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I was born in Canada and have always been proud of our tradition to welcome. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to get to know, work with and live near people who left terrible circumstances around war, violence, poverty and desperation, and found a new way to live. Canada is indeed, in every way, a place that is far away from those troubles, and a place where it’s possible to start again but hold dear the beauty, warmth and honour of age-old traditions.
Change is inevitable and we as humans seem to be moving into a new age of “the enemy.” The Canadian tradition of celebrating Heritage Days in peace, may become a thing of the past.
Wendy Everitt, Edmonton
Banning Russian pavilion sets precedent
This is why we will never, ever have peace in this world. This is a heritage festival. If one country is banned because of war, then every country involved in war should be banned, and the Heritage Festival organizers should pack up their tents and say goodbye to the very ideals that made bigger thinkers — back when the world was a smaller place — build that bridge (the Heritage Festival) over troubled waters.
Mary-Ellen Turnbull, Edmonton
Rights of majority outweigh those of addicts
A group of medical experts state that the proposed health intervention act is disempowering, coercive, unethical. The basis of their argument is that there is no evidence of success in this approach and significant harm will result. The writers offer up a lot of criticism but not one old, new or innovative solution.
Detention-based care worked 60 years ago. If a drug addict was on the side of the road, a vehicle would pick them up and transport them to a hospital or institution where they would get treatment for addiction and help with mental illness. Ah, but what about their rights? Ah, but what about the rights of the general populace? Rights or works. How is that going lately?
Leoni Hagan, Edmonton
