Letters, June 12

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/06/2020 (2228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Statues and history

Everyone knows there were terrible things that happened in countries all over the world, but the trend at this time is to rewrite history, which cannot be done.

Yes, people such as Cecil Rhodes and others were wrong in what they did at the time they did it; but that was then, this is now. Pulling down statues will not erase history. We should look beyond what these people did and see the progress we have made in correcting the wrongs. Pulling down statues will not erase history.

The classic movie Gone With the Wind was recently removed from the HBO Max streaming platform; but removing it and closing your eyes to what happened then will not make it disappear. It happened.

What next? Destroy all art, books and movies that depict slavery? We cannot rewrite history.

Ken Butchart

Winnipeg

 

Society must reopen

Manitoba’s central location, low population, and the minimal effect from travel-related cases of COVID-19 — which actually covers all cases everywhere — has had a significant impact on the relatively healthy situation in our province.

But certainly the Pallister government and its health experts have done a commendable job of managing the COVID-19 outbreak. There have been many governmental missteps, but they deserve big credit for this. Their efforts on our behalf, plus the overall buy-in from citizens, has kept what could have been a much worse situation as controlled as could be hoped for.

As this is written, there are only a handful of active cases in all of Manitoba — all introduced from afar — and none in Winnipeg. In fact, there haven’t been any confirmed cases in the city for weeks. Should that not allow for the return to normalcy for most of our society, at least if these conditions continue? Many businesses and organizations are struggling to stay afloat after their sudden closing and, then, a partial reopening. Business is tough enough when they can go all-out to attract customers and fulfil programs; it’s not survivable at less than full capacity.

Sooner or later, we have to get back to some form of normalcy. Opening the borders will create another challenge to our systems, and a second wave of the coronavirus could strain our industries again. I’m confident the powers that be are prepared for those circumstances, with testing, tracing of contacts and the capacity within our health system. But for now, it should be back to business, with due attention to necessary health protocols.

Round one went to the virus. I’m betting on society to be standing at the end of this battle; but first, it has to be open.

Bruce Johnson

Winnipeg

 

Weighing in civic issues

Re: Police and funding (Letters, June 11)

I imagine that our city would be much better off today if we had taken the opportunity several years ago to elect Peter Kaufmann as our mayor. His common-sense approach to issues is refreshing.

I suggest the Free Press give Kaufmann a weekly opinion column where he can expand on his Conservative ideals. God knows, you have enough left-leaning opinion columnists.

Cal Paul

Winnipeg

 

Peter Kaufmann’s call for conversion of civic defined-benefit pension plans to defined-contribution plans ignores some important facts.

Firstly, just over 80 per cent of civic staff are covered by the Civic Employees’ Pension Plan. It is jointly trusteed — the city and workers make equal contributions — and in the past two decades the city has used its share of surplus in the plan, about $300 million, to fund its contributions to the plan.

By any measure, the civic plan has been a success story for both workers and the city.

Kaufmann also argues that the city’s infrastructure deficit has been created by civic salary and benefits costs, not urban sprawl. Here too, the facts tell another story. Winnipeg’s boundaries mirror those of Greater Toronto, whose population is more than triple that of Winnipeg.

The urban sprawl of the past 50 years has come at a tremendous price in terms of failing inner-city infrastructure.

Paul Moist

Winnipeg

 

 

Premier needs to be part of dialogue

Re: Defunding police ‘illogical step’: Pallister (June 9)

Premier Brian Pallister’s provincial hiring freeze is hugely detrimental to front-line programs to help families in distress.

There is very little political will to ensure families get the support they need. Programs for foster care, addictions support, mental health, etc. have been consistently eroded by this government — a disingenuous strategy, to say the least.

Almost all people who end up being involved with police have involvement with family services in their early lives. Front-line workers have been labouring under a hiring freeze, with other resources also being squeezed. There is no question whatsoever this compromises their ability to assist families in distress, and police involvement is inevitable as a result.

Police reform cannot take place without this discussion.

Nora Heitmann

Matlock

 

It is unfortunate that Premier Brian Pallister is unable to listen to anyone other than himself.

In the midst of a local and international crisis of race-based policing and a global pandemic, he finds ways to defund social programs and almost any group attempting to address issues of homelessness, poverty, addiction and substandard education and housing. These are the people who bear the brunt of inappropriate and aggressive policing. But our “mad dad” can find a way to lecture the people of Manitoba about our inadequacy.

There seems little hope of progress if we can’t listen to the people of Manitoba.

Daniel Levin

Winnipeg

 

Long-term thinking

Re: Moving forward in post-pandemic economy (June 10)

In their column, professors Chernomas and Hudson make a persuasive case for progressive policy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It emerges from the logic of events and is being made in many quarters.

They forgot to mention, however, that at the moment, high government spending is being financed on international markets, expanding the balance sheets and revenues of big financial institutions. Yes, interest rates are low today, but they are better than nothing for these rentier institutions and may not remain low for long. 

It is critical, in envisaging a progressive post-pandemic future, that government spending be arranged in ways that does not empower private rentier interests. Unless the old pact between states and big money — “don’t tax us, borrow from us” — is broken, professors Chernomas and Hudson’s hopes, which I share, are likely to be dashed.

Radhika Desai

Professor, department of political studies

Director, Geopolitical Economy Research Group

President, Society for Socialist Studies

University of Manitoba

Winnipeg