Hockey sticks are attached to a stop sign along Highway 5 south of Humboldt, Sask. on Friday, April 13, 2018. An accident involving a transport truck and a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team has now left 16 dead and send over a dozen more to hospital.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
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No more Humboldts
As awkward as it is to bring road design issues into the discussion of the Humboldt tragedy at this point, I would observe (as a professional transportation engineer) that a roundabout at the intersection where the bus/tanker crash occurred would in all likelihood have prevented the crash and the resultant fatalities.
Rather than a stop sign, which relies entirely on the driver for its effectiveness, a roundabout is more visible and forces all vehicles to slow on their respective approaches. At worst, a roundabout-related collision would be a sideswipe situation with less impact.
What happened in Humboldt need never occur again. The resistance to implementing roundabouts among certain elected officials, transportation agencies, and members of the public needs to go away. Now. The research and evidence is conclusive. Roundabouts are considerably safer than stop-controlled intersections. And this doesn’t even touch on the other benefits of roundabouts (not everywhere, but in the appropriate locations) in terms of delay, emissions, speed management, and operating cost.
Stephen Schijns, P.Eng., Mississauga
Art sold here
Re National Gallery Chagall Sale: Why Weren’t Canadians Consulted? (April 13): Alexander Herman asks how the National Gallery of Canada can sell a work with relative ease. Further, he points out that British and Australian galleries are restricted through laws from such actions.
If Canadians aren’t consulted on acquisitions (Does anyone remember Voice of Fire? BTW, its value has appreciated) why should we be consulted on dispersals? The museum board, director and staff have a mandate to operate a national gallery, meaning they decide what is in the best interests of a national gallery and act accordingly. I say we let them do this.
If that’s different than Australia or Britain, c’est la vie.
Catherine Folkersen, Saskatoon
Facebook privacy
Re In Crosshairs Of U.S. Congress, Zuckerberg Concedes Regulation Of Internet Economy ‘Inevitable’ (April 12): Is this contrite Mark Zuckerberg the same person who once so arrogantly denounced privacy as a “social norm” of the past? He now promises to do more to protect your privacy. Really? Does he even believe in it?
John Clench, Vancouver
Dressed for respect
Re On The Road Again (editorial, April 13): I admire Justin Trudeau and his family for having the chutzpah to wear traditional Indian garb while visiting in India. It was visible confirmation of his respect for the Indian culture. He could’ve taken the easy way, portraying himself as a visiting Westerner, willing to use only words as proof of his respect for his hosts.
Mr. Trudeau dared to push the envelope in this area and is paying a heavy price in the media. If I were an Indian, I would be grateful to Mr. Trudeau and his family for putting themselves on the line and visually demonstrating their respect.
That gesture does not signal that the Canadian government agrees with all the political decisions made by the Indian government. But if you want to have an open, reciprocal political dialogue, you must first acknowledge where the other party is and move forward from that point.
Ken Robb, Fonthill, Ont.
No disrespect meant
Re Top Ontario Court Criticized For Error In Sex-Abuse Case (April 13): You report that an Ontario Court of Appeal decision twice referred to the teenage complainant as the “appellant.” Any suggestion that the court’s drafting mistake reflects a prejudice toward this young woman is absurd.
The word “appellant” is completely benign and can refer to anyone who is a party in any kind of lawsuit. It is not at all the same as the word “accused,” which in the courts can only refer to an alleged criminal.
Judges are like journalists in one respect. They write constantly. So do many lawyers. In 35 years of practice, I cannot count the number of times I have transposed the words plaintiff and defendant, or appellant and respondent, only to be saved by my assistant.
My dad used to say: “A good dishwasher needs a good dryer.” Just as a good journalist needs a good copy editor. God bless the proofreaders, even if they, too, aren’t perfect.
Valerie A. Edwards, Toronto
In the neighbourhood
Re Cabbagetowners Like The Idea Of More Daycare – Just Not In Their Backyard (April 12): As a former vice-chair of the much maligned Ontario Municipal Board, I read with interest Marcus Gee’s column on the proposed daycare in Cabbagetown. It appears the NIMBY neighbours cannot bear the thought of a daycare in their precious neighbourhood. In my years on the OMB, I saw many of these types of neighbours: no change ever, even if it’s appropriate and might in fact reflect a move to a better, more livable community for all.
The OMB, which repeatedly gave political cover to vote-seeking politicians and uninformed committees of adjustment, often helped neighbourhoods move forward, in accordance with municipally adopted planning documents and provincial policy. No OMB: Bring on the NIMBYism.
Susan Campbell, Kitchener, Ont.
Recycling concierge
Re Language Of Recycling (April 12): Letter writer Jane Moore’s angst at the recycling bin precipice is well noted. Standing before the multitude of bins, with their indecipherable glyphs denoting what goes into what bin, can end in heartache, confusion, a shrug and finally a dumping of it all into the “waste” receptacle, thus defeating the intended purpose of the effort completely. At some bigger public events here we are blessed with volunteering, young and eager recycling concierges to help us sort the various things we hold into the right bin. They certainly help, but still, without them, most of us simply toss it into the big one and walk away.
Clay Atcheson, North Vancouver
Play (soft and base) ball!
Re A Little League Of Their Own (April 11): Congratulations to Dana Bookman for her organizational abilities and the phenomenal growth of the girls baseball league. As a proponent of girls in sport, I would caution that we all have to choose our words carefully so as not to be dismissive of other sports which don’t align with our particular interests if we truly want to keep girls active in sports.
Softball isn’t baseball, ringette isn’t hockey but both are worthy sport activities and produce many outstanding female athletes.
To set the record straight from someone who has been hit on more than a few occasions while coaching both baseball and softball, softballs are not softer – and neither are the girls who play the game.
Stephen Poirier, president, Etobicoke Girls Softball League