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Why the DriveTest strike apathy?
TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR
Truckers, unable to obtain or renew their licences, rally against the DriveTest strike this month at the Ontario legislature.
As you may already know, the union representing only 280 members of DriveTest employees, United Steelworkers Union 9511, are on strike.
This needless strike has prevented 300,000 voting Ontarians the tax-payer right and privilege to take a driving road test to graduate to a higher level.
This privilege that we all have paid for may therefore be construed as a fundamental right. It is a right of passage for teenagers to secure their G2, and then their G driver's licence.
Many are depending on this graduation in order to begin jobs requiring driving, or because of the inherent need in this province to drive to work.
Classified drivers need their bus, truck, ambulance and driver's licence simply to pay their mortgage, and support their families.
This fundamental right is now being denied by the province. Driving schools are closing, and employees are being laid off, affecting thousands more. No one seems to be listening! The swine flu seems to be a "sexier" topic than hundreds of thousands of our populace trying to make ends meet! Shame on you, Toronto Star!
Jim Bradley, the Minister of Transportation, has washed his hands of the whole affair.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has let collective bargaining stall out, without an end in sight. He needs to grow a spine and enact legislation ordering the errant union back to work, or enact some tough measure like firing the lot of them.
Only 280 union members have held hostage the 55 test centres, and hundreds of thousands of us who need the testing centres to do what we've prepaid them to do: conduct a test.
Unless the workers' perceptions change, and their collective consciousness forms a basis in reality, there will continue to be an upset in our economy resulting in tough economic times.
As long as people submit to the unrealistic union demands of a very few, the province will face a huge risk to its safety: senior drivers who need retesting, drivers with medical conditions who need retesting, truck and bus drivers who need retesting, and expired licence drivers.
All of them are circling around you on our busy highways, and right now given leave to drive because of this madness.
Three months of strike – how much longer are we prepared to take?
Jeffrey C. Pope
President, A Formula 1 Driving School
Maple
It's too bad satirical letter
went over readers' heads
In defence of manual shifting
Your View, Nov. 14
The negative replies to Robert Anselmi's letter, which apparently slammed manual transmissions, made me wonder why so many readers didn't get what he was up to.
The Star, if it should ever choose to quote from Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, had better prepare for the onslaught of outraged letters, since Swift's brilliant piece – with an apparent straight face – recommends that the Irish, as a way to solve their chronic famines long ago, cook and then sell their babies as fare for refined English palates.
Though Anselmi is not trying to be a second Swift, it's still sad to see the art of satire go up in flames.
Geoff Rytell, Toronto
More pricing rip-offs
at the gas pumps
Wide price gap for premium gas
Eric Lai, Nov. 14
The real rip-off here is the difference in the price gap at major retailers in Canada versus the U.S.
If you buy gas in Buffalo, the price gap at any of the major retailers is 27 cents (U.S.) per American gallon. Based on gasbuddy.com, that's about the U.S. average.
Up here, at Esso, Petro-Canada, Shell and Sunoco, the price gap is 12 cents (Cdn.) per litre. If you do the math, the price gap in Canada is almost double.
Same companies, different gap. And the price is not artificially inflated?
Brian Laskin, Mississauga
I would like to know why every gas station in our town sells gas for exactly the same price.
When prices go up or down, they all do it in price unison. The so called "no-name" stations also charge the same.
If this isn't collusion, I don't know what is! I thought there was a law against this kind of thing.
Also, we seem to pay higher prices for gas in the Midland area than north of here, even though, on question, the excuse was transportation costs.
Norma Haats, Midland
Automotive magician
is inspiration to many
Custom shop has one rule: No rules
Bill Taylor, Nov. 14
Congrats to Bill Taylor on this article about the uber-talented Stony Smith.
For far too long this automotive magician has used his active imagination (without widespread recognition) to create radical, well made, custom cars and hot rods that do Canada proud.
His creations have been exhibited in the U.S. at the Detroit Autorama, and The Hunnert Car Pile Up, among others.
In addition, Stony Smith is an inspiration to all backyard builders who toil away on hot rods and custom car projects unheralded with little or no recognition, but simply for the passion of making a unique automotive creation.
David Brown, Toronto
Write to wheels@thestar.ca or mail
to Your View, Wheels, Toronto Star,
One Yonge St., Toronto, Ont. M5E 1E6.
Please include your full name, address and telephone number.
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