PUT FOOT DOWN ON PRISONS

Re: "City stance on prisons is illogical," Opinion, Dec. 3.

Good for Mayor Stephen Mandel for standing up to the Harper
government's parliamentary dictatorship and refusing to build more
prison cells in Edmonton.

This may be seen as a NIMBY approach, but it is, more importantly, a
statement against Harper's relentless drive to incarcerate a higher
number of Canadians, even at a time when the crime rate has been
steadily declining.

It's not enough for men such as Justice Minister Rob Nicholson to
proclaim "we don't govern based on statistics," nor for Public Safety
Minister Vic Toews to return gun lobby favours by treating Sturm,
Ruger rifles like they were duck-hunting guns.

Tough on crime, soft on guns makes no more sense than a new war on soft drugs.

Ron Charach, MD,

Toronto, Ont.