____________________________________________________________________________
This response to an opinion editorial by the departing Czech Ambassador, Bořek Lizec, on September 1, 2023, was not accepted for publication as a letter to the editor.
Bon Voyage Ambassador Lizec
As a Czech-Canadian senior, born in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1942, I would like to correct Mr. Lizec's somewhat loose interpretation of historical facts in today's (Sept. 1) National Post. The Czech portion of what had been Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 was invaded by German troops on March 14, 1939, and remained a part of the Nazi Reich until "liberated" by Soviet troops in the spring of 1945. Actually, Czech Canadians had effectively no input into the creation of the modern state of "Czechia" until 1989, with the onset of the Velvet Revolution. At that time my late brother, Major John Hasek, exerted a good deal of influence on the future of the Czech Republic by founding what was known at the time as "Education for Democracy", a program promoting the teaching of English to a population who had been force fed Russian as a second language. The project was supported by Canadian, American, and British volunteers, mostly elderly, who paid their own way to the newly liberated country and taught English in schools, to formal and informal groups, and essentially to anyone who was interested. Over 1,500 volunteers participated, and I am convinced that the project was highly influential in bringing the Czechs into the fold of western democracy.
____________________________________________________________________________
This was submitted as a letter to the National Post on April 30, 2021, but was not published.
Another Federal Ministry?
With the limited supply of ex supreme court justices available to investigate the numerous failures of the Trudeau II government, and the availability of unlimited funding as indicated by the recent budget, why not implement a long term solution for the current sexual misconduct in the military scandal? What is needed here is a Ministry of Sexual Misconduct in the Military, with a permanent staff of civil servants under a Deputy Minister. The specific designation "in the Military" may eventually be dropped as the scope and staffing of the ministry expands to investigating all varieties of sexual misconduct, but must be maintained for the duration of the present government in case expected standard overreach should happen to extend to the sacred precincts of the PMO, where sexual misconduct is a concept that has effectively been outlawed.
____________________________________________________________________________
This was submitted as a letter to the National Post on January 5, 2021
Political Class Qualities
If there are two outstanding qualities that define our political class and governments overall, they are hypocrisy and cynicism. The hypocrisy component has just been demonstrated by the "do as I say" group of federal and provincial legislators and their supporting cadres, who have enjoyed their holidays in the sun or wherever their travels took them. They are simply emulating our hypocrite-in-chief, who has been able to hide behind a filibuster screen and other legal contortions to prevent the full disclosure of his WE boondoggle, while acceding to every demand of his NDP coalition partners, who in their turn are dictated to by unions, the strongest of which are, of course, the public service ones. In this case the term "public service" plays right into the cynicism picture, since they are public in terms of who pays their cost, but service is simply not in their lexicon. The cynicism part comes into full focus during elections, when the kissing of babies and the "promise 'em anything" aspect comes into play, and they make out that they are truly down-to-earth and one of us - the great unwashed. Lying is as natural to them as flying business class at our expense, and forever voting themselves more pay and bigger pensions.
____________________________________________________________________________
The outrage generated by yet one more corrupt politician - this time the Ontario Minister of Finance, who vacationed on a tropical island while a pandemic lockdown was inflicted on the province brought so much condemnation the minister returned home prematurely and resigned on December 31, 2020. The following was submitted to the National Post, but was not published
Is
Rod Phillips a Pig?
"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". That must be one of the best known quotations in literature - practically everyone with a high school education will recognize it. What we must recall is that George Orwell's "Animal Farm", the source of that quote, is in fact a pretty accurate parody of the functioning of a Communist Society, which can overtake us from either the left or right wing. National Socialism, as in Nazi, is considered extreme right wing, but the socialist element was certainly present, just as Communism, Soviet style, is considered extreme left wing, embodies the socialist element in spades. What the two systems had in common was corruption, and that is the simple case that ex-Minister Phillips does not appear to appreciate. Perhaps he is one of the rare ignorant politicians who never read the novel.
______________________________________________________________________________
My submission to the Advisory Committee to consider the renaming of Sir John A. Macdonald Hall, the building housing the law faculty at Queen's University, on September 12, 2020, was also sent to the National Post for publication, but did not make the cut - likely because the links are an essential component.
Virtue Signalling and Cancel Culture
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it” - George Santayana.
“He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone...” - Jesus Christ.
These are equally applicable to the issue before this committee. Like the mantras of political correctness and climate change, virtue signalling and cancel culture have become as fashionable with activists as tattoos and rap. Climate Change, of course, is the current version of “Global Warming”, which failed to deliver the ”Inconvenient Truth” of the Gore/IPCC hockey stick and the demise of polar bears on schedule, and therefore needed modification to maintain alarmist momentum.
The vandalism in Kingston and elsewhere to prevent presentations by speakers, and academics not aligned with activists' preferences, merges with the outrages committed against statues and graves of historical figures. The same activists would defund police, and deny history. Capitulation to their demands is a clear path to the vacuum of anarchy, which is readily filled by criminals, despots, and tyrants.
