Opinion

When I read the article Former patients of Victoria Psychiatric Emergency Services call for change it brought back many sad memories. My daughter-in-law was in a car accident eight years ago and sustained a head injury.

Just as they have campaigned to drive motorists from Clover Point, the mayor and council of Victoria are waging a war to deny drivers (of all types) their rightful use of the full, unobstructed length of Richardson Street, with their latest bicycle infrastructure plan.

Victoria’s now approved bike lane on Richardson will eliminate all east-west vehicle traffic from Foul Bay Road to Cook Street by installing five traffic diverters along the route.

Re: Farmstand operator scrutinizes Sooke’s proposed business licence bylaw ( Online , March 24)

Re: Council falls short on decisions and actions ( Letters , March 25)

Turkey Head and the surrounding marine area, including that area north of the marina to Cattle Point, is one of the most spectacular environments to be found in any city, and the status quo is not acceptable.

Given the sky-high cost of new builds, housing diversity that includes duplexes, townhouses and low-rises cannot address the needs of families and singles who have been priced out of the market.

The B.C. government is calling for a balanced approach to the management of old growth forests. Over 97 per cent of B.C.’s original old growth has been logged. Protecting the remaining less than three per cent would be a small step towards balance.

I think it is important to realize that having a mental illness is not a crime, nor does it mean that people with them will become criminals. Sometimes it is more of a social misunderstanding. People with mental illnesses can still be a big asset to society. Society should show more compassion for the mentally ill.

Thanks to Wolf Depner for his article ‘ German lexicon grows by 1,200 words .’ Mark Twain was stretching a point to say that only the dead have time to study German. I studied it for a year in university, and continue to dabble.