Letters, May 21

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2025 (311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Impact of rail relocation

Re: It’s time for Winnipeg to seize a bold new opportunity (Think Tank, May 20)

Yet another article touting the perceived benefits of removing railway tracks and yards out of Winnipeg. Every Free Press op-ed contributor, including Mr. Bellamy, calling for rail relocation, writes eloquently and at length about the positives. No one mentions local railway traffic, and the huge costs of removing local rail service.

Perhaps the next rail relocation article should be a bit more balanced, and mention how many industries and businesses in Winnipeg currently get direct rail service, how many rail cars per week are delivered to, and removed from, said industries.

If the tracks are gone, will Winnipeg see a huge surge of new truck traffic (it takes three truckloads to replace one rail car)? Will rail-dependent industries move out of the city? Will they demand taxpayers pay for the industrial relocation? How badly would the potential exodus of rail-served industries impact local employment, and the municipal tax base?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Lucien Guay

Winnipeg

No need for cruel approach

Re: Ground squirrel cull in city parks on hold (May 20)

Parks are nature spaces — not just outdoor gymnasiums — and we cannot treat them as such by attempting to cruelly remove the wildlife that naturally inhabits them. Co-existence is not a choice; it is a necessity. Humans are the ones encroaching on natural habitats, not the other way around.

The City of Winnipeg’s plan to use sulphur gas pesticide to reduce ground squirrel populations in public green spaces misses the point. These areas are meant to promote well-being, safety, and environmental stewardship — not become chemical zones.

There are many effective, science-backed alternatives to manage ground squirrel populations humanely. Habitat modification, deterrents, live trapping and relocation, public education (such as flagging burrows with neon markers like those used by Manitoba Hydro), and fertility control are all responsible approaches. Cities across North America are increasingly adopting such humane methods. For example, San Francisco uses a contraceptive liquid called ContraPest to manage rat populations, and Toronto is exploring fertility control to address their high pigeon population.

Many of these methods are cost-comparable and more sustainable over the long term. Taxpayers want their dollars spent on solutions that reflect their values: compassion, safety, and respect for urban wildlife.

We must hold our city councillors accountable to promote responsible, humane approaches. A city cannot poison its way out of a problem. Winnipeg can — and must — do better.

Danae Tonge

Winnipeg

I am against the city’s proposal of using sulphur gas Giant Destroyer on city property. Not only does this affect more than the intended ground squirrels, it also will be absorbed into the ground and expose other co-mingling animals, pets and people.

I suggest the city review how Assiniboine Forest’s team manages ground squirrels. It seems like we all co-mingle without any poison involved. Lots of children visit this park and have picnic spaces beside this population without any concerns for their health or the wildlife surround them.

Do better Winnipeg! Enough with the poisoning of animals!

Valerie Martinuson

Winnipeg

Hope for the future

Re: Indigenous ministers tasked with solving country’s biggest problems — oh, the irony (May 16)

I read this article with interest and hope. It is both interesting and hopeful that our new cabinet includes two strong Indigenous women, Mandy Gull-Masty and Rebecca Chartrand.

Looking back on Canada’s history, we see more clearly than ever the damage that colonization has brought us — so in that view, perhaps these appointments are indeed ironic.

But if we look forward to the change that we are all called to be part of, perhaps these appointments can be seen as more. Perhaps they signify respect, hope and the recognition that Canada needs the wisdom of Indigenous voices.

Change does not come easily or quickly — Justice Murray Sinclair was clear in his words. But we are at the point where — to paraphrase Niigaan Sinclair — Canada has asked two Indigenous women to handle some of the most crucial challenges facing this country. This is surely a sign of change and I, for one, am hopeful that this is also what reconciliation might look like.

Brigitta Perkins

Winnipeg

Thanks for the hard work, Jets

I write this knowing I cannot speak for all the Jets fans and supporters, but I will anyway.

When at the core there is integrity, the heart and soul of champions are found. And the Jets are our champions. Thank you to the Jets owners, managers, coaches, staff and, most of all, players!

To Mark Scheifele, if you’re reading this, please know you and your family are in our prayers.

Courage is not taught, it is shown. Thank you, thank you, thank you with sincerity from one of many who cheered on you and the team and cried when teammates and competitors alike held onto you and offered words of compassion, showing what we all know matters most of all.

Dianne Friesen

Winnipeg

Hellebuyck under pressure

What accounts for Connor Hellebuyck’s fall from grace when the regular season transitions to the playoffs? How can a multiple Vezina-trophy-winning goalie get pulled three times in a single series when that happened only once in 122 regular season games? What causes a goalie’s save percentage to dip to .793 in playoff away games? It all appears to boil down to one thing: pressure.

Every sport brings its own unique pressure. The added rigours of playoff hockey are not dissimilar to the pressure golfers face trying to win a major. British golfer Lee Westwood, with 44 tournament wins on five continents, and five Ryder Cup teams, has the dubious distinction of being considered the greatest golfer never to have won a major in 91 attempts. His absence of major success is attributed to his inability to handle his nerves with the added pressure.

Some athletes are built for these moments and some are not. Every post-game hockey analyst has studied and opined on what Hellebuyck has to do to turn around his playoff slide. Nick Kypreos was probably the most pointed, stating that Hellebuyck simply has to get tougher, fight harder, learn to handle the extra traffic in front of him and bring a more aggressive mindset to the playoffs. Other analysts discussed nerves affecting reaction time but most have distilled the goalie’s problem to an inability to handle the pressure of the moment.

How do you teach someone who is the last line of defence for an entire team and must endure a large flashing red light every time a mistake is made and a goal is scored? Jonah Oliver, a performance psychologist cautions, “It’s not about reducing pressure, it’s about building the capacity to embrace it.” European footballer Virgil van Dijk is even more succinct: Pressure is a privilege.

Until Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck can learn to embrace the privilege of playoff hockey pressure, his recognition as best goalie in the world will be lacking the ultimate accolade. The engraving of his name on Lord Stanley’s cup.

Rodger Spelmer

Winnipeg