Adrien Veczan/The Canadian Press
Good value
Re “Major Projects Office rankles Bay Street with recruitment, compensation demands for junior staff” (Report on Business, Dec. 11): Some of these “rankled” executives would benefit from reading the recently published The Dollar a Year Men: How the Best Business Brains in Canada Helped to Win the Second World War by Winnipeg author Allan Levine.
It tells the story of how businessmen (and, yes, in the 1940s it was all men) from across Canada came to Ottawa during the war years to help the government gear up to fight fascism and create homegrown industries such as aircraft manufacturing.
While some of them were indeed paid $1 a year, others had their private sector salaries covered in part by their employers in recognition of the important fight ahead. While we are not on a war footing per se, I would suggest we are at a critical point in our history from an economic standpoint.
Canadian business should get its elbows up.
Jayne Watson Ottawa
Other assets
Re “Priced out of real estate, Canadians turn to the booming stock market” (Report on Business, Nov. 29): Toronto’s housing market has long been treated as the ultimate investment. My family has chosen a different path.
We are working professionals living in a modest condo, and our non‑housing assets recently surpassed $2-million. For us, a primary residence is for living, not speculating.
Concentrating wealth in a single property runs counter to the most basic principle of investing: diversification. Unless one commands a massive asset base, tying financial security to one address is imprudent.
Instead, we have built stability through diversified blue‑chip investments. Just as importantly, we direct part of our portfolio toward community‑focused institutions, including local credit unions. These investments align with our values, supporting co-operative governance, financial literacy and resilience in the communities we live in.
Financial security can be achieved without betting everything on bricks and mortar — and with purpose beyond profit.
Ophelia Chang Toronto
Smooth ride
Re “Is Canada really stepping back from electric vehicles?” (Report on Business, Dec. 17): There is a lot of noise around lack of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
We have two EVs: one is 11 years old, the other eight. Maintenance is negligible.
By my calculations, energy works out to $1 per day on the older one, and about $1.15 on my wife’s mostly due to heated wheel and seats. Every morning we have full tanks with late-night charging.
It is not for everyone, but the average daily drive in Canada is less than 65 kilometres. More than half of the population lives in houses, so home charging should not be an issue.
I don’t really know what the fuss is about. EVs are cheaper by far to run. There is no oil to change, no service needed, no gas stations to fuel up.
Brian Layfield Oakville, Ont.
Long game
Re “The City of Ottawa’s Hail Mary plan for redevelopment” (Editorial, Dec. 5): Ottawa’s Lansdowne district has become what every Canadian city hopes to create: a place where people come together year-round.
Your editorial overlooks what residents and millions of visitors know firsthand and what we believe: Lansdowne and TD Place are one of Ottawa’s greatest municipal success stories, and reinvesting in functionally obsolete public facilities is responsible city-building.
A decade ago, Lansdowne was a decaying property attracting fewer than 250,000 visitors annually. Today it welcomes more than four million visitors, hosts over 200 events, employs 4,000 people and contributes more than $300-million to Ottawa’s economy every year. It has become a hub for sports, entertainment and major cultural events from the Grey Cup to an AC/DC concert.
Lansdowne 2.0 builds on this success by replacing failing infrastructure with modern, accessible facilities and new housing, supported by Lansdowne project-specific revenues for two-thirds of its cost.
Lansdowne, then, isn’t a gamble: It’s smart, long-term leadership for Canada’s capital.
Roger Greenberg Managing partner and executive chair, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group
Mark Goudie President and CEO, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group
Pay up
Re “WestJet pauses plan to install non-reclining seats after pushback” (Online, Dec. 12): I find it ironic that WestJet refers to its passengers as “guests” when they have to pay extra for features that used to be included in even the most basic fare: seat selection, checked baggage, seats with sufficient leg room, so as not to feel crippled by flight’s end, and now potentially seats that recline. If this is how “guests” are treated, WestJet is a lousy host.
This all reminds me of a comedy skit. The setting is an aircraft in its final descent when an announcement comes on: “Attention, economy passengers: Please exit the aircraft now using the rear doors.” A second announcement follows several minutes later: “Attention, business and first-class passengers: The plane will be landing in five minutes.”
I do not know where this move to nickel and dime travellers is going, but be prepared to buckle up and cross your legs – pay toilets may be next.
Tom Driedger Toronto
Re “Grounded” (Letters, Dec. 18): A letter-writer’s remark about a “positive experience” at the KLM desk reminds me of a positive experience my wife and I had when we were flying to Kenya to be married in 1986.
When the flight agent at the KLM desk in Toronto learned why my future bride Barbara was upset about not being able to hang her beautiful dress somewhere on the plane (we were flying economy), the agent went to a colleague and, after a brief conversation, came back and said Barb could hang the outfit properly – they had upgraded our tickets to business class, at no charge.
Now, that’s service.
Chris Gates Cobourg, Ont.
Send off
Re “It’s time to dream bigger than the community mailboxes Canada Post is offering us” (Opinion, Dec. 13): Having read through how Canada Post can make community mailboxes more relevant, appealing, costly and “fun,” my assessment is: Return to sender.
The only addition I would like to see them have is an integrated paper shredder.
Howard Brunt North Saanich, B.C.
God and country
Re “Requiring lawyers to swear oath to the King is unconstitutional, Alberta’s top court rules” (Dec. 17): This case brought to mind my years in the 1950s as a Wolf Cub, a Scout movement for young people ages 8 to 10.
We promised to balance both our deity and the monarch. Its present iteration says: “I promise to do my best, to love and serve God, to do my duty to the King; to keep the law of the Wolf Cub Pack, and to do a good turn for somebody every day.”
If the Wolf Cubs can get this right, surely Alberta can, too.
Patrick Martin Toronto
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