O, CANADA

Too bad Gendel’s series on the wonders of Canadian film making didn’t touch on some of the more repellent aspects of Ottawa’s attitude toward artistic freedom.

The province of Ontario recently brought in strict censorship laws for videotapes. Video stores now have to physically sticker each tape with the Ontario Censorship Board’s rating. And who pays for this tedium? Naturally, the video retailers and wholesalers have to purchase an expensive “license” from the censors.

Literature too is ruthlessly censored. Canada’s list of books banned from importation runs to 90 pages of titles--more of which are being added daily by the arbitrary decision of customs officers who open each and every package of books coming in from abroad.

DAVID McCALDEN

Manhattan Beach