“I question why the government feels that items such as beer, wine, cider and restaurant meals should be exempted from the tax.”
Many Canadians are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Thus the Liberal government’s proposed “GST holiday” will be a welcome relief to many.
But I question why the government feels that items such as beer, wine, cider and restaurant meals should be exempted from the tax.
Furthermore I find questionable the decision to give cheques of $250 to working Canadians who earned less than $150,000 in 2023. I feel the largesse of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would have better been suited to paying, say, $500 to working Canadians earning less than $75,000. They need the relief more.
But, as the old saying goes, the devil is in the details.
Allen Rubin, Westmount
Little confidence in future of care
People who have waited over two years for help from their CLSC will take little comfort from the creation of Santé Québec, with its focus on “structures rather than services.”
We read about the salary of the new agency’s CEO — around $650,000 a year for the first two years, and $500,000 annually after that — and imagine how many therapists might have been hired instead.
We read about the budget cuts of at least $1 billion that Santé Québec will be seeking — and wonder how many services will be eliminated from an already diminished system.
Meanwhile, we wait … and wait as our government provides more bureaucracy when what we need is genuine help.
Shame.
Daina Vasiliauskas, Montreal
Chamber head in mayor’s office?
Michel Leblanc, president the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, offers all kinds of constructive suggestions to rectify the dismal state of downtown Montreal.
Leblanc has denied rumours he intends to run for mayor next fall. I wish he would seriously reconsider.
Harvey Levinson, Montreal
Some bike paths can cause harm
Everyone has the right to ride a bike, but that does not mean installation of bike paths should take priority over other concerns, nor should they be an entitlement to cyclists.
I see bike paths as a bonus but not as a necessity. In some cases they are inappropriate and have severely interfered with the status quo and become a source of moral and financial harm.
Citizens have a right to safely access their places of worship, schools and homes. This right should not be up for debate, and yet I feel this has been neglected by the decisions to install certain bike paths — as on Terrebonne Ave. in N.D.G.
It is appropriate for our municipal government to examine the toll some of these bike paths have taken on all of its citizens and to demonstrate accountability.
Respect for all should be the priority.
Anne McGarr, Côte-St-Luc
Submitting a letter to the editor
We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one.
Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication.
Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation.
We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer’s argument.
Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or “open letters” addressed to third parties.
Letters are published with the author’s full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published.
We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Please send the letter in the body of an email, not as an attachment.