While I cannot match the style and erudition of Professor Pardy's appeal, I heartily endorse his sentiment, and urge you not to give in to those who would deny our heritage.
Thomas Hasek, B.Sc.(Eng)
Sc'63
_____________________________________________________________________________
The following was published, slightly modified, in the National Post on August 12, 2020.
Cheapskate Pledge
Kelly McParland's article on your August 6, 2020, editorial page is timely, and should be circulated to the Conservative leadership candidates, with a public response required immediately. Are any or all of them prepared to make the pledge? Their response, or lack of it, would certainly influence votes. I have a couple of minor quibbles with two items in the article. First, his report that the Prime Minister admits to spending $2.3 million chasing a Security Council seat acknowledges only the thin end of the wedge. Although the full cost will never be known, an estimate of fifty times that amount would not be unrealistic. The second is his labelling Bob Rae as a former socialist. Certainly Mr. Rae has switched party affiliation from the far left to the less distant left, but the "former" epithet is decidedly inaccurate.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Simply a rant, intended originally for publication, but withheld for privacy reasons, and dated November 15, 2019.
Political
Correctness Always Wins
(Especially
when reinforced by ignorance)
In
light of the recent savaging and metaphorical dismemberment of
Hockey's Don Cherry by both the media and the public at large, I can
relate a parallel experience at the hands of a couple of
acquaintances, with whom I had enjoyed a cordial rapport. While my
incident and subsequent adjustment to what I consider a permanent
injury is trivial in comparison to the national outcry over the
Hockey Night in Canada “offence”, I believe it serves to further demonstrate a troubling and unfortunate trend toward mob rule in the
suppression of freedom of expression.
A
month or so ago I made a presentation to a group of mostly elders,
illustrating a particular inequity in the way our society treats its
senior members, and by way of example I included a recent controversy involving a transgender fraud complaint laid with a human rights
tribunal, in which I made an unflattering reference to the
perpetrator. I was almost immediately accosted by the above mentioned
self-styled guardians of political correctness in hectoring
accusation of transgender bigotry: “as a friend” I should
understand that I had shocked and disappointed them, and indeed the
whole assembly, with my unguarded reference to a member of this
inoffensive and vulnerable minority. When I asked my assailers if the
knew the circumstances of the individual whom I had supposedly
maligned, both expressed ignorance. At that point I determined there
was no point in further discussion, and turned away, but I believe
both of these social justice warriors were aware, or should have
been, that I was annoyed.
My
principal issue here is that both of these individuals would feel insulted at being described as social justice warriors, and yet they
both felt compelled to pile on to my alleged indiscretion, and indeed
claimed that their distress was mirrored by all who heard me. Not
only were their misguided instincts entirely wrong, as proved by
others present who were aware of the case of the pedophile predator I
cited, but their sense of moral superiority was so strong that they
felt compelled to compound their error.
_____________________________________________________________________________This one should have been a letter to the editor, but is recorded just as a rant.
Electioneering
At the risk of being accused of blatant pre-election propaganda dissemination, the federal Liberals need to remind that us that if we are serious about saving the world by substantially reducing our 1.7% contribution to global CO₂ output we must re-elect our “Dear Leader” in October. This will provide him with a mandate to establish a new and powerful Ministry of Political Correctness, complete with a paramilitary arm to supress opposition effectively. With a true Ministry of Climate Change, rather than the current hybrid Ministry of Environment etc., to enact Catherine McKenna's hairbrained policies, he can join his colleagues Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping and show the world that strong leadership works more effectively than the uncertainty fostered by democracy. Thus we can ensure that his green priorities are enacted and enforced at the speed of a blitzkreig rather than enduring a Long March toward salvation, and the truly enlightened poverty that we might strive for.
______________________________________________________________________________
The following was submitted to the National Post on August 4, 2019, but was not published.
____________________________________________________________________________
The following was submitted to the National Post on May 19, 2019, and was published on May 22nd with a modified header.
This one was published in the National Post on May 3, 2018
This letter to the editor of the National Post, submitted on March 5, 2018, was not published.
_____________________________________________________________________________
This letter to the editor of the National Post on April 1, 2017, was not published.
One item Marni Soupcoff omitted mentioning in her article on Friday is the issue of conflict of interest. I had it explained to me in very simple terms by a lawyer specializing in accident claims, and I thought I had uncovered an oxymoron: honest lawyer.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
_____________________________________________________________________________
This letter to the B.C. Minister of Finance was in response to the new property assessments and a new threshold set for the provincial homeowner grant.
