Letters: Give the OQLF a reason to investigate
Lois Baron, Montreal
Not the time for language complaints
Re: ' Spike in service complaints to OQLF ' (The Gazette, July 4)
Quebec's medical system cries out from a lack of funds, and now the education system will see much-needed services affected after the government ordered at least $570 million in cuts.
Plus, seeing as we eagerly encourage tourists to come boost our economy, we need to be at minimum bilingual.
In these circumstances, how can the OQLF be justified? It is time to give Montreal a break and allow it and its population to survive.
Sandra Sterling, Snowdon
Bilingual signs boost water safety
Re: ' There have been five drownings near Verdun beach in last four years ' (The Gazette, June 25)
It is alarming that in Quebec, protecting French from a sea of English apparently includes endangering the well-being of English-speaking Montrealers and tourists.
After two tragic drowning deaths recently at Verdun beach, the local TV news showed several apparently French-only signs at beaches along with Raynald Hawkins, the Lifesaving Society's executive director for Quebec, declaring that all beach visitors should follow water safety instructions.
Along with French-only provincial road signs, one wonders if unilingual safety signs may have had a part in some deaths and injuries over the years.
George McArthur, Montreal
Other options for Alzheimer's patients
Re: ' Canada is falling behind on treatments for Alzheimer's disease ' (Opinion, June 26)
Hope is a dangerous thing, and although we should welcome treatments for insidious and devastating diseases such as Alzheimer's, we shouldn't let enthusiasm cloud our judgment. The scores we should be looking at for these new drugs — clinical improvements in cognitive scores — have barely shown more significance than placebo, and we still don't know how long the benefits persist. Not to mention high dropout rates in trials due in part to side effects such as brain swelling. Factor in the price of over $20,000 per year, and there are other interventions that are more cost efficient for patients in our publicly funded health-care system.
Aylon Wisbaum, pharmacist, Côte-St-Luc
Respect from U.S. in the cards
Re: ' Canadian mistrust of the U.S. remains high, new poll finds ' (NP Montreal, July 3)
I play online bridge against players from all over the world. You get to play two deals against new opponents, who then move on to other opponents. When they arrive, I always chat: 'Hello from Montreal, bonne chance.' I've been amazed at how many Americans reply: 'We love you, I didn't vote for him, ' or words to that effect.
Gary Bernstein, N.D.G.
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 — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication.
Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation.
We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument.
Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties.
Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published.
We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
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Montreal Gazette
4 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Give the OQLF a reason to investigate
Maybe it's time to overwhelm the Office québécois de la langue française with a flood of complaints about English signage — call it peaceful bureaucratic resistance. If the agency is going to micromanage every sign, let them chase shadows. And once the absurdity reaches a peak, people should alert international media. Let the world see how language policy can tip into parody. Lois Baron, Montreal Not the time for language complaints Re: ' Spike in service complaints to OQLF ' (The Gazette, July 4) Quebec's medical system cries out from a lack of funds, and now the education system will see much-needed services affected after the government ordered at least $570 million in cuts. Plus, seeing as we eagerly encourage tourists to come boost our economy, we need to be at minimum bilingual. In these circumstances, how can the OQLF be justified? It is time to give Montreal a break and allow it and its population to survive. Sandra Sterling, Snowdon Bilingual signs boost water safety Re: ' There have been five drownings near Verdun beach in last four years ' (The Gazette, June 25) It is alarming that in Quebec, protecting French from a sea of English apparently includes endangering the well-being of English-speaking Montrealers and tourists. After two tragic drowning deaths recently at Verdun beach, the local TV news showed several apparently French-only signs at beaches along with Raynald Hawkins, the Lifesaving Society's executive director for Quebec, declaring that all beach visitors should follow water safety instructions. Along with French-only provincial road signs, one wonders if unilingual safety signs may have had a part in some deaths and injuries over the years. George McArthur, Montreal Other options for Alzheimer's patients Re: ' Canada is falling behind on treatments for Alzheimer's disease ' (Opinion, June 26) Hope is a dangerous thing, and although we should welcome treatments for insidious and devastating diseases such as Alzheimer's, we shouldn't let enthusiasm cloud our judgment. The scores we should be looking at for these new drugs — clinical improvements in cognitive scores — have barely shown more significance than placebo, and we still don't know how long the benefits persist. Not to mention high dropout rates in trials due in part to side effects such as brain swelling. Factor in the price of over $20,000 per year, and there are other interventions that are more cost efficient for patients in our publicly funded health-care system. Aylon Wisbaum, pharmacist, Côte-St-Luc Respect from U.S. in the cards Re: ' Canadian mistrust of the U.S. remains high, new poll finds ' (NP Montreal, July 3) I play online bridge against players from all over the world. You get to play two deals against new opponents, who then move on to other opponents. When they arrive, I always chat: 'Hello from Montreal, bonne chance.' I've been amazed at how many Americans reply: 'We love you, I didn't vote for him, ' or words to that effect. Gary Bernstein, N.D.G. Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ 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 — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Edmonton Journal
7 hours ago
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Demetrios Nicolaides: Alberta investing in education to meet booming enrolment
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