Letters, July 3: ‘Why are we the city that musical fun forgot?”

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WE CAN DO BETTER
Calgary such a nice place to live? Why are we so far behind other cities, towns, etc., especially when it comes to entertainment? We just went and partook in an amazing outdoor community party/concert in Parkland. A long-standing, religiously followed event. My only beef was the fact was it had to be shut down noise-wise by 10 p.m.? All due to a seniors complex next door. Ironically, built way after this long-standing event was already established? Noise bylaws usually start at 11 p.m. Sadly, this caused organizers to shuffle the schedule to allow headliners to get in a complete show, no matter what, last band, well … see how far you get. This leads me to Garth Brooks among many shows that completely bypass our great (????) city due mostly to archaic noise bylaws. Dating back to mid-’70s? Kowtowing to a select few Karens … etc. Oh, it’s too loud. Oh, it’s noisy! Time to wake up, get with the times. Allow more outdoor shows, etc., obviously with rules, but quit keeping us from the world stage, especially when it comes to music. Charity music events at Fort Calgary etc. suffer the same fate. Yes, this is a first-world problem, but a real problem, which could fairly easily be fixed. Our useless councillors and mayor are more interested in naming birds, building atrocious art, etc., time to wake up and actually make us a wonderful place to live. My two cents.
MIKE HARDSTAFF
(The NIMBY noise bylaws only shut down those having a fun time during our horrifically short summers. But try enforcing far more offensive loud bikes and cars. Nope, we can’t do that.)

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JUST GARBAGE
I seldom watch Justin Trudeau’s TV network, the CBC, but I did catch The Fifth Estate last night. First off, I could not believe that the CBC would produce and broadcast a program that totally embarrasses the federal Liberal government and makes Canada one of the world’s primary contributors to a worldwide pollution scheme. The longtime and still ongoing problem is the deportation of plastic waste to Third World countries that are incapable of handling it. This received attention all over the world and recently an agreement was signed by over 100 countries to stop this illegal shipping of plastic waste immediately. Canada refused to sign. Many things came to light in the interview with Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault that were upsetting. One being that when the Conservative-led bill came up for a vote to have this waste issue stopped, the Liberals voted against it, including Guilbeault himself! The inspectors who found the Canadian waste containers identified three Canadian cities whose waste was included. Guess what, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Calgary was one of these three cities! Check it out and start thinking about using some of that $87 billion you plan on spending to solve some made-up, ridiculous climate emergency situation and use it to address a real worldwide environment problem that Calgary is a major part of.
WAYNE MUNSON
(Shipping our trash anywhere is just irresponsible.)

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JUST A PORTRAYAL
Jagmeet Singh is, I believe, a Sikh. So how would you portray him in a political cartoon in your paper? Or would you prefer not to portray him at all in case the CBC calls you a racist. Justin Trudeau wore blackface on so many occasions he cannot remember them all. So he is, of course, not a racist because he was so young, you know, closing in on 30. Slow learner, apparently. If one of the Sun’s cartoonists could take their attention away from U.S. politics for a moment, perhaps they could draw a politically correct cartoon pointing out the backing of Mr. Singh and his party for all of the Librano BS. Racist? No, just too close to the truth.
WARREN CAMPBELL
(Yes, actually, even cartoonists must be aware of how they are depicting visible minorities. And Trudeau’s dress-up days have not been forgotten but it’s not about him this time, is it?)

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A FEW IDEAS
The thrust of my previous comments on downtown is threefold. One, deal with the source of the people problems. Imposing tough love with serious consequences will encourage persons with bad and criminal behaviour to be less intrusive. We must stop coddling these people with support services that are costly and ineffective. Two, we must overcome the pressures that diminished the oil industry. This is a major political problem with the federal government. The oil industry created the demand for office space in the first place. It must now be part of the solution. Three, technology has played a major role in creating current conditions. COVID-19 has shown that a downtown office is not always required to get the job done. Commercial and industrial companies do not need or want to be in the downtown core. Look to Balzac. Council must remove itself from the process. Cities with the most successful plans have partnered with corporate leaders for implementation. However, social conscience at the polls outweighs needed solutions. Politicians follow a course that gets them elected and re-elected. Therefore corporate officialdom needs to flex muscles that will bring about policy changes. Corporate leaders create jobs. Corporate leaders create investment. Corporate leaders solve problems. Corporate leaders prefer to lead the parade. Corporate leaders do not appreciate controls that diminish their objectives. This council and its administration are not qualified to do the job. If change is needed in the downtown core, then let the right people do the job.
DICK VARLEY
(Think Balzac for cheaper taxes.)

