Letter: Big business doesn’t always practice what’s best for consumers
By Letter to the Editor on March 19, 2021.
 Dear editor, There was notable nursing-home neglect in Canada long before COVID-19, although the actual extent was made horrifically clear when the pandemic really hit. A most-morbid example was the CHSLD Residence Herron long-term care home in Quebec about 11 months ago, where 47 residents perished. The neglect had become so extreme the Canadian Armed Forces got involved. Western business mentality and, by extension, collective society, allowed the well-being of our oldest family members to be decided by corporate profit-margin measures. And our governments mostly dared not intervene, perhaps because they feared being labelled as anti-business in our avidly capitalist culture. A common yet questionable refrain prevails among capitalist nation governments and corporate circles: Best business practices, including what’s best for the consumers, are best decided by business decision makers. Clearly evidenced by the many needless care-home deaths, big business does not always practice what’s best for its consumers, including the most vulnerable. Frank Sterle Jr. White Rock, B.C. 9-8