January 15, 2017
The Honourable Michael de Jong
Minister of Finance of British Columbia
via email: fin.minister@gov.bc.ca
Dear Minister de Jong:
I have done a random check of assessments in my neighbourhood, and I have found only one free standing house within a couple of blocks of my home that remains eligible for the homeowner grant this year. Without actually counting the number of homes in my locality, which is not upscale by any stretch of the imagination, I would estimate that this eligible homeowner represents about 2% of homes within 300 metres of my house, and that fewer than 5% of single family homes in south Burnaby (and a correspondingly lower proportion in Vancouver and the north shore) will now remain eligible for the grant.
As a matter of policy, I would suggest that in denying single family homeowners the homeowner grant while supporting it for most apartment dwellers you are engaging in an unwarranted exercise of social engineering. The practice of using arbitrary property assessments combined with a single blanket price as the sole criterion for determining eligibility for the homeowner grant is unfair, particularly to seniors like myself, and in my opinion is politically unsound. In the interest of fairness, other criteria that could be readily incorporated in eligibility are length of ownership, age of the improvements, as well as the age of owner/occupant. Please bear in mind that my house is a roof over my head and my home, not a numerical entry in a ledger.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
______________________________________________________________________________
I may be stating the obvious, but out west in balmy British Columbia we are already reaping the benefits of the possible one part per million reduction of carbon dioxide in Ontario's atmosphere. The Green Deity of Climate Change is favoring us with one of the coldest and snowiest winters in living memory. My back certainly appreciates the exercise it has been getting from frequent clearing of our sidewalk and driveway, and the crocuses in our garden are avoiding the all too early growth that Global Warming had been forcing upon them.
While it may be a touch premature to correlate our icy sidewalks and frostbite directly with Premier Wynne's Great Greening, I am sure it is also in anticipation of the positive impact of our own Provincial carbon tax, and that of our Federal Government, which will undoubtedly save our planet.
______________________________________________________________________________
Burnaby's politics are dominated by a self -serving Mayor and Council who are maintained in office by a combination of voter indifference (29% turnout for the last municipal election) and big money from property developers and unions, both of whom reap huge benefits from their contributions. Current city policy caters to unrestrained development, resulting in a proliferation of high rise strata titled buildings in designated town centres and a phenomenon known as "demoviction". The following was published in Burnaby Now in early December 2016 under the header: "City must protect its vulnerable residents".
November 23, 2016
May 23, 2016
Dear Premier Clark:
The issue of wearing a niqab during a citizenship ceremony became hot during the 2015 Federal election campaign, but the following letter was not published.
The following was not published.
September 14, 2015
The half paragraph which was dropped from the published version of my letter is shown in italics above. I can appreciate that editorial privilege can be exercised in any arbitrary fashion, but in this case it sure looks like Burnaby Now is going the extra mile to avoid offending Mayor Corrigan, who is known to be vindictive.
A typical case that has gone largely unreported is his failure to communicate openly with one of his larger taxpayers - the Chevron refinery - while publicly grandstanding with threats of civil disobedience to block expansion of the pipeline that supplies it.
Chevron has a community advisory panel, which invariably invites city hall to participate, and would no doubt welcome input from the municipality, but representatives of the Corrigan administration are conspicuous in their absence both from the panel and its quarterly meetings, which are open to the public.
At the well publicized annual forum last fall, residents raised many concerns about tankers, rail cars, gas emissions, cancer rates, asthma. Many of the queries were deflected readily by Chevron and Metro Vancouver personnel with: "call and ask Burnaby."
I would suggest to His Worship that his adversarial approach to all who do not share his views or do his bidding has cost this municipality a great deal in the past and will continue to do so in future. While he sneers at the idea of diplomacy, I am very grateful that he does not have any influence on the world stage, where such an attitude generally leads to armed conflict.
Thomas Hasek
____________________________________________________________________
The value of citizenship
The following was submitted to the National Post on August 4, 2019, but was not published.
The Absent Hypocrite
I note that the most prominent omission from the glitterati at the Google Summer Camp this past week at the Verdura (Vegetables!?!) Resort in Sicily
is Canada's Hypocrite-in-Chief, who might have been left out because he
would have great difficulty complying with the "no social media" rule
applicable to all guests and staff at the event. However, our glamourous
leader, though he may not have pockets as deep as the nouveau riche
organizers, could have outshone the gathering with his mode of transport
as the only current head of state attending with an official Airbus CC-150
on the apron of local airport. Surely, as his loyal subjects it is our
duty to express our outrage at not having our leading narcissist
representing us at this gathering of the self declared great, debating
what is likely to go down in history as the ultimate hoax of all time.____________________________________________________________________________
The following was submitted to the National Post on May 19, 2019, and was published on May 22nd with a modified header.
