Letters, Sept. 14

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/09/2024 (433 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A teaching moment

On Saturday, Sept. 7, my wife and I went to the Banjo Bowl.

We took advantage of the Park and Ride service, parking our car at St. Vital Centre and hopping on a bus with many others to get to the game.

After the Bomber win, we hopped on another bus to head back to the mall.

Newly-named Abinojii Mikanah was our route both ways, of course.

On the return trip, we shared a bus with some fans who seemed to think they were the only ones on it. They talked too loudly, swore often, and as we travelled up Pembina Highway, one of them commented: “What are they calling Bishop Grandin now?”

And he went on to mockingly mispronounce the new name, with his buddies joining in and laughing. It happened a second time before we arrived back at St. Vital Centre.

No one, my wife and I included, called these guys out for their racist gibberish.

Perhaps we should have, but our intuition told us this was not the time or the place to offer a history lesson.

However, one of us might have said in a friendly tone, “Oh, you mean Abinojii Mikanah? I love that new name. It means Children’s Way.”

Alas, opportunity lost.

Mick Friesen

Gretna

Mathing the math

I find it very interesting how, on Sept. 10, the Free Press reported that the City of Winnipeg wanted to implement a cell phone tax to raise $11.25 million to support the new planned 911 system (which I fully support), but then on Wednesday, reports that the city fully supports the redevelopment (again) of Portage Place, and could be willing to provide True North Real Estate Division with up to $40 million in grants to accomplish this.

Mayor Scott Gillingham, Councillor Jeff Browaty — your math isn’t mathing very well.

Jacqueline Cassel-Cramer

Winnipeg

Tragedy all around

RE: Guard found not guilty in inmate’s death, Sept. 7.

When I first saw the picture that accompanied this article, my first thought was, “Has nobody learned anything from George Floyd?”

I judged from this photo only and I couldn’t believe that the accused was found not guilty.

Then I read the entire article.

Yes William Ahmo’s life mattered, as do all lives. This made me feel very sorry for William Ahmo’s family and friends.

No one deserves to die this way.

Reading further into the article I read the following statements: “Corrections officers need assurance that the training, policies and procedures provided by Manitoba Justice will not result in them being criminally prosecuted.”

“Ahmo flew into a violent, destructive rage after he was told a racist joke, resulting in dozens of inmates in his unit being locked in their cells.”

“The inmate had an enlarged heart, was obese and had been hit with pepper spray three times before the takedown, all of which would have comprised his ability to breathe effectively.”

“Ahmo, who was brandishing a broken mop handle, advanced on the officers who forcefully took him to the floor. Ahmo screamed and flailed as officers piled on top of him, forcing his face and neck to the floor.”

“Ahmo, unmoving was placed in a restraint chair, after which he was found to have no pulse. A ‘code red’ was issued.”

“Jason Nicols said officers had no training for the restraint chair.”

“Corrections officers were in fact still operating under a 2017 policy that allowed officers to use the chair to control and restrain violent inmates.”

“The trial was told Ahmo was medically cleared by a nurse and two members of Morden’s team before he was placed in the restraint chair and became unresponsive.”

“The accused was surrounded by medical personnel that he was entitled to rely upon … However medical intervention would only have been possible if Mr. Ahmo had not been combative and had not resisted in the manner that he did.”

Conclusion?

Combative inmate plus guards working with outdated training equals disaster for all.

Janice Jackson

Winnipeg

Wrong turn

Re: NDP pauses housing benefit after demand skyrockets, Sept. 11.

Has the NDP forgotten who they are and what they stand for?

I am having a hard time reconciling their actions with their values.

Why, for instance, is the premier even thinking for a millisecond about extending the gas tax holiday?

This does nothing to help the people who need help the most. Watch people filling up for gas. So many are driving expensive cars and gas-guzzling SUVs, and hardly seem in need of a subsidy.

And watch how people drive. It is possible to drive in a way that uses the least amount of gas possible, but it seems virtually nobody here understands this. There is such a thing as personal responsibility.

The cost of this largess would finance real help to people, like keeping the housing benefit. Ending it will ultimately cost more. If people can’t pay their rent and become unhoused or have to stay in shelters longer than necessary, this comes with a significant cost. Financially, cutting it makes no sense.

End the gas tax holiday and put the money where it will actually result in real benefits.

The NDP need to have the courage of their convictions.

Ingrid Ostick

Winnipeg

Too many

Re: Mountie sidelines six impaired drivers over four days, Sept. 12.

This report from the RCMP is shocking.

Impaired driving is occurring regularly and is the leading cause of criminal death in Canada, yet the politicians and courts do nothing to stop it. There are lenient sentences. Impaired drivers get their licence back! There are no preventative measures such as breathalyzers in cars.

It’s like people are wandering around with guns shooting innocent people, and everyone shrugs their shoulders and says, “that’s so sad” and moves on. I appreciate that there is now mandatory alcohol screening during ordinary traffic stops. It is not enough.

I think it will show there are more impaired drivers on the road than we ever anticipated. Why do we just sit back and let this happen?

Shannon Anderson

Winnipeg

Time to hire

On the subject of hiring more police officers, let’s start by not referring to them as “cops” — it is such a degratory term when referring to peace officers as defined in law.

Secondly, never mind about needing to hire more police officers because the city has and continues to expand, let’s look at the fact that even before that need is addressed, our police service has been grossly understaffed for years, as evidenced by the fact that they do not have the resources to respond to the daily, on-going breaking of the law in the form of drivers not obeying the rules of the road, disruptively loud exhaust systems on vehicles, and adult cyclists not following the rules of the road.

Such transgressions lead to increased accidents, property damage, theft, injuries and their associated costs.

I am sure there are other areas of policing that are also being underserved.

If we put more police officers on the streets to help ensure that scofflaws (people who refuse to obey the law) are held accountable, that in turn will help to drive down the controllable costs associated with accidents, property damage, theft and injuries.

If there are cash constraints, then address them, change priorities, increase taxes (did I just say that — blasphemy) but do something!

At the end of the day, it is basic risk management.

Cris Kemp

Winnipeg