Opinion | How lucky I am to live in a city with such amazing people - Toronto Star

Readers share their opinions on stories in the news.

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, which funds research, innovation and care at the centre, has been given the single largest gift for cancer care in Canadian history: $100 million.

Princess Margaret foundation received the largest donation for cancer care in Canadian history, Sept. 23

I’ve always said to my family and friends how fortunate and grateful I am to be living in Toronto. How lucky do I feel to live in the greatest city in the world with access to the best hospitals and health-care providers on the planet? My wife recently went through a full year of cancer treatment and the one hospital I am most grateful for is Princess Margaret. Thank you to the anonymous donor who recently made a $100 million donation and told Princess Margaret Hospital to use as they see fit. Really? There are still some pretty amazing people with big hearts and deep pockets in this city.

Donald Trump needs the media to survive. It took a blackout by five TV networks for the White House to realize it, Sept .22

I don’t understand why any media source bothers to cover any of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcements. All they hear is a constant string of lie-laced repetitive nonsense. Best that everyone be spared from such indignity.

Standard Time seems the way to go. So why are so many opposed? Letters, Sept. 23

I completely agree with Michael Gilmor. Why are so many provinces ignoring the science and sleep experts in promoting permanent daylight savings time. BC Premier David Eby states it is in response to feedback but do people truly understand how detrimental this is to our mental and physical health? Many studies have been done (including one in Quebec in 2024) which recommend permanent standard time. Our circadian rhythms, which regulate important body functions, are based on a slightly more than 24-hour clock which is reset by morning light. Standard time is more closely aligned with the natural daylight and our biology.

Permanent daylight savings has been tried and abandoned in several countries in the 1970s including the U.K., United States and Russia. Reasons cited were children and adults going to school in the dark, sleep issues and increases in accidents. More education needs to be done before such decisions are made. While not directly responsible, the federal government could take a leadership role in forming a countrywide science-based recommendation so that we can move ahead in a more unified way.

This happens in every major city throughout North America. Cities attract businesses, the people follow the businesses either through employment or as consumers. Rapid building takes place, squeezing more people into even smaller matchbox size apartments/condos. Traffic begins to cause chaos, accident rates go up, people’s tempers become shorter and prices increase to maximize profits. Then these same people get fed up and leave, businesses shut down, apartments/condos sit empty and the city stagnates.

Working from home was supposed to be one answer, but company oversight was lost and productivity went down. Some cities got it right. Developed 10-12 lane major arterial roadways, ring expressways, Toll bypass roads through the centre of cities, income oriented but cheap enough where one did not require a second mortgage to travel on them . When the thinking changes, the system will change.

Mark Carney still has to convince Canadians that privatizing airports won’t hurt them, Sept. 21

Carney’s plan to privatize our airports is bound to bring turbulence. We are being sold that privatizing airports could “improve the visitor experience.” What kind of improved visitor experience do we need? People go to the airport to do one of two things: catch a plane or greet a loved one. An airport is not a spa; it’s not a wellness retreat. It’s a place we move to, or out of, as quickly as possible so we can get to somewhere else. Let’s not kid ourselves, profits for the foreign owners will accrue from two sources: tugging more money from our pockets through higher prices at stores and restaurants, extra baggage costs, maybe even new drop off fees at arrival, and from decreasing staff or replacing full-time and unionized workers with more precarious, non-union work. Prime Minister, this is a bad idea that should not take flight.

Five things to know about the Liberals’ new Building Canada Strong Act, Sept. 21

Canada has to revisit the Essential Services Act. Canada will not be considered a reliable exporter of critical products if that supply can be cut off by a labour dispute. Products like potash and wheat are critical to the purchaser. Farmers won’t be able to fertilize their fields and millers won’t be able to produce flour which is used to feed the population. Certain products need a critical product designation, similar to how certain workers receive that designation.

Climate change has made the food supply much more precarious. The movement of any food-related item must be considered essential. People don’t care if autoworkers strike, but they certainly care if farm workers do. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when the Colorado River runs dry.

The justice system isn’t built for healing, Sept. 18

Anne Marie Aikins is right, our justice system isn’t built for healing. It focuses on evidence and guilt or innocence. But there is an option that may be better to help victims of assault find the closure they deserve. Restorative process, also known as restorative justice is a session that gives victims a chance to let the assailant know how they have been affected, and what is needed to repair the harm done. Even after many years, this restorative justice facilitated conversation can create an opportunity for apology, remorse, and repairing harm. The focus is not on guilt, but on acknowledgment, responsibility and accountability. Restorative justice is not for everyone or every case, but I have seen many times where there can be some reconciliation, and transformation to a new sense of safety from a restorative justice conference. Let’s make that happen more often by adding restorative justice to the system.

Worst time to say wrong thing, Sept. 24

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is right that his past performance helped earn him a $500-million contract. That’s only half the story. The Blue Jays did not commit that kind of money simply to reward what he had already accomplished. They were also paying for the expectation that he would remain one of baseball’s elite players for years to come.

If Guerrero truly believes players are paid for what they have already done, perhaps he should sign one-year contracts and allow the team to adjust his salary each season based on his performance the year before. I bet he would not agree to that arrangement.

Long-term contracts recognize past achievement, but they are ultimately bets on future performance.

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Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details