Liberal Vindictiveness
If there is one outstanding characteristic, next to cowardice and vanity, that defines the Federal Liberal Party, it is vindictiveness. This has been amply illustrated and described in commentary on the Admiral Norman affair, and this government displays it in spades. In less current times it was demonstrated by Jean Cretien's abuse of his office in attempting to deny Conrad Black a peerage in a dispute that exposed petty bullying at Canada's top level. In ducking out of the parliamentary vote on the Norman apology the Prime Minister and his Defence minion signalled their distress at exposure rather than a shred of remorse. General Vance and his Deputy Minister Forster should resign now along with the rest of their spineless toadies rather than waiting for the next government to fire them. Black's Canadian citizenship should be reinstated as a matter of course, and I imagine he would decline the return of the order of Canada as a discredited worthless bauble.
_____________________________________________________________________________This one was published in the National Post on May 3, 2018
Money for
Nothing
While
I agree with the basic premise of the article (Financial Post, May 1,2018 – Charles Lammam & Hugh MacIntyre), I have to take issue
with the language. They criticize the basic income program proposed
by the Parliamentary Budget Office, which incorporates an
“unconditional” basic income. Then they go on to describe a
“triggering mechanism” which will reduce the amount of this cash
transfer. It is double talk like this that makes the whole process
of taxation unfathomable to so many of us. In my lexicon
“unconditional” would be taken to mean just that – no
“triggering mechanism”, no qualifiers, no conditions. Surely
economists, as well as lawyers and accountants, and the hoards of
professionals who draft our laws, could try to say what they mean, so
the politicians who try to sell them to us could – just possibly –
mean what they say.
_____________________________________________________________________________This letter to the editor of the National Post, submitted on March 5, 2018, was not published.
Acadia's
Prof. Mehta's PiC
First,
I should introduce the term in the subject line: PiC - it stands for
Politically Incorrect, or its corresponding noun form - Political
Incorrectness.
Professor
Mehta doesn't need defending, as he is more than capable of doing
that himself, and there are a number of sane
and credible commentators who have openly supported his position:
the
university's investigation is a travesty. Professor
Raeside's letter is both unjustified and indefensible: taking the
word of whining students without first discussing the issue with
their target is indicative of his poor understanding of his own
position and responsibility.
Only
one word can describe the
utterance of one of his chief detractors, Professor
May Friedman, and that is juvenile. Suffice to state that anyone
who has to invent words like "invisibilizes" to express an
opinion should be enrolled in a course of basic English rather than
spouting off Politically Correct dogma as an instructor.
One
final word from a crusty curmudgeon, who certainly discovered the
"discomfort" of advanced education upon going from the
comfort of a 25 hour week in high school to 44 hours of lectures and
labs at university some sixty years ago: those who need comfort zones
wherever they happen to land are in for a rude awakening if and when
they finally enter the real world._____________________________________________________________________________
This letter to the editor of the National Post on April 1, 2017, was not published.
One item Marni Soupcoff omitted mentioning in her article on Friday is the issue of conflict of interest. I had it explained to me in very simple terms by a lawyer specializing in accident claims, and I thought I had uncovered an oxymoron: honest lawyer.
This individual works exclusively on a contingency basis, and since many accident claims are relatively small, and the duration of proceedings is frequently extensive, he justifies his standard 33% fee (which is not written in stone) very simply. His experience and appreciation of the history of awards in specific cases enables him to judge what makes a claim reasonable and likely to be deemed acceptable, but he does not see a dime in revenue until it is settled. He covers all front end and out of pocket expenses; he demands no retainer. So his interest in winning a settlement is 100% aligned with the interest of the client.
This is in contrast to standard lawyers' billing practice, which incorporates a substantial retainer to check out the merits of the proposed action, and an hourly rate which is generally in the order of ten to fifty times what might be considered a reasonable hourly wage. The very fact that the lawyer is selling his/her time to the client puts her monetary interest in direct conflict with that of the client: the more hours she chalks up, the more revenue she generates, and the higher the cost to the client.
My accident specialist lawyer also pointed out that since neither side is really all that interested in incurring the cost and uncertainty of a trial, after all the posturing is over, settlement frequently occurs on the courthouse steps.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
_____________________________________________________________________________
This letter to the B.C. Minister of Finance was in response to the new property assessments and a new threshold set for the provincial homeowner grant.
January 15, 2017
The Honourable Michael de Jong
Minister of Finance of British Columbia
via email: fin.minister@gov.bc.ca
Dear Minister de Jong:
Homeowner Grant for 2017
Having received my assessment notice shortly before you announced the new threshold for the Provincial Homeowner Grant being set at $1.6 million, I am somewhat incredulous at your statement, as reported in the media, that 91% of homeowners in the province will remain eligible for the grant, including 86% of homes in Metro Vancouver. I appreciate that you have the resources to ensure that statement is accurate, but I should really like to know how those numbers are compiled. Obviously they must include mostly high rise apartment properties, and are a reflection of the current trend to densification, gentrification, and overall elimination of single family homes as well as rental housing.I have done a random check of assessments in my neighbourhood, and I have found only one free standing house within a couple of blocks of my home that remains eligible for the homeowner grant this year. Without actually counting the number of homes in my locality, which is not upscale by any stretch of the imagination, I would estimate that this eligible homeowner represents about 2% of homes within 300 metres of my house, and that fewer than 5% of single family homes in south Burnaby (and a correspondingly lower proportion in Vancouver and the north shore) will now remain eligible for the grant.
