JELLO and snail excrement have less lethargy than the Leafs. The pc28Maple Leafs are a monument to mediocrity which is in itself an insult to mediocrity. The only thing worse than the Leafs are Maple Leaf fans.
The Scotiabank Arena should remain empty until the Leafs learn the fundamentals taught in Pee Wee hockey and execute those fundamentals for 3,600 seconds of playing time. Not 3,400; not 3,500; not even 3,599 seconds. 3,600 seconds. Period. Full stop.
The outcome of this series could not have been more predictable. Those fooled by the Leaf victories in game one and two do not have full hockey acuity. These fans do not fully grasp how average the pc28Maple Leafs really are. Even when they are winning, they are already losing.
Louis MacPherson, Bowmanville
Skill balanced with a physical presence is what wins Stanley Cups
Are the Maple Leafs incapable of playing physical hockey? Is there not a coach in the NHL that can teach the Leafs to hit? Skill balanced with a physical presence wins Stanley Cups. When will the Leafs learn?
Gerry Nixon,Olympia, Washington, USA
Leafs need some player changes
As a long time Leafs fan, l truly wonder how you can continue to rely on Mitch Marner and Austin Matthews when they fail miserably in the playoffs year after year. It’s time to let Marner walk without even trying to sign him to a new contract. Spend the money you were going to use to sign him on another free agent. As for Matthews, suggest he waive his no trade contract to allow him to get a fresh start somewhere else, where he might enjoy more playoff success. Change is absolutely necessary.
Ken Perkin, Scarborough
Ferries help to control how many people go to the islands
City councillor Mike Cole is right. We need new ferries to take people to the islands. The ferries help to control how many people go to the islands. There is only so much room and so much supporting infrastructure there. Limiting access to parks is not unheard of — Sibbald Point provincial park near Sutton, Ont., on summer weekends is an example. A fixed link would allow an unlimited number of people on the islands. A safety concern and not a nice experience for all. Councillors, you have more serious matters of concern. Move on. You have had enough studies and committee meetings now.
Stephen Carson, Toronto
Electoral reform is long overdue here in Canada
Shara Cooper has an innovative approach to resolving the urgent issue of national unity. Her argument is that through electoral reform, and adopting a system of proportional representation, we could alleviate the trend toward polarization in Canadian politics.
Is that not what we all want, an electoral system that is truly representative of the nuances of the Canadian Cultural mosaic?
Electoral reform is long overdue here in Canada and a system of proportional representation is a proven method of more accurately reflecting the will of the people. It is already working in more than 90 countries, according to Shara Cooper. We can do it here too, and have a stronger democracy.
Allan Baker, Scarborough
Nothing in Bill 5 to protect workers
,May 13
I’d go even further than Green Party leader Mike Schreiner in his assessment of Premier Doug Ford’s Bill 5.
The bill doesn’t even try to hide the undemocratic and arbitrary government powers that can be wielded against workers in the planned “Special Economic Zones.” It doesn’t specify how large or small an SEZ can be. The government could declare a municipality, a region, or the entire province an SEZ; there are zero details about the criteria it would use.
Anyone unlucky enough to find themselves working in an SEZ will be working for employers who are exempt from existing labour and employment legislation. The rules of SEZs can override health and safety laws, minimum wage, the right to join a union, or any other protection that workers now enjoy.
There’s no reassurance in ministers’ denials that Bill 5 will not take away workers’ protections. If the intent isn’t to remove workers’ rights in SEZs, then they should write that into the law. Because it’s not there now.
Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario, Markham
Clearly, Big Bike does not have much influence
After reading this article one would think that since this shadowy “bike lobby” has so much influence over “bureaucrats and elected officials” in pc28we would see more than roughly one per cent of city roads having bike lanes in the last 20 years and it would take less than five years to plan, consult and develop these lanes. Clearly, Big Bike does not have as much influence as has been reported.
Adam Rodgers, Etobicoke
Bike lanes are expanding around the world
As a 74-year-old city cyclist, I’m letting our provincial government know that if the bike lanes that keep me alive are ripped up, I will either impede traffic by riding at my usual stately pace on the streets, or I will ride on the sidewalk. And so will most other cyclists.
I propose that we Ontarians take up a collection to send our premier and his team to visit a few forward-looking cities, like Montreal, which has a massive and expanding biking network, London and New York as well, or to some cities in France, which I visited this spring.
In Paris, the ever-growing number of bike lanes separated with concrete dividers, and Parisians and tourists riding safely on them, is mind-boggling, especially for a Torontonian. Public transit in Paris is superb, with dedicated bus lanes that allow the mostly electric busses to speed through traffic jams, digital signs at almost all stops telling when the next bus will arrive, and a metro that efficiently covers the whole city. Air pollution has been cut in half. In Montpellier in the south, streetcars are free for all residents, parking is severely restricted in the city centre, and the mayor is installing hundreds more trees to bring down the heat.
Our premier is focused on making life easier and cheaper for suburban commuters, but most big cities are moving in the opposite direction, discouraging cars and making mass transit efficient, cheap, and accessible, and biking infrastructure far-ranging and safe.
Please, Premier Doug Ford, rather than ripping out life-saving bike lanes and spending countless billions on an absurd tunnel, expand your frame of reference, learn from what sensible politicians in other great cities are doing, and focus for once on inner-city safety and the future of the planet.
Beth Kaplan, Toronto
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