Letters to The Province, April 27, 2022: Everyone affected by high price of fuel

Article content

Everyone in BC should be entitled to fuel rebate

Article content

In a previous letter, I bemoaned the fact that EV drivers, who buy no gasoline, are included in the $110 rebate. However, it has been explained that even though they don’t use gas to drive, they are affected by the price increases of commodities due to the increased price of fuel.

If that is the case, why should this $110 bonus be limited to car drivers. Everybody, and I mean everybody, is being affected, so everyone in BC should be receiving this compensation.

Peter Rose, Delta

Re: Bank of Canada rebukes claims Poilievre has made on inflation, cryptocurrency

Many pundits and politicians claim the “most vulnerable…pay ​​the price” of inflation. What they fail to note is that our current way of fighting inflation hurts the poor even more. When the Bank of Canada raises interest rates to restrain the economy, lower-income earners last to be hired are the first to be fired. More unemployment reduces pressure on wages (another objective of the central bank) and workers fall further behind.

Article content

Affluent elites are happy because they receive higher interest returns on their financial investments, higher business profits from repression of wages, and relief from rising prices that might erode their wealth.

A fairer approach, especially since price increases today are largely caused by global supply issues, would be to set fiscal and monetary policy to maximize job creation, and to give generous subsidies to those elderly or disabled unable to work. Unfortunately, those at the bottom have few lobbyists in Ottawa, so this alternate course gets short-shrift.

Larry Kazdan, Vancouver

CNIB thanks volunteers

During National Volunteer Week, and every week, we the thousands of volunteers put our hearts into driving the Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s mission forward every day. Our volunteers are key to changing what it is to be blind through innovative programs and powerful advocacy that enable people impacted by blindness to live the lives they choose.

Article content

In the last year, more than 4,000 volunteers have contributed 110,000 hours to help us increase participation in the world, unleash the power of technology, and drive achievement and equality. Plus, our volunteer puppy raisers — a 24/7, 365-days-a-year commitment — contributed more than 350,000 volunteer hours. They provide obedience training and socialization for our future guide dogs, leading to increased independence and a sense of connection with the world for many people with sight loss across Canada.

We have been able to expand our program offerings to break down geographical barriers and reach more people with sight loss than ever before. We’ve also worked with countless advocacy volunteers to move the needle on important issues facing people who are blind or partially sighted. Together, we are transforming our communities into beacons of accessibility and inclusion, where everyone can live, work and play without barriers.

Christall Beaudry, Vice President, Western Canada, CNIB

Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected]. CLICK HERE to report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. E-mail [email protected].