Opinion

The trouble with a hammer is that every problem becomes a nail. The trouble with someone who has decided to take a strident ideological viewpoint is that everything becomes black and white.

I was dismayed by the article “Vaccine debate heats up in Squamish,” Sept. 3. It is incorrect to say there is a real debate on vaccine safety any more than there is a real debate over the earth being round or flat.

Why is the District of Squamish planning to borrow $1,888,081 for installing water meters and $2,359,248 for a fire hose tower without having a plebiscite or referendum? What a nefarious way to have proposals go through.

Re: “It’s time to fix the rent problem,” Aug. 27. What has rent rates got to do with the inflated house prices? Just because the area has a high demand condition cutely called market values? These rising prices have nothing to do with costs.

Canadians love a good deal. I’m not suggesting that we are a nation of skinflints who constantly dig into the couch to find spare change (I admit, I still do that from time to time), but we do seem to enjoy buying stuff that isn’t expensive.

Parents need to stop using their children as an advertisement for their family brand. There, I said it. And now a disclaimer: Parenting advice makes me cringe.

Suicide: it’s the unspoken topic. Just mentioning the subject makes many people squirm with discomfort, because the reality is so awful that we prefer not to think about it.

For the first time in years, I did not plant a veggie garden. I simply didn’t have the time in the spring, so as priorities go, it got cut. I’m an average green thumb; my gardens aren’t overly prolific but I usually get a reasonable harvest.

MP John Weston’s recent comments on the shutdown of the controversial commercial fishery on Howe Sound highlight how out of touch the Conservative Party is on Fisheries Management.

Re: “B.C. environmental assessment process flawed, says expert” (Aug. 20). I must clarify several points in this article. While I can say that the B.C. environmental assessment (EA) process can be improved, I did not say that it is flawed.