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A traffic light in Toronto's Bay Street , shown in a photo illustration. Illustration by Adetona Omokanye

Re Queen Elizabeth Dies At 96 (Sept. 9): Long before social media and late-night pundits, all of whom at one point or another trashed the British monarchy, there was deeper meaning for those who grew up with the reign of the Queen.

The Queen’s relevance has been lost on many decades of the public who see the Royal Family as a frivolous icon of days past. However, it is not revisionist for those who remember the Britain that, in earlier times, held Europe’s democracy and freedom in its trust.

The Queen, although not a politician, was instrumental in the direction that world politics swayed by the most peaceful means possible. Yes, the monarchy has essentially outlived its importance in world affairs. But regardless of the affairs of today, there are few iconic leaders who surpass the parameters of the life they are born into.

God praise the Queen. I will never forget the Queen.

Re Elizabeth May’s Leadership Is The Paper Straw Of Canadian Politics (Opinion, Sept. 3): Notwithstanding columnist Robyn Urback’s animated critique of Elizabeth May’s comeback, the Green Party has already achieved boldness by considering dual leadership positions. The other parties couldn’t even dream of such an innovation.

Of course, Ms. May’s return to political centre stage isn’t really a novelty: Vladimir Putin has already done it twice, and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Jean Charest are doing it now.

Besides, it could be said that Ms. May hasn’t gone anywhere since she doesn’t need to realign herself. She is still on the ground, on her feet and on the level.

Les Bowser Kawartha Lakes, Ont.

Re The Coming Confrontation Over Government Intervention In The Media (Opinion, Sept. 3): Canadians might disagree on how many tax dollars, if any, should go to propping up ailing news outlets. But I hope we can agree that government has a duty to create an environment for institutions to boost democracy and limit harms to society.

The same way that government regulates restaurants to ensure we don’t keel over from eating a bad burger, government should regulate big tech that profits from cranking up rage while passing on to us the high cost of countering polarization.

Ensuring an ecosystem for quality journalism in aid of democracy should not be seen as a shakedown of big tech – it’s a long overdue shakeup.

Re Perhaps You Should Spend A Bit Less Time On The Internet (Editorial Cartoon, Sept. 3): Thanks so much for this sage advice. I’m the raging one on the right of this cartoon.

It’s uplifting to know I’m not alone.

Re Back To Business (Report on Business, Sept. 3): There is still the issue of minding children during school holidays. Schools seem ever more thoughtless about burdens placed on working parents by class schedules.

Working from home is a godsend amelioration of this problem. But I forecast that a lot more people will be showing up at the office after Labour Day.

Employers should consider making in-office schedules more flexible during school holidays. They may find that this is a cheap benefit which will tether employees to their companies.

Tony Woodruff Burnaby, B.C.

Re The World PowerPoint Made (Opinion, Sept. 3): I have an English literature degree; useless in the eyes of many, I know, but it has stood me in good stead. My reaction to the sudden ubiquity of PowerPoint in government in the late 1990s was dismay at the loss of the venerable paragraph, and the role it had always played in guiding readers from here to there.

Instead, pages were turned from vertical to horizontal, sentences were given some kind of bullet at the left margin and we all had to sit in the dark while the presenter ponderously read them aloud, even though we all had paper copies in front of us.

It didn’t feel like much of an improvement to me.

Liseanne Forand North Saanich, B.C.

Re France Honours Cartoonist Seth (Arts & Pursuits, Sept. 3): The Guelph Hiking Trail Club led an initiative to install Civic Dreamscape by Seth alongside a downtown trail. It measures seven feet by 50 feet.

The official ribbon cutting was on Aug 22. A joint agreement between the club and the federal government’s Canadian Community Revitalization Fund enabled the public artwork to be designed, produced and installed.

John Fisher President Guelph Hiking Trail Club

Re The Summit Series Changed What It Meant To Be Canadian (Sports, Sept. 3): I still have my press pass for the Toronto game.

ABC News hired me to film it, but asked the impossible: Keep the whole game to one film reel, about 2.5 minutes. I somehow managed it and more.

Thanks to my year on the University of Toronto women’s hockey team, I at least knew the sport. I anticipated every goal, one by the Soviet Union and the four that Canada scored. Was that ever satisfying, and the ABC Sports guys couldn’t believe I’d done it.

Unfortunately, I then had to fly to a shoot in Wyoming, where no report of the remaining games was seen for almost 20 days – an eternity of suspense. Americans didn’t seem to care about this historic series, and never even showed Paul Henderson’s famous winning goal.

But I’ll never forget the thrill of capturing all five goals at that thrilling game in Toronto.

Carol Joy Betts (Patterson) Toronto

I was excited as anyone that fall of 1972, but it was 50 years ago. Surely we have more important things to talk about. Let’s get over it!

My late father was one of the Canadians who travelled to the Soviet Union for the 1972 Summit Series. He wasn’t much of a hockey fan, but saw it as a rare opportunity to go behind the Iron Curtain and see firsthand a bit of life in a communist country.

He attended only the first game in Moscow and said the Canadian players were “boorish.” He skipped the remaining contests, including the iconic eighth game, preferring to go to a museum.

I watched that game in Canada on a small, grainy, black-and-white television. I remain incredulous over his decision.

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