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Supporting Corydon

Re: Councillors should know limits (July 6). As a homeowner one block south of Corydon, I've enjoyed my share of pizza at Jerry Cianflone's Café 22. In fact, it was at his restaurant that my fiancée and I had one of our very first dates.

Like many young homeowners on our street, we came to the area with an optimism that great neighbourhoods can reach a balance between a thriving business district and safe nearby streets where children can sleep without being woken in the night.

Successful cities across North America manage to achieve this balance, and they do it through meaningful public planning that ensures all stakeholders, both businesses and residents, have an honest stake in the game.

Abruptly shredding the Corydon plan makes clear that the one group who will have no stake in the future of their community are those who live there.

DAVID LEIBL

Winnipeg

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I have been a resident of the Corydon area between 1978 and 1983 and since 1992. I like the mix of residential options, along with the restaurants, stores and businesses.

I appreciate that I can access a lot of activities and services within an easy walk from my home, and the availability of public transit and a central location allow me easy access to the rest of the city. I do have some concerns, however, regarding the future development of my beloved neighbourhood.

Any planning process must take a number of factors into consideration, including available parking for both residents and visitors to the area. As it is, my friends have a great deal of difficulty finding parking when they come to visit. During the café season, visitors can get creative with where they park their cars. Increasing the entertainment and residential density without addressing adequate parking will lead to further friction in our neighbourhood.

A second issue is the status of our back lanes. My home backs onto the lane used by the businesses and offices located on Corydon. This means that I negotiate the space with a variety of delivery vehicles. While most of the drivers are considerate, some treat the lane as if it were a speedway.

The third issue is the future character of the neighbourhood. Certain steps are needed to maintain the mix of residential and commercial activities. Restricting patios to the Corydon frontage, and limiting the height of new construction on Corydon itself, will help to acknowledge the existing residential component of the neighbourhood. Care needs to be taken in order to ensure that any one element (bars) does not overwhelm the rest of the neighbourhood.

Finally, extending the closing hours of bars and restaurants is another concern. Patrons going home in the early hours of the morning are often noisy, and routinely leave beer bottles and other trash on the boulevards and in our yards.

I do not think an entirely new planning process needs to be developed. Nor do I think that only one constituency should be allowed to contribute to the planning process. Based on the consultation that has already taken place, I sincerely hope the next version of the planning process includes consideration for parking, the effects of overall density, and a balance of the residential and business aspects of this wonderful neighbourhood.

ZANA MARIE LUTFIYYA

Winnipeg

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Corydon Avenue is a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and small-business free enterprise. We must be diligent, however, in protecting its status as such.

The way for Corydon to truly develop and prosper is not by burdening (existing and prospective) business owners with red tape and more bureaucracy. City council's property committee, Corydon business owners, and the community at large should be commended for uniting to halt this plan, which hurts both small-business owners and the Fort Rouge community.

JEREMIAH KOOP

Winnipeg

Paternalistic attitude

This is in regards to Will Braun's July 3 article, Keeyask dam on shaky political ground, about Tataskweyak Cree Nation.

Braun must be aware of the damages that the church has historically inflicted upon the culture and autonomy of First Nations through its paternalistic attitude, exemplified by the operation of residential schools of which I am a survivor.

As a church representative, is Braun not aware that he is simply continuing this paternalism, by trying to tell a First Nation government how to act in matters outside of his knowledge and authority, perpetuating the colonial attitude against aboriginal peoples?

PATRICK SPENCE

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation

Picking up the tab

Re: NRC staff enraged by gift cards (July 5). "Have a coffee and a doughnut on me," National Research Council president John McDougall is quoted as saying. In that case, let McDougall pay the $12,000 Tim Hortons bill and not taxpayers.

In this day and age of government belt-tightening, he should give his head a shake when spending our money not only so frivolously but to insult soon-to-be laid-off staff.

ANN LYONS

Winnipeg

A rare initiative

A belated but nevertheless sincere vote of appreciation and congratulations for your piece on Ukrainians in Winnipeg (Our City Our World, June 23). The various contributors, Bill Redekop in particular, did a very creditable job of presenting Ukrainians and Ukrainian issues in a constructive light.

Inevitably, such a piece will generate diverse responses as to the emphasis placed on certain issues or personalities at the expense of others. Some silliness (in good fun) about "kubasa and perogies" notwithstanding, this sort of initiative is all too rare and needs to be applauded.

ANDREW ZURAWSKY

Winnipeg

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Congratulations to the Free Press for the superb section. It was most enlightening to peruse the list of selected prominent Ukrainian-Manitobans. The breadth of their contributions -- mainly to the arts -- was amazing.

Although clearly it was impossible to have an exhaustive listing, it would have been appropriate to have mentioned the contributions of, among others, such eminent Manitobans as: Taras Korol, the beloved Sisler High School art teacher who single-handedly was responsible for Rainbow Stage's sets for over 30 years; Taras Babick for his 30-year contribution to Ukrainian dance through his creation and direction of the Orlan Dance Ensemble; and Cecil Symchyshyn, whose phenomenal base voice reverberates even today; Ed Ivanko of Broadway and theatre fame; and future operatic superstar Andriana Chuchman.

You might have considered mentioning the contributions of the University of Manitoba's Walter Bushuk, a world-recognized expert on cereals; John Shewchuk, co-inventor of the breakaway pole base, which has saved so many lives since it was installed in Winnipeg and many other cities; and Michael Tarnawecky, whose ground-breaking research on high-voltage transmission lines has been adopted worldwide.

OSTAP HAWALESHKA

Winnipeg

Overdue recognition

Congratulations to Ed Chenier and his comrades for their long-overdue recognition and bravo to the Free Press for publishing their story (Recognition at long last for Bomber Command, July 5).

According to a June 23 article in the London Telegraph, postwar history revisionists downplayed the bravery of these men and overemphasized the loss of civilian life. The Lancaster bombers flew at night and didn't have the romantic allure of the Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain or the navy ships that hunted down the Bismarck.

In fact, so insulting was postwar history to them that the comedy group Beyond the Fringe did a sketch in the 1960s in which the butt of the joke was Bomber Command Officer Perkins. It was only later that they were made aware that, of the 55,000 airmen from Britain and across the Commonwealth killed, 21 were named Perkins.

L. DALE GUY

Winnipeg

Steering 'em straight

Re: B.C. group targeting calf roping at Stampede (July 6). As a former competitor, I always held the nagging belief that those of us who roped the calves (or team-roped steers) should also be required to ride the bulls.

MARK S. RASH

Winnipeg

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 7, 2012 A15