Letters, July 4

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/07/2023 (1172 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Enough with the ads

Every day as I move through the city I am faced with a barrage of billboard advertising in many locations promoting the provincial government’s recent spending initiatives.

From fixing the healthcare system to hiring more crown prosecutors to creating more $10 day care spaces to carbon tax relief, the taxpayers of Manitoba are being forced to pay for the PC party’s election campaign.

As we know, the 2021 changes to the Election Financing Act enacted by the PC government shortened the blackout period from 90 days to 60 days before an election in which governments are not permitted to advertise. The changes also broadened the ability of government departments to advertise their current spending initiatives.

This taxpayer-funded “propaganda” by the PC government is a flagrant attempt to make us forget about its failures in improving the quality of life in our province and its mismanagement of government funded services such as health care, education, child care, and justice.

Irwin Corobow

Winnipeg

Potential up north

We hear very little from our provincial politicians regarding their vision for the province’s future efforts to improve the economy and reduce climate change. The province is sitting on two “gold mines” that could be exploited in that effort. They are the Port of Churchill and Manitoba Hydro.

Firstly, the Port of Churchill could be vastly expanded in so many ways. One of the main ones would be shipping. With arctic ice quickly melting, it offers the opportunity to increase shipping of various commodities to the whole world. The federal government should also be urged to establish a military base near Churchill.

Besides cold-weather training and testing, this would reduce the chances of Russia and China threatening our sovereignty. They are already claiming more and more of Arctic areas and a military presence in the area would certainly help. Russia is said to be re-activating abandoned bases in the arctic and with its recent invasion and attack on Ukraine. A Canadian military and research presence would help our defense capabilities. With a military base and increased shipping it would further the need to upgrade the railroad to Churchill.

Not only would this benefit all communities along the line but this would spur tourism and research of all kinds.

How to design railroads to withstand permafrost could be one such research project. University of Manitoba professor Barry Prentice has long advocated for a test facility for dirigibles. What better place to build such a facility but where the dirigibles would serve the greatest need — to supply other northern communities. I understand that, more recently, Mr. Prentice has suggested turning Churchill into a container port. This would certainly make a lot of sense. The benefits of a military base in or around Churchill plus improved railroad access and improved shipping facilities are almost unlimited.

Secondly, our Manitoba Hydro could be exploited to also reduce the acceleration of climate change and improve the economy. Where are the incentives for Manitobans to buy electric vehicles? The use of EVs would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels plus the increased demand on Manitoba Hydro power would help to keep rates low. We have a huge surplus of electric power capacity. Currently (no pun intended) river water is allowed to run over spillways instead of being diverted to existing turbine/generators which are sitting idle — which means a waste of free green energy.

The world would be envious to be in such a position. In the future once hydrogen technology takes off (not in dirigibles!) building a hydrogen producing facility near Churchill could be another huge asset. This would be close to the considerable electrical power needed, as opposed to building it in the southern part of the province where there is much less power generation.

The only byproduct of using hydrogen as a fuel is water. Either compressed hydrogen or fuel cells could be shipped worldwide from Churchill. Of course, some of these projects would require the cooperation of the federal government but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. We only need the people who have the power to make changes get busy.

Roland Chartrand

Winnipeg

Heavenly thing to see

Re: A stirring interfaith send-off (June 30)

I was pleased to see John Longhurst’s description of the retirement service for Rev. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd which I also attended. He suggested the service offered “a glimpse of heaven.”

Another interfaith service was held at St. John’s Cathedral to celebrate the coronation of the new King. There was a smudging ceremony outside before the service, a military Indigenous drum group, a lesson read in Cree, a rabbi who sang a psalm in Hebrew and many men dressed in kilts.

People of many different backgrounds participated. I hope these people will use their influence to make sure the homeless people I see every day will have safe and secure housing and three good meals a day.

Mr. Longhurst should agree that Heaven will include the poorest of the poor.

Ruth Swan

Winnipeg

So nice, read it thrice

Re: Closing doors, opening doors (June 30)

What Russell Wangersky had to say was moving in more ways than one. I enjoyed it so much I read it three times. I look forward to more from this engaging writer.

Barry Craig

Winnipeg

Don’t forget

Re: Changes underway after critical incident review on HSC hallway death (June 30)

Let us remember that it was Premier Stefanson, when she was minister of health, who permanently closed six ERs in Winnipeg.

This government based it on the fantasy that businesses can better provide emergency health care. But no 24/7 emergency care businesses existed then and haven’t emerged yet.

So a few people die waiting for emergency care in public ERs. So a few hundred people died from COVID in the appalling businesses called personal care homes.

In this outgoing government, all that matters is serving the ideology of privatization.

Until election time. Then all of a sudden the Conservatives open wide the coffers.

Just not for re-opening those six ERs.

Bev Pike

Winnipeg

Annual sewer theatre

Re: ‘Absolutely disgusting’ (July 3)

Joyanne Pursaga’s article highlights the current state of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in Winnipeg. This is a little bit of theatre that occurs annually when the Water and Waste Department reports on discharges, and it has been going on for a long while. I was involved in the CSO program back in the early 1970s, likely before Ms. Kanu and Wiebe were born.

Contrary to Ms. Kanu’s statements, estimates of the environmental impacts of CSO overflows were made back then and I would bet that Ms. Wiebe still has similar estimates available. The numbers will indicate that CSOs are not, in a long term context, an environmental issue; they are an esthetic and quality-of-life issue. And disgusting.

With the advent of more extreme weather events due to climate change, mitigating CSOs will become more challenging and costly. So will flood control, which is far more mission critical for all of us.

I hope that the department and Coun. Mayes are giving that some thought.

Tom Pearson

Winnipeg