Tuesday Letters: COP26 is Climate D-Day

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November 1, the first day of the COP26 climate conference, could be considered D-Day for the climate. While there is optimism, the urgent actions we need will begin as a result, it is important to be aware of the other D-forces that have so far been preventing serious action – delays, detours, and even deception.

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Using natural gas as a bridge to renewables may be necessary for a few more years, but we should scale up green energy much faster. Carbon capture and offset are examples of lag or deflection, with limited contributions to decarbonization. Nuclear power, while it has great potential, is too expensive (and scary for many people) to reduce GHG emissions significantly in the short term. Geoengineering is dangerous and deceptive.

Another example of deviance is focusing too much attention on individual behavior; systemic changes are much more important. Therefore, we must all continue to pressure our politicians to adopt strong and effective climate policies. Canada and Alberta have among the highest GHG emissions per capita in the world, both historically and today, and therefore must act vigorously. I hope that COP26 reinforces our need to hold our legislators accountable to represent the public interest rather than the interests of fossil fuels.

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Victor Dorian, Edmonton

RCMP a dysfunctional institution

Re. “Alberta Police Could Cost Millions More”, October 30

This article does not state the most important reason why Alberta got rid of the RCMP: ask anyone familiar with its methods (Crown attorneys, defense attorneys, judges) and you will hear unanimity on it; The RCMP is, and has long been (at least since the 1970s) a deeply dysfunctional institution, exemplified not only by misogyny and racism, but worse still, the shocking suicide rate among its members.

Roderick MacGregor, Ponoka

Mounties are already serving Alberta well

The RCMP has been with us since 1873. It started with 300 members and has grown to more than 28,000. In 1905, when Alberta became a province, they were hired as their provincial police. At one time they were known only as provincial police officers, but now their mandate is national, federal, provincial and municipal throughout Canada.

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They have a direct connection between municipal and territorial. They promote collaboration between all law enforcement agencies in Canada and abroad to fight global crime.

The provincial police would cost us more if the feds help fund the current state. We taxpayers will be asked to pay the bill. We would have to hold another referendum because we taxpayers can’t take it anymore. What is the real reason for wanting to change something that is serving us well?

Laurene Park, Edmonton

New police force is part of the ‘conservative way’

From 2010 to 2015, under the Harper administration (which included Prime Minister Kenney), budget cuts to the RCMP and adjusted for inflation amounted to a 26 percent cut. It is no coincidence that the Mounties killed in New Brunswick did not have carbines, bulletproof vests, and the training recommended by Mayerthorpe’s study.

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The “conservative way” is to underfund a service, highlight the lack of service, and then recommend a new service / solution that “could” be an improvement. Deja vu?

No media report has made reference to the recruitment and training costs associated with the provincial policing model. What additional expense could you accumulate?

Is Prime Minister Kenney’s stubborn vision to replace the RCMP with a provincial police force a legacy of misguided and budget-cutting strategies learned during his tenure in federal politics?

ML Clark, Camrose

UCP is silent on oil and gas lobbying

Re. “Investigating climate activists is a cynical ploy,” October 27

Congratulations to Tim Gray of Environmental Defense Canada and Devon Page of Ecojustice for an excellent article on Allan’s $ 3.5 million investigation into anti-Alberta energy campaigns. It deserves some repetition.

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They point out that oil and gas companies spend billions promoting their own political agendas, but the UCP government is silent on its sources of funding. They conclude that the government is not concerned about international influence in politics, but is “trying to delegitimize the right of those who disagree with them to participate in the normal functioning of policy development, public discourse and citizen participation.” . Well said!

And in his October 22 column, David Staples struggled to maintain his customary tirade against environmentalists since the investigation found no wrongdoing, and could only lecture them about being transparent, like corporations. What a joke!

PJ Cotterill, Edmonton

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