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UMM, IT’S THE TAXES
Our hard-left city council wants to declare emergencies right left and centre, without a shred of supporting information. Here is a layman’s simple stab at revitalizing the real issues of a dead or dying downtown. (1) Put runaway tax and frivolous mandates under lock and key. (2) Clean up downtown and make it a safe and desirable place where folks want to work and recreate, by funding the police. (3) Put runaway tax and frivolous mandates under lock and key. (4) Support the new and massive conference centre at Stampede Park with a brand new and massive state of the art sports arena (notice that the large city north of us attracted Garth Brooks and we did not). (5) Put runaway tax and frivolous mandates under lock and key. (6) Co-ordinate municipal, provincial and federal initiatives to attract significant industries to Calgary for its high standard of living, proximity to world-class natural resources, stable government, modest taxes, excellent health-care facilities, massive airport infrastructure and world-class educational opportunities. (7) Oh! And did I mention — put runaway tax and frivolous mandates under lock and key?
DAVID HUGHES
(Dare to dream. And Garth Brooks played outdoors at Commonwealth Stadium.)

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NOT OUR PRIORITY
How many people would have voted for Jyoti Gondek if she had stated that Calgarians were going to foot an $87-billion bill to save the world? I for one would have told her to work at the municipal level and do things that are needed by Calgarians, like fix our roads properly, synchronize our traffic lights and minimize the city’s workforce. Saving the world is not one of the key areas for being mayor. Canada is looking after saving the world. Believing that adding wind and solar equipment will get us down to net zero is a myth, at least for places like Calgary. It’s dark and cold for seven months of the year. The remaining five months do not require as much energy to live on because it emulates the tropics. It stays lighter later and we don’t have a furnace on full blast. Jyoti sounds like she was looking for that big brass ring and has found the subject matter of environmental leader as a stepping stone to bigger and better things like provincial and/or federal politics. Environmental issues are world issues and as such are subjective when looked at on the microcosm scale. It really does not have a tangible solution, especially in the northern hemisphere solely because of our climate conditions. We expend more energy per capita because we live in a province that is larger than most countries, so travel becomes an energy magnet and to keep ourselves warm we have to heat our homes.
PETER SZECSY
(People currently can’t live in this climate without fossil fuels.)

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TIME TO SCARE ’EM
Our run-and-hide trust-fund baby has no real-life experience applied to the needs of regular people. Justinflation, the Montreal Mafia and Jean Charest, who is also a Liberal, will try to paint Pierre Poilievre as an extremist populist. Fear-mongering at its finest. Populist conservatism is about putting conservative values and ideas into the service of working people and their families. It is about using conservative means for populist ends as well as social issues. This scares the bejesus out of those on the Liberal gravy train and their bagmen. Bill Morneau revealed that J.T. spent more effort redistributing wealth than ensuring the prosperity of our country, which he knew nothing about. He then stated, “Canada is the world’s first post-national state.” We could use some nationalism now and rather than being a laughing stock (especially our leader?) and once again regain the respect that we once had as a nation. Pierre Poilievre as PM is our best last hope considering the direction that we are rapidly heading.
DARRELL ROENSPIESS
(It feels as if Canadians are being left to fend for themselves.)

