YOU SAID IT: Free rides? Seriously?

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FREE RIDES? REALLY?

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Re: ‘A SMALL GESTURE’: Mayor to Unveil Free Transit in December as Apology for LRT Trouble, Online Edition Sep 21

Does Mayor Watson really believe that the free trips for the month of December are compensation for the billions wasted on his legacy project? The first mistake was taking the keys based on a “successful completion”, which I think is the term that was used. He was in such a hurry to cut the tape that he didn’t care if it was done correctly or not. Maybe he knew something the rest of us didn’t know when he lobbied the city council to pass Phase 2, which is also being built by the same SNC-Lavalin company that has a very questionable reputation to begin with.

Obviously, the shoddy workmanship would have come to light eventually if Jim Watson hadn’t forced the board to approve the contract without all pertinent information being available to the board.

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The public has paid for a lemon.

SANDY JOHNSTON

BIG

(Any effort to restore confidence in the system must begin with determining the ‘root cause (s)’ of LRT’s litany of problems.)

So much madness

Does anyone in this country really believe that this was “the most important election since the end of WWII”?

The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So the question is: Who best fits this definition? The Child Prince who called the elections or the people who re-elected him?

BOB MACQUARRIE

NEPEO

(Getting a similar result does not mean that the vote is not important. But even the prime minister acknowledged that Canadians did not want elections).

WRONG NUMBER

Re: notable number, letters, september 22

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In “Number Noteworthy”, the letter’s author states that between 175 and 200 vaccinated people received COVID, so the vaccine did not work. The vaccine never claimed to be 100 percent effective. It reduces the chance of contracting COVID and, in most cases, it will result in a less serious illness if you do get it.

The number you need to focus on is how many people who are sick enough to need hospitalization for COVID are vaccinated. That will show how effective the vaccine is. I think you will find that 25 percent of those who are not vaccinated account for more than 90 percent of COVID hospitalizations. To me, that sounds like a good reason to get vaccinated.

STEEN PETERSEN

NANAIMO, BC

(Vaccine efficacy refers to the ability to prevent serious illness or death from COVID-19. Statistics from across Canada suggest that the unvaccinated account for the vast majority of hospitalized COVID patients.)

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SHAMEFUL

Six hundred million dollars! What a disgrace! Even Ontario Liberals fared better, buying two seats for $ 1.1 billion to cancel the gas plants. If Justin needed a chair that badly, he could have ordered one from Wayfair and sent it to him for free. I know that gifts are not allowed, but ethics is not his strong suit.

And, for those who felt “just not ready,” he turned pro a long time ago. Politics is in their genes. Well played. We, I mean, of course.

DAVE COUSENS

OTTAWA

(The prime minister seemed to have misread the mood of the country. It could have ended much worse for him and his party.)

I CAN’T HEAR ME THINK

Working from home during the COVID pandemic, with the windows open, has led me to determine a growing problem on the streets of Ottawa: loud silencers! Be it certain types of motorcycles, cars, trucks, etc., some of them probably had their mufflers removed entirely and now you can regularly hear much louder vehicles on the road.

Perhaps it is time for the Ottawa police to start stopping these types of vehicles and fining them. Just say.

ALLEN CRAMM

OTTAWA

(Police have promised to crack down on noisy vehicles through Project Noisemaker. Let’s see if it can reduce noise on our roads.)