Have your say

Worth the price

With the recent spate of hate-related posters and the fervour created by the announcement of the opening of the new IKEA, isn't it time to ask ourselves why we are complaining about the cost of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The IKEA store, part of a planned development project that has been estimated at $400 million, will give shoppers what consumerism can bring us -- row upon row upon row of items we supposedly need for our everyday lives, all nicely boxed up into a warehouse-like setting.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, however, comes in at the cost of $350 million. All there is to buy in this beautiful and unique structure is hope for the future. It will be a place of reflection, a place filled with stories, a place for all Canadians.

Now isn't that worth the price?

pat mallis

winnipeg

Slowing traffic down

Re: Residential speed limit of 40 km/h? (Sept. 12).

While I applaud and support the proposal, I question how well it will be enforced. Police appear to be stretched to their limit already. Will they have the time to enforce the reduced speed limits on residential streets?

Other options could be considered to improve pedestrian safety on residential streets. One would be the installation of speed bumps every 100 metres to slow down traffic. They seem to be quite effective at keeping speeds down as drivers have to slow down to 30 km/h when passing over one. This proposal would not require a police presence to keep speeds down.

In many of the newer neighbourhoods, residential development has been allowed to proceed without the construction of sidewalks on many of the residential streets. This forces pedestrians to share the road with motorists. To improve safety on those streets and others that are being constructed in new neighbourhoods, sidewalks should be constructed to separate pedestrian and motor-vehicle traffic.

Another option would be to eliminate parking on residential streets. Studies have shown that this can reduce the accident risk by 75 per cent. No blind spots would be created by parked vehicles. Pedestrians could easily spot approaching motorists and vice versa. It would even be safer for cyclists and motorists.

Heinz Lausmann

Winnipeg

Frozen medical brains?

Recently, in Yellowknife, the Canadian Medical Association concluded that human life begins at birth. One would have to wonder if they did not freeze their brains in the pristine north of Canada. This is akin to my veterinary professor telling us that when we determine a cow is pregnant, be sure to tell the farmer the cow is not in calf. This is beyond reason. This is nonsense. The birth process does not make us human.

If an unborn child is removed from its mother's womb by C-section at six months gestation and placed in an incubator, everyone knows this baby is a human being. This pronouncement is a smoke screen to justify the killing of an unborn child by abortion at any stage of pregnancy. This is the folly of political correctness. The CMA has brought shame to a noble profession.

Dr. James McLane

Battleford, Sask.

No voter tax

The concept and notion of a voter tax must be thrown out the door. The excessive taxation any Manitoban has to face in this province is crippling enough.

The statement from house leader Jennifer Howard that "the people who give you $10 should not have less power than the people who give you $10,000" is morally bankrupt. This government needs to correct its attitude towards the electorate, taxpayers and citizens by having Howard change her statement to: "The people who CHOOSE to give you $10 should not have less power than the people who CHOOSE to give you $10,000."

What happened to my freedom to provide financial support of my choice? You do not get to decide when and who I provide campaign support for, period.

If your well has run dry for money, put those legions of NDP followers back on the street to earn campaign money the way you're supposed to.

And, in the bigger picture, if your tax revenues keep running out, stop spending so much. Stop relying on going to my wallet as your backup for your mistakes. Your administration's hands are in my pockets far too often.

David Owens

Winnipeg

Geothermal has problems

Re: Converting a mindset (Letters, Sept. 17). Despite Shane Nestruck's high regard for geothermal heating, consumers need to be aware that, like both conventional and alternative power sources, it has at least as many drawbacks as advantages.

Geothermal can exploit the Earth's limitless reserves of natural heat, the vents don't take up much space, they can provide 24/7 heat supplies (unlike wind and solar) and the heat pumps themselves consume little power. Unfortunately, naturally occurring vents aren't widely available and have to be situated where the hot rocks are near the surface for easy drilling access.

There is also the problem of longevity of the locations, which may temporarily or permanently run out of steam. In addition, geothermal energy is not easily transported so that it can be used to generate small amounts of electricity relative to other fuel sources and can produce heat only on a localized basis. And despite its pollution-free claims, it releases, along with the steam, hydrogen sulfide, arsenic, mercury and ammonia. Finally there's the tendency for geothermal to produce minor earthquake activity, enough to damage homes and foundations.

The clincher might be Manitoba Hydro's claim that over a 25-year period, the cost to buy and operate a high-efficiency natural gas furnace is approximately 33 per cent lower than its geothermal equivalent, a figure likely to dissuade all but the most diehard environmentalists.

Edward Katz

Winnipeg

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 24, 2012 A11