Saturday's letters: Council to blame for UCP infill meddling

I am a daily reader of the Journal and read all of Mr. Gerein’s columns, often agreeing with him. But his current position about what he feels is UCP overreach is dead wrong. His continued claims that Edmontonians want, seek and desire unrestrained densification are completely wrong.

Edmontonians are accepting of limited and controlled densification, understanding that some densification is needed. Densification can easily be done in new developments and that densification can be controlled and managed in virtually any way the city wishes. The majority of Edmontonians, however, reject the developer-driven push to destroy existing neighbourhoods by popping ugly, property-value destroying, infrastructure-stressing infills smack in the middle of established, quiet and attractive old neighbourhoods.

Because city council continues to ignore the desires of the people it is supposed to serve, UCP intervention was the only available response. Mayor Knack and his council have only themselves to blame.

Bob Thompson, Edmonton

I usually agree with Keith Gerein but even he seems unaware of the infill issue. He calls the province bullies on the grounds of democracy and yet does not see that alleged democracy in this case is itself the bully. Most, if not all, voters do not understand the infill issue fully as they are not exposed to it. A 30-per-cent turnout in the last election is not exactly stellar democracy. It is more akin to sleep-walking democracy. Keith also does not seem to be concerned over the public hearings on this issue that had no sway and yet the intervention was huge. That is as bad as bullying.

Keith, and the city, seem not one bit concerned over the degradation due to: parking and traffic, waste management, nuisance due to short-term rentals (Airbnb), property values. The subject neighbourhoods are not designed for what the city wants to do, especially with no parking standards. It is one thing to apply the subject standard to a derelict neighbourhood but to apply it to mature neighbourhoods where the homes are looked after and kids are free to play in the street is criminal.

They will allow my quality of life to lower but they will not lower my taxes for that erosion, for it gets averaged in with this whole faux democracy and public hearings that go nowhere? I wonder who the bully is?

Tony Palladino, Edmonton

Despite his hockey abilities, Alex Ovechkin seriously undermines the reputation of the NHL. He has been a longtime supporter of Putin and he just appeared in a video advertisement to support Putin in the recent Russian election. Ovechkin is using the celebrity status afforded to him by the NHL to help keep Putin in power, a person who is directly responsible for the killing of thousands of Ukrainians and is named in an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for his role in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation.

Ovechkin’s support for Putin, can only be an endorsement for these crimes and he should not merit admiration from anyone. The NHL will be a better league without him.

R.M. Kruhlak, Edmonton

Whether newcomers come from across Canada or from overseas, one important aspect never gets mentioned. When a doctor, a nurse, oilpatch worker or meat packer, construction worker or agricultural worker comes to Alberta, perhaps initially as a temporary worker or refugee, we are blessed with someone else’s investment.

We get workers that we did not have to expend funds to educate. We did not invest in them as they grew up and developed their skills. Whether high school, university, post-grad or specialties, we benefit from another country preparing them and investing money in them. Instead of profound gratitude that we benefit from someone else’s investment, our premier wants to treat them as a burden. It makes no sense. They have saved us incredible amounts of money.

S.M. Hogan, Edmonton

When an American company, Stelco, for example, in Ontario decides to close their Canadian operations, the province of Ontario has the courage to call the loss of Canadian jobs an issue.

When an American company with ties to the Trump family, closed its Canadian operations in Edmonton, say, Electronic Arts, for example, do we call it a problem? No, we say trade war. What trade war? Just an American company maximizing profits by cutting Canadian jobs.

Dean Warner, Edmonton

Who decided to switch from parking meters to HotSpot parking? This system requires everyone who needs to park to have a cellphone. I am 87 years old and I have a cellphone, but I resent the fact that I am forced into needing it to be part of society. The makers of these products must be salivating as more and more of our daily life depends on a cellphone.

To set up the parking app on my cellphone, I have been on the phone over and over to activate the parking app that I probably won’t use more than once a year. The person on the other end of those calls is on the East Coast and must think we are pretty stupid here in Alberta. This is one more reason to discourage seniors from going anywhere that requires paid parking, especially downtown Edmonton.

Brian Hamilton, Edmonton

The referendum to hold a referendum is now done and hopefully gone. Albertans have spoken, with 25 per cent clearly casting their ballot for Option 2 on referendum Question 10 favouring an independent Alberta. Given that many voted for Option 2 just to send a message to Ottawa, that leaves possibly one in five Albertans supportive of a further referendum.

What now? Some say the issue is not dead and they will keep advocating for a further referendum. This will obviously be a waste of time and will further divide the province. Now is. however, the time to get behind Premier Danielle Smith and her sovereignty within a united Canada. Hopefully, she can persuade Prime Minister Carney to bend on some of the other nine questions on the ballot and show that he means what he says on the proposed West Coast pipeline.

Lobbying the federal government on these issues by the general public will certainly give her added support. Let’s move on and build sovereignty within a united Canada.

Ken Allred, St. Albert

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