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DANIELLE TALKS TOUGH
Brian Jean thinks Danielle Smith is talking about separation from Canada. That’s pure hogwash! She just wants a far better deal for Albertans from Ottawa. Brian Jean thinks we need to talk and negotiate with Ottawa. But Ottawa never listens to Alberta on any issue, so enough with the talk. We need action and Brian Jean won’t bring it. Danielle Smith will. She can rally the troops and bring real change for this province, something no Alberta premier has been able to do for decades. We don’t need more of the same and Brian Jean would bring us that. I’ll vote for a leader that can deliver the goods and tell Ottawa what Albertans want, not the other way around. Brian Jean doesn’t get it. Danielle Smith does!
MOLLY KENS
(Then your choice is easy if you are a card-carrying UCP member.)

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BONUS LETTERS — ONLINE ONLY

BAFFLING CASE
Re: “Maxwell gets 20 years,” June 29 Sun. That epic Ghislaine Maxwell-Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case has stoked a lot of public cynicism relative to justice and elite privilege. A lot of people, for instance, refuse to believe the super predator Jeffrey Epstein actually committed suicide while awaiting trial. They believe he was murdered before he could name names of his accomplices. Note, too, how very few of them were named during the Maxwell trial. Even though the crimes — trafficking underage girls to elites — she and Epstein committed went on for years. That Maxwell still remains alive to face punishment is due, many believe, to her resolve not to name names.
OREST SLEPOKURA
(It’s disgusting and you can’t help but wonder who among the rich and powerful has escaped justice. Wishing nothing but the worst life has to offer for those involved.)

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JUST NO EXCUSE
I just finished reading the Sun article by Liz Braun about the 23-month-old child that died after having been left in a vehicle all day because the mother ‘forgot’ that the toddler was there. When you become a parent, you immediately have a huge responsibility to care for your child at all times day and night, you do not ‘forget’ where your child is ever! Liz Braun’s sugary, syrupy explanation of a mental block is full of holes, and is a sad example of how low society has fallen. As a parent, you cannot have mental blocks of any kind when it comes to your children at any time from the time they are tiny until they are fully grown and beyond. She states that in some jurisdictions it is a crime, and it is and should be always in all circumstances. I am totally disgusted by the over-the-top crap written by this sorry excuse for a journalist, I hope the mother is charged for this, at the very least with criminal negligence causing death.
BRUCE HAYNES
(Seems pretty inexcusable to us, but then again, we are human and all make mistakes. Hard to imagine it being done on purpose though.)

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LET IT GO
Are you kidding me with the government extending the COVID-19 restrictions to September? Has this government gone completely insane? I want government out of my life as much as possible and they keep coming back like a creepy stalker. It’s time they are more accountable to Canadians instead of this sham they dress up as concern. They continue to anger the majority of Canadians over and over and over. Their claim of concern is falling way too short and is just plain and simple tyranny. P.S. I’m fully vaccinated but dislike government overreach.
C.C. LYNN
(You are not alone.)

OUTRAGEOUS
I think it is absolutely sickening that this man Wayne O’Connor received “compensation” of $3,802,329 after only serving 17 months! How can anyone justify paying a $510,502 salary? Then additional bonuses of $938,611. Just shows us that the City of Calgary has money to throw away. People are struggling everywhere and all CEOs, MLAs and councillors who sit on boards, get handouts and bonuses when they serve a short term, plus their pension. The ordinary people have to wait until they reach retirement age before receiving any pensions. Something wrong with this picture.
A. MIKKELSEN
(Yup. Heavy sigh.)

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NDP WOULD HAVE FAILED
Rachel Notley is upset about the Alberta government having a budget surplus instead of a deficit. I’m sure if the NDP was still in power, they would have not had a surplus for the following reasons … With the way the NDP wanted to keep Albertans locked down during COVID, many more businesses would have failed and the economy would not have recovered nearly as fast, if at all. The main reason that there is a budget surplus is due to the huge increase in natural resource revenue. Revenue from the same resources that would not have been realized if Notley and Justin Trudeau were successful in shutting down the oil industry, something they tried very hard to do. Notley complains that Albertans are not benefiting enough from the upturn in oil revenue but remember she is the one who instituted double the carbon tax a year early so as to “benefit” these same Albertans. Appears that she is sending out mixed messages about what benefiting Albertans means.
RAY MALONE
(Rachel Who?)

