Letters, Dec. 18

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2023 (653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Social regression

Re: Police investigate deepfake photos at high school (Dec. 15)

The headline in today’s paper is deeply distressing particularly for the victims and their families. The perpetrators must be found and punished, of course. Unfortunately, with the internet, it is no longer an internal matter. Therefore, the impact on the victims and thus the punishment are necessarily more serious.

And yet, when I was in high school 60 years ago, a young girl would ‘disappear’ if she became pregnant and would not return to school. The consequences were real and devastating.

We, as a society, have progressed in many ways, but still manage to regress or mess up in others. I have confidence the adults in the room will manage this situation. My heart goes out to the victims and their families as we learn to deal with the fallout of this latest scourge.

Wayne Selby

Winnipeg

Ease poverty, help kids

Re: Poverty’s effect on student achievement (Think Tank, Dec. 15)

I appreciated reading Ken Clark’s op-ed analysis of the 2022 PISA test results regarding mathematics achievement in Manitoba.

I spent 41 years as an educator in Manitoba. Most of those years were spent teaching high school mathematics; although I also served as a principal and a mathematics co-ordinator in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division as well as the president of the Manitoba Association of Mathematics Teachers. Throughout my career it was apparent that, in general, students from low socio-economic areas did more poorly on standardized tests than their peers from higher socio-economic areas. Using results from provincial exams to compare schools only formalized these expectations.

It is with this knowledge in mind that I am appreciative that the new provincial government has committed to provide a meal program in schools. If we are serious about improving the educational outcomes for all of our youth, we must address the root causes of the problem. Addressing poverty, and all that it impacts, is the surest way to see improvement in educational outcomes.

Brent Corrigan

Winnipeg

Market saturation

Re: New government, new hope among cannabis retailers (Dec. 14)

The Cannabis Retailors Association is asking the new provincial government to enact regulatory changes they believe will support their industry. Yet among the challenges faced by retailors it seems the fact there is an over proliferation of retailers seems to be overlooked.

I cannot be the only Winnipeger who will have noticed there seems to be way too many such shops in our respective neighbourhoods. If that industry wants to improve its overall financial situation government should stand back and allow the industry to shred the unprofitable retail locations and also not allow any new locations to open up.

Making it easier to sell cannabis is not the answer either from an economic perspective or from a public health policy perspective.

Irwin Corobow

Winnipeg

Thanks for sharing

Re: When memory comes calling (Dec. 9)

As a daily subscriber to the Winnipeg Free Press for many years, I enjoy reading in particular the section Attitude At Latitude 48.9 degrees every Saturday. This section portraits many down to earth articles that writers contribute.

I was glad to read a column by Russell Wangersky, comment editor of the Free Press reminiscing about his young life growing up in Halifax with his mother. The major theme of the column was in reference to yogurt which he purchased recently one morning on his way to work. While eating the yogurt on a particular morning, familiarity brought memories of home.

Personally, I really enjoyed that article, reflecting the past, being touched by something that a person endured in their life. The comments made by Russell in that column were outstanding, just total reflection. Good to see that editors are writing articles.

Peter John Manastyrsky

Winnipeg

Too much sand for some

Re: Stress soars on suddenly slick suburban streets (Dec. 14)

P3 roads (small bays, cul-de-sacs,crescents) get sanded when it isn’t required while P2s are slippery and not sanded. Our bay and many in the area received sand but the road was bare earlier this year. P3s are sanded far too frequently. We once got sanded five times in 10 days which included twice on one day when the road was bare. Zero precipitation during that period. Sanding has occurred, only to have it snow a few hours later, deeming the exercise worthless.

Our neighbourhood lobbied the ward councillor, the chair of public works, and the CAO extensively over the past several years to reduce sanding on P3 roads. I have addressed this issue many times as a delegate before council and committees. Finally last winter our bay received minimal sanding compared to others in the neighbourhood and we were fine. We even thought we were a pilot project but that was not to be as the old practices returned this winter.

There were times we swept up sand off our bay, carted it over to the nearby P2 4-way stop and spread it onto the P2 intersection where it was needed.

The unnecessary sanding of P3s (and sidewalks at times) is not only wasteful but creates several other problems. The sand kills boulevard grass. The sand clogs up catch basins which results in street flooding during spring thaw and heavy rains. Sand makes its way into the water treatment plants which cause further problems. The sand also darkens the surface so additional heat from the sun is absorbed, thereby melting the snow and ice at lower temperatures which results in a schloppy mess. That mess then freezes which creates an icy surface.

Please reduce the sanding on P3s so that money can be saved and so that more sanding and snow clearing can take place on P1s and P2s when necessary. And clear the schloppy messes on roads and sidewalks. Something is broken and it needs to be fixed. Does street maintenance even pay attention to weather forecasts?

Kelly Ryback

Winnipeg

Fossil fuel industry’s influence vast

The disturbing over-representation of fossil fuel interests at COP28 and the meeting’s discouraging results just further exposes the immense political influence of the industry seemingly everywhere, though especially here in Canada.

Notably, Alberta’s government via its Utilities Commission in August suddenly announced their decision to delay (or “pause”) all approvals for new renewable-energy infrastructure for about seven months, citing concerns over logistics and potential end-of-life clean-up costs. Yet, the same government fails to force fossil fuel companies that have left behind major contamination sites in Alberta to clean up after themselves as they formally agreed to do.

On a global level, it’s no longer prudent to have so much of society, including our primary modes of transportation, reliant on traditional sources of energy. But industry and fossil-fuel friendly government can tell when a very large portion of the populace is too overworked, worried and even angry about food and housing unaffordability for themselves or their family — all while on insufficient income — to criticize the industry for whatever environmental damage their policies cause/allow, particularly when not immediately observable.

Even as bone-dry-vegetation regions uncontrollably burn, mass addiction to fossil fuel products undoubtedly helps keep the average consumer quiet about the planet’s greatest polluter, lest they feel and/or be publicly deemed hypocritical. It must be convenient for the industry.

Frank Sterle Jr.

White Rock, B.C.