Letters, Oct. 1

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/10/2022 (1342 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Weighing Murray’s history

Re: Murray stays in race after leadership, behaviour allegations surface (Sept. 30)

More excuses from someone not fit for the job (Opinion, Sept. 30)

Columnist Tom Brodbeck absolutely nailed it with this opinion piece. I remember reading about all those incidents involving Glen Murray back in the day when they occurred.

I voted for Murray when he ran for mayor the first time. I soon learned that he could not be trusted and was only out to serve himself and his incredible ego. Leaving during his mayoral term was a kick in the face to all Winnipeggers. He will never get my vote again.

With more articles like this, exposing Murray for who he really is, the people of Winnipeg will elect a better candidate for mayor.

Wendy Bergman

Winnipeg

I knew Glen Murray well when we served on Winnipeg’s Historic Building Advisory Committee. I was a community heritage building volunteer and also engaged in several public roles in my capacity as an architect.

Occasionally, he could be a bit brash. He has a strong character and personality. I can understand how this would be perceived as threatening by the wealthy old boys in redneck Alberta.

Someone in a back room decided Murray is an unstoppable candidate for the mayor of Winnipeg and decided to try character assassination as a last resort. The back-room boys want a mayor who will beholden to them.

Murray was, and still is, passionate about Winnipeg’s future. He cares about energy conservation, he cares about homelessness, and he cares about Winnipeg’s arts and architecture. His accomplishments cannot be denied.

We have had our share of back-room mayors accused of kickbacks and crooked real estate deals. Let’s have a mayor who is honest and passionate about what is important to Winnipeg’s citizens, not another smiling two-faced hypocrite.

I see malice behind the innuendo and misrepresentation of Murray’s personality.

John White

Winnipeg

This article in the Free Press and the article on the CBC website do not paint a pretty picture of Glen Murray. Nonetheless, I stand shoulder to shoulder with Murray in this onslaught.

Some Like It Hot is the greatest comedy ever made. The last line in that movie is, “Nobody’s perfect.” That’s how I feel when it comes to the latest revelations about Murray’s past.

Rich North

Winnipeg

Re: Motkaluk targets Murray for missing federal campaign expense documents (July 26)

Regarding Glen Murray’s tale of lost receipts for his unsuccessful Green Party leadership bid, yet another promised deadline has come and gone with no action. It is time the media takes this issue seriously and takes Murray to task.

To recap: multiple media outlets reported Murray’s original filing deadline was April 6, 2021 (approximately 19 months ago), then with Elections Canada’s approval, a deadline extension was granted to June 6, 2021.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2022, Elections Canada had yet to receive Murray’s expenses. His representative, Heather Mack, stated all receipts have been secured and submitted to his campaign auditors, who in turn asked for clarification of five receipts. On July 26, 2022, Mack said she expects the return to be completed in about four weeks, which would have been Aug. 24.

One cannot help but be suspicious as to why, after 24 months, Murray has not officially submitted his expenses.

For transparency and honesty, something he has always proudly advocated, will Murray commit to Winnipeggers to immediately and publicly release his expenses as they currently stand, using the Elections Canada form, and separately list any that are missing or require clarification and what that clarification is?

Rick Watts

Winnipeg

I am glad to see Glen Murray is remaining in the mayoral race. It never fails that in election campaigns at all levels, someone goes out of their way to dig up past dirt on a candidate. In most cases, the digging is done by one of the competing candidates.

I wonder what skeletons are in the closets of the other mayoral candidates.

Dan Herzog

Winnipeg

Ukraine comparison disturbing

Re: Don’t promote Ukrainian vote (Letters, Sept. 30)

As an Aboriginal, a Dene, and an Indian residential school survivor, I find a letter by Peter J. Manastyrsky very disturbing. Referring to Vladimir Putin’s proclamation of four Ukraine regions as Russian territory, Manastyrsky writes: “I don’t think any of us living in a democratic society would like someone taking over our property and proclaiming it as theirs.”

Isn’t that the way the European settler immigrants took Canada away from the Aboriginals in Canada? Indian treaties are a sham that pauperized Canada’s Aboriginals and enclosed them in Indian reserves. Are the Russians doing the same thing to the Ukrainians?

Ralph Paul

Winnipeg

Seize church property

Re: Catholic Church should have sold property to compensate residential school victims: Sinclair (Sept. 30)

In my mind, Murray Sinclair’s thoughts regarding compensation for residential-school survivors, while wise and eloquent, don’t go nearly far enough. The Catholic Church is one of the richest organizations on Earth. Its properties should have been seized (not sold) by Canada to cover the cost of compensation and its charity tax-deduction status should have been revoked.

Bob Sales

Winnipeg

‘Emergency room’ misnomer

Re: Three out of eight people who go to city ERs, don’t need it (Sept. 30)

Here is the dictionary definition of emergency: “a sudden, serious and dangerous event or situation that needs immediate action to deal with it.”

Most people who go to hospital emergency rooms do so because they are desperate to get treatment for a situation that in their mind is an emergency that could be life-threatening.

I’m well aware that there are those who go to emergency with less than life-threatening issues but, nonetheless, they are in the same queue to get treatment.

The government has told us, and I’m assuming it’s based on their close monitoring of the situation, that things are getting better. Officials actually believe we are gullible enough to trust that they are actively doing something to make things better and that we should accept this because occasionally the wait times are less than nine hours, which they flaunt as the system improving.

Am I missing something here? Waiting eight-plus hours doesn’t even come close to the definition of “emergency.” What dictionary does the government use?

Rick Gallant

Morden

Against yet another holiday

Re: Tories reject statutory holiday (Sept. 30)

I am glad we have time to think about legislation concerning a permanent Orange Shirt Day holiday. We can do better.

In my opinion, we do nothing good for the country’s gross domestic product in an always competitive global market by having yet another day off from gainful employment.

Also, truth and reconciliation deserves a prime spot on the holiday calendar. Why not mark Truth And Reconciliation Day on Aug. 1, right in the middle of summer, where I think it belongs?

Dale Downey

Winnipeg