Letters, Dec. 5

Opinion

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This article was published 04/12/2022 (752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Misusages badder than typos

Re: To err is human; to insert a terrible typo takes a journalist (Dec. 1)

I enjoyed Jen Zoratti’s meditation on the joyful, or not so joyful, consequences of a “typo” in the journalistic world.

While most of us were not given a failing grade in school as a result of a misspelling, we can certainly identify with Zoratti’s observations. Whether we write business memos or text our friends, we have all lived the dream.

But I have to ask: is an errant misspelling or typo as grievous as using phrases one does not truly understand? For example, Zoratti talks about the number of “near misses” that copy editors help avoid on a regular basis.

The statement doesn’t make sense, because a “near miss” is a hit, right? If you nearly miss something that means you have hit it. The Titanic nearly missed the iceberg.

The “countless” number of times I’ve heard that phrase used incorrectly is significant. So while we might fail to properly proof-read our work, or miss those dreaded auto-corrections in our texts, we must try to use the “write” words, in the “write” context, so our English is gooder.

Thank you, Ms. Zoratti, for the lesson for all of us.

Gary Hook

Winnipeg

A big change in benefits

Canada is about to mark an important milestone for the cancer community.

As of Dec. 18, people with a disease such as cancer will have greater peace of mind knowing they will receive more financial assistance to take the necessary time off work needed to get better.

That’s because, on that day, Canadians with a serious illness, injury or disease such as cancer who need time off work will receive 26 weeks of financial assistance through the EI sickness benefit.

That’s three months more than the benefit previously covered, and is the first time it’s been increased since the 1970s. Having six months of financial assistance means more time to focus on getting well, and less time spent worrying about financial hardships.

With two in five Canadians expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and over 1.5 million living with or beyond cancer, this additional support is so vital.

As CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, I congratulate federal employment minister Carla Qualtrough for championing this important change. Because of it, Canadians will face less financial pressure to work throughout their cancer treatment and recovery.

Andrea Seale

Vancouver

Parochial and short-sighted

Re: ‘Ottawa is not our ruler’ (Nov. 30)

Once again, Alberta politicians are pushing a parochial and short-sighted view of what it means to live in their province.

I lived in Alberta when the Canadian government implemented laws to ensure some part of resource royalties flowed to federal coffers to benefit all Canadians. Alberta politicians stoked outrage by saying Ottawa was “stealing money from Albertans.”

That seems to be the thrust of the current Alberta government effort to fight Ottawa on such policies. It doesn’t want to share.

Despite the Oil and Gas Revenue Act, the Alberta government became very rich when the price of oil was driven up by the OPEC embargo of the 1970s. Alberta spent enormous sums of money on frivolous projects until its Heritage Fund was nearly broke.

Since then it has had to manage finances more carefully, but still does not have a provincial sales tax. Ottawa is not causing Albertans undue hardship. Most of their problems are caused by being too dependent on the boom and bust of the business/stock-market cycle.

James Wingert

Winnipeg

Soldiers can have opinions

Re: Ministers kept tabs on Canadian soldiers who supported ‘freedom convoy’ (Dec. 1)

Why is it the business of the minister of public safety to demand to know which members of the Canadian Armed Forces participated in the freedom convoy?

It seems there may be some issue with members wearing their uniform while involving themselves in partisan politics, but there seems to be no distinction in this case between uniforms or civilian dress.

If Armed Forces personnel are prohibited from taking part in political demonstrations, I hope the government is just as vigilant when it involves pro-abortion, anti-abortion, native rights, pipelines, you name it.

Otherwise, it’s a clear case of discrimination on the basis of political beliefs.

Marty Green

Winnipeg

Down with unbridled capitalism

How is it that in a democracy as rich as Canada, some 15 to 20 per cent of the population has to live in poverty and suffer the indignity and embarrassment of having to rely on welfare and food banks?

This is the situation now. Large corporations have been making record profits in the billions, and their CEOs, because they have apparently done so well, are pocketing millions in bonuses. Where is the fairness and social and economic justice in this scenario? Why is this so?

Unbridled free-market capitalism (neo-liberalism) is the root cause. Especially over the last 40 years, western democracies have allowed corporations to usurp their authority and evade responsibility for providing for social and economic justice and fairness for all citizens.

Elbert Toews

Steinbach

Skewed against YFC

The opinions regarding the Youth for Christ organization in three Dec. 1 letters (YFC needs to read Bible) draw conclusions that are somewhat skewed.

YFC’s policy is to welcome all young people “regardless of religious belief, people group, or sexual orientation.” In other words, the LGBTTQ+ community is welcome to attend and not be isolated. This is falsely extrapolated to mean if you don’t agree with my lifestyle I’m not welcome.

YFC insists that all employees, not attendees, sign a form that they are in agreement with the organization’s statement of faith that states “marriage is between a man and woman.”

This is their interpretation of Scripture, and faith-based organizations have a right to interpret it as they understand it and to ask their employees to subscribe to the same understanding.

Unfortunately, today the general opinion is that societal values take precedence over religious values. Ken Reddig fails to see that Jesus was certainly accepting the Samarian woman as a person, but not her lifestyle.

Jesus’s focus, though, was not to condemn her, but to teach her how to worship God. YFC is attempting to do the same.

John Froese

Winnipeg

Board a necessary evil

Re: Board impairs civic decision-making (Nov. 28)

As a community planner who worked in Ontario and Alberta for 40-plus years before retiring, I do in part agree that the Manitoba Municipal Board may at times take away the decision-making of local government and that those decisions may be subjective.

However, based on my experience, the decisions of local governments are also to some degree subjective, and at times biased in terms of who has influence on whom among the local decision-makers.

I see the municipal board as a necessary evil, ensuring local decisions are properly balanced between a developer’s interests and the community’s desired outcome, based on its stated short- and long-term planning goals, as well as the views of affected citizens.

Doug Parrish

Steinbach

That’s a lot of hamburger

Re: Court to hear Stefanson conflict complaint in new year (Dec. 1)

Poor Heather Stefanson. She “inadvertently” forgot to disclose the sale of $31 million in property.

That is understandable. It can happen when you are a busy, important, rich person. I get it. Like just yesterday, I inadvertently forgot to take the hamburger out of the freezer for supper.

Val Kellberg

Winnipeg