Flying into the future

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/11/2011 (5165 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Barry Ozinak made a number of errors in his letter Skin in the game (Nov. 1). First, the idea that Winnipeg is a city filled with vacant historic treasures is a myth. Most of the Exchange is completely occupied by a mix of residential, commercial, office and industrial tenants. In addition, such notable heritage buildings as the Union Bank and Avenue Building are currently being renovated to new uses.

Second, Ozinak asserts that if Brent Bellamy wishes to see Winnipeg’s 1960s airport terminal preserved, he ought to use his own money to save it rather than spending tax dollars to do so. In fact, estimates presently indicate demolition of the building will cost taxpayers $4 million to $5 million.

Given that the Western Canadian Aviation Museum wishes to construct a new facility on or near that site — a project that will invariably draw funding from the government — preserving and reusing the airport (or at least its grand arrivals and departures hall) is likely to save taxpayer money.

Saving money and saving a heritage building seem to be a no-brainer. Doing so promises to establish a tourist attraction comparable to Paris’s Musée d’Orsay (a former train station) and New York and L.A.’s recently restored mid-century modernist airport terminals. The opposite thinking — the destruction put forward by those such as Ozinak and the unaccountable airports authority — would have deprived the city of such attractions as The Forks and the Exchange District’s Red River College campus.

JEFFREY THORSTEINSON

Winnipeg

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The Oct. 29 article YWG A-OK! says Winnipeg’s new airport is designed “in stark contrast to other airports, such as Toronto’s, where passengers get their bags themselves, then walk out into the public area where their greeters wait behind a railing and sliding doors.”

To the contrary, the arrivals area in Winnipeg and the necessary fighting through throngs of onlookers to retrieve baggage have been a dysfunctional hassle since the old airport was built. Better, and more secure come to think of it, is to keep the “hero’s welcome” for after baggage pickup.

Better still, build an accessible rapid-transit line from the airport downtown and out to the suburbs, so passengers have the ability to get closer to their final destinations independently, should they choose. Now wouldn’t that be “world-class”?

KATHLEEN KRISTJANSSON

Winnipeg