Letters to The Sun, Oct. 2, 2021: The public should not be denied the simple joy of feeding a squirrel
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Once I learn Kevin Griffin’s article a couple of new constitutional modification to a $ 500 nice for feeding squirrels, I went insane! It took me again to once I lived on the North Shore, went via a tough time through the late Eighties recession, a breakup with my spouse, and a enterprise failure.
One of many issues I used to be trying ahead to was biking over the Lions Gate Bridge to Stanley Park. I might have lunch in the identical spot the place a pleasant squirrel would flip up. I known as him “Stanley the Squirrel”. He regarded for me as I regarded for him, I shared a few of my lunch with him and even introduced some unsalted peanuts with me. It gave me pleasure and introduced me mindfulness that helped my psychological well being throughout this tough time.
I can perceive the park board’s concern about wild animals attacking the general public, resembling coyotes. I perceive, however I do not get any legal guidelines stopping the general public from feeding our pleasant squirrels. I consider many aged individuals over many many years and see the enjoyment they get from feeding non-threatening animals in each park. That is, for my part, an space the place authorities bureaucrats and management freaks ought to step again.
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In all honesty, I’m so involved in immediately’s world that each one of our freedoms and rights are being stolen from us. Now that park rangers and police have the facility to nice innocent residents with a $ 500 nice and deny them the only pleasure of feeding a squirrel in a park is simply ridiculous. I believe it is a legislation that ought to be challenged.
John Watt, Surrey
I heard that the Vancouver Parks Board voted to impose fines of $ 500 on those that feed wildlife in a park. This might make the issue worse. Folks will lure wildlife to the park’s border with the odor of meals after which feed animals on city or non-public properties. There ought to be the identical legislation that applies to each location in Vancouver.
Re: Vaughn Palmer: Blended message on COVID-19 sufferers a blow to the credibility of John Horgan’s administration
Vaughn Palmer did properly to share how and why the BC Division of Well being underestimated the true numbers of COVID-19 sufferers in our hospitals. The withholding of this data is unclear and the general public has not been knowledgeable of the actually critical state of our well being system.
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There are different critical data gaps, and whereas a few of my considerations stem extra from a latest dialog with a member of the family who’s a palliative care employee in Calgary, I’ve no motive to imagine that the scenario is a lot better in BC. I’m referring to sufferers who’ve been missed or delayed in therapy due to life-threatening illnesses resembling most cancers or surgical procedures resembling transplants and hip / knee substitute. We don’t know what number of of them are extra severely in poor health, their circumstances are inoperable or untreatable, they usually find yourself crippled, in palliative care and, what’s worse, they die sooner than they need to.
So I’ve to attract a line on our vaccination scenario: for these residents who proceed to imagine that it’s in their very own curiosity to not get vaccinated, solely achieve this if you happen to keep at residence and revel in all of the freedoms that It’s important to make that call. You do not have the correct to enter group and be a well being and security hazard. It’s this sort of determination and habits that has received us the place we’re immediately with out figuring out the true influence on our well being system. But when we’re being sincere with ourselves, perhaps we actually do not wish to know.
Laurel Shalagan, Vancouver
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