Letters, Sept. 15

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/09/2023 (996 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Axworthy, Doer no slouches

Re: Axworthy, Doer old news (Letters, Sept. 14)

It was disheartening to read Joyce Wolfe’s take with regard to Gary Doer and Lloyd Axworthy’s “endorsements” for Wab Kinew.

In a society where connection to information and people is almost instantaneous and in abundance, I doubt Mr. Doer or Mr. Axworthy are “out of the loop.” I, for one, value what years of experience can bring to the table, and I was glad to know Mr. Kinew has the support of two people with the level of expertise and proven track record that both of these former politicians bring to the table.

We need more contributions from the more senior levels of society to support our current community leaders, not fewer.

Janet Bergsgaard

Winnipeg

 

Building slowdown bodes ill

Re: Housing gap steady as lower incomes expected to offset construction slowdown (Sept. 14)

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation declares that lower incomes will make things better because housing construction will slow down meaning fewer buyers for fewer homes. The story goes on to note that Canada will be short 3.5 million homes by the end of the decade, “compared with what’s needed to restore affordability.”

From my experience housing gets more expensive over time. So a housing construction slowdown may be the last thing we need. CMHC doesn’t give us any facts on the size of housing being built, but if the next generation of housing stock were more modest in size — say 50 per cent smaller — housing would be almost instantly affordable to many thousands more Canadians. Perhaps some leadership on that front would be a logical step for both environmental and affordability reasons.

For many a smaller home may be better than none, perhaps if we build it they will come.

Jerry Storie

Winnipeg

 

Laughable pledge

Re: Tories promise to eliminate PST on trees, flowers (Sept. 14)

Thank you Free Press for the best belly laugh I have had in weeks. Oh my gosh… the ‘Tories promise to eliminate PST on trees, flowers.’

I seriously thought this had to be a joke. Taxes on trees and flowers is what qualifies as a critical issue in our world? Oh my gosh. I am beside myself. All of us middle class and rich folks who like our gardens can now rest in peace and garden away to our blissful content while all the people who are depressed and can’t find mental health help can stop by and soak up our gardens and feel better. Oh… please, please someone put the Tories in touch with reality.

I need those flowers now. I am no longer laughing, I am sick and depressed now that I have to add this announcement to the one of Tuxedo Tennis Club getting a wad of money. Someone is out of touch with reality. Me or them?

Val Kellberg

Winnipeg

 

Cut of little comfort

Thank you Minister Morley-Lacomte for promising to cut the PST on flowers and trees. This will certainly ease the financial burden for all our grieving families when they buy flowers and plant trees for loved ones gone too soon due to lack of health care.

I personally will feel the joy when buying flowers for the Gone Too Soon Memorial Garden, the one families lobbied for, the one that honours all loved ones lost due to toxic drugs, due to lack of harm reduction resources.

I would be happy to pay PST on flowers I buy for my son (forever 27). If you would use the $750,000 in PST towards supporting those struggling with substance use, maybe you could start a medical detox centre that is so needed. Priorities are so important when you are acting on behalf of the people.

Christine Dobbs

Moms Stop the Harm member

Winnipeg

 

Vision lacks clarity

Re: ‘We’ve gotta dream big’ (Sept. 14)

The Tory platform includes its Vision 2030 plan, which would add around 550,000 people to the keystone province’s population in less than seven years.

Where are these 550,000 going to live as there is a shortage of housing, how are they going to take transit as there are not enough buses or bus drivers, how will the roads accommodate thousands more vehicles as our infrastructure is a disaster, how will they access health care as the current population already cannot?

I eagerly await your responses, Ms. Stefanson.

Stewart Jacques

Winnipeg

 

Chaplin mural deserved better

Re: Historic hotel reduced to rubble (Sept. 14)

Charlie Chaplin was one of the most famous guests to have ever visited the Windsor Hotel downtown, staying there in 1913 while performing in Winnipeg and shortly before embarking on his groundbreaking film career. This was one of the many things that helped to make the Windsor historic.

So, I was extremely disappointed to see that there was no apparent effort made to preserve the mural of him that was demolished along with the rest of the months-long vacant building, just hours after the big fire there on Sept. 13.

I visited the site as the demolition was taking place and saw the still intact painting of Chaplin and the wall it was on getting knocked down by the bucket and long mechanical arm of an excavator. I understand that there were likely some important safety reasons as to why the wreckage of the building or even one wall could not be left standing for long. Still, couldn’t the mural have been preserved in some form? Was this even considered?

This mural dated only to 2001, but it did an admirable job of reminding passersby on St. Mary Avenue of the meeting of early Winnipeg history and early film history. Sadly, it ended up as mere rubble.

The official line in Winnipeg seems to be we are proud of all our great murals, but this incident shows that perhaps we do not value them as “real” art. I know it is impractical to preserve every single mural every time, but this Chaplin one was of a modest size, at a location tied to him, and beautifully rendered. To my mind, the careless destruction of this piece was an insult to not only art but history itself too. Do we not care about either here in Winnipeg?

Conrad Padilla

Winnipeg

 

Not just about roads

Re: NDP to prioritize locals in government infrastructure plans: Kinew (Sept. 11)

Mr. Lorenc should respectfully stay in his own freshly paved lane when representing his credentials to the media as a voice of Manitoba’s industry. Construction is so much more than just roads, and includes residential, Schools, Hospitals, and infrastructure.

The PC’s and their supporters are seemingly all too happy to shrug off the mass unemployment of high-skilled and high-earning Manitobans — like 400-plus journeyman electricians — so long as those Manitoban’s are union members.

What good are roads if they don’t lead anywhere?

Tanya Palson

Executive director

 

Manitoba Building Trades

Looking for answers

For the last two months I have been commuting by car or bike to HSC via William, Bannatyne and McDermot. I see a number of the demolished building sites every day.

I certainly wouldn’t want this on my street. I have read the Free Press articles on this issue and I still fail to understand why the city would/should lose any money on this. Why is there not a bylaw that requires owners to clean up these properties within a reasonable time frame? And then why, if they fail to do so and the city does the clean up, are they not on the hook for all the expenses? And then why, if they don’t pay their tax bill on which these expenses appear, can’t the city litigate to get paid, including court costs?

Someone please explain.

Sara Jane Schmidt

Winnipeg