Letters, July 8

Opinion

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This article was published 08/07/2023 (813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Use money to commemorate women

Re: Need more to protect women (Letters, July 7)

I sincerely endorse the sentiments expressed by Evelyn Wakaruk in her letter. I have often thought that Indigenous women and girls need to have a safe place to stay in Winnipeg and they could benefit from some information on how to keep themselves safe.

Spending millions of dollars and many years to search the landfill may not even be productive. Let’s use the money to build a positive shelter in memory of these women, helping to protect other women and girls for years to come.

Mary-Lynne (Mel) Braun

Winnipeg

Step up animal protection laws

Re: Heat and animals; a deadly mix (Think Tank, July 5); Coyote euthanized after attacks on children (July 5)

Our laws should be based on science and not emotion. So why is it that only those animals we are emotionally attached to, the ones we view as companions, are given a modicum of protection when science tells us all are equally capable of suffering?

Manitoba’s Animal Care Act has a list of 15 so-called “accepted activities” that are exempt as long as they are “consistent with generally accepted practices.” This is like excusing employers from labour laws as long as they follow their own rules. Top of the list is agricultural uses and, not far behind, animal slaughter. Also included are trapping and, outrageously, euthanasia which perhaps accounts for why quotation marks appear around the qualifier “humanely” which was used to describe the death of the coyote.

Most Canadians care deeply about the welfare of animals. So why are our protection laws, considered some of the weakest in the developed world, not consistent with our values? The short answer is money. Any attempts at meaningful change are met with vehement opposition from industry which knows improvements to the well-being of the animals it exploits translates into reduced profits.

And then there are those who I refer to as the Slippery Slopers. They are the ones who oppose any improvements, no matter how marginal, for fear it will create a slippery slope that leads to… what? A more compassionate world?

Sure seems like an uphill battle to me.

Debbie Wall

Winnipeg

Water plan needs another look

Re: Province unveils 72-point action plan on water strategy (July 5)

The Manitoba government’s action plan for water management will not secure the health of our waterways without significant revision.

This includes its failure to address a key requirement for keeping our water clean: legally protecting key waterways and the lands that surround them from harmful developments.

While the 72-point action plan has many commendable strategic objectives — like protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems — there is little in the way of actionable items to give us confidence that these ecosystems will be secure.

The document fails to mention the key need to advance Manitoba Protected Areas Initiative, which has been crawling at a slug’s pace since 2015. Only two of the dozens of candidate protected areas awaiting designation were noted in the action plan.

The overwhelming evidence shows that conserving at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and water by 2030 will help secure drinking water supplies, curb biodiversity loss, tackle climate change, prevent future pandemics, and sustain low-carbon economic prosperity.

Manitoba needs to do its part, yet the province doesn’t have a plan or a target for establishing protected areas. Manitoba has protected 11 per cent of provincial lands (71,561 sq. km, up a mere one tenth of one per cent since 2015).

A water management strategy worth its salt must include a strong commitment to establish protected areas.

That is why we are asking every political party — and every candidate in the October election — to stand up for water, all of nature, and a healthy future for Manitobans by committing to protect 30 per cent of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030.

Ron Thiessen

Executive Director

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Manitoba chapter

Save Strike! sets

Re: Stage sets from Strike! could be destined for the dumpster (July 5)

How upsetting to think that the costumes, props and hand-painted backgrounds for Danny Schur’s musical Strike! could end up as landfill! Danny deserves better. He was a great ambassador for Winnipeg, always passionately speaking about its history.

Once, he sent me a photo from his guided bike tour of historic spots in the city. The photo shows Danny passionately giving a history lesson at Stephen Juba Park in front of the Bookmarks (plaques) that have passages from the musical.

Winnipeg, muster up your passion for history. Honour Danny! Find a home for these theatrical treasures that he most likely had a hand in selecting if not actually making.

Hughena Matheson, president of the board

Project Bookmark Canada

Burlington, Ont.

Look to permaculture tech

Re: Sewage and rivers — a bad combination (Editorial, July 6)

This decades-old issue that resurrects itself every other year could be solved.

Using advanced permaculture technology to divert rain water from homes in the combined sewers could serve many masters, including climate change.

The city could help defray the permaculture set up costs to covert rain water runoff into potable water directly into those homes for use.

The cost would be a fraction of the amounts stated over the last decade.

Could we please consider a viable solution instead of recycling the same old problem?

Trish Rawsthorne

Winnipeg

Re: Lights, cameras, police action: downtown Winnipeg safety strategy unveiled (July 6)

Your reporting on a revived and resourced downtown Winnipeg social and safety strategy is very welcome and necessary.

A co-ordinated approach for 24-7 ‘wrap around’ safety, care and support for everyone in our downtown district is a vital need if we want Winnipeg to be livable and awesome.

Today’s safety and social threats in our city core are myriad and complex. It will require “all hands on deck together” to achieve success.

Having grown up on Spence Street for my first 30 years, it is too bad and so sad that these matters were allowed to fall so far for so long.

A great Winnipeg neighbourhood with so much diversity and character deserves the necessary investment and interest to rebuild a healthy and safe community.

Hope springs eternal.

Roland Stankevicius

Winnipeg