Re: “Nosh, nachos and other no-nos” (Toula Drimonis, June 12)

So, they are at it again.

Not long after the “Go Habs Go” saga, the Office québécois de la langue française now finds that Arthurs Nosh Bar in St-Henri is not compliant with French-language signage legislation because of the Yiddish word “nosh.”

I guess the international embarrassment visited on us by the use of the untranslated word “pasta” on the menu of an Italian restaurant in Montreal has now been forgotten.

What could possibly be next? Perhaps “sushi”?

Allen Rubin, Westmount

Time to rethink pedestrian signals

Every day I drive, I must often wait for pedestrian signals when no one is crossing. Not only do I wait for nothing, I pollute and hurt the environment.

Of course, I’m not the only one. Untold thousands of vehicles lose valuable time and increase greenhouse gas emissions each day, and there’s also the added cost of gas these days. 

Unnecessary waits can make drivers impatient and more aggressive and encourage speeding and running red lights.  An angry driver turning against a pedestrian signal spells danger for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Can’t Montreal do better? Can we use technology that senses pedestrians waiting to cross? Can we turn off pedestrian signals after hours?

Do we even need these signals if, by law, pedestrians have the right of way on green lights and police can enforce this?

I am not against pedestrian signals where pedestrian volume is high, but this is not the case at many intersections where they are found.

Montreal appears to have outsmarted itself at the expense of traffic congestion and environmental protection, and needs to change course.

Norman Sabin, Côte-St-Luc

Education key in fighting hate

Re: “To end hate, we must reject politics of fear” (Opinion, June 3)

Samer Majzoub of the Canadian Muslim Forum hits the nail on the head with his opinion piece — when fear and division become normalized, hate and intolerance follows. 

Political leaders and the media play a major role in forming this narrative and can equally play a role in creating unity and respecting diversity.

But they are not the only keys to solving this puzzle. Our schools and universities have a pivotal stake in educating young people to be open to all communities.

For example, a report on a soon-to-be-released nationwide survey about antisemitism in Canada reveals that attitudes toward Jews are influenced by the amount of time devoted to education on antisemitism.

Students must be taught about the consequences of unchecked hate in the form of mandatory education on the history of genocide. This aligns with the objectives of Quebec’s culture and citizenship course, which aims to teach students to pursue the common good. 

Clearly, this lesson is not reaching everyone, as witnessed by the hateful banner displayed at a recent march in Shawinigan. 

As we tell students in our presentations given by genocide survivors, words do matter. Every tragedy in history began not with violence, but with a social climate that tolerates demonizing the “other.”

Marcy Bruck, The Foundation for Genocide Education
Montreal

Adult students merit more help

Re: “Roadblock to opportunity” (Opinion, May 21)

I am a most proud parent of an adult daughter with children — the youngest is 18 months old — who is enrolled in a two-year CEGEP respiratory technician program.

In addition to the burden of the new French-course requirements, the six- to eight-course per term program schedule is inflexible, lecture-based courses are not offered online, and completion must be within two to three years.

All this means she has no time to work, so she has no income.

We desperately need these health care professionals. We should pay them to take the program, offer online options to decrease childcare needs, and give them enough time to succeed.

Students can repay us by agreeing to work in our health care facilities for three to five years, say. Someday you or I may need them.

Wendy Wray, Beaconsfield

Editor’s Picks

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