Letter to the Editor re: B.C. wines
Premier Clark’s decision to award several of the few licenses to sell wines to the Jimmy Pattison Food Group defies logic.
Those licenses should be available to all B.C. food retailers, regardless of political associations, and other biases, and those retailers should be able to buy and sell any wines of their choice, from anywhere in the world.
The government should also cease to sell wines at the same time, to make sure the transition from public to private marketing is as seamless as possible, not like the Alberta government that randomly allowed retailers to sell beer and wine, in competition with the government, only to see many of them go broke in the process.
As an occasional consumer of wines, I am looking forward to the day when I can buy a wine of my choice at my favourite store, not a wine selected and promoted by some insignificant politician, who is abusing her political status to reward her corporate sponsors.
I am patient – and I will wait, and continue to support local businesses that have worked very hard to earn my loyalty.
Christy Clark can tax me to death, but she will never dictate where I buy my wine.
Andy ThomsenPeachland, B.C.
Letter to the Editor re: Water
As the climate continues to change and each successive year breaks records for the warmest year in recorded history, water scarcity becomes a growing concern. A recent study points to the growing risk of worldwide water shortages as being worse than scientists previously thought.
About four billion people live without sufficient access to fresh water for some time each year, a new paper published Feb. 12, in the journal Science Advances.
“Scarcity of water is being regarded as a global problem” stated researcher Hoekstra. The World Economic Forum has placed the world water crisis as a top global problem with climate change and terrorism.
“Freshwater scarcity is a major risk to the global economy, affecting a billion people directly,” Hoekstra said. “But since the remaining people in the world receive part of their food from the affected areas, it involves us all.”
The study recommends ways to reduce scarcity, such as increasing reliance on rain-fed rather than irrigated agriculture, improving the efficiency of water usage and sharing what’s available. Also needed is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions enough to stabilize the climate. Researchers point out that governments, corporations and investors will need to cooperate.
Yvonne JamesNakusp, B.C.
