Did the designers of Hawrelak Park actually ever visit the park? I went on opening weekend and was disappointed.

The only multi-use trail had to be shared by strollers, children, joggers, walkers, people with canes, and dogs. It was congested and uncomfortable. The road is reduced to a small single lane so where are the road-bikers or roller-skiers supposed to train? As a walker with two big dogs, there was no comfortable place for us to walk. You missed the mark, City of Edmonton.

Krista McFadyen, Edmonton

Alberta culture hurt by budget cuts

As a long-time member of the Historical Society of Alberta (HSA) and the Alberta Genealogical Society (AGS), I am appalled at the government’s decision to cut the funding to both organizations. It seems that whenever government attempts to reduce spending, victims of cuts include history, art and tradition. The provincial government should be ashamed of its decision to do so, thus damaging the fabric of our culture.

HSA was in fact founded by the first premier of Alberta, A.C. Rutherford, in 1907 and for 32 years he served as the president. Since 1953, the society has published quarterly a high-quality historical journal, chronicling the history of our Alberta, its people and its places. Alberta History continues to remain an historical journal of outstanding quality with its articles covering a wide topic of subjects from past to current history. How ironic it is that HSA was established by the government to serve its people and is now facing a loss of government support.

Like the HSA, the Alberta Genealogical Society, established in 1973, publishes a high-quality quarterly journal, with an emphasis on the stories of people and families that have settled and built our province. Both the HSA and AGS have chapters or branches with members throughout Alberta. Funding cuts to those organizations will have widespread negative results in affecting the work those organizations do in recording, celebrating and sharing the history of Alberta.

I urge the government to restore funding to the HSA and the AGS. The combined grants for those two well-established societies is but a mere pittance in the province’s multibillion-dollar budget. Restoration of that funding will continue to ensure their worthwhile work for the benefit of all Alberta.

John Chalmers, Edmonton

Sticking with standard time the best fit

The annual switch to and from daylight time is surely no longer necessary. Its original intended purposes are history. If Alberta were to remain on mountain standard time, we would always be one hour different from Saskatchewan, and now always the same time as British Columbia, which seems to make a lot of sense.

Businesses and institutions that deemed it necessary could modify their hours to accommodate any needs for more or less daylight at the start or end of the day, and we could all benefit from a better fit to our circadian rhythms.

Kim Bouwmeester, Edmonton