Open letter

Dear Dr. Keith Martin,

 Over the past few days the opposition parties have made noises about forming a government to replace the Stephen Harper led Conservatives.  As you left the Conservatives yourself over ideals, what are your thoughts on being part of a government that would require support from the Bloc Quebecois?

 Your views would be most appreciated.

 Neil Gertsma

Sooke

Clean air important

I live on a lovely view hillside just outside of town, and enjoy life here immensely. The green space around us is getting built up, and we have much less birdsong than 10 years ago, yet most of my neighbours are conscious of the fact that we enjoy fresh air and plenty of nature.

The only real concerns I have are that with closer neighbours, wood smoke now fills my home with noxious fumes at various times of day and night, and safe, fresh air is no longer available. I am someone who has always slept with the window open, and now I can no longer do so, because I cannot breathe when there is smoke in my home, and I have learned that particulate pollution is known to be cancer-causing.

Have a look at burnbingissues.org and you can engage in discussions there, as well - you can also view a photograph of wood smoke particles taken from a human lung. The site “provides public education about the medical hazards of exposure to wood smoke and other fine particulate pollution. Smoke from residential burning of wood and coal, wood burning restaurants and outdoor burning of wood, leaves, crops, tires and debris is permeating our neighborhoods, resulting in high ground level concentrations of toxic air pollution.”

I would like to suggest that if people want to use a fireplace, propane and especially natural gas are much cleaner alternatives, and doing so will greatly reduce pollution and the resulting illnesses and deaths. It’s a huge chunk of the climate situation and our own health, and we all need to do our part.

M. Graham

Sooke

No verbal attacks

I am writing this letter in response to a letter in your paper on November 12, 2008. This gentleman wrote in regarding the mobile home policy meeting on October 27. In his letter he stated everyone in the audience was verbally attacking Jeff Zigay. This is in fact untrue. I was the only person who spoke regarding Mr. Zigay and I did not attack him, but just responded to statements Mr. Zigay had made at the two previous council meetings.

When Mr. Zigay got up to speak then he did indeed attack me, verbally, three times. He also said he did not want to make his finances public, but it seemed to be all right when he spoke of my finances which are no one’s business but mine. Then when Mr. Zigay realized he would not be allowed to attack me any longer he turned his verbal attack to Rick Kasper.

If anyone verbally attacked Mr. Zigay after the meeting, well I know nothing about that, but I do know he was not verbally attacked in this meeting like the gentleman stated in his letter. I know this gentleman has the right to write about any meeting, event that he wishes and I respect that. But in the future I would hope he gets his facts right, but then maybe he is a friend of Mr. Zigay.

Carol Green

Sooke

We would like to express our thanks to the District of Sooke for the excellent job of constructing the boardwalk at Ed Macgregor Park.

Last Sunday afternoon, we gained a new appreciation for the facility when we visited the site with our friends. One of our friends is confined to a wheelchair. He was delighted by the beauty of the setting and by being able to travel through the woods and over the water effortlessly.

Our friend, when he was able to, always enjoyed camping and fishing. It was a delight for him and us to be able to participate in activities he has not been able to for some time due to his progressive disability.

Thank you so much for this wonderful facility.

Please find attached some of the snapshots we took during our walk.

Rintoul family

Sooke

Jokes not funny

I wish to thank the paper for the article, “Ginger” joke. 

We live in a society that considers “blonde” bashing completely acceptable.  I have for years recommended that anyone telling or laughing at yet another dumb blonde joke, substitute the word “blonde” with the word “black.”  Is the joke still funny?  Would you tell it to a black woman?

I dyed my hair “ginger” for years.  Doing so stopped people from taking one look at me and telling me a joke on Friday to see if I laughed by Monday.  Instead people thought I was bad tempered and I was delighted — the dumb blonde jokes being hurled in my face were reduced.

 M. Jackson-Hughes

Sooke

Muir Creek captured on film

As the president of the Muir Creek Protection Society I am happy to congratulate Mike Hicks on his recent successful run to become the Juan de Fica regional director. I am hoping that because he understands the value of salmon habitat to our region and because he is interested in making the CRD work for the community he will be able to help us further our cause to protect Muir Creek.

Muir Creek is one of only three Steelhead spawning creeks between Victoria and Port Renfrew. The creek has returning salmon, coho and chum salmon spawning runs as well. The creek is laced with old growth forest, including many notable trees such as the second biggest yew tree in the province.

The Muir Creek Protection Society has over 500 members from all over the Capital Regional District, and we would like to see parkland created along Muir Creek to protect these fish and to offer a world-class tourism opportunity.

Our area is horribly lacking in parks of all types. Less than one per cent of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area west of Sooke to Port Renfrew has been preserved or protected in any form. There is no CRD park west of Sooke, even though people in this are have been paying into the CRD park fund since its inception.

In the past it may have been possible to justify this lack of parks by claiming that the area has a lack of population, however, it is a well-known fact that extensive numbers of Capital Regional District residents use the assets west of Sooke for recreation on a regular basis and with the release of lands from TFL 25 development may arrive.

Many natural assets of our area are rapidly vanishing and like these old growth trees once they are gone, they are gone... this opportunity will not present itself a second time.

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, a beautiful video about Muir Creek will be played at the Video Awareness Night in Sooke. A talented, young, local artist named Lisa Hamelin, who grew up in the Muir Creek area, initiated this video. She spent over a year filming at Muir Creek with a hand-held camera and she and her co-creators have created a spectacular video tribute to Muir Creek.

I would like to urge everyone to come to the premier showing of the Muir Creek video. And, I hope our new regional director will be able to attend.

Alanda Carver, president

Muir Creek Protection Society.