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John Chilibeck is right when he says the city's newest version of the minimum standards bylaw has the potential to put "poor people in a pickle" if it's not applied with sensitivity to their needs and to the shortage of subsidized housing in Saint John. ("Slum landlords, bad tenants and minimum standards", Aug. 27)

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Some years ago in another city, my landlord got into a tussle with the city over some minor safety violations. Fed up with landlord's lack of co-operation, the city escalated the charges into zoning violations, claiming that there were too many units in the building. No one informed the tenants of the situation.

Finally the city gave the landlord an ultimatum: resolve the zoning violations within 30 days. The landlord picked out those tenants whose apartments could most easily be merged with other apartments, and evicted them on 30 days' notice. This was the first time the tenants had heard there was a problem. I was one of the evictees. Fortunately, I was employed, earned a decent income and had an understanding boss who allowed me to take time off to find a new apartment. I would have been considerably worse off if I'd been unemployed or if I'd been hampered by health issues or disabilities.

Who's in charge of ensuring that Saint John's new minimum standards bylaw is applied in a way that doesn't place tenants in situations over which they have no control and which they do not have the resources to deal with?

SARAHROSE WERNER

Saint John

You can't gamble with health care

This is in response to your editorial of August 27.

You have proposed one health authority or three. However, last year you proposed two.

You have indicated our government should have reformed to one health authority if we were likely going to court anyway. With all due respect, no one rolls the dice on a $2.2-billion system on the basis of "a legal challenge brewing anyway."

In your various editorials and articles we note never have you indicated any constitutional foundation, case law nor opinion in support of anything you have suggested. The legislation passed was done so with all constitutional obligations in mind and further in an effort to reduce waste in administration and lack of cooperation. Health care is far too important to gamble with.

MICHAEL MURPHY

Minister of Health

Law society has transparency duty

Members of the Saint John Law Society are, I'm sure, congratulating themselves for cutting the legs out from under the Telegraph-Journal's attempt to cover a pending disciplinary hearing for a Saint John lawyer suspended by the society for undisclosed reasons.

They derailed the newspaper's bid simply by moving up the hearing. Any decision on the newspaper's application before the court will be rendered moot, thus preserving a longstanding, circle-the-wagons culture of secrecy when it comes to investigating and sanctioning suspected wrongdoers within the profession.

There are few professions other than the practise of law where the character and competence of its practitioners have such a profound effect, good or bad, on the vulnerable people who come to them for help in criminal and civil matters. That's why the law society has a duty of transparency in dealing with cases of malfeasance or incompetence by lawyers; the public, to put it simply, has a right to know. To do otherwise only raises the question: What do they have to hide?

There is a truism in law that goes: Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. The law society would do well to heed those words and bring their disciplinary process out of the shadows.

ERNIE ELLINGWOOD

Saint John

Few as caring as MLA LeBlanc

I am writing as a person who has experienced receiving help from Abel LeBlanc. No, I do not live in his riding. I live in Fredericton. That didn't matter to Abel; he was willing to help me and he worked hard for me.

I feel very bad that he is being so beat up. Abel can look after himself, but I feel as a friend to him I have a responsibility to write in his support.

Abel helped me when he was in Opposition. Margaret-Ann Blaney was in charge of Status of Women. She didn't help me, Abel and Mike Murphy did.

There are a lot of poison pens out there. I wonder how much they do for the common person. Do they care as much as Abel does? Would they stick their necks out day after day? I doubt it.

Keep up the good work, Abel. You are appreciated by a lot of people all over the province.

BARBARA BROSNAN

Fredericton

LeBlanc was looking after his buddies

I have learned that the best way to deal with some people is to ignore them and move on. Thus, it is with some trepidation that I address the issue of Abel LeBlanc and his railing against the proposed Irving Oil development on Long Wharf. However, at the risk of drawing more attention to Mr. LeBlanc's performance, I must respond to recent defenses of LeBlanc and his antics.

Last week I listened in disbelief to a UNBSJ political science professor state on CBC radio that LeBlanc's mention of the potential for "violence" by unions to get their way has been misinterpreted and taken out of context. She argued that he actually spoke out against a violent response. How naïve! Everyone knew it was a thinly veiled threat and took it as such.

The second instance was a letter to the editor Aug. 27. The writer described LeBlanc as a "defender of the little man." What a joke! LeBlanc's opposition to the Long Wharf development had nothing to do with ordinary Saint Johners. He was defending his cronies in the International Longshoremen's Association. It seems obvious LeBlanc represented the ILA on the issue, not his constituents.

Low income Saint Johners who struggle to pay their property taxes stand to gain a great deal from the development and its spin-offs. It is gratifying that the vast majority of Saint Johners saw LeBlanc for what he is, someone who wants to protect his own turf by taking Saint John backward, not forward.

BILL RANKIN

Saint John

Olympic dream is competition, not war

I appreciated Nancy Bauer's column Aug. 23 in Salon.

The Olympics go back to unifying Greek city states into a non-violent nation - logical for the home of democracy. That is rule by vote, not force.

For 1,200 years they were held every four years. Then Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, called them pagan and banned them.

In 1892 a French man, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, called a meeting to re-establish the Olympics to "help free trade and encourage peace."

In 1896 the games began again.

This year's Olympics at Beijing was special. After 3,000 years of west and east pursuing different ways humankind came together in the spirit of sports: competition following the rules so that no one is hurt or killed as in war.

As Bauer suggested I would like to see the next Olympics start with Hans Blix taking the podium and announcing that all participating nations have been inspected for weapons of mass destruction and are eligible as peace-seeking peoples.

"We the peoples of the United Nations have agreed we want to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." At Beijing we finally have humankind involved in a relationship which competes but does not hurt or kill to win - the Olympic dream.

R.H. YOUNG

Fredericton

Group home shows lack of planning

The John Howard Society was not considering the purpose of group homes when purchasing property on Loch Lomond Road. In addition to the purchase price, renovations to the sprinkler system, security system, interior renovations and on-going maintenance, the total could reach $500,000.

Why couldn't they purchase two or three homes and help many more children?

We do value the lives and futures of these youths. However, we also value the safety and well-being of our community. The location of this home is only three houses from an elementary school. Many young families purchased these homes feeling their children would be safe.

The John Howard Society was not able to guarantee who would be future occupants of this home. This is of great concern. Many factors were not considered and this can only be attributed to lack of planning by the decision-makers.

As for being members of the so-called gated community, we are as close to regular folks as you can get. We are looking for what is best for everyone.

GARY & SHIRLEY BAXTER

Saint John