Nov. 19: Green politics - and other letters to the editor Zap the app tap Re Interaction, Not App Taps (Nov. 18): Margaret Wente is spot on in advocating the nurturing of trust and respect in the classroom, rather than having teachers use technology to embarrass students into submission. Since ClassDojo is an app that allows teachers to add or subtract points for each student's conduct throughout the day, perhaps the teachers at the vanguard of this idiocy would like to see their students "app tap" them publicly in real time, just to even out the playing field a little. Bob Walpole, North Bay, Ont. Green politics Re Can Alberta Really Be Green? (editorial, Nov. 18): Don't let greenwashing propaganda fool you. A general carbon tax and investing in carbon-capture technologies will not turn Alberta into an environmental leader. If Premier Jim Prentice wants Alberta to be considered an environmental leader, he must shut down tar sands development. Ashley McInnes, Guelph, Ont. Re U.S.-China Climate Deal Ramps Up Pressure On Harper (Nov. 13): Where it makes sense for Canada to lead on action to address climate change, we've done so. That's why Canada became the first major coal user to ban the construction of traditional coal-fired electricity generation. The U.S. followed our lead by introducing regulations this year, which remain under consultation. But where it's better to co-ordinate, we have taken a co-operative approach. For example, to reduce GHG emissions while protecting Canadian jobs, we aligned our transportation regulations with the U.S. Going it alone would have put Canadian companies at a competitive disadvantage and sent jobs south of the border. The same is true for the oil-and-gas sector. That's why we must work collaboratively with the U.S. on this issue. Leona Aglukkaq, Environment Minister A child, a life A letter writer says the media condemnation of the aboriginal mother whose 11-year-old daughter has cancer is "inherently racist" because it contains the prejudiced view that "humanity means preserving life, regardless of conditions" (A Child's Future - Nov. 18). Instead, she argues that "we need to see the aboriginal view of "humanity." " Canadians regularly use the idea of basic human rights to condemn the mistreatment of people in countries across the world (Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria). So why is it "racist" to condemn it if it's happening here? Isn't it racist to suggest that a person's background should immunize their actions from criticism? Donal O'Reardon, Toronto The Criminal Code says: "Every one is under legal duty as a parent, foster parent, guardian or head of family, to provide necessaries of life for a child under the age of sixteen years." We might think that this section should also apply to the judge who ruled in favour of withholding life-saving chemotherapy from the 11-year-old aboriginal girl in accordance with her mother's wishes. If this child dies under this judge's ruling, it will be a disgrace to Canada's courts and to Canadian law enforcement. John Bryden, Lynden, Ont. It's time to talk poop Kudos and then some to Elizabeth Renzetti for drawing attention to World Toilet Day and the fact that billions of people don't have access to something we take so much for granted (Nowhere To Go, No Relief In Sight - Nov. 17). The impact on women in developing countries, as she notes, is huge. Many organizations promote clean water but few talk about the causes of bad water - more often than not, contamination by human and animal feces. A key question is why people have been so reluctant to discuss this. Jack Sim, who founded the other WTO (World Toilet Organization) says, "If we can't talk about it, we can't change it." He's right. Heather MacAndrew, Victoria Unbelievably proud It did not take much - Stephen Harper's one-liner to Vladimir Putin - to make one of your letter writers "unbelievably proud to be a Canadian" (One-Liner Club - Nov. 18). As a new Canadian (Nov. 4), I shall be unbelievably proud when every First Nations child has an education, clean drinking water, and toilet facilities. Edward Gabis, Toronto Enormous mistake Re Public Health Officers Should Focus On Disease, Not Politics (Nov. 17): It would be an enormous mistake and a disservice to Canadians if Public Health agencies narrowed their mandate to focus solely on infectious diseases. Public health is concerned with shifting the burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases for entire populations; worldwide, non-communicable diseases are the leading contributors of mortality. The return on investment (ROI) from a focus on non-communicable diseases is much greater than for communicable diseases because small investments yield vast improvements. For example, every $1 spent immunizing children with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine saves $16 in health-care costs, which translates to an ROI of 1,500 per cent. That same $1 spent on booster seats in cars or water fluoridation yields an ROI of 3,900 per cent and 3,700 per cent, respectively. For over a century, controlling the spread of communicable diseases has been a primary goal for Public Health in Canada. As these programs matured, the purview expanded to tackle broader health challenges. This brought huge benefits, including an added 25 years of average lifespan for Canadians since the early 1900s. Today, we understand that many of the factors that predict health and well-being are outside of individuals" control. So public health is working to address the next generation of challenges - the social determinants of health. Lynn McIntyre, chair; Ardene Robinson Vollman, chair-elect, Canadian Public Health Association Species at risk ... Re Conservationists Appalled After Ottawa Raises Bluefin Quota (Nov. 18): The Conservatives are asked to declare the bluefin tuna an endangered species. Instead, they ignore the science and go out and lobby to have quota increased. I wish that I could say I was shocked. That said, I am, without a doubt, appalled. I can't wait to put this government on the endangered species list. Helen Wilson, Saint John So the International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna says that 250 more tonnes per year of Atlantic bluefin tuna may now be legally and responsibly caught. Where is the bluefin tuna count to show that this quota increase is sustainable? I hope it didn't come from Statistics Canada. Jean Gower, Kingston