Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 13

LETTERS GUY HUNTTNGFORD, Publisher ROBMALESCHUK. VP Advertising Sales ROSS BUTLER, VP Finance Operations TRENT ANDERSON, VP Manufacturing Distribution SIOBHAN VEMISH, VP Marketing Audience Development EILEEN ANDERSON, VP Human Resources LETTERSCALGARYHERALD.COM etc CALGARYHERALD.COM0PINI0N WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012 A13 VOXPOP Here's how 1,852 readers responded to: Should the province ban quadding, dirt biking and mud-bogging at McLean Creek and restore the environment there? TODAY'S QUESTION: Was the city right to crack down on people wanting to plant potatoes on a privately owned vacant lot? To vote go to calgaryherald.comopinion NO I 1X1 'ML be doing, has actually been suggested to increase the sexual activity of teenagers in certain studies. Teenagers can't be active participants in their own sexual health if they don't know the slightest thing about it. As New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof put it, "sex kills, and so does this kind of blushing prud-ishness." Ian Donovan, Calgary More than a union Re: "Frank Bruseker leaving classroom again for job as local union boss," May 22. I wonder why the media always refer to the Alberta Teachers' Association first as the "teachers' union," but never refer to the Alberta Vs, i -i I 1 Calgary Herald Archive Professional dog walker Jill Hindson hands out treats to her charges in Edworthy Park as other dogs try to horn in.

Reader, who is Hindson's father, sees no need to limit the number of dogs one person can have in a park. Doggone it! There's no problem here Indefensible Re: "Jubilee spat goes public," May 18. The Jubilee's and Minister Heather Klimchuk's treatment of Shen Yun Performing Arts is totally indefensible and every Al-bertan should be concerned about it. Shen Yun is one of the top performing arts companies in the world and performs yearly at venues such as the Lincoln Centre in New York City and the London Coliseum. The performance wins the critical acclaim of discerning audiences across the globe, so why do Klimchuk and Jubilee management feel the need to be brazenly antagonistic towards Shen Yun? If any other top performing arts companies were to grace Alberta with their world-class professionalism and book with the Jubilees, neither the Jubilee nor Klimchuk would ever dare to act as they have with Shen Yun.

However, the world's other top performing arts groups are not composed of and presented by Falun Gong practitioners, as Shen Yun is. It is relevant because Shen Yun exposes the ruthless and brutal persecution Falun Gong practitioners have suffered since 1999 at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. The persecution of Falun Gong is the real source of the "controversy" in this conflict. The CCP desperately seeks to conceal from the world the crimes it has committed against these prisoners of conscience simply because the exposure of those crimes will lead to the overthrow and elimination of the CCP in China. Neil Campbell, Calgary Prudery Re: "Not on our dime," Letter, May 21.

Is Julie Chandler generally aware of when children begin sex education in this country? If she is, then she should have gone on a tirade against the entire educational system, which began teaching the family life unit to me when I was in Grade 3 or 4. We have to start learning about our bodies sooner or later, and just as parents can opt out of bringing their kids to the sex exhibit at a museum, they can opt their children out of the family life unit. If you don't like it, then don't go. And since Chandler also brought up "the truth," she'll probably find it worth knowing that maintaining sex as a taboo topic and promoting abstinence-only teachings, as she seems to ers' "right" to discriminate against gays and refuse to perform their jobs, can do no better than to compare human rights advocates to a fictitious account of a thundering Henry VIII. At least, he was so thoughtful as to lionize those who would refuse another's right to his own marriage in each case.

More interestingly, he admits that tolerance, in his (or the church's) view, is merely a grudging acquiescence to loathsome things (such as equality), nothing like a virtue, though it is born of all the virtues he lists. Not surprising from someone who considers human rights documents "weapons against the fundamental rights of religious believers." And his definition of conscience says it is one's application of natural law, properly matured, of course, with the church's guidance. I recall an admittedly pithy saying which has a different take: "Morality is doing what is right regardless of what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told regardless of what is right." Kris Eckstrand, Calgary Rude drivers One of the first things I noticed when I moved here from B.C. last November, was the rudeness of Calgary drivers.