As a matter of policy, I would suggest that in denying single family homeowners the homeowner grant while supporting it for most apartment dwellers you are engaging in an unwarranted exercise of social engineering. The practice of using arbitrary property assessments combined with a single blanket price as the sole criterion for determining eligibility for the homeowner grant is unfair, particularly to seniors like myself, and in my opinion is politically unsound. In the interest of fairness, other criteria that could be readily incorporated in eligibility are length of ownership, age of the improvements, as well as the age of owner/occupant. Please bear in mind that my house is a roof over my head and my home, not a numerical entry in a ledger.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
______________________________________________________________________________
The following was submitted to The National Post on January 7, 2017, but was not published.
______________________________________________________________________________
Burnaby's politics are dominated by a self -serving Mayor and Council who are maintained in office by a combination of voter indifference (29% turnout for the last municipal election) and big money from property developers and unions, both of whom reap huge benefits from their contributions. Current city policy caters to unrestrained development, resulting in a proliferation of high rise strata titled buildings in designated town centres and a phenomenon known as "demoviction". The following was published in Burnaby Now in early December 2016 under the header: "City must protect its vulnerable residents".
November 23, 2016
An open letter to Mayor Derek Corrigan and Burnaby city council:
Rezoning at Imperial and Dunblane
As a citizen and resident of Burnaby, I object vehemently to the latest rezoning proposal, which will result in the demolition of four lowrise rental apartment buildings and the prompt eviction of the tenants of their 84 units.
Burnaby cannot continue to ignore the plight of the victims of these demovictions and continue to cater to developers at the expense of its most vulnerable residents.
It is your duty to deny this rezoning application without any concrete provision for re-housing all the victims of demoviction, and place a moratorium on redevelopment applications until such a time as the current housing crisis is resolved.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
_____________________________________________________________________________
The following letter to the Premier is part of the continuing concern about how the impact of foreign investment is driving the cost of housing to unsustainable levels.
Housing
Crisis
I trust you will not
interpret my subject line as excessively dramatic or unduly alarmist.
I believe that you must be aware that we are truly facing a crisis
which requires speedy and effective action, not only by your
government, but by all three levels whom we support with our taxes.
It is true that the
equity in my home is rising at a dramatic rate, and I should be
grateful to have such a valuable asset; but I am not, since my home
is not merely a financial asset. The current uncontrolled market in
real estate in this province is leading to neighbourhoods being
gutted by speculation, densification, gentrification, and changes
that are causing wholesale dislocation of long time residents.
I urge you to
acknowledge that the
problem requires immediate attention, that you will commit to
study how comparable
jurisdictions are addressing the problem, and act swiftly to
ensure that we do
not destroy our neighbourhoods for the enrichment of a greedy few
at the expense of the public who elected you.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
_____________________________________________________________________________The issue of wearing a niqab during a citizenship ceremony became hot during the 2015 Federal election campaign, but the following letter was not published.
October 8, 2015
Unrestrained Multiculturalism
A variety of pundits and political commentators of all persuasions are wagging their fingers at us lower order voters and chiding us for our fixation on the issue of the niqab as key in our choice of how we check our ballot on election day. In my view, these high minded folk are succumbing to the universal western malady of political correctness, and it's time someone from the great unwashed explained the issue to them in no uncertain terms.
At issue is not whether Zunera Ishaq should be allowed to cover her face while swearing allegiance to her adopted country, but whether she should be free to bring all her baggage from her country of origin, and force us to accept it with all its contents, be they benign or not. I believe that her cultural baggage needs a level of scrutiny comparable to that applied to her physical baggage by the customs officer, and the unacceptable items rejected in the same manner. I submit that her cultural baggage, as represented by the niqab, contains the culture of Mohammed Shafia, ISIS, and all the other medieval atrocities that Islam represents to many of us. This issue is the thin end of the wedge, which gradually evolves into the ethnic ghettos that now litter the north of England, and threatens much of the freedom that we have in the past fought to protect. We are a remarkably tolerant nation, but it's time once more to draw a line in the sand and protect our threatened values.
Thomas Hasek
_________________________________________________________________The following was not published.
September 14, 2015
Migrant Crisis –
Refugees and Economic Migrants
While all our sympathies are
with the huge numbers of genuine refugees from the horrors of the war
in Syria and Iraq, and certainly most should be fast tracked for
acceptance in Canada, it would appear that there is a large component
of opportunists among the throngs of migrants. An article in the
Czech media last week by no less an authority than ex-President
Vaclav Klaus warns of the unintended consequences of Germany's wide
open door policy being taken as an invitation for all migrants,
refugee or not, to make a move to improved economic prospects.
