Letters, Dec. 22

Opportunity to reflect

Re: Pierre Poilievre may be his own problem (Editorial, Dec. 19)

My grandfather passed on words of wisdom that I’d like to share with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, although likely, too little, too late: “Look in the mirror kid, and you’ll see your enemy.”

I have a feeling Poilievre’s mirrors don’t work very well.

Ian Campbell

Winnipeg

Personnel costs

Re: Council passes budget with late change to hire additional firefighters (Dec. 18)

I noted with interest the front-page article in Thursday’s paper reporting the City of Winnipeg will now “add 20 firefighters in 2026 at an estimated cost of $700,000.”

I am really perplexed by this as either we are now paying firefighters essentially minimum wage ($700,000 divided by 20 is $35,000), or this is a massive misrepresentation of the true cost of these additional firefighters. A quick internet search says the average wage of a firefighter in Winnipeg is between $62,400 and $122,720 annually (presumably before benefits and pension), which leads me to believe the true annual cost of these employees will likely end up being closer to $2 million.

While we all can acknowledge there are real challenges with our current emergency response system, city council misrepresenting the true costs of their decisions is not the way to address this situation. Given the same article reports the city’s plan is to hire an additional 20 firefighters in 2027, truthful accounting of these staffing costs is critical.

Clinton Skibitzky

Winnipeg

Persevering amid storm

My husband and I must add our accolades for our Thursday paper delivery.

Our driveway, walkway and front stairs were covered with snow up to my husband’s waist yet our faithful Andrew (who is no spring chicken!) managed to make it up the driveway and deposit the plastic bag with paper firmly secured at the bottom of the stairs.

We are only one delivery along his route. Dec. 18 required a Herculean physical effort by all the paper carriers. We honour your tenacity & dedication to your job!

Christine and John Ruban

Winnipeg

I would like to offer two sets of kudos:

During Thursday’s blizzard, my Free Press arrived intact and on time, so many thanks to my dedicated carrier, Anita!

Also, on Morley Avenue, on the north side between Osborne and Hay Street, some hardy soul/souls had cleared a path on the sidewalk for the entire block! I was so grateful for the break in trudging through the snow — thank you, thank you, thank you.

Pauline Johnson

Winnipeg

I want to publicly thank our Free Press delivery person for their undaunted service, especially for the Thursday morning delivery. The paper was in our mailbox, way before I got up, in spite of the horrendous weather and road conditions in the overnight hours. How coincidental it was that that was the day I put the thank-you Timmie’s gift card in our mailbox for the delivery person to pick up.

I love our “real” paper, I love to stretch my arms wide or fold it into quarters to read the printed edition or challenge our brains with a puzzle, none of that squinting at a small screen gadget for me. Recently, I heard that family members have had their daily delivery cancelled because there is no delivery person available. How sad! They now have to go down to the local shop to pick up a printed newspaper, which for an older person is a real challenge, or worse, squint at a gadget. I sympathize with them.

Thank you to our paper delivery person, long may you deliver my daily enjoyment.

Bob Sales

Winnipeg

Adjusting for inflation

Regarding the Winnipeg north end sewage treatment plant, it’s hundreds and hundreds of millions dollars over budget. How could this happen? Shouldn’t the original estimated cost for the project have been much higher to allow for an increase in inflation?

No. Why? Because it would not have been palatable to the people of Winnipeg to accept. Any way you look at, because of these huge cost overruns, some heads should roll. It would have been much better to estimate the upgrading of the plant by doubling or tripling the original cost estimate, and then they could say the final cost was under budget.

The truth of the real cost should have been made clear from the get-go.

Robert Moskal

Winnipeg

The big transit picture

Re: Free bus rides for all might be what’s needed to save Winnipeg Transit (Dec. 10)

It was great to read Dan Lett’s piece on Dec. 10 about making Winnipeg Transit free for all riders. I am a regular bus rider and today was my first day sharing the bus with transit staff that were refusing passengers that didn’t have sufficient funds.

One was denied because they only had $2 and the other because their transfer had expired. My route is from north Winnipeg to downtown, going through one of the lowest income neighbourhoods in Canada. I was ashamed of Transit for denying rides to people in need.

Transit should be considered a public service — like a hospital or school. As Lett’s article laid out, the benefits of getting cars off the roads far outweighs that income that fares bring in. Slowing down climate change, pedestrian/cyclist safety, road repairs — all of these things are so much more important than $3.35 per ride.

We need to see the bigger picture of what free transit could do for Winnipeg and be bold enough to make this change.

Codi Guenther

Winnipeg

Planner put in place too late

Re: EPC banks on transit planner to work out kinks in new network (Dec. 16)

If the whole transit overhaul had begun with a “transit planner,” we would not have the need now to hire this full-time transit planner. The mayor’s cabinet has decided, finally, that it needs this “to chart out adjustments to the controversial spine-and-feeder network that’s been the source of persistent complaints since it was rolled out in June,” and it’s no wonder.

At the transit overhaul’s launch, the front page in the Free Press headline was The man with the bus plan. The story included the picture of a transit bus painted for the launch with the words frequent, direct, connected and simplified. If all those words were correct we wouldn’t now need a full-time transit planner position in the 2026 budget. Frequent? Not. Direct? Not. Connected? Not. Simplified? Not.

From reading so many letters to the editor since the launch, it is apparent this new system negatively affects many or most school-aged, young-adult, adult, senior, frequent and infrequent transit users, and many working folks with early and late work schedules.

Will this new transit planner have to start from scratch to rectify the persistent complaints resulting from the launch? I sure hope not.

Lionel Moore

Winnipeg

I find it mind-boggling how the City of Winnipeg not long ago was touting the changes to Winnipeg Transit as a step forward to improving things for its residents.

Now, after weeks of people constantly writing in to the Free Press with complaints, it seems the city is once again going to improve things. Instead of admitting they screwed up and should have left well enough alone and just go back to the system we had before, they would like to hire a full-time planner to chart out adjustments. So now we’re going to use more taxpayer money to pay someone to do the obvious.

City hall minds at work again.

Harry Peterson

Winnipeg