Re: “Fix for crumbling roads isn’t in Quebecers’ wallets” (Allison Hanes, May 21) Kudos to Allison Hanes for pointing out that our infrastructure is in serious need of restoration, and that the answer is not higher taxes. There are other ways to get the money, but it appears no Quebec leader has the backbone to do so. How about decreasing the budget of the Office québécois de la langue française, which now stands at $49 million? How about eliminating jobs in the ballooning bureaucracy, where
one in four Quebecers is on the public pay roll, well above the average among provinces and other OECD countries? Think of the cost of all those pensions alone. Sadly, if nothing changes, we will continue to see our beautiful city decline and our province go further into debt — pushing more people to leave if taxes keep climbing, and making it even more difficult to fix our infrastructure. W. Glen Grossman, Westmount Parc Ave. needs solution for all Re: “Advocates press city officials to
fix dangerous Parc Ave. after deaths” (The Gazette, May 14) I grew up on Parc Ave. and live nearby today. Vehicular traffic on that street has increased dramatically since my youth. Consequently, it has become far more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, as the number of accidents — too many of them fatal — in recent years attest. When I visited Berlin, I noticed an ingenious solution on some of the busy streets. Bicycle paths were placed at the outer edge of sidewalks, which were
extra wide to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, thereby avoiding contact between the two, as well as road traffic. Is Montreal looking at what other major hubs, such as Berlin, have done to make their streets safe for all? Everything possible should be done to eliminate the terrible statistics cited in the article. Goldie Olszynko, Mile End Adult education helps all of society Re: “Roadblock to opportunity” (Opinion, May 21) As a long-retired teachers union president at the Lester B. Pearson School Board, I had many
occasions to disagree with the board’s decisions and recommendations. But I wholeheartedly support chairperson Judy Kelley’s strong opposition to the Quebec government’s plan to extend language restrictions in adult education. I have no doubt the proposed legislation would reduce the numbers of individuals from entering and training in a wide range of occupations, which would be contrary to the advancement and prosperity of all of Quebec society. The legal fight for the right to retain English school boards is soon going to the Supreme Court.
Let us hope Bill 40 is deemed unconstitutional, and that this will benefit efforts to prevent this government’s new and regressive measures in adult education from being enacted. Jim Wilson, Pointe-Claire Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@montrealgazette.com We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are —
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letters to the editor, road repairs, Quebec Office québécois de la langue française, Parc Ave, road safety, adult education, Judy Kelley, Bill 40, Supreme Court
Bro the roads are falling apart and people are arguing about language budgets??
I don’t even get why they can’t just fix the roads without raising taxes. Also $49 million for language office sounds like… a lot. But then again maybe they need it for like everything? Idk.
Parc Ave needs those Berlin-style bike lanes like right away. If they’re serious about safety, they should just close the whole street to cars. That would instantly stop the deaths, right? Seems simple but they never do the simple stuff.
One in four people on public payroll?? That number feels made up or like they forgot to count something. Either way it’s crazy that pensions and bureaucracy get blamed but nobody talks about contractor costs or corruption. Also “Quebecers’ wallets” like as if this is all one group, not different budgets everywhere. Fix the roads already.