Category: Letters

Harb’s prostitution bill misses point

Your editorial in the Oct. 13 issue (Put prostitution where it belongs) completely ignores the reason that Mac Harb’s private member’s bill won’t work; even if brothels are legalized, it will not lead to the end of street prostitution.

Do you think that underage girls will just disappear because they won’t be allowed to work in brothels? How about women who are ill and can’t pass the health exam? They still will face the other stresses and situations that cause them to work as prostitutes, but since they won’t be allowed in brothels, guess where they’ll be. That’s right, working the street. And there will still be those who prefer anonymous, cheaper sex who will be their market. read more

A dirty Rideau Canal and lack of government support today means nothing has changed in eight years. At that time Sigma Pi Fraternity offered to clean the canal from Hog’s Back to Carleton University. The offer was made to the federal government in January 1992. We never received a response. Had we an agreement at that time, most likely a spring clean up would have become an annual event. read more

I am writing in response to an article published in the Centretown News last week entitled “Self heating meals too costly says food bank.”

This headline is simply not true and when combined with the contents of the article only add to the confusion of the reader. The statement that four people can be fed soup kitchen meals for the price of one Hot Pack implies that the Hot Packs are being served instead of regular meals. This is simply not the case — the self heating meals are given out specifically to clients who have no other way of obtaining a hot meal. These are clients who are sleeping outside, live in a rooming house with no kitchen or have arrived at a shelter in the middle of the night when the meals program is closed. read more

‘Puddingheaded’ traffic schemes

I am negatively energized by your recent report that we are about to experience an intensification of that scheme of sanctioned civic vandalism that goes under the name of “traffic calming.”
Traffic calming is the most idiotic, insane, dysfunctional, puddingheaded, asinine, cockamamie, goofy idea of the century.
Putting asphalt mounds in the middle of streets, and narrowing intersections to transform arterial city roads into village laneways, signals a community in mental decline.
That being said, here is my question: As we have now experienced the miracle of traffic calming for more than a year, should we not now assess the promised benefits accrued to date, before we continue dancing to the pacific tune of those angelic anti-car Pan flutists who have hijacked our roads?
Specifically, for those downtown streets which have suffered calming, how many pedestrians were injured by cars exceeding the speed limit in the year prior to being calmed, compared to how many similar pedestrian accidents have happened since?
I’ll bet the correct answers are either a) “zero” and “still zero”, or, at worst, b) “very few” and “still very few.”
Despite the fears promoted by traffic calmers, the fact is that Ottawa’s streets aren’t unduly hazardous now, nor were they before they forced their personal anti-car agenda on us.
As for those parents who want their toddlers to be able to wander about with their puppies in safety, I think they should supervise their children, or teach them to play away from traffic, or choose to live other than downtown.
Did I mention that I think traffic calming is stupid?
Really, really stupid? read more