does not give a shit about how many poor people have died or how many will die so he can profit from getting his gold. When he attends public events, people think he is a king.
James Chow, Toronto
