Letters, Dec. 8

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/12/2022 (748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Privatization a bad idea

Re: Mixed response as Tories propose shift in liquor sales (Nov. 28)

I am strongly opposed to the privatization of liquor sales. Not only does it remove jobs with decent wages and benefits, it will also decrease selection of product, drive up prices of product and severely reduce provincial revenues.

Can we not learn from the folly of other jurisdictions that have implemented privatization? The government can’t finance social programs now; how will it finance health care and education along with a myriad of other programs?

Joy Lussier

Winnipeg

Tories need to broaden appeal

Re: Far right takes a beating, and can only blame itself (Dec. 5)

Tom Brodbeck’s takedown of Pierre Poilievre, the “freedom convoy” and the Conservative Party and conservatism at large is an important read, not only because it shows reasonable conservatives can understand what is happening to their party, but it also brilliantly explains why the Tories will be going nowhere in the next election.

Sadly, the Conservatives, as Brodbeck points out, bring this all on themselves. They seem incapable of understanding that their 30 to 39 per cent base of support on the Prairies is not indicative of the rest of the country — that is, what they need to win, particularly Ontario. Letting that wing of the party decide and control all of their narratives and philosophy has been a complete and utter disaster (see the “freedom convoy”).

Regrettably, former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole was probably the guy who could have led them out of this, but the base couldn’t give him enough time and couldn’t stomach kowtowing enough to Ontario and Quebec to make any breakthrough there.

The base needs to take a back seat. I mean, what’s the harm? What are they going to do, leave? Hardly. Even if a massive portion of the party’s Alberta base did decide to join the People’s Party, all they’d be accomplishing is splitting the right vote and giving the Liberals majority after majority, instead of what looks like Liberal minority after minority. Conservatives, you get that … right?

Borrowing from U.S. Republicans and lying down with treasonous convoyers is not a recipe for electoral success. Maybe they’ll finally learn that lesson after Justin Trudeau wins again, and again, and again.

Will Jones

Winnipeg

Support animal shelters

Re: Animal rescue group seeking help to save dog with hole in head (Nov. 30) and Rescues, shelters slammed as ill-prepared ‘pandemic pet’ owners wave white flag (Dec. 1)

Sadly, dogs are not the only animals that suffer when they are commodified, purchased on impulse with little to no research, damaged due to lack of proper care and then discarded or returned when they are no longer a “good fit.” It is unconscionable that animals continue to be bred into existence for profit while there are those literally dying for the lack of a good home.

The government has deep pockets when it comes to subsidizing animal (ab)use industries, but pulls the purse strings tight when it comes to supporting rescues and shelters. It is now time to make a shift and work toward solving the crises that are occurring in remote communities. We cannot continue to try to rescue our way out of these situations. What strategies are Indigenous leaders coming up with to address these issues?

Out of all charitable giving, organizations working for the environment and animals get a paltry three per cent combined. Given that the Winnipeg Foundation was recently willed $500 million, donating $15 million to rescues could ensure they can get on with the business of saving lives instead of constantly having to focus on fundraising.

Debbie Wall

Winnipeg

Solution for Lions Place

In Canada, there is no reason why decent, affordable housing with both public and private components cannot exist and benefit all Canadians. A business-savvy provincial government can make affordable public housing profitable for the government.

In 2018, the current provincial government disposed of a public housing building at 185 Smith St. because the building was deemed beyond repair. The government bragged about a $7.6-million profit on the sale. The private developer corrected the building’s problems and is now renting units for between $1,100 and $3,100 a month.

As the refurbishing of this building progressed, the homelessness crisis spread throughout downtown Winnipeg, including to a bus shelter inches from the Manitoba legislative building grounds.

The province may be making the same mistake by allowing Lions Place to be converted from a building with affordable rents into another building with rents that only upper-income people can afford. The government should set aside its ideology and make a pragmatic decision to buy Lions Place. By doing so, the current government can partially correct its 2018 mistake.

Fred Morris

Winnipeg

Urban myths

Re: Resident sees holes in summer bike route survey (Dec. 2)

Kudos to Ray Hignell for identifying this survey’s flaws. I have long believed the city’s traffic/bike route surveys were skewed to produce a desired result. The same goes for the spin and lack of full disclosure in reports. I felt pummelled into submission as a survey went down a path to a point where one had no choice but to agree, without an option to oppose.

An example is last year, when the winter bike lane traffic report was released with a declaration that traffic doubled from the previous year. Drill down into the data, and one discovers the volume went from one cyclist per lane per hour to two cyclists per lane per hour.

I encourage city council and citizens to check out a book by Randal O’Toole, The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths.

Kelly Ryback

Winnipeg

Public education a public good

Re: Education shouldn’t require ‘crowd funding’ (Dec. 5)

It was with interest that I read this column. I remember, as a parent of school-age children in the 1980s, attempting to fight the expectation that children would sell chocolate bars and the like to raise funds for essentials. Our only success was to limit the number and kind of incentives that could be offered “top” sellers (usually children whose parents could sell for them).

Later, as a school administrator, I realized how difficult it was to meet the needs of schools without fundraising. However, at that point, my concern was also that teachers were planning and managing fundraising activities, a task that took away from time for the job for which they were being paid — that of teaching our children.

I guess I am being naive in thinking things should have changed in the four decades since my children were made to feel less than worthwhile because of their parents’ decision to fight fundraising. Foolishly, I thought — and still think — the same as do the authors of this article: “Public education is a public good that should be publicly funded, fully and proudly.”

Brenda Wedlake

Winnipeg

Right on target

Re: Misuses badder than typos (Letters, Dec. 5) and To err is human; to insert a terrible typo takes a journalist (Nov. 30)

A “near miss” is, in fact, a miss; it is not a hit. The letter refers to Jen Zoratti’s wording that copy editors help avoid “near misses” on a regular basis.

By this I think she means copy editors help writers to correct their wording when they are slightly off what they mean to say. One would rather avoid a near miss by hitting right on target.

It should also be noted that a “near miss” could refer to a female in close approximation.

Tom Sherbrook

Gimli