Letters, Feb. 6

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/02/2023 (1215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Years of underfunding

Re: Education minister announces ‘astronomical’ public school funding hike (Feb. 2)

Minister of Education Wayne Ewasko has announced a $100-million increase in funding for public education, amounting to an increase of about six per cent. This “astronomical” increase is surely appreciated by all who support education of young Manitobans. But it does require context.

The increase follows years of underfunding, including a paltry 0.5 per cent increase in base funding for 2021-22, and just a 1.5 per cent increase when all funding is considered. Such a dramatic difference from prior years invites the skeptical conclusion that schools were starved for several years to allow an “astronomical” increase just before a provincial election.

Government funding must also be considered against the total cost. According to some estimates, the province paid for 62.4 per cent of core operating costs in 2016, the year Pallister Progressive Conservatives were elected, which fell to 56.4 per cent by 2021. Such a drop is consistent with the far-from-“astronomical” increases in provincial funding since the PCs were elected.

The current increase also represents less than three per cent of the $3.5 billion in equalization payment for 2022-23 from the federal government. Certainly there are many demands for increased funding, notably health care, but public schools would seem to merit a somewhat greater share of this truly astronomical federal subsidy, given the importance of education for the long-term well-being of not only students, but also of the province.

Jim Clark

Winnipeg

Unfair to blame Gordon

Re: Premier opts for inaction on key cabinet posts (Feb. 1)

In this editorial, there was criticism of Premier Heather Stefanson leaving Audrey Gordon in her role as health minister.

It outlined all the ills in our health-care system in Manitoba. I am sorry, the health-care system is broken and this is not new; we have had hallway medicine for as long as I can remember, as well as elective-surgery delays for months and years.

The issue here is that this has not happened due to what Minister Gordon did or she did not do, as I didn’t see concrete evidence of anyone solving the chronic shortage of doctors or the constant delays before she took over that role.

The editorial stated Gordon ran out of ideas on how to fix the problems that I agree exist; however, what I see here is someone wanting to do something to solve the issue and think outside the box.

I applaud Premier Stefanson for not bowing to the pressure of removing a minister like Gordon for the sake of it. I hope Gordon will look around at other provinces and how they solved the chronic health-care crisis they faced.

And finally, I truly believe the issue is not related entirely to money, and as a province, we don’t need more money from the federal government to fix the broken system; the system is ill from within.

Ab Freig

Winnipeg

Tories have themselves to blame

Re: Cabinet shuffle could help Stefanson (Feb. 3)

Royce Koop wrote an interesting op-ed regarding how Heather Stefanson’s cabinet shuffle could be beneficial to the PCs come election day. No doubt were he the White Star Line’s spokesperson when the Titanic was sinking, he would have spoken in glowing terms of how well Wallace Hartley and his band members played as the ship went under.

There is one line in his piece that stood out to me, however, and that was in referencing the cabinet shuffle. Koop stated it was one of the many “tools” at Stefanson’s disposal for her electoral advantage. The fact of the matter is the PCs have a host of “tools” at their disposal they can use for the benefit of Manitobans. You know, the job they were ostensibly elected into office to do!

The fact the PCs, and indeed Stefanson, have ignored the world around them and embarked on a series of misguided ventures is exactly why the NDP is so far ahead, Stefanson’s claim to fame as Canada’s least popular premier is title hard fought for and well-deserved, “electoral advantages” be darned!

Gary Hook

Winnipeg

Troubling revelations

I write as one of thousands, if not millions, who were hoodwinked by the deception of Jean Vanier.

About 40 years ago, as a United Church minister, I attended the annual meeting of the Church Conference for Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Jean Vanier was our guest speaker, inspiring us with his so-called gentle, casual spiritual wisdom. He was informally dressed in a plaid shirt as he sat in a chair on stage and spoke with what we thought was authenticity and authority.

As a board member of what was then called “The Canadian Association for the Mentally Retarded,” I was deeply interested in the vision and mission of L’Arche, which called for and demonstrated respect, inclusion and equality.

Years later, I was moved by reading one of Vanier’s inspiring books and wrote him a thank-you message, to which he replied with a long handwritten letter. So the shock of learning of his decades of sexual abuse of nuns and other church workers in the name of Christianity left me angry and betrayed.

The harsh reality is that Vanier, like his mentor and “spiritual father,” priest Thomas Philippe, prayed for women and then preyed on them, claiming a form of spiritual mysticism which, in fact, was sexual exploitation for self-gratification, all in the name of religion.

Another icon on my journey has been shattered and revealed as deeply flawed in terms of ethics and responsible behaviour.

John Wesley Oldham

Winnipeg

Leacock’s legacy

Re: Leacock House heritage de-listing vote splits committee (Feb. 2)

Over the past few years, Canadians have erased reminders of undesirable aspects of Canada’s history. In Winnipeg, one example was the destruction and non-replacement of Queen Victoria’s statue. In Toronto, the most notable example was 2022’s renaming of Ryerson University as Toronto Metropolitan University. Both instances were praiseworthy.

Why, then, are Winnipeg’s city councillors dithering over another instance for distancing their city from an arguably opprobrious past? Have they failed to take the time to research the house’s original owner’s sordid past? E.P. Leacock’s nephew, Stephen Leacock, fully describes his uncle’s scams in a brief essay, “My Remarkable Uncle.” The essay is available, free of charge, at the Project Gutenberg site. The following excerpt from that site captures E.P. Leacock’s essence:

“His activities were wide. He was president of a bank (that never opened), head of a brewery (for brewing the Red River) and, above all, secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg, Hudson Bay and Arctic Ocean Railway that had a charter authorizing it to build a road to the Arctic Ocean, when it got ready. They had no track, but they printed stationery and passes, and in return E.P. received passes over all North America.”

Surely, dishonesty and fraud deserve condemnation and erasure to a similar extent that racism does. Why, then, is anyone dithering over the removal of an unsustainable building that symbolizes dishonesty and fraud? Tear it down and let the organization make better use of the space!

Edward Keith Bricknell

Toronto