Letters, Dec. 19

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Legal system marred by racism Re: Thunder Bay court delivers surprise bit of justice (Dec. 14)

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Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/12/2020 (1760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Legal system marred by racism

Re: Thunder Bay court delivers surprise bit of justice (Dec. 14)

In his column, Niigaan Sinclair states: “The defence also tried to argue the act wasn’t racially motivated. On this, Pierce said little — which perhaps said the most. Change can’t all come in one day. On Monday, though, we got a moment of hope, Of change, of justice. Maybe a little bit of peace for Barbara Kentner’s family, too.”

This observation has raised serious questions in my mind about the systemic racism in our justice system that chooses to ignore the race factor. For a judge to be silent on this issue is indicative of how insidious racism against Indigenous people is in Canada. Silence is not the response I expected from a judge in 2020.

“Little hope” is not good enough. The racialized and especially the Indigenous communities deserve full justice at every level of this system and not crumbs thrown out as charity by colonized institutions.

Tanya Talaga, in her op-ed “Guilty verdict in death of Indigenous woman a relief, but also deeply imperfect” (Globe and Mail, Dec. 15), very aptly states: “If you call yourself a Canadian and you have not taken a moment today to think about Barbara Kentner, you have no idea what is really happening in this country. If you do not see how the roots of colonialism still grip the justice system and mindsets of those who work and serve in it, then you are blind to Canada’s true and continuing history, and you are part of the problem.”

We must demand that the justice systems and institutions in our country take serious steps to reform, correct and implement policies that compel the administering of justice that is not beholden to colonial standards and biases. After all, the Supreme Court has given directives as such.

At the provincial level, I would recommend a transparent anti-racism audit within every department of justice, to assess and respond to why this system is failing to purge racism from its midst.

Shahina Siddiqui, Winnipeg

 

Downtown retail disappearing 

The closure of the Bay store, although not surprising, is one more nail in the coffin of downtown retail and services. When will it all stop? Recently, we’ve also lost Staples, Coles bookstore and maybe Mountain Equipment Co-op.

There are now downtown no new bookstores, no stationery and computer suppliers, no department stores; and only one walk-in clinic and one medical lab, five blocks apart. (Boyd’s walk-in clinic and pharmacy have closed). The supermarket went years ago, thanks to Target. This is only a partial list of other conveniences that have closed over the years, such as greeting card shops, several shoe stores, and so on.

I have not heard of any concern from city council, but perhaps they are helpless, as many of the businesses that have pulled out are American (including the Bay). My question: does the city have no power to stop necessary stores such as Staples from just closing up on a week’s notice?

We downtown dwellers (among whom are hundreds of elderly or disabled people) feel helpless as we watch one business or service after another disappear. It’s not just us — thousands of university students will feel the losses when the university reopens.

Hilda Wagstaffe, Winnipeg

 

Increased pay means increased prices

Re: “Hero pay” for frontline workers: union (Dec. 15)

I am very thankful for the frontline workers in the many retail grocery stores, food production, distribution and warehousing (as well as the truckers delivering it). I also congratulate the large retail companies for their swift implementation of the many safety procedures, protecting both employees and customers.

Please remember increased wages means increased prices. I have already noticed price increases in the stores — I hope due to the fires and floods. Now is not the time for corporations to turn more profit or to gouge consumers.

Thank you all for helping consumers get through this pandemic. There are many people who are not working at this time due to skeleton staffing in restaurants or other businesses. Also, remaining at home day after day is terrible! Anyone who has a job at this time should be grateful that they are still making money to pay the bills.

We’re all in this together, and with the grace of God, we will get through it.

M. Florence Smith, Winnipeg

 

Border worries

A recent article in The Independent, “How North Dakota became a COVID cautionary tale,” is disturbing, and threatening to Manitoba —  especially the border region.

Seems that where there’s a Republican state there’s an out-of-control pandemic. Religion is expected to protect people from the virus while people crowd in tight places to shop, drink and pray.

Yet in any old Grade 6 or Grade 7 health text book from the 1950s there would be a chapter on communicable diseases. What were the mandated procedures that had to be followed? Why, it was a 40-day quarantine of the whole family with a yellow warning poster on the home.

Try and argue the “freedom” card when there’s a rampant disease circulating in the district. The moms and dads of this generation would have been fully cognizant of the regulations governing health safety while growing up, or perhaps the grandparents. Now, somehow, the catch-all cry of “freedom” and disbelief of authority, charged with and paid to protect the community, has replaced caution, co-operation and cognition of the risks that defying the tried-and-true processes pose.

Some Americans have turned to bizarre theories to justify their way of thinking while ignoring the basic fact that “freedom” in a cemetery is less desirable than living and breathing behind a mask or staying put in one’s house.

North Dakota’s governor and U.S. President Donald Trump have blood on their hands for their cavalier attitude to the pandemic and, to a lesser extent, but still complicit, are the citizens who supported such shabby governments that would not lead, but lied about the way to defend the public from illness and death. 

Millions of Republican voters backed this shabby neglect of citizens’ well-being. Some even publicly stated that the coronavirus is a “hoax” — and then ended up literally gasping for breath.

But North Dakota? Canadians regularly drive and spend in the state and, up until now, it was thought that they shared the same values. No offence intended, but should Manitobans patronize a state that is recalcitrant?

Ed Russell, Petersfield

 

Yes sir, that’s my Boba

Farewell and adieu to original Star Wars cast member Jeremy Bulloch, who played Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). He also cameoed in The Empire Strikes Back as an Imperial officer, and in Revenge of the Sith (2005) as a pilot.

My condolences go out to his wife and family.

Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach, Fla.

 

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