According to Klaus, 40% of the migrants pouring into Bavaria the
previous weekend were from Kosovo, where open warfare ended fifteen
years ago, and another 40% were from Afganistan, where some level of
fighting has continued for forty years. Effectively nothing has
changed in these countries to cause the outflow, except for the
realization that resettlement in the EU is possible. The Czechs have
a special expression for the disservice that Angela Merkel's
super-humanitarian attitude is doing to Germany and the rest of
Europe: it translates approximately as “bear's kindness” and
relates to an allegory tale where a tramp and a bear become best
friends, and the bear in swatting an annoying fly on his sleeping
friend's head kills both the fly and his friend.
Meantime, if one looks up
Mecca on Google Maps, a prominent feature just east of the city and
Grand Mosque is a permanent encampment that can house three million
pilgrims in relative comfort. Since most of the migrants are Muslims,
it would appear that if Islam were a truly humanitarian faith, surely
this would be a logical destination for the majority.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Censored!
On July 7, 2015, I sent the following letter to both Burnaby Now and Burnaby NewsLeader with the header: Water is not "free"!
Censored!
On July 7, 2015, I sent the following letter to both Burnaby Now and Burnaby NewsLeader with the header: Water is not "free"!
With an exceptionally active and dangerous fire season predictably following a winter with no snow accumulation in the lower mainland, perhaps it's time to reopen the discussion of water conservation and water metering. Vancouver finally mandated water meters in new residential construction and major renovations over three years ago: Burnaby still does not require water meters in residential construction. Burnaby's mayor has been quoted as stating: “Water's free, all the costs are getting water to your door”. Such a statement from a civic leader is irresponsible and indicative of a fundamental disregard for economics. It may have been acceptable a couple of hundred years ago, when our region was undeveloped and individual survival was a principal challenge, but in today's complex society water is a resource commodity like any other, and it is as free as the proverbial lunch, or the perks of public office.
Not metering water makes about as much sense as having a fixed fee for any fill up at the gas pump, whether you drive a smart car, motor bike, or a hummer. The argument that meters, where there is no water shortage, do not justify their cost is specious; particularly for a municipality that was just recently “surprised” by a one hundred and fifty million dollar surplus, which might have covered much of the capital cost of water meters.
Only Burnaby Now used my letter, but they published an eviscerated version, with a non provocative header:
It’s past time for city to meter water
With an exceptionally active and dangerous fire season predictably following a winter with no snow accumulation in the Lower Mainland, perhaps it’s time to reopen the discussion of water conservation and water metering. Vancouver finally mandated water meters in new residential construction and major renovations over three years ago: Burnaby still does not require water meters in residential construction.
Not metering water makes about as much sense as having a fixed fee for any fill up at the gas pump, whether you drive a smart car, motor bike, or a Hummer. The argument that meters, where there is no water shortage, do not justify their cost is specious; particularly for a municipality that was just recently “surprised” by a $150-million surplus, which might have covered much of the capital cost of water meters.
The half paragraph which was dropped from the published version of my letter is shown in italics above. I can appreciate that editorial privilege can be exercised in any arbitrary fashion, but in this case it sure looks like Burnaby Now is going the extra mile to avoid offending Mayor Corrigan, who is known to be vindictive.
____________________________________________________________________________
This was in response to the news that Burnaby reported a huge surplus in its 2014 financials.
Burnaby Now
April 22, 2015 02:16 PM
Dear Editor:
Re: Burnaby’s surprise $100-million surplus.
Put in the simplest terms, that amounts to almost a quarter of the year’s operating cost for the city, or just under half of a year’s property tax revenue. Or put another way, the city planned for a surplus half that size and ended up with one three times the size of surplus they planned. Whichever way you slice it, that’s a lot of money out of my pocket and yours.
So they put it away for a rainy day – how prudent! Surprises of that magnitude are all very nice when they are positive like this, but in my view it looks like really bad management. Are they really that ignorant about their revenues and expenses?
And what next: are they working on a fully planned economy, so we won’t have the problem of figuring out how to spend any of our hard-earned funds?
Perhaps our city fathers have kept their heads in the sand (at the municipal golf courses, where the golfing is free), and have not noticed the historic success of other planned economies - the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea being a current example.
We certainly seem to be headed down a parallel path – with a two-tier society just like the comrades. Welcome to the People’s Republic of Burnaby!
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
_____________________________________________________________________
Burnaby Now
May 6, 2014
Dear Editor:
Re: Fecal transplant saved her, Burnaby NOW, May 2.
Before I get to the issue of the Fraser Health's appalling retrogressive approach to sensitive issues, I should like to correct what I consider a misnomer in your recent front-page report of a potentially life saving procedure.
I find the term "fecal transplant" misleading, since transplant in the medical sense implies a surgical procedure. I think fecal transfer, or infusion, would be a far more accurate and apt description of the treatment.
