Letters, Aug. 23

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/08/2023 (745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Overcoming the past

I had the privilege many years ago to be present for the induction of a colleague into the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt.

The main speaker at that dinner was Tom Jackson, a well-known Indigenous actor and singer. The story he told, which recounted his very personal descent into poverty and homelessness and the subsequent recovery that was made possible by assistance from various sources, was very moving.

This successful rehabilitation is a cause to be celebrated, and not only because Mr. Jackson has actively responded to the help he received by getting involved in many charities.

It is also a positive story, which is why I have remembered it over more than 20 years, since it indicates that someone who has fallen on hard times is able to overcome the situation and become an exemplary member of society.

I was thus surprised and dismayed by Charles Adler’s article (A huge political dice-roll, Aug. 19) that questions and thus diminishes Wab Kinew’s recovery from “his troubled personal past” and his willingness to step up and work for the people of Manitoba.

I suspect the very negative tone used by Mr. Adler is intended to promote his anti-NDP agenda, but a “benefit of the doubt” attitude would have been more appropriate given the position he has taken with respect to stories about his family.

Interestingly, on the same day, Tom Brodbeck, a right-leaning columnist like Mr. Adler, unabashedly describes how the policies of the current government have failed in many instances (As defender of Pallister’s disastrous legacy, loyal soldier makes good comedian, Aug. 19).

It therefore begs the question whether returning to power the incumbent government, which has pushed a political agenda that has negatively affected the lives of many Manitobans, might be the greater gamble?

Peter Zahradka

Winnipeg

Stinging criticism

Besides being pothole city, the mosquito capital of Canada, and dandelion and uncut tall grass city, we should add “wasp city” to Winnipeg.

The wasps in this town at this time of year are outrageous. There is no escaping their presence.

In the grocery store parking lot, the street, on the sidewalk, along the back lane, gas station, friends’ or neighbours’ yards, mall parking lot or in my back yard, wasps are all over the place.

Here’s hoping for an early frost to fix this problem.

Robert J. Moskal

Winnipeg

Do the research

Re: “Don’t be blinded by promises,”, Letters, Aug. 21

The writer of this letter makes excellent points which all Manitoba voters would do well to heed. However I differ with him on his last sentence, which says that if you “can’t stomach trying any of the other parties,” that you should stay home on election day.

Our system of democracy allows you to ask direct questions of those running for office and we need to take full advantage of that right.

Simply make an old fashioned phone call and ask to speak to the persons running. Each candidate will welcome your call, and if they don’t they are not worthy of running.

I would suggest that we do this with each candidate, having three questions you deem most important and get direct answers, if you can. There is no point at all in being defeatist and simply giving up.

Our democracy is too important, and everyone can find a few minutes for a call to ask a question. Having received an answer, no matter what it is, we can each make our own choices based on those answers. Candidates and parties change after all, so be informed!

We need informed voters.

Margaret Mills

Headingley

Roadwork, not audits

The provincial government is doing another safety audit on highway intersection accidents. How many reports do they need to point the way to a safer highway system?

In 2020, the Pallister government said “there would be shovels in the ground in 2021.” This was the announcement that a roundabout would be built at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 16, just west of Portage la Prairie, capable of handling all types of vehicles that inhabit our roadways.

Everyone should know by now that the roundabout option has a huge upside in limiting catastrophic collisions, so how is the project going? Apparently, no shovels to be seen two years after the proposed start!

Manitoba does not have the capital available to install interstate-type overpasses at dangerous crossings, but we do have an abundance of open prairie to build big roundabouts that will keep traffic moving and provide a much safer environment for all users. Traffic lights should be the last consideration, just consider the costs of stopping and starting a huge highway tractor.

Time to get out of the board room and get those shovels in the ground.

David Tustin

Gimli

Cause, not effect

One aspect of the current interest in cursive writing is that, for some children, cause and effect may be confused.

Handwriting problems are one of the most obvious signs that “something is wrong” with a child’s learning. The temptation following this observation is to tackle the “problem” head-on and work on the symptom — the poor handwriting.

However, as Oxford-trained pediatrician Dr. Mel Levine points out in Developmental Variations and Learning Disorders, a handwriting problem “rarely occurs in isolation” and identifies six areas that may be associated with handwriting difficulties including memory, sequencing and graphomotor issues.

Based on my experience as a reading clinician and Reading Recovery (TM) teacher, I have concerns that in the rush to incorporate cursive writing into the curriculum, some students will end up spending an inordinate amount of valuable school time struggling with the “symptom” of poor handwriting.

Such time and energy may be better used developing interventions and adaptations related to any of the underlying issues.

As is always the case, it’s about focusing on a student’s needs, rather than blindly following trends based on largely anecdotal evidence and/or political forces.

Edwin Buettner, Ph.D.

Winnipeg

Cause, not effect, redux

Referring to your editorial “The courage of your convictions” (Aug. 21) you may have added the nonsense that Pierre Pollievre spews, especially in reference to Justin Trudeau.

He blames Trudeau for the inflation Canada has, yet the identical problem exists in every country around the globe. I assume Mr. Trudeau fails to appreciate the worldwide influence he has.

Inflation has been initially caused by our former extremely low interest rates put in place by central banks around the world, benefiting the wealthy elite and major corporations — especially those that could have accessed Japan’s negative rates.

Millions, if not billions, in debt borrowed for next to nothing in interest to purchase assets and/or buy back corporate stock, which demonstrated false earning value on stock exchanges, thereby being highly inflated and resold at enormous profit by major shareholders and highly placed employees.

Yes, delay in container shipments from China, cutbacks in oil production, the war in Ukraine, and greedy pricing by food retailers have all added to the problem.

However, the central banks have now reversed their position with respect to interest rates in order to reverse the problem they originally created, subsequently creating new problems. None of which Mr. Trudeau controls for the most part.

Someone should sit Mr. Pollievre down and teach him a few facts; not that it would change him.

Don Halligan

Winnipeg