I've driven for over 30 years in four provinces, and have never experienced the level of offensive driving that I do here in Calgary. I'm amazed that many drivers have a heightened sense of entitlement, even zooming through shopping mall parking lots at 40 kmh, among shopping carts and children. The spate of fatal accidents recently is scary, making me wonder if most drivers learned their skills playing Grand Theft Auto. I find it ironic that a due diligence safety inspection on my 20-year-old car from B.C. a car that gave me no trouble, and survived the climb through Rogers Pass did not pass here, yet, the driving habits of many people here are more dangerous to life and limb, causing me to buy a new car to hopefully survive my fellow drivers on the Deer-foot.

I have never had an accident, but I fear this place will involve me in one as the tailgating and lack of road courtesy is manic. I think the province really needs to educate drivers to drive defensively and use courtesy and common sense. D.G. Baker, Calgary admit I have no idea how Jill and others who walk dogs for a living manage to keep track of and care for as many dogs as they do. I know I couldn't.

But they can, and they do. To arbitrarily set a limit of six dogs under one person's control is unfair to the many dog walkers who can handle many more. It unfairly limits their earning capacity and penalizes them as they perform a valuable service. Eric Hindson, Calgary sa Medical As sociation as the "doctors' union." The ATA is a 1 professional organization for teachers, just like the AMA is for Frank Bruseker doctors. The provincial government forced the ATA to assume some of the roles of a labour union years ago, but the ATA does offer its members far more than that.

It is truly a professional association and should always be recognized as such. Ray Courtman, Beiseker Too big Re: "Harper counts on the economy," Michael Den Tandt, Opinion, May 16. I have profound concern with the enormous omnibus bill (C-38) that is before Parliament. I understand this bill is 10 times larger than the average budget bill, and includes many non-budgetary provisions. It is designed to circumvent parliamentary convention, and is an assault on our democratic traditions.

It seems the bill concerns budgetary matters, but also changes legislation regarding a multitude of other issues. These include wholesale changes to Old Age Security, CMHC regulations, EI and nuclear safety. There are many changes to environmental legislation: fisheries, parks, species at risk, energy and various others designed to geld the laws protecting our land, water, flora, fauna and air. Each of these matters should be considered and debated separately in Parliament, allowing Canadians to know and understand what the government 4 humbly leave the company, I realize it's that same emotional attachment we're feeling, and it is a very hard thing to let go of. Marvin Matthews, Calgary Morality defined Re: "Shared principles define voices of conscience," Bishop Fred Henry, Opinion, May 19.

Bishop Fred Henry, struggling to prop up his defence of marriage commission Re: "City barking up the right tree," Editorial, May 21, and "Limits on dog walkers are nothing to sniff at," Ozzy Remington, Opinion, May 19. After having read Robert Remington's dog's column on Saturday and the Herald editorial Monday, I can't help but feel that both are promoting a solution to a problem where none exists. When my wife and I adopted a poorly socialized adult dog, we turned to my daughter, a dog walker, for help. proposes to do, and why. I recall well Prime Minister Stephen Harper's promise that he would run an open, honest and transparent government.

Unfortunately, the current federal government has proved to be exponentially more arrogant and deceitful than the flawed Liberal regime it replaced. Whatever the merits of the Harper government's agenda may be, they could not possibly justify these anti-democratic means. George Fenwick, Calgary people, either here or from across Canada. Add to this the long-term demographic challenges of a shrinking working age population relative to retirees, a rapidly growing economy, and it all adds up to a perfect storm for many employers, especially small and medium-sized businesses. Ultimately, policymakers also need to fix the permanent immigration system to ensure enough people with the right skills are coming to Canada to meet the needs of a growing economy.

