Letters, March 21

Such disrespect

At the recent Executive Policy Committee meeting (March 17) members decided to vote against the recommendation of their own public service to install a pilot project of temporary bike lanes on Wellington Crescent from Academy to Stradbrook.

In making this decision, Mayor Scott Gillingham indicated that he had had some discussions with people in the late 20’s and early 30’s and that “this is the kind of infrastructure they want for their city.”

He went on the state “we’re making these decisions not for the 60- and 70-year-olds.” He did follow it with “no disrespect as lots of them use these facilities,” but then reiterated that they are making these decisions for “future generations.”

While I have no doubt that 30- and 40-year-olds want this kind of infrastructure, there are ,as the mayor indicated, lots of seniors, and for that matter Winnipeggers between their early 30’s and 65 that use these facilities. I am not going to argue the merits of the pilot project, that has already been discussed and the decision rendered, but as a senior that rides a bike, I found our mayor’s comments disrespectful.

As Winnipeggers, we should expect our elected representatives to make decisions for all residents. They should also be making decisions based on what is best for our city and not what is best for their re-election, but that is a topic for another day.

While I am sure that Mayor Gillingham did not mean to “disrespect” seniors, he has, in fact, done just that.

If he would like to some discussions with seniors about what kind of infrastructure we would want for our city, I’d be happy to arrange it.

Dave Elmore

Winnipeg

 

Why no charges?

I’ve been following the police headquarters fiasco closely. Let me start by saying I’m not a fraud expert, and I understand that suspicion is not proof, and that an inquiry is not a criminal court.

But every day I become more angered listening to testimony.

Maybe the police investigators know something the public does not.

Maybe there is an evidentiary problem that makes charges impossible. Maybe.

But from the outside, it is hard to understand how there are no charges here.

When people hear about inflated invoices, circular payments, unpaid subcontractors and millions in taxpayer money tied to a deeply troubled project, it does not look like simple mismanagement.

To the average person it looks like something much more serious.

If there is a reason no criminal charges were laid, I think the public deserves a clear explanation.

Marc Robichaud

Winnipeg

 

Cutting costs

Re: LRSD approves 2026 to 27 budget, tax hike March 10

I was surprised to see a full-page advertisement from the Louis Riel School Division in a recent edition of La Liberté, given the financial context outlined in the Free Press March 10 article.

With a nearly 10 per cent property tax increase approved to address a deficit, alongside deferred infrastructure projects and an emphasis on cost reductions, spending taxpayer dollars on large-scale advertising raises valid concerns.

I want to be clear that I support investments that directly benefit students and teachers.

Classrooms, learning supports, and staff should always be the priority.

However, it is difficult to understand how large-scale advertising aligns with those priorities, especially when residents are being asked to contribute more.

Taxpayers deserve transparency on the purpose, cost, and value of these advertisements, and how they support the division’s core mandate.

Justin Beaudry

Winnipeg

 

Expensive nuclear power

Re: Hydro built our past. What is the future of energy?, Think Tank, March 19

Marwa Suraj recommends Manitoba Hydro consider a small modular (nuclear) reactor for power generation in Manitoba.

Time for a reality check on nuclear energy.

Despite the nuclear industry’s enthusiasm for its products, nuclear generators have several draw-backs.

Nuclear reactors are the most expensive form of power generation.

They produce radioactive waste. Canada is planning its nuclear waste storage facility upstream from Lake Winnipeg.

They create a security risk of theft of highly radioactive materials by terrorists.

Manitoba Hydro is in financial straits because successive provincial governments have sought to maintain low rates for electricity. Those artificially low rates are holding back investment in sensible electricity generation and distribution alternatives.

Before any nuclear facility is added to Manitoba Hydro planning, the cost of electricity in Manitoba must gradually be raised to the level it would take to pay for nuclear generated electricity.

At those rates, not only would Hydro have more resources to implement modern renewable generation, distribution and storage, Manitobans would cut their demand for Hydro’s electric power as on-site solar and wind generation become viable, and increase the incentive for conservation of energy.

That would be a long-term solution which our grandchildren would thank us for.

Charles Feaver

Winnipeg

 

Parsing outrage

In her letter to the editor, Conflicts… and concerns, March 19, letter writer Yolanda Papina-Pollock has manufactured anti-semitism where none existed.

Papina-Pollock has used a rhetorical manipulation to turn the State of Israel, often referred to as “the only democracy in the Middle East” into the ethno-nation of the Jewish people.

By doing so, Papina-Pollock has erased over 20 per centof the State of Israel’s non-Jewish citizens.

Papina-Pollock accuses Laila Chebib of using dehumanizing language to demonize and delegitimate Jews, which is not what Chebib said.

Chebib was referring to the State of Israel as the cancer, which may sound harsh to some people, but it is exactly how Israel has been acting.

Like cancer, which is a destructive and deadly force, Israel has been invading Palestinian land and been killing Palestinians since 1948.

It has been intensifying that killing for the past 29 months in Gaza and the West Bank, and has now spread into Iran, Lebanon, Syria and through out the Middle East.

There is enough real antisemitism to be worried and concerned about without creating some where none existed.

That is the only irresponsible language here, and there is no excuse for it.

Harold Shuster

Winnipeg

 

What are the costs?

I enjoyed reading Dan Lett’s “Not for Attribution” on daylight saving time.

I have been and will always be anti-DST for many reasons, mostly health related.

First of all, we have a natural cycle called the circadian rhythm, which regulates processes within the body. Heart rate, hormones and sleep-wake cycles, just to name a few. Common sense tells us that if this “clock” is tampered with, there could be serious consequences.

Talk to a lot people that when the clocks move forward, in the spring, they experience insomnia, irritability and general malaise. It would be interesting to see the stats from the major hospitals if there is an uptake in visits during this period.

As a former teacher, I know very well the effects of DST on student attention levels. Some students are more fatigued and those with attentional difficulties suffer the most. Adults experience this lag as well. Driving ability and job performance surely suffer for some.

Lastly, what are the long term effects of DST? Why have most other locales gone away from it?

These are valid questions if we want to ascertain the real effects of DST.

Ken Campbell

Winnipeg