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The CHOMEDEY News • December 7, 2002 • PAGE 4
THE CHOMEDEY
news
Politically Correct Holidays?
When is a Christmas tree not a Christmas tree?
When it is planted in Nathan Phillips Square in
Toronto, and some stuffed municipal shirt has
decided that political correctness requires that it be
referred to as a ‘Holiday tree’. Mayor Mel Lastman
responded to the resultant outcry this past Wednesday by
saying that the 50-foot pine in Nathan Phillips Square has
always been and always will be a Christmas tree.
“Our special events staff went too far with their political
correctness when they called it a holiday tree,” Lastman
said. “They were trying to be inclusive and their hearts
were in the right place, but you can’t be politically correct
all the time. Let me set the record straight: Toronto
has a Christmas tree in Nathan Phillips Square, and
everyone is invited to come out and enjoy it.” The Mayor
said he intends to introduce a motion at next week’s
council meeting to ensure the tree is properly referred to
in future city literature.
One has to wonder what in the world is going on. What
a waste of public policy time and energy.
According to Lastman’s statement, he admits that calling
the tree a Christmas tree is not politically correct. Since
when is calling a spade a spade wrong? Maybe in the
seedy world of municipal politics, truth has been so
rarely spoken that politicians require sophisticated spin
doctors to put words in their mouth that will neither
offend nor commit to anything save getting re-elected.
Perhaps the political higher echelon and their right-hand
persons are so detached from the reality of the people
they serve that they need to orate in doublespeak to
insure their own anonymity and the ambiguity of their
own political platforms. When does political correctness
demand that one denounce or deny the existence of the
particulars of one’s history, faith, beliefs or anything that
defines who they are or what they believe in?
Instead of being allowed to proudly manifest and celebrate
our diversities, which would help us learn to appreciate
and tolerate our differences, we are instead asked to
conform to a general mediocrity in order not to offend
the sensibilities of some other groups.
I don’t know about you, but as far as I am concerned the
story of Chanukah is about celebrating the victory of the
Maccabees and the rededication of the Jerusalem
Temple. It also commemorates the miracle of the oil that
burned for 8 days as therefore is known as the Festival of
Lights. Deleting all the aforementioned history and celebrating
it only as a generic ‘Festival of lights’ to be allinclusive
takes away the power and meaning of that tradition.
I am not a Jew, but I am touched by the bravery
and stubbornness of a people wishing to keep their faith
and culture alive against amazing odds. I am also
inspired by the hope of divine intervention in a world
where less and less space is left for belief in God, no matter
what your definition of that God may be.
So if it has become offensive in our society that we are
allowed to freely celebrate Christmas in its true form; the
holiday of the incarnation of Christ and all its trimmings
then I would argue there is something very wrong with
the society we live in. For those of you offended by
Christmas trees and the Twelve days of Christmas, I suggest
stay at work and leave this time of worship alone.
For the rest of you celebrating Christmas in its deepest
meanings and spirits, I urge you to do so freely and
whole-heartedly.
Savas Fortis
657 Curé-Labelle Blvd., suite 250
Chomedey, Laval H7V 2T8
Tel: (450) 978-9999 Fax: (450) 687-6330
www.chomedeynews.ca
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Editorial & Opinion
The term “two solitudes” generally calls to mind the
huge gap between the English and French cultures
existing side by side in our province. However, with
right turns on red looming April 13 across Quebec except
Montreal, another two solitudes appear to have emerged:
those vehemently in favour and the equally vociferous group
against the change, or rather drivers and non-drivers. With
pedestrian and cyclist advocacy groups seeing red over the
new legislation, obviously the time has come for a rapprochement.
The problem is that motorists very rarely see things from the
pedestrian or cyclist perspective, and vice versa. The twentysomething
on foot that dashes across Curé-Labelle Blvd. in
the path of my car during rush hour has obviously never had
to do a daily commute behind the wheel of a car. On the other
side of the coin, the SUV driver who turns left onto a side
street as he’s too anxious to wait for his turn has forgotten
what it’s like to be a pedestrian, vying for space and fighting
to get across while the fickle white ‘walk’ sign still flickers.
