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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 31 ,2 01 9 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar hdunbar@starmetrolandmedia.com Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow, Jan Bodanka, Rebecca Butler, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Sheri-Lyn Blair, Chris Rego Regional Managing Editor Chris Vernon Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr. Cambridge, ON N1T 2K8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA EDITORIAL LETTERS & COMMENTARY After four difficult years they managed to persuade enough voters to keep them in power. Given everything, it's an impressive achievement. Their opponents claim that the Liberals have been hum- bled, and there will be some truth in that. But it's also true that it is very difficult to win an out- right majority in our multi-party system, in which five parties gathered substantial support. Given their stumbles over the past four years, it's remarkable that the Liberals managed to win as convincingly as they did, including here in the Waterloo region. Despite their failings over the past four years the Tru- deau Liberals got it right on the big issues - making sure prosperity is more widely shared, defending Canada's in- terests, and fighting climate change. Andrew Scheer's Conservatives, in contrast, offered a menu of spending cuts and effectively nothing on the environment at a time when voters in most parts of the country were clearly de- manding action on the cli- mate front. But it will be up to all the parties to make a minority Parliament work. It's been done many times before, and we know well that minority governments can be both productive and relatively stable. Both Liberal and Conservative prime ministers have demonstrated that they can work in the past. Minorities, in fact, have become common-place. They're certainly nothing to fear. It will be up to the Liberals to seek support from other parties, like the New Democrats, to maintain progress on their priorities. Prime Minister Trudeau will have to learn some new political skills - of negotiation, deal-making and careful listening. There will be less room for error and less time for personal indulgence. Scheer and the Conservatives could not offer a convinc- ing alternative to the Liberals and in the end they failed to seal the deal with the growing number of Canadians who had doubts about Trudeau & Co. For the New Democrats and Jagmeet Singh, it's a very mixed bag. Despite Singh's much-praised campaign perfor- mance, the reality is they lost a substantial number of seats. On the other hand, the NDP may hold the balance of power in the new Commons. The new government must move quickly on many fronts. In particular, it should pay special attention to the emerging fissures in Canada's national unity. The re-emergence of the Bloc Québécois may not be a sign of resurgent separatism in Quebec, but there is clearly a worrisome rise in nationalism in that province and an alienation from the federal government. Just as concerning is the overwhelming support in Alberta and much of the West for the Conservatives and the outright hostility to the Trudeau Liberals. The new government must avoid alienating a region that has never been more important to the future of the country. A NEW MANDATE FOR THE LIBERALS It will be up to all the parties to make a minority Parliament work. WE NEED A GOVERNMENT THAT TAKES DEBT SERIOUSLY I was reading an article on pension funds and see that they used to have a goal of a 10 per cent annu- alized rate of return, but starting in 2010 that rate of return declined to eight per cent for over half the plans surveyed. Now all plans have a projected rate of return of eight per cent or less. One of the reasons cited was the prolonged period of lower interest rates. What this means to all of us is that we must now work longer in order to achieve the retire- ment balance that we de- sire. Government has an in- centive to keep interest rates low because of the in- terest cost on the accumu- lated debt. If interest rates were to increase from two per cent to say three per cent we could see a 50 per cent increase in the inter- est costs on our debt. We need a government that is going to take debt and deficits seriously and get back to balanced bud- gets. If not, the interest costs and mortgage that we are passing onto our future generations may be to much for them to bear. We are currently living beyond our means. We need a leader who realizes the budget will not balance itself. We need someone with the courage to do the right thing and stop trying to be the popular guy and apologizing and trying to please everyone. MARK FISHER WATERLOO PARKED DELIVERY VEHICLES IN BIKE LANES ARE MAKING ROADS MORE DANGEROUS In July, the region in- stalled 4.45 kilometres of dedicated bicycle lanes on a few of the major streets in the vicinity of Waterloo's universities. Many sec- tions are now separated from traffic by bollards or curbs. The intent is to make for a safer ride home; and they do that. Where the lanes get in- teresting is the slalom course of parked food-deliv- ery vehicles which now lit- ter these lanes at 5 p.m., their four-way lights ensur- ing "I'll just be a second." As I approach the car, fingers extending to my brake le- vers, I check my left shoul- der, ready to make my eva- sive manoeuvre. I wonder, will the door wildly swing open? Will the car pull away into my path? Does the person returning to their car, looking at their phone, earbuds stuffed in- to their ears, see me? Does anybody cook for themselves anymore? PAT DEACON KITCHENER WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU SUBMIT YOUR LETTER TO THE EDITOR TODAY!