Until then, one of the It who to Under Jill's guidance, Cheetah soon became socialized with other dogs and began responding to commands. She became the joy we had hoped she would be. What I did observe during my frequent visits to the dog park was that there were more single-dog owners who were unable (or unwilling) to control their pets or pick up after them than those who were walking upwards of a dozen. I found the dog walkers took their responsibilities seriously. I freely Letting go Re: "Green stayedout of ring as railway fight got ruthless," May 17.

As a longtime employee of Canadian Pacific, I had a difficult time watching the news unfold prior to the company's annual general meeting on Thursday. Was change at the top needed? It's hard to say. One thing I know is sometimes an emotional attachment can be a tough thing. Through the years, a connection was built with some of the directors at CP. Now watching as they The program allows employers to bring in temporary workers who can fill specific jobs, but only if they can clearly demonstrate a Canadian is not available.

Predictably, the program itself is very bureau cratic, especially for small business owners who have to jump through seemingly endless hoops. The time delays are measured in months, even years. In reality, no employer in their right mind, big or small, would go through the enormous cost and hassle of bringing in a worker from another country if there was a person right here in Canada eager, willing and qualified for the job. Thankfully, the federal government has been listening and has recently made a series of changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker depends on temporary foreign workers Alberta RICHARD TRUSCOTT In a recent news release, the Alberta Federation of Labour says new rules governing the Temporary Foreign Worker program will drive down wages and "pit workers against workers." Strip away this sort of over-heated ideological rhetoric, however, and the facts speak for themselves: the program has been a lifeline for many businesses struggling through one of the worst labour shortages our province has ever seen. In fact, more than half of Alberta's small businesses identify a shortage of skilled labour as a major operating constraint, making it the No.

1 operating challenge. Another one-third say a short The reason for the change is to help address the situation for some smaller employers, especially in certain regions of the province, that have tried to bring in a foreign worker to meet a real need, only to get stymied when they find out they have to pay more to the temporary worker than to their other workers. As you might expect, the underlying cause is the system of government statistics that lumps a wide range of employers, with varying wage rates, together to create so-called prevailing wages for each type of job. With this in mind, is the AFL really arguing for Canadians to be paid less than temporary foreign workers? It makes one wonder exactly who is trying to pit workers against workers. Richard truscott is the alberta director of the Canadian federation of Independent Business.

richard.truscottcfib.ca program, including a new accelerated process for employers that can prove a legitimate need. However, it is only available for skilled workers, only applies to employers with a solid record, and only if they consent to additional audits. This helps deal with just one bureaucratic bottleneck in the program, but at least it's a step in the right direction. Perhaps the least understood change relates to prevailing wages. Plenty of employers in Alberta are paying all workers, temporary or not, higher wages than the government-created system of wages for each occupatioa Under the recent reforms, however, some employers will now be able to pay up to 15 per cent less than those prevailing wages in certain cases, but only as long as they can clearly demonstrate those same wages are also being paid to the Canadian workers in that business.

age of low and semi-skilled workers is a serious problem. Unfortunately, the situation is likely going to get a lot worse over the next few years. By the Alberta government's own estimates, there will be 114,000 more jobs than qualified workers by 2021. There is one thing we can all likely agree on: the need for qualified workers should be met by Albertans and Canadians first and foremost. Developing new training and retraining strategies for those who are unemployed or underemployed will be vital Same with knocking down barriers for people at all skill levels to move to Alberta to fill jobs.

The result of such a hot domestic job market has been wages rising faster than the Canadian average. Even so, for whatever reason, Albertans aren't available to work in certain jobs in the economy. Or, as is often the case, there simply aren't enough qualified makes one wonder exactly is trying pit workers against workers. main relief valves for the economy has been the Temporary Foreign Worker program. Without it, many entrepreneurs simply wouldn't have access to enough qualified people they need to grow, or in some cases, even function.

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Calgary, 1, Include your full name, address and phone number. 3. You may be edited. Snail mail: Letters AB T2P 0W8 Fax: 403-235-7379 E-mail: Letterscalgaryherald.com. 0 Editor, Calgary Herald,.