Friday’s letters: Illegal camping permitted for zealots

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I’m sure many Albertans travelling between Edmonton and Calgary this spring and summer have noticed the lunatic fringe Take Back Alberta zealots camped out at a rest stop on the QE II, south of Edmonton. Now, I see that they have moved their travelling circus to a rest stop west of Calgary, on the Trans-Canada, where they have been camped out for many more weeks.

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As far as I understand it, it is illegal to camp overnight at these highway rest stops. Oh, wait, silly me, these are members of Danielle Smith’s UCP base, who seem to be calling the shots these days. They certainly won’t be asked to move, thus potentially causing another uproar akin to the Coutts border blockade. Especially not with an impending leadership review for Ms. Smith.

Byron Bailey, St. Albert

Charge motorists who hit LRT trains

A “deep dig” by city administration on LRT-vehicular traffic interactions isn’t needed — nor can the city, under its current fiscal situation, afford it. What is needed is to realize that many drivers choose to do things are clearly illegal; they drive with windows tinted to the edge, or past the edge, of being legal, drive while texting or speaking on the phone, tailgate, drive considerably in excess of the speed limit and fail to notice multiple signs or lights. The easiest solution to the problem is to criminally charge and pursue in court for damages and disruptions to the system.

Once a few of these cases make the news, it might sink in that as the driver of a vehicle, your only job is to get you, your passengers or cargo from point A to point B safely. Or EPS could be convinced to ticket every vehicle under any circumstance
for doing anything unsafe or illegal; try it for 60 days and see if driving habits don’t improve.

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Larry Kassian, Edmonton

Don’t curb Hinton’s short-term rentals

Hinton, where I’m a town councillor, is considering stricter regulation of stand-alone short-term rentals (STRs) such as Airbnbs or Vrbos to try to deal with a housing availability and affordability crisis. But it seems ill-advised. Hinton proposes capping stand-alone STRs (currently 127) and massively increasing fees and potential fines. Which isn’t very nice, since the owners invested in their property believing they could pursue a legal business opportunity with it.

It probably won’t work, especially as Hinton is heavily reliant on tourism and many people prefer STRs for unique and private accommodation, often at below-hotel rates. Driving away visitors won’t help locals get jobs that help them afford housing. It’s not obvious that STRs use more town services than typical homeowners, or create a significant nuisance, especially since most owners work hard to avoid problem clients. Hiking costs risks driving STRs into the underground economy.

Some people think STRs offer unfair competition with hotels. But surely it’s up to private business owners to attract clients. STRs also offer lower rates outside peak tourist season and flexibility for, say, people displaced by the nearby Jasper fire.

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If people invest their own money in their own property, then provide something others obviously value, it seems unwise for the town to deprive them their rights through short-sighted regulations that will actually discourage anyone from building or buying residential properties in Hinton.

Stuart Taylor, Hinton

Who’s paying for UCP town halls?

Just wondering if any public dollars are being used for Danielle Smith’s town hall meetings around the province. You know, the ones open only to UCPers?

Grant Hoe, Calgary

Trudeau to blame for lowest birth rate

The Statistics Canada sad announcement that Canada’s birth rate has fallen to the lowest level in recorded history is an indictment of Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government. Poverty and economic uncertainty has Canadians, more so than ever before, deciding they can’t even afford to have a family in Canada.

Trudeau‘s horrific government has stolen more than prosperity from Canadians: Trudeau has literally stolen our children.

Chris Robertson, Stony Plain

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