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LET’S RODEO
Welcome, Calgary Stampede. It has been years since I’ve been in Calgary for the Stampede. Now living in Ontario, I am wondering what the top prize when I last was at the Stampede, that $50,000 bar of gold, would be worth now if it was still a option. I’m looking forward to actually driving into Calgary next week. Watching the fireworks from Scotsman’s Hill was a wonderful venue and at the right cost too, zero. Western fun and excitement. I always visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a national park, where the First Nations got their food. On the issue of anti-rodeo people trying to get donations on the backs of these animals who would not be around without venues like the Calgary Stampede, if these anti -rodeo/zoo zealot protesters got their way, the glue factories would have all these animals, not the breeding farms they go back to, to raise and keep these animals for generations of breeding and quality pasture time for their future. If you want to stop issues, don’t give any money to these zealots that actually hurt the animals and destroy the only homes they know. Feel sorry for the homeless of Canada (instead).
WAYNE ROBERTSON
(Yahoo!)

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AT WHAT COST?
The city spends $80,000 a year to replace six panels in the Peace Bridge. My math tells me that is about $13,000 per panel. At six a year, that is an operation that happens every two months. This does not include the cost of the glass, which (for now) is free, as spares were provided when the bridge was built. The fact that they have so many panels in reserve tells me they knew this would be an issue in the first place. But what I don’t understand is the cost to replace a panel. I’m assuming this is a job that is sourced out to an outside contractor. I’m also assuming it can’t take more than a day to replace a panel. I know, they are big and heavy, but there must be a system in place to replace these things that takes less than a full work day. The city has hundreds of “staff” maintenance workers. Are you telling me they can’t deploy a team of their own workers once every two months to replace a panel? Is it the cost of equipment that is driving up the price? Or is this another instance where one city department is just overbilling us for the work? As far as I’m concerned, if the worker is on the payroll … the work is free. Perhaps we could hire an outside consultant to look into why this costs so much, and how to do it better. I’m available.
GLENN SAKATCH
(Ah, the old outside consultant. The city works in mysterious ways. For example, did the recent dirt berm actually cost anything extra, as per your comment above, or was it done by already paid staff?)

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ALL THE DATA
Re: The June 30 Page 4 article in which a request was made to the Calgary Police Commission “to collect data related to race and use it to inform policy and policing decisions.” It is my hope that at the same time, data will be collected related to the criminals committing the crimes. We would then be able to determine if the police are looking at a person’s race or who is committing the crimes. Unless both are known, how can the public know that good policy and policing decisions are being made? Most police personnel do not care if you are Black, Caucasian, Asian, Native American, etc. Their main concern is stopping criminal activity. So, I say collect the data without ‘woke’ philosophy, which is affecting too much of all levels of government. Our society has lost the old adage, “so whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.”
GWEN ZEEGERS
(Accurate information is important.)

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BOTTOMS UP!
Enmax CEO Wayne O’Connor really missed out! When I retired, I got a 40-pounder or Grey Goose. Poor man.
JOHN HANCOCK
(John, he could buy the distillery.)

FLIGHT NIGHTMARE
Regarding Air Canada and the flight cancellations. I think this analogy explains why! Air Canada is losing money on fuel prices, but they will earn interest on the money they were already given to book flights and just offer flight changes or credits, which new prices will be inflated to cover fuel. So we will have to pay extra to change flights if we don’t like the ones that they offered. Lack of staff is also raising their bottom line, which needs to be covered as well. Companies say it’s only business — which affects the people trying to get home after 2 1/2 years of COVID.
DONNA LANGER
(Air travel is sure causing people a lot of grief these days.)

WHAT ABOUT US?
Well, it seems that the PM has promised to arm Ukraine with modern weapons. Great, let’s arm Ukraine with the best weapons, but continue to arm our military with crap. Our navy has crap for ships, an airforce with old outdated planes, and army with old trucks, old weapons, outdated communications equipment. So, let’s give Ukraine up-to-date equipment. Well done, children, leading by example or just vacationing?
ED SKELDING
(Only one of us is at war with Russia.)