Letters to the Editor

Calling all Artists

An expression of interest is called for from artists living in James Bay who would like to participate in a renewed James Bay Art Walk and studio tour. The art walk has run for ten years.  In 2015 we took a year off. In 2016 we are asking interested artists to attend a meeting scheduled for Monday, April 18th at 7 o’clock p.m. at the James Bay Community School on Oswego. At that time, a new and simplified art walk with a volunteer coordinator, will be discussed. In the past, artists not having enough studio space in which to show have been able to show in the James Bay Community School, and it seems that this will again be possible. We look forward to meeting you.

By Martine D. Gow-Cooper

Victoria Spring

One of the great pleasures about a Victoria spring is to enjoy the daffodils on the hill at Beacon Hill Park. Unfortunately, in spite of the signs asking people not to pick the flowers, people are picking the daffodils. It is with regret that I notice that someone is also harvesting the “do not pick” signs!

Please leave the daffs for everyone to enjoy!

GC Smith

Spelling error

I realize this is a local, volunteer-run newspaper, and a very good one at that. Last time I pointed out a spelling error, my letter was published in the paper, and a reader's reply to that letter also published, slamming me for pointing out spelling errors, and implying that since this is a volunteer-run paper, we shouldn't expect any better. Pretty unprofessional, I think.

Regardless of whether this paper is run by local volunteers or by a national syndicate, it is a published form of journalism, and should be open to constructive criticism.

I love reading your paper, with all the local, sometimes quirky articles. I am writing today to point out a consistent spelling error by V. Adams in the March 2016 edition. We live in Canada, and thus should be using Canadian spelling. V. Adams consistently uses the American form of spelling "neighbor" and "neighborhood" instead of the Canadian spelling “neighbour” and “neighbourhood.” She seems like a very knowledgable and passionate individual who cares about her local community.  So, why not also be considerate of our own national form of spelling?

I am writing this letter because I am not going to let a public slamming stop me from pointing out (another) pretty obvious spelling error on the part of one of your very eloquent contributors.

Otherwise, great local paper and keep up the good work :)

Lynette Browne

Open letter to ’Biketoria’

Proposal for a designated two-way bicycle path along St Lawrence Street

We are long-time residents on St Lawrence Street.It is a quiet and very narrow one-way residential street with limited one-side-only on-street residential parking, and no curbs on either side. It is a short small street that now hosts numerous James Bay residents on their recreational walks to and from the Ogden Point docks and the ocean front at the breakwater on Dallas Road, resident children playing street games, pedicabs and horse drawn carriages carrying cruise ship tourists to and from the city, and cruise ship tourists walking idly to and from the docks. In short, this small peaceful residential street already carries its share of recreational traffic. Once, it included an intersection between Dallas Road, Niagara and St Lawrence Streets. However, that busy traffic intersection has long since been blocked to traffic to and from Dallas Road for obvious traffic reasons. As well, that former triple-street traffic juncture is now poised to become a small city ‘green space’, welcoming neighbourhood residents and hundreds of thousands of cruise ship tourists to the James Bay neighbourhood - appropriate and lovely. In short, it already functions smoothly as both the sole one-way vehicle access to residences along the two block strip of St Lawrence (from Simcoe to Niagara), and as a peaceful  recreational walking street for local James Bay residents as well as cruise ship and other tourists visiting Victoria.

The notion of adding a highly publicized designated two-way cycling path along this already tightly narrow street, stands in stark contrast to its current neighbourhood charm, character and usage. This one-way street is already extensively used for local slow cycling (the antithesis of the high speed cycling along Dallas Road), skate boarding, pedestrian wandering, children playing, etc. Its quiet one-way and no-thoroughfare nature already gives it the character of a European ‘Go-Street’. To add designated and advertised two-way bicycle traffic to this little street would negate its existing pleasant low-speed recreational and residential character. In addition, it would most certainly make still more difficult the already scarce residential street parking, necessitate traffic safety crossing lights at the Erie Street/St Lawrence Street intersection, as well as necessitate once again the opening of the intersection of Niagara and St Lawrence (now long closed) to merging two-way bicycle traffic to-and-from Dallas Road, with attendant traffic safety patterns and crossings. It would also seem most likely that it would significantly restrict the city’s planned small ‘green space’ at this former three-way intersection.

Such a designated and publicized two-way bicycle path along St Lawrence would overwhelm the current quiet and much used pedestrian character of the street. And why: So that cyclists would not have to follow the lovely broad park and oceanfront roadway along Erie Street and Dallas Road. As long-time residents of this lovely street, we are struck by the lack thoughtfulness inherent in this proposal, both towards the residents of St Lawrence Street and the many James Bay residents and city visitors who now use this street as quiet low traffic recreational pathway to Ogden Point and the ocean. Considering the rapid flowering of Ogden Point and hotel tourist bicycle rentals, such an advertised designated two-way bicycle path along St Lawrence would inevitably overload and overwhelm this existing neighbourhood recreational walkway in every respect, destroying the very milieu that makes it such an attractive place to live and recreate. Why overload and destroy this lovely small residential avenue by drawing to it yet more, and now two-way, traffic? Why not use lovely and broad Dallas or Montreal Streets, if you must.

Ulla Ressner and John Fry