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Fort McMurray anothertest of Alberta

As Albertans and Canadians watch the unfolding disaster in Fort McMurray, one constant stands out: the strength and compassion of the people of this province and country. For most Albertans, memories of the Edmonton tornado, the Slave Lake fire, and the floods in High River and Calgary are still vivid and in each disaster Albertans pulled together and supported one another. canada goose vest That is happening again with the fire engulfing Fort McMurray. The collective memory of Albertans is strong and so too is our resolve.

Wildfire is disaster of historical dimensions

The Alberta government, the forestry industry and environmental NGOs need to come up with a provincewide strategic plan for firebreaks on a massive scale. Some trees will need to be cut down (or at least topped) to ensure the survival of other vast areas of forest and adjacent communities.

Firebreaks should be planted with cereal crops, berries, or other low profile growth. To accommodate wildlife, the firebreaks could be connected by low deciduous bridges which, in times of fire spread danger, could be somewhat easily controlled by firefighters

Climate change is happening in Alberta. Our new unseasonably warm dry weather (abetted by lightning, careless campers, or even firebugs) will contribute to more conflagrations in the future unless we act.

My sympathies for the people of Fort McMurray. I hope our federal government will recognize their responsibility to provide economic aid to residents and businesses devastated by this disaster.

Heed Mother Nature warning

The razing of Fort McMurray is an elegant example of direct communication from the planet. The planet is telling a self absorbed species that it does not have dominion over her.

We have the ability and resources to pull back from the brink and make amends. We can stop burning fossil fuels. We can stop burning down tropical forests to make way for industrial agriculture. We can even remove CO2 from the atmosphere. We can get behind and accelerate efforts already underway to accomplish those ends. Time to move.

Peter Sircom Bromley, Vancouver

Tech problems could add up to low online uptake

Re: online census hopes fall well short of target, May 3

I laughed when I read the city director of census and elections stating they know what went wrong to only get 28 per cent census completion online.

I called the census office two weeks ago after calling 311 to tell them both what happened when I attempted to file four separate times. I attempted online filing twice each on two days, and every time the reply came back from the city website: error. If the return was 28 per cent online, maybe it was not lack of public commitment, but the city online filing program.

River valley needs champions

Kristine Kowalchuk and Eric Gormley deserve praise for trying to save the Cloverdale footbridge. Kristine and her group attended city open houses about the LRT expansion and made suggestions about alternative crossings over the river. http://www.canadagoosereview.top/ She has inspired our walking group and environment group with her love for the river valley and parks.

Last week our walkers almost wept when we saw the disappearance of the rose garden and the start of the tunnel that will be built in the bank of Louise McKinney Park. We saw a female Canada goose nesting on one of the bridge supports and the male swimming in the water below. In our walking guides we call her Clover.

When we crossed into Henrietta Edwards Park we saw that the Edmonton Horticultural garden was gone. I wonder what will happen to the native plant garden on the grounds of the Muttart Conservatory?

We need more people like Kristine and Eric to remind us to encourage our city councillors, planners and developers to protect natural areas and biodiversity before they are gone forever.