Letters to the editor, June 16: ‘Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran has … left the world in a more dangerous state than before’

American way

Re “U.S. and Iran reach deal to halt war, reopen Strait of Hormuz” (June 15): Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran has, at this point, left the world in a more dangerous state than before.

It seems Mr. Trump has given in to Iran’s demands in order get oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz again. And he calls this a win.

No nuclear agreement. No regime change, leaving the Iranian people without the hope and promise of more freedom. No disarmament of the terrorist proxies likely leading to continued wars in the Middle East.

Probably most critical is the confirmation to Russia and China that the bark of the United States is bigger than its bite. The U.S. can no longer be depended on as the world’s defender of democracies.

Laurie Kochen Toronto

Re “The U.S. should back off its aggressive stance toward Cuba” (June 15): This advice for the Trump administration – that soft power, treating the Cuban people generously, is the best way to bring regime change – is the same advice that Philip Bonsal, the first U.S. ambassador to Fidel Castro’s Cuba, gave to Dwight Eisenhower.

Instead, the United States set in motion its economic sanctions, which have continued for more than 60 years. To the objection that Mr. Castro nationalized American-owned property in Cuba, then-MP John Godfrey responded with the Godfrey-Milliken Act, proposing that the U.S. government should first return the property of United Empire Loyalists taken during the American Revolution.

Today, former MP Charlie Angus warns that if Cuba falls, Canada would be next.

Nicholas Tracy Fredericton

History repeating

Re “Carney’s Irish grandfather fought off mob of 50 armed men as young police recruit during civil war” (June 13): The history of Mark Carney’s Irish ancestry is more than interesting. It is inspiring.

Mr. Carney’s grandfather standing his ground in defence of his land is, in every sense, a real David and Goliath story. Fast-forward to Canada today and the Prime Minister finds himself facing a different kind of Goliath.

May the courage and determination that mark Mr. Carney’s family history prove equally valuable in defending his grandfather’s chosen country of Canada. Taking up verbal arms against a powerful and often hostile adversary requires qualities that extend beyond bravery alone. It demands intelligence, resolve, diplomacy and an unwavering commitment to principle.

Canada may well need all those qualities in the days ahead.

Anne Fraser The Blue Mountains, Ont.

High and dry

Re “AI data centres are becoming the wedge issue of our era” (June 11): The rush to attract artificial intelligence data centres strikes me as a return to being “hewers of wood and drawers of water” – a backwoods economy of resource exploitation, in this case water, electricity and (perhaps) climate.

There will likely be the initial sugar rush of construction, followed by very few jobs. Meanwhile, we’re left with depleted water resources, higher costs for electricity and a few giant, windowless fortresses as foreign megacompanies rake in the cash.

Brian Green Thunder Bay

Not over it

Re “Ontario ER doctors raise alarm on hospital overcrowding” (June 15): Canadian and Ontario emergency physicians have been “raising the alarm” on hospital overcrowding, leading to dangerous emergency room wait times, since 2000. Sadly, it seems that everyone has stopped listening and nobody cares.

We saw one brief respite in the spring of 2021 when, as a system-wide response to COVID-19, elective surgeries and procedures were briefly cancelled and hospital occupancy, for a few short weeks, was at a safe level of 85 per cent. Since then, we have witnessed business as usual, with hospitals at 100- to 120-per-cent occupancy on a routine daily basis.

With no ward beds available, emergency stretchers are occupied by the admitted and waiting room patients are forced to wait for one to become available.

Plus ça change.

Alan Drummond MD; Perth, Ont.

Professional sports routinely creates new predictive and evaluative metrics, but the Ontario Medical Association is relying on surveyed opinions about overcrowding from 15 per cent of emergency room doctors.

Not to diminish the importance of those opinions, but can the OMA not better help us understand the nature of overcrowding (elderly patients awaiting long-term care, homeless- or addiction-related, etc.)? Gauging the impact on ER functions would help, using some metric such as “average delay to treat simple procedures.”

Further diagnosing this problem would go a long way to assigning priority, as well as determining ways to address root causes.

Chris Irwin Toronto

All ages

Re “When it comes to OAS reform, are we asking the right questions?” (Report on Business, June 12): So seniors often have unexpected medical expenses and retirement income can be irregular, therefore lowering the clawback threshold for Old Age Security is not necessarily the right solution.

But anyone can face these problems. Yet we discontinued income averaging measures and don’t allow exceptional allowances for anyone facing unusually large medical expenses.

Should seniors be the only entitled ones? These arguments would complicate the debate, making reform impossible.

Bob Seiler Pickering, Ont.

The simple life

Re “Going outside without makeup strengthens my most neglected muscle: self-worth” (First Person, June 12): I am glad that, for many years, I have chosen to “go out” without wearing makeup except sunscreen and lip balm or gloss.

This is not just for gardening or collecting the mail. It simplifies life.

I am also glad that I did not grow up with access to social media telling me what I should look like or do with my life.

Catherine Martin Collingwood, Ont.

Good start

Re “Hydration breaks, watered-down competition highlight World Cup kickoff” (Sports, June 15): It’s too bad not to give the World Cup a thumbs up for the start.

Sure, Canada coach Jesse Marsch wears funny shoes and some games have been boring. That’s true of any sport.

But the goal by a substitute in the Canada opener brought much of the country together. The win by Scotland, its first since 1990, no doubt produced several renditions of I Belong to Glasgow. And previously, the world cheered for Lionel Messi when he hoisted the World Cup in 2022.

It’s hard to bring the world together short of a Martian invasion. The World Cup gives us all a chance to cheer and cry and, above all, celebrate success.

Ed Dunnett Qualicum Beach, B.C.

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