Opinion

C ommentators of all stripes have proclaimed the byelections this Thursday in the Tri-Cities and in Chilliwack as bellwethers for next year's provincial general election.

The Editor: Re. "Should Canada's Senate be reformed or eliminated?" (Face to Face, The Tri-City News, April 13). Both Face to Face columnists Andy Radia and Jim Nelson think of the Senate in its current form as "proof-readers.

The Editor, Re. "Lost hikers find way off mountain" (The Tri-City News, April 11). In June 2011, I lost the Lindsay Lake Loop Trail on Eagle Mountain for about 10 minutes while attempting to hike to "The Pulpit" lookout.

FACE TO FACE: Should Canada's Senate be reformed or eliminated? I n its current form, Canada's Senate has no teeth. Under the constitution, senators have the power to amend and/or veto any bill emanating from the House of Commons.

FACE TO FACE: Should Canada's Senate be reformed or eliminated? L et's not elect the Senate. Let's not try to fix it or make it triple-E. Let's just dump it.

The federal government is hoping that grossing out the 16.7% of Canadians who still smoke will convince them to quit.

The Editor, Re. "Money in federal budget for Tri-Cities: MP Moore" (tricitynews.com, March 30). The federal budget release illustrates the paradox and inequities of government's priorities.

FACE TO FACE: Is the elimination of the penny a good idea for Canada? The penny will soon be gone from Canadian change purses and pockets, and, I suspect, from our lexicon.

FACE TO FACE: Is the elimination of the penny a good idea for Canada? The penny will soon go the way of platform shoes, rotary dial telephones and floppy disks. Last week, the Harper government finally announced that it will discontinue the penny.

It will be like pennies from heaven for charity groups if penny-pinching Canadians donate their coins to worthwhile organizations, such as the Eagle Ridge Hospital Auxiliary , which will use them to purchase equipment and patient comforts.