Re "Doug Ford's anti-tariff ad was a waste, whether or not it torpedoed trade talks" (Oct. 29): I profoundly disagree. Canada has shown a spine and spoken truth to power unlike most others who have caved to the Trump administration.
Yes, like all whistle-blowers, we are being punished for it. But so what? We stood up when it counted, and that spine of ours will carry the day in the long run.
Although I am not the intended audience of Doug Ford's ad, I believe it will have far-reaching positive consequences.
The ad was no doubt viewed by Americans who are Republicans and do not agree with the views of their President, but cannot say so. It reminded them of their core Republican values.
This will in turn, hopefully, result in favourable results in the U.S. midterm elections. History has shown that they are critical in deciding the fate of a sitting president.
The ad may have negative immediate consequences, but if it results in Republicans repudiating what is happening to their country, then I say it was money well spent for Canada, and for the world.
Geneviève Leclercq Ottawa
Re "Doubling non-U.S. exports is hard. Does Carney really have the courage for it?" (Report on Business, Oct. 24): If we believe we have a better society than most other countries and a better balance between collective security and individual opportunity, as I do, then preserving our sovereignty is critical.
Even if it means economic hardship, I believe we will ultimately find ways to rebuild our prosperity, but we will never get our soul back if we sell it for lower tariffs.
Chris Stoate Oakville, Ont.
Re "Federal food-safety regulator launches inspection blitz after deadly listeria outbreak" (Oct. 29): I find little comfort in this announcement.
Instead of heaping praise on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, I believe the government's initial inaction, and now taking more than a year to initiate a simple but necessary public-health program to protect the health and well-being of our citizens, is a disgrace.
Michael Gilman Toronto
Re " 'We feel betrayed': Laid off for years, Stellantis workers in Brampton confront a grim new reality" (Oct. 28): It's hard to feel sympathetic for autoworkers when we watched tens of thousands of oil workers go by the wayside in the last decade. It didn't help that the Trudeau Liberals were elected in 2015 and decided to put the boots to an already fragile worker population.
We can feel sorry for autoworkers in the sense that government and union errors paved the way for the current situation. Did sound-minded people think our auto sector could compete with Mexican wages?
Tom Kent Calgary
Re "Hong Kong companies funnel Canadian tech to Russian army, report says" (Oct. 28): I find this really troubling. As a retired bank risk manager, I have to conclude that government was asleep at the switch.
In the simpler 1990s environment, my bank had a simple policy for weapons exports: essentially only to NATO countries, so that even solid allies such as Singapore posed a problem. Now, it would seem logical that Canada should only allow export of military or dual-use technology to NATO countries with full prior disclosure to the importer's government - and enforce appropriately steep fines and prison terms for offenders. Anything else should be an exception requiring prior cabinet sign-off.
Onerous? Yes, but look at the damage done in Ukraine.
We are at war, cold at present, so cannot afford to arm the enemy.
Roger Love Saanich, B.C.
Re "The magic math of Liberal home economics" (Editorial, Oct. 27): Thanks for pointing out the follies of magical thinking. Now it's time for we older, happily well-housed Canadians to stop our own magical thinking.
We can't have it both ways. We can't expect those hefty capital gains when we finally sell and also think our kids and grandkids will be able to afford houses.
Maybe politicians could appeal to our better natures? I am ever a raving optimist.
Catherine Schuler Hamilton
Re "A dense, urban Canada? It's possible" (Oct. 25): Thirty-eight years ago, when my husband and I had our first child, we moved into a co-op. Those were the days when you could do it.
The co-op was built around a courtyard. It was fabulous.
The kids had somewhere safe to play. The adults had a pleasant place to congregate on warm days.
I think courtyard designs should be the default, especially for family-oriented housing.
Jane McCall Delta, B.C.
Re "The SkyDome story: How the Blue Jays' iconic home redefined what was possible" (Oct. 25): The contractor who built the steel structure for the roof was Dominion Bridge Company.
While general contractor EllisDon built the main concrete building, Dominion Bridge was responsible for one of the most complex and difficult parts of the entire project: erecting the structural steel roof, as well as designing and constructing the bogies that carry its loads.
Engineer Don Mathewson should be credited for completing this incredibly difficult construction. Dominion Bridge had a long history of building steel projects.
Lawlor Rochester P.Eng, Toronto
Re "The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani just played the greatest MLB game. Is he better than Babe Ruth?" (Sports, Oct. 25): Shohei Ohtani better than Babe Ruth? Surely that's joke.
Mr. Ruth's career batting average is .342, 60 points higher than Mr. Ohtani. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage are both at least 100 points higher, not to mention Mr. Ohtani is more than 400 home runs behind him.
Oh, and as pitcher, Mr. Ohtani's career ERA of about 3.00 pales beside Mr. Ruth's 2.28. Almost every metric shows Mr. Ruth to be the superior player.
I believe this year's playoffs have answered the question in Shohei Ohtani's favour.
Did Babe Ruth ever throw a 101-mile-per-hour fastball, or have to hit one? Has anyone other than Mr. Ohtani ever throw six scoreless postseason innings and hit home runs for an encore in the same game?
Mr. Ruth was a tremendous talent and so is Mr. Ohtani. One such player per century is probably all we should expect.
Ken Lutes Vancouver