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Wednesday's letters: Road Runner, where are you?

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Over the last several months, I have wished for the Road Runner to have travelled north and for him to have dealt with the coyotes in our neighbourhood. I also recognized Highlands is the place to live.

For many years, there appears to have been an arrangement whereby the coyotes would live in our river valley proper and not extend their northern boundary to Montrose.

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Our councillor and mayor have chosen to ignore letters to their offices about the neighbourhood concern. OK, I know, minor concern. But it would help if the city had a better plan than to tell me to wave my arms, shout and spray water — oh, and to go to another computer link.

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Oh, Road Runner where are you?

John Tidridge, Edmonton

Men, get tested for prostate cancer

My husband very recently passed away from prostate cancer. I realize it is Movember, focusing on all male cancers, but not near enough attention is devoted to the need for every man over 40 years of age to have the annual blood test which monitors the PSA levels.

When caught in its earliest stages, the cancer is treatable. Let’s get this out to all our fathers, sons and brothers.

Iris Schumacher, Edmonton

Kenney not playing fair with pensions

Mr. Kenney places great emphasis on pressing for fairness in the Canadian federation for Albertans. And if he really believes fairness is an important feature of democracy, should not his own words and actions emulate this standard with regards to provincial governance?

And if Mr. Kenney is a standard bearer for fairness in governance, should he not be considerate of the concerns of his Alberta constituents with regards to his dash for the cash, in billions of dollars, of public-sector pension funds?

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And if his intention is to redirect these funds to AIMCo, should not this include input and thorough scrutiny and full agreement from pension stakeholders? Is it not duplicitous for Mr. Kenney to play by a different set of rules and norms at the provincial level, as he engages in a high-stakes game, using appropriated personal pension funds as poker chips.

Is not Mr. Kenney overreaching with regards to Bill 22 and a number of his other political maneuvers and machinations?

Randolph Dammann, Edmonton

UCP not adhering to Christian values

On several contentious issues, the positions of a number of UCP members are attributed to their “Christian values.” Yet their Christian values are very different from mine. In the Christian scriptures, there are two requirements: one of these is to “love your neighbour as yourself,” and we all know the Golden Rule.

I see little of this in UCP policies. The first schools and hospitals were established by the Christian churches to support students and the sick. At least five books throughout the Bible (Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 24, Matthew 10, Luke 10, I Timothy 5) claim that “the worker is worthy of his hire,” yet the UCP are cutting wages to teachers, health-care workers and many others and certainly the Good Samaritan would never have cut AISH benefits for the handicapped.

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UCP may have found some verses to justify their policies and interpreted them differently from me, but perhaps a more careful reading is required on their part. Nowhere does it say that our loyalties are to the oil companies.

Gayle Simonson, Edmonton

Unions against local fund management?

I find it just a touch ironic to see union leaders demanding that we continue to pay people down east to manage our money, rather than Albertans.

Tim McGee, Edmonton

The auditor general better be careful how much he criticizes the Alberta Energy Regulator. Kenney’s likely to fire him.

Tom Long, Edmonton

Online survey isn’t fair

The UCP’s daylight saving time engagement survey is a sham. I filled it out and submitted my choice. A webpage popped up stating “completed,” then it offered me to complete the form once again.

Lying about the postal code, age and occupation will find people with nothing better to do than fill out the form over and over again. The end result will be a phoney, inaccurate outcome. If the UCP truly cares about the issue, they can order a referendum on the topic. Then there isn’t any chance of a false outcome.

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Jim Holowchak, Edmonton

Hands off public-sector pensions

Re. “Pension changes benefit members and taxpayers,” Opinion, Nov. 26

Finance Minister Travis Toews is scathing in his dismissal of union leaders’ concerns regarding Bill 22. Will he listen to the concerns of plan members?

Bill 22 takes away the complete independence of my public-sector pension plan, and imposes government restrictions in choosing board members. It takes away the ability to change the investment manager in the future.

All of the money in the pension fund comes from earnings off each member’s paycheque. Once paid in salary, it should no longer be the concern of the government or taxpayer; it is solely the retirement savings of each member. Administration fees are paid by members, from the fund, not by government or taxpayers.

Pensions are paid solely by the pension fund, not the government. There is no good reason to change the governance to bring it back under government control.

I fear they will use this law to try to change the terms of the pension even though it is working well. I would not have agreed to this change if consulted. Our retirement savings should not be under the control of government.

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S.M. Hogan, Edmonton

Strengthen seniors advocate office

Re. “Province phasing out seniors advocate role,” Nov. 25

Within the context of a global drive to address older adults’ needs, sustainability of the Office of the Seniors Advocate (OSA) is critical. Ageing is not a health issue; it is life and we will all experience it.

Given the well-documented demographic shift in population aging and the many challenges faced by our community, legislation is vital to empower the work of the OSA.

The work to date has faced many barriers, because the OSA was established by ministerial order without getting its own legislation. I urge the government to continue the OSA with a mandate separate from the health advocate’s and provide the legislation it needs to address the diverse and basic needs of our growing seniors’ population.

The Alberta Association of Gerontology just hosted a symposium called Vision 2030, gathering significant stakeholders to share research and multidisciplinary perspectives on ageing. It suggested that we are at a tipping point in the way we deliver health care. Dr. Kwong See expressed hope that eventually there will be no need for a seniors’ advocate.

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Mary Whale, Edmonton

Columnist’s source is questionable

Re. “Alberta’s major industries under attack by activist,” David Staples, Nov. 22

In the spirit of transparency, I’m not completely familiar with the 3% project, so David Staples might have some legitimate concerns about Steve Lee’s alleged attacks on industries important to many Albertans.

However, the core of Staples critique is based on Bjorn Lomborg’s work. Lomborg’s research and books have been discredited by many highly credible academic institutions. In simplest terms, Lomborg fudges a lot of numbers, cherry-picks the evidence, and makes some wild assumptions in order to claim that catastrophic weather events caused by global warming are nothing much to worry about.

It’s misleading on Staple’s part to demonize Lee and elevate Lomborg.

C.R. Woelfle, Edmonton

Letters welcome

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