Local naysayers feel that the apparently accepted practice of
continuing to motor through an intersection well into the first
milliseconds of red, along with the typical 10-20-30 km over
the limit motorists do on our streets could very well coalesce
to a deadly mix for pedestrians and cyclists – and I’m fairly
sure that I agree with them. If a motorist habitually speeds,
will he do a proper stop (required by law) before making his
right on red? Taking into account the number of drivers that
roll through stop signs on a day-to-day basis, assuming that
full stops will take place at traffic lights without the proper
enforcement is rather worrisome.
Clearly, Canadians on the whole are preoccupied with greater
safety on the road: the most recent survey by the Traffic Injury
Research Foundation showed mounting concern regarding
distracted and aggressive driving. 67% of their respondents
stated that aggressive driving is a serious problem, a handheld
cellphone ban was supported by 68%, and over two
thirds said that greater traffic law enforcement is necessary to
combat the problem. Alarmingly, 12% of respondents admitted
to reckless driving “just for the fun of it.” Closer to home,
a recent SOM poll found that 60% of Montrealers harboured
grave concerns for their safety if rights on red were adopted
for their city, and 86% felt that motorists did not show enough
concern for pedestrians and cyclists at present.
However, it’s important to note that drivers are not the only
source of danger in the equation: a low percentage of pedes-
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Seeing red
Editorial Staff: Adler Aristilde
Savas Fortis
Steve Hatton
Demetra Lambropoulos
Eleanor Tylbor
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trians cross only at crosswalks, although some advocacy
groups state this is due to a lack of them, and cyclists do not
always behave with the full responsibility of a road vehicle.
An acquaintance’s anecdote clearly illustrates this: a cyclist
swerved so close to where he was parked on Park. Ave. in
Montreal, that when he opened his door unawares he struck
the bike’s handlebars. The cyclist collided with such force that
he was flung almost 20 feet; my friend watched as he was
bundled, badly bruised and cut, onto a stretcher. However,
pedestrians and cyclists do not suffer the brunt of the injuries,
although they are less protected: when accidents do occur, car
drivers and passengers account for three quarters of the fatalities,
according to the year 2000 Canadian Motor Vehicle
fatality statistics, while pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists
made up the rest.
Minister of Transport Serge Ménard has been an extremely
strong supporter of the right on red project, and during a
recent visit to TCN offices noted that his staff has spent
months elaborating a full action plan to implement the change
safely. Increased security at intersections and special attention
to vulnerable segments of the population such as pedestrians,
schoolchildren, the elderly and the handicapped are part of the
report, and the ministry intends to involve these special
groups in the follow-up of the project as well. A $1.5 million
media blitz outlining what is expected of motorists will take
place this spring. “It is essential that the right on red maneuver
is well-understood, and that the rules are properly applied
by everyone,” the Transport Minister explained. He also noted
that financial assistance will be there for municipalities that
need it, in terms of installing special traffic lights with countdown
displays for pedestrian crossing and audible traffic signals
for those with low vision. He also pointed out that the
new legislation provides “a unique opportunity to reflect on
our behaviour behind the wheel, and to take responsibility
faced with this new privilege.” Despite the reassurances, I
can’t help but feel apprehensive about what lies ahead, and
whether drivers will face up to their new responsibilities,
along with the other traffic regulations many already don’t
follow.
Caroline Gardner
Seeing red over right hand turns? Let us know! Email editor@chomedeynews.ca
and voice your opinion. Letters to the
editor can also be sent via mail to 657 Curé-Labelle, suite 250,
Laval PQ H7V 2T8.
The opinions on
THIS PAGE reflect the
consensus of TCN’s
Editorial Board.
Editorial Board
Adler Aristilde
Savas Fortis
Caroline Gardner
Demetra Lambropoulos
Alex Sevapsidis
Eleanor Tylbor
editor@chomedeynews.ca
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