3 hours Ago By Montreal Gazette
Article content Re: “ Liberals axe GST for the holidays ” (NP Montreal, Nov. 22) Many Canadians are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Thus the Liberal government’s proposed “GST holiday” will be a welcome relief to many.
But I question why the government feels that items such as beer, wine, cider and restaurant meals should be exempted from the tax. Furthermore I find questionable the decision to give cheques of $250 to working Canadians who earned less than $150,000 in 2023. I feel the largesse of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would have better been suited to paying, say, $500 to working Canadians earning less than $75,000.
They need the relief more. But, as the old saying goes, the devil is in the details. Allen Rubin, Westmount Re: “ Santé Québec isn’t the cure for what ails health care ” (Allison Hanes, Nov.
20) People who have waited over two years for help from their CLSC will take little comfort from the creation of Santé Québec, with its focus on “structures rather than services.” We read about the salary of the new agency’s CEO — around $650,000 a year for the first two years, and $500,000 annually after that — and imagine how many therapists might have been hired instead. We read about the budget cuts of at least $1 billion that Santé Québec will be seeking — and wonder how many services will be eliminated from an already diminished system.
Meanwhile, we wait ...
and wait as our government provides more bureaucracy when what we need is genuine help. Shame. Daina Vasiliauskas, Montreal Re: “ Traffic issues are worse: chamber ” (The Gazette, Nov.
21) Michel Leblanc, president the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, offers all kinds of constructive suggestions to rectify the dismal state of downtown Montreal. Leblanc has denied rumours he intends to run for mayor next fall. I wish he would seriously reconsider.
Harvey Levinson, Montreal Re: “ Group plans to go to court over bike path projects ” (The Gazette, Nov. 20) Everyone has the right to ride a bike, but that does not mean installation of bike paths should take priority over other concerns, nor should they be an entitlement to cyclists. I see bike paths as a bonus but not as a necessity.
In some cases they are inappropriate and have severely interfered with the status quo and become a source of moral and financial harm. Citizens have a right to safely access their places of worship, schools and homes. This right should not be up for debate, and yet I feel this has been neglected by the decisions to install certain bike paths — as on Terrebonne Ave.
in N.D.G.
It is appropriate for our municipal government to examine the toll some of these bike paths have taken on all of its citizens and to demonstrate accountability. Respect for all should be the priority. Anne McGarr, Côte-St-Luc Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@montrealgazette.
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