Letters to the Editor: October 5, 2024

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Boost incentives

Regarding the article City has Canada’s highest core office vacancy rate (Oct. 2).

London is still way behind in creating affordable housing and winter is coming.

With a 34 per cent office vacancy rate, I wonder if the city could offer more of a monetary incentive to owners to convert their office buildings into affordable housing.

These buildings continue to be empty, vandalized, and provide no income to their the owners. It seems ridiculous these buildings have electricity and heat and are sitting empty.

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Diana Squire, London

Too simplistic

In Ben Johnson’s letter to the editor Wider input equals better decisions (Sept. 28) in response to the article Stacked townhouses approved for more streets by full council (Sept. 26) he argues “elitist NIMBYism” is the roadblock to denser housing.

Changing housing densities is a complex process and we need to respect the “charm” and “heritage” of neighbourhoods while respecting all Londoners regardless of means.

Council should not be blinded by the building frenzy policy the provincial and federal governments are extolling and return to normalcy.

Walt Lonc, London

Taxpayers fed up

Our city is plagued with financial mismanagement at high-profile, taxpayer-funded organizations including the London Health Sciences Centre, the Thames Valley District school board and the London Police Service.

Where will fiscal mismanagement surface next?

Taxpayers are tired of hearing: “This is the way we have always done it.” When an organization is facing a cash crunch, one needs to take action to eliminate expenses that do not impact client-facing services. Why is the cry always: “We need more funding?” That may well be true, but only after a scalpel has been taken to remove the cancer. In the majority of the cases, the waste is the hierarchy of management which results in paralysis by bureaucracy.

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Public-funded organizations are no different than private ones in that they all must operate with the focus on value for dollar.

Taxpayers are at the breaking point, yet everyday we see and hear about waste.

W. Keith Lawson, London

Cashless craziness

Last year, I stayed overnight at one of Heathrow’s airport hotels, where you must pay your bill when you arrive. I ordered room service that evening. In the morning, I attempted to pay my bill of six pounds but was told: “We do not accept cash.”

I produced my credit card and it did not work.

A manager was called, but they continued to refuse cash or a money order. Finally, the manager said I could leave without paying. How insane is that?

My bank told me the charge was denied as they feared my card had been stolen. Would-be thieves will attempt a small purchase to test if a card is valid

A cashless society is insanity.

Ann Neilson, London

Make schools safer

A family member of mine has been continuously targeted and bullied at a London secondary school for the entire 2023 academic year.

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It has continued this academic year and escalated to extreme violence off school property.

By escalation, I mean two female students each pulled a knife on this family member.

What I cannot understand is, the Thames Valley District school board is well aware of the incidents at the school and off school property, as are the police.

The school has not done nearly enough to protect this student.

The vice-principals at the school said the reason the students were not expelled was because they “needed to see a pattern.”

What is wrong with these administrators?

Are they so afraid of the students they hide behind rules and guidelines to get out of actually enforcing their zero-tolerance policy?

Is it going to take the death of a student before something is done?

P. Sanders, Adelaide-Metcalfe

Stop sass and behave

We know things are bad when NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has to restrain himself from throwing a punch during question period.

But Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre brings out the worst in people, dividing us at a time when Canada and the world need more unity.

Poilievre is plotting his next non-confidence motion, stirring his party members into righteous indignation, challenging the sitting government like a 13-year old boy who sasses his teacher and smirks triumphantly as his peers guffaw at his antics.

It’s all such a waste of our time and money.

Canadians need and deserve so much better from those who seek control of our country.

Maria van der Velden, London

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