Letters: I still pay the carbon tax to heat condos in Saskatchewan. Is unfair

Given that the selective removal of the federal carbon tax on home heating oil is unfair to Saskatchewan residents, Premier Scott Moe announced that the federal carbon tax would be removed from SaskEnergy residential accounts, effective from January 1st.

But for condominium and apartment complexes with single meters billed to the owner, the account falls into SaskEnergy’s commercial customer category. The federal carbon tax continues to apply.

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Upon contacting the government, I learned that accounts often use gas for purposes other than home heating, such as heating swimming pools, spas, saunas, fitness centers, parking lots, etc. “We are not removing the carbon tax from these types of accounts,” according to a letter from SaskEnergy Minister of Energy Dustin Duncan.

Each condominium unit is registered with land titles. All owners of a condominium unit in the building are part of the condominium corporation and share the costs of operating the building. There is no owner.

I live in a condominium unit. There are 32 units in the building and no commercial entities. There is no pool, no hot tubs, no saunas, and no fitness center. There are many single family homes/dwellings that may have a heated pool, heated hot tub, heated sauna, and heated garage. Are these houses disqualified?

Currently, the Saskatchewan government’s position is unfair and discriminatory against condo owners living in a multi-family building. I respectfully request that condominiums be included in the removal of the federal carbon tax. It’s a question of fairness for residents of a condominium association.

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Saskatchewan’s removal of the federal carbon tax is unfair to multi-family condominiums. I respectfully request that all residents be treated fairly and equitably.

Howard Ulmer, Regina

Anti-Semitism must not be tolerated

Like most of us, I’m sure, I am dismayed to hear about the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada and, of course, Saskatchewan. Synagogues were burned and shootings took place. Anti-Semitic graffiti was painted on tombstones and individuals were harassed and intimidated because of their religion.

Racism, in all its forms, goes against our Canadian values. We should all stand up to condemn him. But perhaps this form of racism is more troubling because of the historical context in which it occurs. The root of some unacceptable actions is the conflict in Gaza.

We must be careful not to confuse criticism of the Israeli government or its prime minister or support for Palestinians who have been driven from their traditional homeland with anti-Semitism.

Most of us need an unbiased history lesson on how things evolved in the Middle East before we open our mouths to criticize the parties in this conflict.

Gord Hunter, Regina

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