Your article indicates that the treatment as applied to Jane Thomas was effectively a last resort after all other methods had failed. In a situation like that, where there appears to be nothing left to lose, I do not see how bureaucracy can deny the application of any possible remedy, whether it is experimental or, as in this case, virtually proven.
The authority's attitude brings to mind the heartrending case of Margot Bentley, in which Fraser Health rode roughshod over Ms. Bentley's living will to the extent of threatening to physically restrain her family if they tried to remove her from a facility that was intent on supporting their denial if her wishes.
This appears to be yet another case where bureaucratic butt-covering trumps both common sense and human rights.
Thomas Hasek, Burnaby
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Burnaby Now
April 9, 2014
Dear Editor: Corrigan's Bluster
Mayor Derek Corrigan's latest outburst against a provincial counterpart is unlikely to endear him to other levels of government or First Nations or business leaders for that matter. Claiming, in the media, to have been blindsided by the province's decision to bypass Burnaby's interest in purchasing the Willingdon lands, and demanding an apology from the minister, is not going to put him in a position to do better for his constituents in future.
The mayor's approach to dealing with adversity seems bent on isolating Burnaby from potential allies and keeping his head firmly in the sand regarding outcomes of their activities.April 9, 2014
Dear Editor: Corrigan's Bluster
Mayor Derek Corrigan's latest outburst against a provincial counterpart is unlikely to endear him to other levels of government or First Nations or business leaders for that matter. Claiming, in the media, to have been blindsided by the province's decision to bypass Burnaby's interest in purchasing the Willingdon lands, and demanding an apology from the minister, is not going to put him in a position to do better for his constituents in future.
A typical case that has gone largely unreported is his failure to communicate openly with one of his larger taxpayers - the Chevron refinery - while publicly grandstanding with threats of civil disobedience to block expansion of the pipeline that supplies it.
Chevron has a community advisory panel, which invariably invites city hall to participate, and would no doubt welcome input from the municipality, but representatives of the Corrigan administration are conspicuous in their absence both from the panel and its quarterly meetings, which are open to the public.
At the well publicized annual forum last fall, residents raised many concerns about tankers, rail cars, gas emissions, cancer rates, asthma. Many of the queries were deflected readily by Chevron and Metro Vancouver personnel with: "call and ask Burnaby."
I would suggest to His Worship that his adversarial approach to all who do not share his views or do his bidding has cost this municipality a great deal in the past and will continue to do so in future. While he sneers at the idea of diplomacy, I am very grateful that he does not have any influence on the world stage, where such an attitude generally leads to armed conflict.
Thomas Hasek
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Burnaby Now
October 2, 2013
Dear Editor: Lower residential speed limits needed
Earlier this month the Union of B.C. Municipalities voted down a proposal from Victoria to lower the speed limit in urban areas to 40 km/hr from 50. The prevailing arguments seemed to be that it would bog down traffic too much and is not appropriate in many localities. Fair enough, but what about trying to introduce a lower limit on strictly residential streets and possibly even raising it on arterials? Imposing a one-size-fits-all rule for the whole province may not be feasible, but at the municipal level we could surely try and reduce vehicular carnage. I note that Vancouver has a 30 km/hr limit on designated bike routes, and perhaps that could be applied in Burnaby as well.
I happen to live on a bike route, and along my street I have seen cars reaching over 100 km/hr in the two blocks (250 metres) between stop signs, even if drivers don't ignore the stop signs altogether. The uncontrolled intersection between the signs finally had stop signs installed in one direction a few years ago after much lobbying and several major collisions, one near fatal. I realize that speeding is as much an issue of enforcement as regulation, but if regulation is stringent, enforcement is readily enhanced.
Dear Editor: Lower residential speed limits needed
Earlier this month the Union of B.C. Municipalities voted down a proposal from Victoria to lower the speed limit in urban areas to 40 km/hr from 50. The prevailing arguments seemed to be that it would bog down traffic too much and is not appropriate in many localities. Fair enough, but what about trying to introduce a lower limit on strictly residential streets and possibly even raising it on arterials? Imposing a one-size-fits-all rule for the whole province may not be feasible, but at the municipal level we could surely try and reduce vehicular carnage. I note that Vancouver has a 30 km/hr limit on designated bike routes, and perhaps that could be applied in Burnaby as well.
I happen to live on a bike route, and along my street I have seen cars reaching over 100 km/hr in the two blocks (250 metres) between stop signs, even if drivers don't ignore the stop signs altogether. The uncontrolled intersection between the signs finally had stop signs installed in one direction a few years ago after much lobbying and several major collisions, one near fatal. I realize that speeding is as much an issue of enforcement as regulation, but if regulation is stringent, enforcement is readily enhanced.
