Archive 1997-2016
I am writing concerning your Jan. 23 article, editorial and cartoon about Richard Patten’s bill to amend the Ontario Mental Health Act.
Your editorial and cartoon demonstrate a serious lack of understanding of the issues which society in general, and families and friends face while dealing with individuals suffering from a major mental illness such as schizophrenia.
Editorial stance ‘an insult’
I am writing to you regarding both the editorial and its accompanying cartoon in your Jan. 23 edition. I cannot possibly convey how disappointed I find its oversimplifications and errors. Equally upsetting is the demeaning and nasty tone given to the coverage of a sensitive and important issue.
The Radio Messiah has arrived! Howard Stern, he of the New Holy City of New York, is finally spreading his good word in Canada. (Oct. 20, “Shock Jock Rocks Canada”) And it’s about time! I was getting sick and tired of stations like CBC and personalities like Peter Gzowski who were treating me like an intelligent human being.
In answer to Damali Nabagereka’s article “Heritage be damned! Come park on Sparks” (Nov. 7) about the demolition of the former Woolworth and Kresge stores on Sparks Street, I can only say that the final outcome is a complete waste.
When my colleagues and I on the City of Ottawa’s Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee led the charge to have these buildings given a heritage designation last year, we were driven by our commitment to preserving buildings representing all periods and aspects of Ottawa’s history.
Apart from the loss to local history, the demolition is a waste because you can be sure the parking lot that replaces them will be there for a very long time. The new lot will become part of an existing one facing Queen Street created nearly 50 years ago. The demolition of the buildings is not the first but almost the only time someone has purposely destroyed a designated heritage structure in Ottawa.
Paul Robertson
Cornwall Street