Letters, Oct. 11

Clarification

An op-ed by Erna Buffie on the Think Tank page on Oct. 9, Time for a shakeup at city hall indicated the cost of widening Kenaston Boulevard would cost $750 million. The $750 million figure is the cost of the entire project including the road widening, along with a number of other costs, including sewer upgrades, bridge repairs and construction, bicycle lane infrastructure and financing.

Addressing homelessness

Around a week ago, our family purchased a new car and decided to take it out for its first drive. As we cruised along, we started to approach downtown and couldn’t help but notice the increasing numbers of homeless people wandering the streets of Winnipeg. Sadly, parts of our city now resemble a third-world country with growing encampments, plywood on buildings, graffiti, empty bottles of alcohol, and garbage drifting everywhere — certainly not a place where you would imagine safely raising a family.

Many feel provincial and frontline associations are failing to address and combat homelessness in the city. As a result, Winnipeggers are losing faith against the growing issue of poverty. In response to the concern of general safety, city councillors voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to ban campsites from different public spaces. I believe more actions like this should be taken. Don’t we owe it to ourselves as a city to ensure our families and children feel genuinely safe while living here? Now, with just under 2,500 people living on the streets in our city (a number that’s doubled since last year), there has never been a greater need to take action.

With growing homelessness comes growing anger and frustration. For instance, almost 60 per cent of Winnipeg residents feel the city is doing a poor job responding to this issue. Winnipeggers have mixed feelings on the presence of encampments — 90 per cent of citizens are not tolerant or accepting of these communities while 40 per cent of people feel frustrated. Mayor Scott Gillingham has concerns that people may try to avoid public amenities such as bus stops, parks, and playgrounds. On the other hand, local outreach workers have voiced that restricting homeless communities would force the people to spread out, delaying efforts to reach and help them.

Poverty is certainly not a simple issue to face. Overall, while I believe that homeless people need much more support, attention, and resources … it should not compromise the health, safety, and well-being of others. Homelessness in Winnipeg is, in fact, a major issue that we can’t afford to ignore any longer.

Chase Bender

Winnipeg

Too many lost to drugs

I live in Point Douglas and like many of my neighbours, I accept the evidence that harm reduction is evidence-based health care and want people in my neighbourhood to be able to access this lifesaving health care.

I think supervised consumption sites are needed, and that Winnipeg needs a number of them, and I would very much support one or a few being established in Point Douglas where I live. Similarly, detox options are needed, and I welcome their presence as well; again this is health care treatment that is sorely needed in the midst of an ongoing drug toxicity crisis. Like any neighbourhood, views from here are diverse.

Yet, in recent years the views that have been highlighted from my neighbourhood in the media concerning possible local developments are not only anti-scientific, they frame people that I love as dangerous, delinquent, and harmful to others, seemingly as a strategy to prevent the establishment of lifesaving healthcare.

These views are in no way representative of people who live in Point Douglas — many in fact disagree. We have lost too many people to drug toxicity and the lack of services that is in part linked to this stigma. We can do so much better.

Kate Sjoberg

Winnipeg

A road to Churchill

I lived in Churchill, Man., some 43 years ago. The only way in and out of Churchill at that time was via rail or air. Sadly, this is still the case.

I believe the federal and provincial governments should fund and build a year-round road for use from Thompson to Churchill. This would give access to the grain elevators and a sea port, and a year-round road just makes sense and should realistically be pursued.

While serving in the military at Churchill, we were told that a military super-base was going to be built in the north to protect Canada’s sovereignty. Instead, the government of the day chose to downsize military bases and let all forms of military equipment and infrastructure deteriorate to the point that we are ill prepared to answer the call for military support, both domestically and abroad. Ideally, a new military base in the Churchill area would be an asset for both the town, province and Canada.

The north is going to be a hotly disputed issue in the future with other countries trying to lay claim to our sovereignty and resources.

With an expanded and updated sea port, I could see cruise ships docking at the town to see the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” This would enhance tourism, the economy and the town’s inevitable expansion.

I am encouraged that the federal government is considering a pipeline to the Port of Churchill.

Churchill and Manitoba have much to offer Canada and have been left out of the budget circle far too long.

Glenn Counsell

London, Ont.

Kinew’s comments appreciated

Re: Kinew takes issue with bail decision (Oct. 8)

Thankfully and finally someone in authority has spoken out against the lack of justice rendered by the provincial judiciary, especially when it comes to the granting of bail.

Premier Wab Kinew was elected to represent the taxpayers, and in doing so expressed his support of the Crown attorney who warned the presiding judge about endangering the public confidence in the justice system by granting bail to an individual who fled the country after being charged with two deaths.

Judges, on the other hand, are not elected in this country and in many cases appear to disregard the safety of the public in handing down their decisions. Judicial sentences for violent offenders, such as they must refrain from possessing weapons or drinking alcohol, are more in line with a social worker’s recommendations and are unenforceable, or do remote monitors exist to gauge alcohol consumption?

Once the judiciary ceases to act like social workers and more in line with keeping violent offenders off the street, we will all be safer.

Gary Pryce

Winnipeg

Thanks to health-care workers

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon and evening at the urgent-care facility at Concordia Hospital. Yes, the wait between procedures was long, but the kindness, competence and professionalism of every member of the staff whom I encountered was commendable.

Our health care system is certainly stretched, but those people continue to serve so competently, we cannot say the system is broken. Those people continue to hold it together. Thank you to them.

I.M. McKay

Winnipeg