Letters, June 22

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2023 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Good signs in byelection

The federal byelections in Manitoba this week were a great trial run for the provincial election on Oct. 3.

I was heartened to see so many candidates from Winnipeg South Centre commit to working with the Manitoba government to achieve an action plan to protect 30 per cent of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030. This is in line with the views of 91 per cent of Manitobans, according to a recent poll.

Canada joined 195 countries in a 2022 commitment to protect 30 per cent of our lands and waters by 2030. To achieve this 30 per cent conservation target, we need ambitious and co-operative leadership at all levels of government. No single level of government can do it alone, so federal MPs must work with provincial, municipal and Indigenous leaders.

The science is clear: without protecting nature worldwide, humans won’t be able to adapt to the climate change impacting us now. Scientists have issued repeated warnings that our planet is embroiled in extinction and climate crises. We must act now to conserve at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and water to curb biodiversity loss, tackle climate change, prevent future pandemics and sustain low-carbon economic prosperity.

Manitoba is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and we need to develop a plan that will balance conservation and sustainable developments. Otherwise the fresh water that we rely on for our survival will continue to be threatened and imperilled species such as caribou and our treasured polar bears will continue to decline.

That’s why Manitobans need to call on political parties and candidates in the upcoming provincial election to commit to developing an action plan that will protect 30 per cent of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030. All parties will be judged on this metric as anything less will be considered a failure to secure the health and well-being of Manitoba’s people and wildlife.

Ron Thiessen

Executive director, Manitoba chapter, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Winnipeg

No need for excessive snow-clearing

Re: City urged to boost snow-clearing budget to $54M (June 21)

There are other options worth considering in addition to the ‘throw more money at it’ approach.

Having lived in several other western Canadian cities that, yes, are cold and get snow too, I am routinely surprised by what I view as excessive residential snow clearing. Do a better job on sidewalks? I get it but there is simply no real need to be plowing residential streets as often as is done here in Winnipeg.

The only reason this appears to be the case in Winnipeg is it has become the expectation reinforced by year after year of routine “scrape it to the pavement” plowing.

Saskatoon, for example, rarely plows residential streets. Interestingly their property taxes are lower than Winnipeg’s. Funny that.

Calvin Sonntag

Winnipeg

Ideas for safer roads

Level crossings. As was mentioned in an earlier editorial, a quick and inexpensive option would be to close the median to crossings. Drivers will then need to turn right onto an acceleration lane to merge with traffic, and then within one kilometre there will be a deceleration lane to allow vehicles to slow safely and not impede traffic in the left or passing lane.

Then the vehicle can complete the U-turn into an acceleration lane to merge with the traffic and then at the original intersection can turn right using a deceleration lane.

There are many intersections in southern Manitoba where this would work and reduce the chances of a collision. The area could have a reduced speed to 80 km/h to help all drivers merge and “de-merge” safely. Highways 12 at 210 near Ste. Anne has had many collisions (some fatal) and this would be a good solution to this intersection.

We also need many more acceleration and deceleration lanes on major highways such as the Trans-Canada.

Anni Markmann

Ste. Anne

Get on your bike, Gail

Re: Roadwork doesn’t have to be this way (Letters, June 21)

As Gail Asper points out, summer construction does pose obstacles and can also impact cyclists negatively. It seems that motorists in Winnipeg cannot cope with any delays in their single-minded focus to get to their destination, whether that is due to construction or a commuting cyclist, both of which trigger a profound visceral negative response. You are the traffic — and one reason for the wear and tear on our roads requiring repair.

With more cycling commuters, and improved active transit in general, vehicular traffic will decrease. I believe Ms. Asper is able-bodied and could afford an e-bike. The latter described in some circles as the “gateway drug” to cycling as a primary mode of transportation.

I commute with my regular “acoustic” bike and derive significant benefits to my overall sense of well-being. The other active commuters I encounter are not obstacles — they are human beings, not anonymous “autobots” seething while idling in a tin can.

I would ask Ms. Asper to become a patron of the cycling community. Champion improved dedicated bike lanes, widespread bike valets and other security measures. Do it for your health — physical and mental. Do it for all of us.

Ethel MacIntosh

Winnipeg

Hateful rhetoric has price

Re: Trustee should get to speak mind (Letters, June 21)

For letter writer Gilles Roch “freedom of speech” means that “anyone and everyone” is entitled to express their opinion on any issue and “you should respect her right to voices her opinion(s)”.

I just don’t buy the idea that “freedom” means that you can say and do whatever you want with impunity. And I certainly don’t respect the right of people who use this belief to promulgate their often hate-filled rhetoric.

Dan Lett, in his column, called a spade a spade in identifying Francine Champagne’s opinions as “hateful.”

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg

Passing signs

My husband and I were at Falcon Lake on Sunday and were surprised to see how many people were getting tickets for failing to display a provincial park pass.

Those I spoke to said they hadn’t seen the sign or didn’t know there was a charge to use the amenities. At first, I was skeptical about the excuses, but on the way out of the park, I could see many signs demanding the driver’s attention — road works, advertising, directional signs — and perhaps people are less likely to notice the “Pass required” sign in consequence.

Falcon Lake has no booth to pay, unlike Birds Hill Park, for example. Is it time to erect larger signs, perhaps in several languages? Or could an electronic strip be embedded that sends an alert to the driver’s smartphone?

We all benefit if everyone shares the cost of our parks, but no one likes to lose face.

Ann Timonin

Winnipeg