ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Ricardo Diez, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Ontario’s hospitals are chronically underfunded

It’s a sad sign of the times: our hospitals are so chronically underfunded that lifeline handouts from billionaires are seemingly the only hope we Ontarians have.

Eugene Spanier, Etobicoke

There are solutions to the affordable housing crisis out there

To solve Canada’s housing crisis, we need to change the way we think about wealth, June 22

Sabrina Maddeaux’s admirable efforts to reform housing affordability echo the motivations and lessons of the 120-year-old game Monopoly, first known as The Landlord’s Game.

It showed that monopolizing land fuels housing unaffordability and poverty. An immediate improvement would involve all levels of government building residences on their costless land, and post-secondary institutions, to provide lower rental rates.

In the longer term, expert strategies can reduce land costs, curb speculation and prevent monopolistic pricing, like The Wall Street Journal’s short video, “The Invisible Role Taxes Play in America’s Housing Shortage.” Its revenue-neutral strategy is to tax construction less and tax land hoarding more. This is based on Adam Smith’s 1776 insight on preventing landlords acting as monopolists, who charge what the market will bear.

Economist Robert Kavcic, in his BMO paper “Canadian Housing Fire Needs a Response,” further details methods to discourage property speculation and increase construction.

Joseph Polito, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Canada only has one defence against war

Canada must say thanks but no thanks to taking part in the Golden Dome, June 24 

I must add my voice to those of the letter writers who condemn Canada’s proposed participation in building Trump’s vainglorious “Golden Dome.”

One thousand U.S. satellites circling Earth can only inspire Russia and China to shoot them down. Why would they trust Trump to deploy satellites with a strictly defensive function? I certainly wouldn’t.

Looking at our vulnerabilities from coast to coast to coast, I believe Canada’s only defence is peace.

Isobel Raven, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

We don’t talk about nuclear disarmament any more

Which countries currently have nuclear weapons? June 17

The threat of mutual destruction is supposed to deter the use of nuclear weapons.

Baby-boomers grew up in a world where nuclear destruction was probably the greatest fear. Now we only seem to discuss nuclear weapons when a country without them, like Iran, thinks they need them to counter those in enemy Israel. We don’t talk much about the countries that have them, with the vast majority in the U.S. and Russia, or the possibility of nuclear disarmament.

In addition to its deployment in the U.S., the Americans have nuclear weapons in five European countries. Britain and France have their own and, especially now, would be unlikely to abandon them and rely on the U.S. for nuclear deterrence.

As China seeks to become the predominant world power, how likely are they to abandon nuclear weapons?

What is the probability of India and Pakistan developing enough trust to abandon nuclear weapons? And as long as the U.S. has nuclear weapons in South Korea, how likely is North Korea to give them up?

It seems like we are still relying on mutual agreement that we have nuclear weapons but won’t use them, with the majority literally in the hands of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

David Steele, Saskatoon, SK

Carney cancelling the digital services tax a weak move

Canada cancelled its digital services tax. What was it and why did the U.S. hate it? June 30

I am horrified to see that Prime Minister Mark Carney has given in to Trump and cancelled the digital services tax.

What makes Carney think Trump will now treat Canada fairly? Is he afraid of the big online companies, the oligarchs?

It’s past time to stand up to Trump and his gang, and make Canada self-sufficient.

Kate Chung, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Time has come for Conservative party to move on from Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre and the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Maple Leafs have more in common than blown leads in spring, June 28

The old joke is you know it’s spring when the Leafs are out. Similarly, you’ll know the Conservatives are on the road to a potential win when leader Pierre Poilievre is out.

If the Conservatives don’t wake up and smell the coffee and move away from the populist faction that’s been dragging them down, and steer towards the centre with a new leader, they will be destined to sleep walk into the political catch basins of history.

Poilievre not winning his own seat and not winning the general election, no matter how you spin it, is a permanent stain on the ability of the Conservatives to convince voter they should be the governing federal party.

Politics, akin to sports, is all about winning, not losing and then somehow trying to convince people you really won or should have won. If you don’t win, you’re out, it’s that simple. It starts at the top, so if there’s a problem at the top it filters run down through the organization.

This present Conservative leader is now yesterday’s man. Time to move on.

Douglas Cornish, Ottawa

Our current provincial government lacking in integrity

History reminds Ontario’s languishing Liberals that they need to make their own luck, June 26

It was exciting for me to read political columnist Martin Regg Cohn’s timely history lesson.

David Peterson was a man of integrity who put the welfare of his province and country before his personal political career. It is the perfect reminder of what a person of integrity can and will do.

Contrast this with our current premier once again offering greater access to alcohol to the people of Ontario.

We are more than consumers of alcoholic drinks.

We are people who need our green spaces including our trees, our farms where food is grown locally, our once vibrant provincial healthcare and our once properly funded educational system.

Cohn asks who will replace Doug Ford when the time comes?

But rather, I’d like to know: Why have Ontarians’ essential entities been eroded under the Doug Ford government? Where is the integrity of our current provincial government?

Patricia Steward, East York