Letters, Sept. 23: Leave our retirement plan alone

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Premier Danielle Smith, I have a short message for you. I have worked hard and paid my taxes and CPP payments from the time I was 18 years old until 40 some years later I finally retired. In the past 10 years I was self employed and had to pay both the employee and employer parts of the deduction.

There is no crumb of logic as to why the province should take over this important social benefit. It works just fine.

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From the time I could first vote I have always voted Conservative. You and this (new pension) idea are seriously trying that statistic.

Leave my CPP money alone.

Gary S. Huyck, Carstairs

More help needed for newcomers

I recently attended a lecture hosted by the organization called “The Other Club,” and the topic of discussion was Immigration and Canada’s response.

We have not faced the huge influx that some European countries have faced due to proximity to places facing intense strife, but we are on that challenging path.

The federal government along with provincial input need to revise and update policies to expedite the transition to settling in Canada.

Host families sponsoring is one thing, but self sufficiency, housing, health care and education for newcomers needs to be easier to access minus all the hoop-jumping. We all benefit in the long run.

Liz Gibbs, Calgary

Dangers of climate change have long been known

In 1959, Edward Teller warned the American Petroleum Institute of the hazards of CO2. The API did its own research and confirmed Teller’s conclusions.

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The fossil fuel industry then paid millions of dollars to “scientists” and lobby groups to cast doubt on climate science, employing the same people and tactics they had used to cast doubt on the hazards of tobacco.

Had the world listened to Teller, we would not be in a mad rush to decarbonize now.

Jack Dale, Calgary

PM’s grandstanding hurting Canada

Our prime minister accuses India of an assassination but is not prepared to go public with whatever information he has.

Seems to me that he’s doing nothing more than trying to make himself look good at the expense of Canada.

Now, our relationship with India, which is already badly tainted as result of his reckless behaviour, is likely to take 10 or 15 years to recover from this fiasco.

When are we going to have a prime minister that looks out for Canada rather than himself?

Bill Stemp, Calgary

Construction ignores community concerns

Re: Uxbridge mixed-use development adds to Calgary’s construction buzz, Opinion Sept. 21 

The photo in this article shows the 14-storey building at the north end of the lot. Our University Heights Community Association spent many hours arguing with Western Securities about building height at this location.

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We asked them not to put tall buildings at this site. Of course, our pleas were ignored. So now we have a tall building that will, during fall and winter months, cast a shadow in the mornings on the playground of the nearby school.

Robert Dewar, Calgary

Civil discourse key to strong society

In times of troubles, let’s not forget how lucky we are to live in a country that believes in free speech.

Let’s remember to do that in a respectful way. We should listen more than we speak. That’s the adage — we have two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk.

Civil discourse is a building block of our democratic society. We have differences, but we also have so many similarities — most importantly is that of keeping Canada strong and free.

Let’s not have the social media trolls or extreme thinkers on either side of the spectrum ruin that. Respect is the key to how we should talk to each other and listen to each other.

It’s something to think about whether we’re talking to someone at the grocery store or on social media. How would you want to be talked to? How would you want your spouse or parent or child to be talked to?

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Keep that in mind when talking to others and we’ll continue to build a free and respectful country.

Roxanne Beaulieu, Calgary

Murder should no be politicized

The murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil has created a moral and political dilemma surrounded by factual uncertainties.

Why has Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not shared the information he received from CSIS with Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre? To what extent has Trudeau’s aggressive stance toward India been motivated by his need to please NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who is a Sikh and whose support he needs to stay in power. Should we take into account that terrorist activities by Sikhs have taken place in India, and India claims Nijjar has supported them? Is it even possible to prove that India’s government has been directly involved in Nijjar’s murder?

A murder on Canadian soil must be dealt with, but how? Does Canada really want to have bad relationships with both India and China, who are important trading partners?

It seems that there are so many uncertainties that should have been dealt with before such a serious accusation was made by Trudeau.

Peter Mannistu, Calgary

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Keep politics out of health care

I am always perplexed when I see politicians in Alberta dictating public health care “best practice” for citizens.

Since being elected, this government believes that they are medically qualified to decide what people should and shouldn’t be doing to protect themselves. I thought Dr. Mark Joffe was Alberta’s chief medical officer of health? He has been shockingly quiet since taking over from Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

I believe she was a competent and qualified physician during the pandemic. Her only downside was that she was a physician and not a media savvy personality. We could have used a little of that to encourage people to do the right thing and take measures to protect themselves.

The present government is speaking to their rural voters, who realistically are less likely to get COVID, RSV or influenza since their contact with folks is much less than the majority of Albertans, who live in the major cities.

Please people, use science and facts not the ranting of some misguided, self-serving politicians.

Mary-Lou Plant, Calgary

Church’s simple message resonates

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I would like to thank Knox Untied Church with all of my heart for their posting on the bulletin that read “People are people no matter how small: Dr. Seuss.”

For a change, there was no dividing us into who believes in what, just a simple affirmation of the child in all of us.

Thank you.

Dennis J Gordica, Calgary

Homeowners will suffer under city strategy

There must be other options to the city’s housing plans, with land that Calgary can use.

We worked hard and gave up on activities/expenses many others enjoyed, to save for our house. This is an investment for our future, when the potential of needing help and having to move can be financed with the sale of our home.

If a high-density unit is built next door or across the street, how will this affect the quality of life that we worked so hard to acquire and what we gave up to do this?

Parking issues will be front and centre as well as potential disruption of the neighbourhood’s piece and quiet, depending on the tenants.

Ultimately, we would expect a significant reduction in our property taxes as well as financial compensation for potential loss of estimated property value on the sale.

K. W. Preston, Calgary

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