What I would propose is a 30 km/hr speed limit on strictly residential streets, particularly those that are less than two traffic lanes wide with parked cars on both sides, like the newly paved and curbed roads that now appear to be standard. Designated - and wider - arterials, no more than about 500 metres from any residential property, might have their speed limit raised to 60 km/hr to compensate, and traffic would likely move faster on average. Major arterials like Kingsway or Willingdon Avenue, particularly in rush hour, might even have the speed limit raised to 70 km/hr to reflect the reality of traffic when the curb lanes are clear.
Thomas Hasek
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Bureaucratic Abuse (The following was submitted as a letter to the editor of the National Post)
October 1, 2013
Both writers in the editorial debate on Monday hold reasonable positions, but neither mentioned the very pertinent Margot Bentley case covered by Tristin Hopper in July, and currently before the BC Supreme Court, which represents the most flagrant denial of human rights that I can recall. Ms Bentley has Alzheimers, and expressed her desire to die with dignity verbally and legally while still in full possession of her mental faculties. Her caregivers, under the umbrella of Fraser Health, refuse to honor her living will to the point of threatening to restrain her relatives physically if they try and move her to a more accommodating venue. The defendants in the case are the care home, Fraser Health Authority, and the Province, so we are in effect all participating in this abuse and paying for it dearly.
A telling comment about the case, made by a law professor at SFU who is an expert in the field, is that Fraser Health must be getting their legal advice from the back of a cornflakes package. The comment would be amusing if the case were not so sad and cruel. I have no doubt that sanity will prevail when the decision comes down, but in the meantime Ms Bentley's physical remains suffer the continuing abuse. What I would like to see is some accountability in this case and the responsible decision makers removed from ever being able to impose their perverted morality on anyone again.
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This was addressed to the Minister of Health and Vancouver Coastal Health authority on June 19, 2013
Robotic Laparoscopy
This was addressed to the Minister of Health and Vancouver Coastal Health authority on June 19, 2013
Robotic Laparoscopy
I am a prostate cancer survivor, and in May 2008 I was the 50th surgical patient to undergo radical prostatectomy performed with the Da Vinci robotic system by Dr. L. Goldenberg at Vancouver General Hospital. I understand that at this time there are only two urologists and one cardiologist operating the system, and that it is effectively under utilized for a variety of reasons, including the direct cost to the patient that has been levied since the original funding from Jim Pattison and Jack Poole was depleted.
As a principal beneficiary of the functionality of this system, I believe I have first hand evidence of the benefits of its use and the economic justification for increasing its utilization. Recent publicity of the benefits of Robotic Laparoscopy (Financial Post, June 18, 2013) relieves me of having to cover much of the ground, but from a personal perspective (http://prostaterem.blogspot.ca), I can state that the trauma reduction resulted in minimal time in acute care, and very rapid recovery to a state effectively unchanged from pre-surgery. In fact, having recently passed my fifth anniversary of the treatment, Dr. Goldenberg and I decided that I have no further need for his specialized care, and he has returned me to the care of my G.P. with only the caveat of annual PSA testing.
In light of my experience, and the substantial benefits that accrued to me, I urge you to allocate more resources to exploiting the technological and economic advantages that the Da Vinci system provides. It is an asset that has paid huge dividends for me personally and should be providing similar benefits for a much larger segment of the public.
Thomas Hasek
_______________________________________________________________________This is one that appeared in the National Post on September 12, 2012:
The value of citizenship
Re: Maintaining The Value Of Citizenship, editorial, Sept. 11.
As a new Canadian of more than 50 years standing, I applaud the efforts of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and the Canada Border Services Agency to smoke out immigration fraud and raise the perceived value of Canadian citizenship. I firmly believe there should be far more stress on the obligations of citizenship as opposed to the benefits. The reduction in the residency requirement from five years to three was clearly a mistake that should now be reversed. A further simple test of the bona fides of adult applicants should be confirmation from the Canada Revenue Agency that income tax returns have been filed for the qualifying period.
Thomas Hasek
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Burnaby Now
April 6, 2012
Dear Editor:
Re: Financial info should be on line,
Editor's Letter in Burnaby NOW, March 30, 2012.
Editor's Letter in Burnaby NOW, March 30, 2012.
Kudos to Pat Tracy for her timely and provocative item on Burnaby city council's shameful rejection of transparency and accountability in refusing to match the standards of other B.C. municipalities in making election expense data readily available to taxpayers online.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal's response (the mayor and most of council being off on a junket) that it is of no interest to the public and onerous to staff, is typically feeble and arrogant, particularly in light of the comprehensive and no doubt costly website that city hall maintains.
I am shocked in particular by the revelation of the magnitude of the $20,000 CUPE contribution to the coffers of the ruling and unopposed Burnaby Citizens Association.
It is hardly surprising that our city fathers wish to hide their cozy relationship with their employees, which comes at the expense our rising property tax bill, which increments annually regardless of economic indicators.
Thomas Hasek
