Kudos to the city workers who pick up our green bins, blue bins and black bins, and those who clean the streets. However, I would love to know who in the City is in charge of scheduling.
For the past few years, it seems that the street sweepers have been slated to come through my neighbourhood on the same day that green and blue bins are picked up. I am sure these are managed by different departments, but does no one at City Hall speak to anyone in other departments?
The construction industry uses scheduling software when working on big projects to help co-ordinate different tasks; unfortunately, it appears that the people working at City Hall have not made the leap into the 21st century. These are the same folks that we are trusting to ensure our infrastructure is robust and functional.
Elena Zaldivar, Calgary
Rodeo should end in favour of ag fair
Re: Chuckwagon legend defends animal care, Letters, July 16
Respectfully, Reg Johnstone is missing the point. No one is doubting the animals are well looked after. What is being questioned is what they are being used for – human entertainment and the money it generates.
It appears to me the animals are mostly terrified, coerced, electrically prodded, and run until their hearts explode or break a leg. The Ringling Circus previously marketed as “The Greatest Show on Earth” was banned in 2017. They rebranded under different ownership that apparently came back on the road in 2023 – with no animals.
Perhaps “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” could do the same. Remove the rodeo and re-brand the “cowboy way of life’ as an agricultural fair, like the CNE (Toronto) or PNE (Vancouver). A good first step would be to eliminate those $50,000 prizes.
P. F. (Trish) Hines, Calgary
No money for military
Coverage for me, not for thee
Quoting the Alberta Legislative Members Act: “Members shall, if they so elect, be covered on behalf of themselves and the Member’s dependents in the following parts of the Dental Program for management… (a) the Base Dental Plan; (b) the Enhanced Dental Plan. In respect of coverage… the cost shall be paid by the Legislative Assembly for the benefit of the Member.”
So, while taxpayers pay for the cost of dental plans for MLAs, including Premier Smith, and their dependents, those same UCP MLAs, and premier, have the gall to deny dental plans for their constituents.
The UCP also denies dental and optical coverage for seniors whose income is above a level that is a mere fraction of MLAs, and the premier’s substantial compensation.
Welcome to your UCP government.
Mike Priaro, Calgary
Student testing not needed; teachers already know who needs help
Cool it, indeed
Premier Danielle Smith embarrassed all Albertans and possibly all Canadians with her disingenuous political screed at the premiers’ meeting in Halifax. Rather than rising above the noise and anger that has divided most Americans and some in Western Canada, she attacked those she called progressives and the moderate left. Smith showed a total lack of understanding, history, compassion and diplomacy in this socially fractured time.
Cool it down? What? Smith has led the charge to malign anyone who supports fully funded public education, federally funded public dental care, and public health care including vaccinations for diseases that threaten the population. She has openly supported anti-social and violent convoyors, the irrational and frightening TBA rebels that led the Coutts blockade and Ottawa shutdown. Was that not threatening and violent?
Smith needs to make a significant public mea culpa and cool the mistaken rhetoric to regain some civility and public respect.
Carlos Charles Leskun, Calgary
Canada not prepared for northern defence
Re: Canada to hit NATO target by 2032: July 12
Canada announced it will build 12 conventionally powered submarines that can operate under ice. We should be able to control our Arctic. However, the only thing worse than underspending is squandered spending.
We had four conventional submarines that spent more time in dry dock than on patrol. Conventional submarines snorkel to run their conventional engines while charging batteries. They can then run quieter at depth on batteries (or air). It’s impractical, no, reckless, to run them under ice. This isn’t Baltic Sea ice (or all Hudson Bay ice), it’s Artic ice – thick and hard from being frozen for several years.
Nuclear-powered submarines are needed to effectively patrol under ice. Canada is not part of AUKUS. Perhaps we are seen as not serious and untrustworthy. Our army lacks air defence and we are short of effective anti-tank weapons and drones.
Anthony Wachtler, Calgary
Nominate a rural doc
Rural physicians are part of the heartbeat of rural Alberta. If a rural physician has been important in your life or community, nominate them for a new honour: the Medal for Excellence and Achievement in Rural/Remote Medicine!
Help celebrate physicians who have made outstanding personal contributions to patients and communities in rural/remote Alberta. We are cheering for stories of rural physicians who engage in their towns, hamlets, and communities and make a real difference: one patient at a time but also one day at a time as community members with friends and neighbours where they live and practise for many years.
Dr. Abhay Lodha, chair, AMA committee on achievement awards