Re: “We’re stuck with the Big O. It should be more than a monument to incompetence” (Allison Hanes, July 28)

Allison Hanes opines that the Quebec government’s recent decision approving interior renovations to Olympic Stadium, adding to an $870-million roof, is the least-worst option.

Another option would be to leave the stadium untouched until enough private capital is raised to offset the cost to taxpayers. Parc olympique projects $1.5 billion per year in economic spinoffs, so concert promoters like Live Nation and Evenko, along with wealthy Montrealers, should be lining up to invest.

Instead, the cost of the project will be socialized by cash-strapped Quebec taxpayers, many of whom could never afford to attend a mega-concert at the venue.

Quebec hopes to generate tax revenue from major events, but CF Montréal and the Alouettes can’t fill the stadiums they already have. Furthermore, the Olympic Stadium acoustics are notoriously terrible, leaving no guarantee that artists like Taylor Swift or Céline Dion will agree to perform there.

Olympic Stadium renovations are a luxury Quebec taxpayers cannot afford after years of fiscal mismanagement and bad investments by the CAQ government. In June, the government ordered the English Montreal School Board to cut special-needs staff who help the most vulnerable students, clearly a sign money is tight.

What I believe most taxpayers want is for our government to spend and invest in the basics, like health care, public education, essential infrastructure and public safety.

It’s time the CAQ government stopped cutting blank cheques with taxpayers’ money to fund non-essential infrastructure projects.

Michael Silcoff, Ville-Marie

Premiers’ U.S. booze boycott handcuffs PM in trade negotiations

Re: “We do not have to bow down to Trump” (Allison Hanes, July 23)

By boycotting American wines and spirits, Canada’s premiers are tying Prime Minister Mark Carney’s hands in negotiations with Donald Trump. They may be showboating for their voters, but in reality Trump has the economic means to up the ante until someone cries “uncle” and it won’t be him.

Canadians should not allow politicians to tell them how to think about this or any other issue that influences their freedom of choice. By now, every Canadian must know the harm Trump is doing to this country and should be willing to take a stand and boycott U.S. products whenever possible as a personal act of resistance to the bully in the White House.

John Hall, Montreal

Canadians need to remain firm against Trump

Re: “We do not have to bow down to Trump” (Allison Hanes, July 23)

Bravo for a very balanced denunciation of President Trump’s anti-Canadian shenanigans.

Here in the States, where the administration’s daily assaults on the structures of democracy — and the collateral damage being inflicted on the most vulnerable citizens — have become the awful norm, it’s important to be reminded we’re not the only ones being deeply affected. While his popularity is waning, clearly he remains a very thorny problem. And that’s without even mentioning the aimless and destructive war on Iran.

So I second Hanes’ sage counsel to her fellow citizens, which to me is to remain stout, don’t cave, and demonstrate your clout in every effective and decent way possible.

As late Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” And that just won’t do, eh?

R. Jay Allain, Orleans, Mass.

Alouettes should update Molson Stadium seating

Re: “Als’ falling attendance mirrors the CFL trend” (The Gazette, July 25)

If the Alouettes want to increase attendance, they should look at the seats. Sitting on those benches without backs is very uncomfortable. It is time to update Molson Stadium or play in the Olympic Stadium, where there are comfortable seats.

Ted Levine, Côte-St-Luc

Downward spiral of sports gambling ads

Re: “Kudos to Mbappé for heroic stand against the scourge of gambling” (Jack Todd, July 14)

Recent Gazette articles about sports betting offer some sobering food for thought. Indeed, they tell a cautionary tale of a toxic trap, especially for young men who are sports fans.

Relentless TV sports wagering ads entice viewers to bet on all sorts of outcomes. The resulting deluge of dopamine hits can doom the vulnerable gambler to a downward spiral of addiction and a road to ruin.

On a positive note, Ontario banned the use of sports stars in the TV ads. The move was influenced in part by advocacy from Karl Subban (P.K.’s father) and other campaigners.

Ruefully, the underlying pathology of it all is greed. Let’s hope that our society’s better angels can prevail against this proverbial root of all evil.

George McArthur, Montreal

Editor’s Picks

Submitting a letter to the editor

Letters should be sent by email to letters@montrealgazette.com

We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette.

If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one.

Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication.

Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation.

We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer’s argument.

Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or “open letters” addressed to third parties.

Letters are published with the author’s full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published.

We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.

Please send the letter in the body of an email, not as an attachment.