Have your say

Looking fabulous

I spent a couple of days in Winnipeg recently and the city looks great. The Forks, Assiniboine Park and downtown Portage Avenue, with the marbles, are all fabulous.

Returning home to the centre of the universe, I can say that Harbourfront, High Park and Bay Street are just sad by comparison.

Maybe you could invite Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to visit and enlighten him on more than just geography.

JUDITH HAMILTON

Mississauga, Ont.

A fine gesture

I have been a Blue Bomber fan for many years through the good and the bad. But the main reason behind this letter, regardless of the current season, is to thank them for their very fine gesture to me.

I have just recently retired from the Canadian military after 35 years and to my surprise at my retirement party, one of the gifts that I received was a Blue Bomber jersey signed by Joey Elliott. I can easily say it was the highlight of my night.

To see that I was appreciated for my military service by my favourite football team will be a lasting memory and this jersey will always have a special place in my home.

DAVID RIGBY

Delta, B.C.

Unfair accusation

Re: Blatantly racist (Letters, Oct. 3). I'm not sure from his tone whether Luigi Tang was actually insulted or whether he's being sarcastic. However, I read no racism in the Sherman's Lagoon comic.

There actually is an invasive species of fish, in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, known as the northern snakehead. It's native to China, North and South Korea and Russia.

At the same time, there is also a very invasive species, the Asian Carp, which threatens the Great Lakes. So Mr. Tang, as a cigar is sometimes just a cigar, a fish is sometimes just a fish.

DAVE FERGUSON

Winnipeg

Laughable comments

I laughed out loud when I read the Oct. 2 article Judge slams health officials. Judge Rob Finlayson criticizes physicians and people in the health-care system who he claims "dropped the ball" with respect to an accused home invader.

Then why is it when judges release violent criminals on bail, and then those people go on violent crime sprees, we don't see judges held accountable for their decision to release?

Maybe Finlayson and his judicial colleagues should look in the mirror first before accusing others of failing the system.

MIKE GIBSON

Petersfield

Opening minds

It's nice to see there are people in this country who still bother to educate themselves on the issues. Reading Rob Schmidt and James Thacker's letters (An isolated case, Oct. 4) was a breath of fresh air, and I'm hoping there are more people willing to open their minds and think beyond the usual anti-gun-no-matter-what mindset that sometimes prevails in this country.

ERIC FROESE

Steinbach

Rob Schmidt would rather I stopped "animating" semi-auto guns, and focused on "the human factor." Well, these guns are plenty animated in their own right, and men like Vic Toews don't want the RCMP or any other police force to be able to keep track of that human factor, by which I mean the small percentage of unstable gun owners who are able to keep weapons in their homes which are equal to or better than those carried by the police.

RON CHARACH

Toronto

Voting by conscience

After reading Pat Murphy's Oct. 5 column, Ambrose voted her conscience -- a sign of progress (Oct.5), I can only think, "What an intelligent breath of fresh air."

If elected members of Parliament can't vote their own conscience on questions of conscience that cross all party lines, then we are not the democracy the majority of us want.

BRIAN NORRIS

Winnipeg

Respecting Trudeau

In his Oct. 4 letter, Like father, unlike son, Mark Rash is quick to dismiss Justin Trudeau. I would direct Rash, and others who may do the same, to recent comments made by former prime minister Brian Mulroney in a CBC interview.

Mulroney, who knows Justin personally and certainly knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful in Canadian politics, cautions Trudeau opponents not to "trivialize" him and to treat him with "considerable respect." According to Mulroney, Trudeau is someone who is "quite talented" and is a "tough, able guy" like his father.

In short, Mulroney states that Trudeau is definitely capable of delivering a major electoral surprise to those who "underestimate him."

SEAN PETTY

Winnipeg

Heart-breaking illness

Thank you to Marilyn Baker for her Oct. 2 article Mental health system lacking funds. I for one am very aware of this issue, as my daughter has suffered with schizophrenia since she was 15. Along with that, she became a drug addict to cope with this illness.

She came from an upper-middle-class family and had the resources to help her. But it took 15 years until she moved into a recovery style of living.

Schizophrenia is a heart-breaking illness for all involved and it requires a huge amount of community support. A program at the Health Sciences Centre essentially saved her life, and our family.

Marilyn's article articulates most of the issues involved with mental health in our province.

CYNTHIA PARKER

Winnipeg Beach

Reminders are needed

Contrary to Christina Lopez's comments in her Oct. 4 letter, True beauty is selfless, many people do not use Facebook or Twitter, and the public does need to be reminded that there are so many destitute people in Winnipeg and Manitoba who need assistance in many forms and that a little generosity goes a long way.

Contributing to Winnipeg Harvest through church affiliations and other organizations is one thing, but it is the outdoor bequests that remain mostly unheeded or scoffed at.

I was recently asked for bus fare at Unicity Mall by a tired-looking woman carrying a large paper bag. My only question was: How much is a bus fare nowadays? She replied $2.47, so I scrounged for change and gave it to her.

Buskers and squeegee people are another breed, since they accumulate their donations. But it is the little people with little demands who are often rejected due to lack of information from the public.

DOLLY DENNIS

Rosser

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 9, 2012 A11