Bring back Grade 13 to help kids catch up
I dont know to what extent provincial government responses to the COVID pandemic have affected the academic progress of students in elementary and high schools in Hamilton. Shutting down schools, limiting the number of students in school and teaching via the internet change both the quantity and quality of the education students receive. I cannot believe that the majority of students have learned as much as they would have in a normal year. Even though the pandemic situation is fluid, surely it is past time for the province to announce plans for the 2021-22 school year. If teachers confirm that most students have not made sufficient progress, the province must change the curriculum so that each grade has a remedial component and should consider reintroducing Grade 13 to ensure that students have progressed to the same level they would have if the pandemic had not happened.
Andrew Bell, Stoney Creek
Doug Fords half-baked lockdown
Doug Ford has done it again. A half-baked version of a lockdown. No outdoor activities of more than five people, no dollar stores and restrictions should be implemented at places like Costco and Walmart. Essential workers cannot work from home, but everyone else who can, should. Get real Mr. Ford and put some teeth into a lockdown. How about a curfew like Quebec?
Property tax comparisons dont add up
I read the article about property on Beach Boulevard in Hamilton. In this article you show two properties that sold recently.
Number 1 property was 755 Beach Blvd. which sold for $1.3 million. The property was 5341 square feet in size with a house that is enormous. The taxes for 2020 were $2,863.
Number 2 property was 733 Beach Blvd. which sold for $1.1 million. The property was 8750 square feet in size with a house that is big. The taxes on this property for 2020 were $5,229. The properties are only a few feet apart.
I live in Waterdown with a two-level bungalow half the size on a small lot and my taxes for 2020 were $5,200. I wish someone, maybe a councillor, could tell me why the big discrepancy in tax levels in these examples.
Eric Halliwell, Waterdown
Diets just dont work
Straight talk on intermittent fasting (Jan. 12)
I was dismayed to read the article about intermittent fasting. At Body Brave, we see people struggling with eating disorders, which are life-threatening illnesses. Often our clients tell us that their disordered eating began with dieting, and intermittent fasting is yet another diet. The author of the article rightly points out that there is little research evidence to support intermittent fasting as a safe and healthy way to lose weight. Yet there is an abundance of research to show that diets are almost always ineffective in the long run people regain the weight theyve lost. Meanwhile, the abnormal eating patterns associated with the diet lead to an increasing obsession with food, weight and body image. All too often, this leads to the development of an eating disorder. The prevalence of eating disorders has dramatically increased since the advent of COVID-19, due to the multiple stressors associated with the pandemic. Lets not make things worse by advocating intermittent fasting!
Karen Trollope-Kumar, MD, medical director, Body Brave
Trudeau should be impeached
We have had the opportunity to see a free and open vote in the U.S. Congress to impeach former president Donald Trump an unprecedented second time. Ten Republicans crossed the aisle and voted against their own party. If we had the same open and free vote here in our own country, the prime minister would have been impeached three times. One for the Agha Kahn visit, two for the SNC Lavalin scandal and finally for the We charity misadventure. Im sure he would have been tried and the verdict would have been guilty.
Vote the entitled PCs out
A recent letter said: if you want someone to represent you, then vote for someone like you. That made my decision for the next provincial election easier. I hope people take this to heart and vote this current entitled PC party out.
Supply management protects farmers
Carbon tax could lead to food insecurity (Jan. 13)
Mr. Charlebois projects that the carbon tax could increase to $170/tonne by 2030 which could cripple many of Canadas food producers and make us more dependent on imported food especially from countries with a lower carbon tax and lower food safety standards. He also says that farmers cant increase their prices even if production costs increase and therefore could exit their business. This is not necessarily true. Some farmers (dairy and poultry) have a system called supply management which monitors the costs of good farmers in these industries so that prices can be set accordingly to cover these costs. It is not a guarantee of success because the cost of production is not set so as to protect inefficient producers. But it does give a certain stability to good farmers which generally enables them to pay debts and earn a decent living which keeps their suppliers and creditors satisfied and does help the economy of our country. It also allows them to invest in techniques and strategies which keep them producing quantities and quality and safe food which satisfies the public demand and does so at a fair price.
Brian Griffith, Mount Hope
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Opinion | Feb. 5: Let's impeach Trudeau, bring back Grade 13, Doug Ford's half-baked lockdown and other letters to the editor - TheSpec.com
