Letters to the editor. March 2

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I am upset that it has been decided there is not going to be a tax cut. This was an election promise and I wonder how many people voted for the UCP because of it?

I am fortunate to not need it and agree that we need to be contributing to the Heritage Savings Trust Fund. But a promise is a promise.

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This was an election promise and it has been cancelled. I think contributing to the Heritage fund is just a ruse so people won’t be upset about the broken promise. It is disingenuous. 

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What else is Danielle Smith going to backtrack on? I want a premier I can trust.

Philis Heffner, Calgary

Renewables rules too subjective

Re: Province limits renewables built on agricultural land, Feb. 29

The proposed legislation governing the renewables industry will likely receive the same reaction as did the farm workers protection legislation by the NDP government. The requirement of a visual impact assessment will only lead to biased and subjective decisions because it’s all in the eyes of the beholders.

It’s like trying to judge fine visual art. What pleases one person is not pleasant to another person.

Why meddle with the freedom and rights of rural landowners? Certainly, the COVID public restrictions were considered public meddling by most rural Albertans.

More agricultural land will be lost due to urban expansion and road twinning than to renewable energy facilities. Existing private land legislation already covers landowner’s rights regarding lease contract obligations, such as a reclamation bond and other leaseholder obligations.

Kurt Hansen, Calgary

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The view of Alberta is changing

Growing up in Alberta was a gift, but in the past decade or so we have seen so much change. I worry that we are forgetting what makes our province work. This past winter, during the cold snap, we barely kept the lights on.

With the government prioritizing gorgeous vistas instead of eyesores such as windmills, we can take solace in the fact our government isn’t capitulating to the issue du jour. I wish the same logic extended to all these condos going up in my neighbourhood.

Making hard choices today is needed for a better tomorrow and I worry that change is too fast. Let’s thank our leaders when they plan, not in years but in decades. I care what the world looks like in 2050 for my children.

Chris Ross, Calgary

Higher taxes aren’t a gift to Calgarians

Two months into a new year with a 7.8 per cent tax increase, city council has now voted to “cap” next year’s residential property tax increase at 5.5 per cent and then an additional five per cent in 2026. Some cap.

The city’s chief administrative officer, David Duckworth, tells us: “As we always do, we’ll be working with council to continue ensuring every dollar we spend drives value and delivers positive outcomes for Calgarians.”

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Duckworth seems oblivious that spending less and leaving Calgarians with more of their own money will also deliver positive outcomes.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek suggests that, “In an environment where inflation is high and employment can be precarious, the signal I don’t want to send is that we’re cutting positions — that’s not the point here.” The suggestion seems to be that our tax dollars should be used to ensure that the city is the employer of last resort for all current civic workers, whether or not all those jobs are needed or could be eliminated.

Gondek also indicates that this cap on higher taxes for next year and 2026 is to give city administration clarity, and “the ability to do their work without having to guess what is on council’s mind.”

The clarity for the rest of us is that our council and city administration are happy to spend more money each year without consideration for the taxpayers. It truly is absurd.

Jim Williams, Calgary

UCP failing on fiscal management

The government has a deal with Shoppers Drug Mart that now pays Shoppers more for a consultation than it pays doctors who are struggling to cover expenses for their clinics. Shoppers has also been accused of ordering needless reviews. And if that isn’t enough, the premier is now not allowing Albertans to access the federal pharmacare plan.

For all who voted for the UCP because you believed they could manage the economy better than the NDP, I hope you are taking note. The list is lengthy, but please remember the DynaLife and children’s Tylenol debacles.

Do we want to let her anywhere near our CPP?

Mary King, Calgary

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