Letters: Hockey trial verdict sad day for Canada

Montreal Gazette

2 days ago

After a mistrial, two dismissed juries and an eventual trial by judge, I was not surprised by the ruling that found all five hockey players not guilty of sexual assault.
In what world is it normal for five young men to think it is OK to have sex in a hotel room with a young woman who has consumed copious amounts of alcohol?
The issue in my view is one of moral decency, the ability to give consent, and again, a victim being re-victimized.
Sad day in this country.
Victoria Jonas, Beaconsfield
CAQ out of touch with today's reality
I am deeply dismayed by the Legault government's ongoing assault on English-language institutions in Montreal.
The most recent example — the $30-million fine levied against LaSalle College for alleged violations of Quebec's increasingly draconian language laws — is both troubling and short-sighted.
LaSalle College, which is in fact bilingual and widely recognized as one of the finest institutions of its kind in Canada, now faces an existential threat — not because of any failure to serve its students, but because it does not conform to a narrow and insular vision of Quebec's identity.
It is time for the government to acknowledge that today's generation of Quebecers — francophone, anglophone and allophone alike — is bilingual, globally minded and eager to engage with the wider world.
Ironically, I believe the group most harmed by these restrictive policies are francophone Quebecers themselves, who are being held back by an imposed cultural isolation that no longer reflects the reality or aspirations of modern Quebec society.
Robert Sugar, Westmount
Put the screws on speed demons
I was gobsmacked reading about the motorist who was ticketed by Montreal police over a missing licence plate screw.
Far more serious infractions happen daily. I see drivers routinely ignoring stop signs, particularly at T-intersections, and 50 km/h seems to have become the new normal in 30 km/h school zones.
The only upside? At least it appears there's a police presence in some parts of Montreal. In D.D.O.'s West Park area, enforcement seems nonexistent.
M. Evelyn Watson, Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Picture is bleak for art heritage
Re: 'Pointe-Claire seniors rally to save beloved murals' (The Gazette, July 23)
Tex Dawson's 'windows' into Montreal's architectural heritage enlighten both the residents of Le Wellesley and the pluralist cultural life of this city.
How much of our pictorial heritage will be lost due to the insensitive interests of mediocre 'modernization'?
Je me souviens Corridart and the Van Horne mansion destruction decades ago.
John A. Schweitzer, Montreal
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