Letters, Oct. 18

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2022 (1325 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bellamy for mayor

Re: Election at point of inflection (Oct. 14)

As far as I am concerned, we don’t need an election for a new mayor. Brent Bellamy should be acclaimed.

As Bellamy points out, Winnipeg has expanded its footprint over the last 50 years, requiring more infrastructure and costs, both short and long term. Less density means fewer people per square kilometer to pay for a bigger tab, whether road and sewer work or buses with dwindling ridership.

Strange how the houses of older neighbourhoods don’t seem to meet the needs of newer homeowners. It seems that consumerism has dictated policies from city hall that now need reverse engineering to increase the density in the core of the city with infill building and zoning changes to allow diverse housing.

We don’t need another candidate whose platform is “more transparency” at city hall. This is not a plan. The best plan I’ve heard comes from a guy who isn’t even running.

Doug Howell

Winnipeg

I found Brent Bellamy’s article enlightening, particularly his point on the loss of mature tree canopy. Even without climate change, I have always found healthy trees to be a beautiful aesthetic in an urban area, which makes the slow disappearance of them all the more disheartening.

Another interesting point he mentions is the scale of urban sprawl in Winnipeg. Though I’ve witnessed it many times while driving, especially on the outskirts of the city, I was unaware that suburban sprawl had reached these proportions. There are many consequences to this, the most obvious and wasteful being complete reliance on vehicles for transportation.

Paul Robertson

Beausejour

Brent Bellamy’s excellent article did not directly mention consumerism. My mother, for example, shopped at most once per week but today many people shop more often. Of course, urban sprawl is one of the reasons we must drive.

Bellamy notes the “unconstrained consumption of farmland” as an unsustainable path forward. Another article in the Free Press noted that more than 60 per cent of Manitobans believe humans are causing climate change. Unfortunately, consumerism is part of global warming.

Hopefully, all mayoralty candidates are addressing our climate commitments, at least in their thinking, as part of policies for Winnipeg.

Barry Hammond

Winnipeg

Does the City of Winnipeg actually have a city planner? If there is such a position, it’s a misnomer.

Brent Bellamy hits the nail on the head: “Build it and they will come” and the city will pick up the tab for the urban sprawl. Unfortunately, a lot of damage has been done.

This city needs people with vision and fortitude, not more “developers.”

Lorraine Helgason

Winnipeg

Quitting job shows character

Re: Murray’s tenure acclaimed (Letters, Oct. 15)

I owned a retail store in a mall and had a manager whose praises I sang as loudly as Annitta Stenning and Paul Moist sing the praises of mayoral candidate Glen Murray. One day, she quit by sliding her keys under the door with a note, which would equate to the way Murray bailed in the middle of his previous commitment as mayor.

Six months later, my store’s ex-manager called to get her job back. As that point it was unthinkable, as I already had confirmation of the nature of the beast. Would any of you have done differently?

Jerry Rubin

Winnipeg

Newspaper valuable ritual

Re: Free Press reflections 150 (Oct. 15)

I read the editorial staff’s reflections on the 150th anniversary of the Free Press with interest and some personal nostalgia, the latter because of the paper’s importance to my father, an immigrant from Ukraine after the Second World War.

His family best remembers him for his morning ritual of reading the Winnipeg Free Press when it arrived, cover to cover, without fail. It not only aided in enhancing his English-language skills but, more importantly, was an invaluable source of information on world affairs and his beloved Winnipeg and Canada.

I continue his ritual and wish the Winnipeg Free Press many more years in circulation.

Marta Sabara

Winnipeg

The article said: “Free Press newsroom staff reflect on what it means to be part of the newspaper’s legacy as we near our sesquicentennial date. Now we want to hear from you.”

You forgot some valuable people. It’s great to hear from the editorial team and the readers, but it takes more than a newsroom to make a newspaper. What about the circulation team, the people who run the printing press, accounts payable and receivable clerks, the advertising sales team, the advertorial writers, the graphic designers, the classified ad and obituaries departments, payroll and human resources, the business managers, the janitorial staff, the security guards, the receptionists, the IT team, and the carriers who bring the paper to newsstands and our front doors?

Let’s hear their thoughts on being a part of the Winnipeg Free Press. I bet they take pride in their work, too.

Kirsten Goldstone

Winnipeg

Long wait for regulation

Re: Massage therapist accused in sex assault (Oct. 13)

As the registrar of the Remedial Massage Therapists Society of Manitoba, I concur with Tricia Weidenbacher, the registered massage therapist quoted in the story about the need for regulation in the industry.

As a profession, we have tirelessly lobbied past and current health ministers with little in the way of tangible responses. We have been told that we are on the list behind five other health-care professions and must wait our turn. The timeline given to us is two to three years until the review begins. Whether this is calendar years or “government years” was not clear.

I suspect the five other professions ahead of massage therapy are not making headlines like this. So, my question to the current government is: how is the list being prioritized?

Pamela Gregoire

Winnipeg

Liquor-store rules needed

Re: Refused entry at liquor store (Letters, Oct. 14)

Letter writer Doug McKeever complains that he was refused entry to a liquor store as he wasn’t carrying the required government-issued picture identification.

This requirement was introduced quite some time ago in response to individuals and groups walking in, helping themselves, and walking out without paying. As time passed, both staff and customers were intimidated, threatened and, in a few cases, actually assaulted.

McKeever seems to think that the rules — “which defy common sense” — don’t apply to him as he was previously a probation officer and union member, although quite when being a member of a union became proof of honesty and good standing escapes me just for the moment.

The requirement to show designated identification applies to all, in the same way that to board an aircraft you have to go through security. It’s not put in place to annoy us. It’s put in place to help prevent those few individuals who think the rules don’t apply to them and they can do as they wish.

If standing in line and presenting the government-issued picture identification is the price to pay for entry into a store where I’m less likely to suffer threats, intimidation or even assault, then, frankly, it’s a price I’m happy to pay, even if it’s -30C outside. I’ve got a hat and coat.

Martyn Wardle

Souris