Letters, Nov. 4

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2023 (1061 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Consider standard time

Re: Time for a change (Think Tank, Nov. 2)

Permanent daylight savings time would mean that it will remain dark and twilight until 9-9:30 a.m. in winter in the south and significantly later at higher latitudes of the province.

It seems to me that this would be more hazardous for drivers and pedestrians than adjusting to a time change twice a year and may not be as great a concern in the lower latitudes of the U.S.

If we want to keep the same time year-round, I would suggest using standard time as it corresponds more to equal parts daylight on both sides of the generally accepted midday time of 12 noon, thus giving both early birds and night owls equal access to sunlight in both summer and winter.

Mike Reid

Winnipeg

What about the clients?

Re: Lawyers must uphold the law (Editorial, Nov. 1)

I believe Calgary lawyers John Carpay and Randal Jay Cameron received just rewards for their actions. But what about the churches that hired these lawyers? They seem conspicuously silent.

Do they condone or condemn what the lawyers they hired did? Did they direct them? This is one of those occasions when the silence speaks volumes.

Chuck Dyck

Winnipeg

Good thoughts

Re: Mark Wasyliw and the public pout; Time for a change (Think Tank, Nov. 2)

It is most unusual that I want to write on two matters on the same day. However, Thursday’s op-ed columns have led me there. I agree entirely with the columns of Charles Adler and Shannon Sampert. (Full disclosure: Shannon and I were friends and colleagues at the University of Winnipeg 15 to 20 years ago.)

Charles Adler writes that Mark Wasyliw is not fit to serve as a government backbencher because of his expressed disdain for Premier Wab Kinew. Charles, you are bang on in this matter. If I were a resident of Wasyliw’s riding, I would be writing to him to demand that he resign. As I am not one of his electors, I can only urge him to step down.

Shannon Sampert writes that it is time for Manitoba to do away with the twice-yearly time change, and to stay on Central Daytime Time permanently. Again, I totally agree with her position; I don’t need the extra hour of sleep this Saturday night; neither do I appreciate losing an hour of sleep in the spring.

In short, I read two articles on the op-ed page which spoke loud and clear to me. Thank you to both writers.

Roger Kingsley

Winnipeg

Wasyliw’s conduct inexcusable

Re: Mark Wasyliw and the public pout (Think Tank, Nov. 2)

Charles Alder makes a case for Fort Garry MLA, Mark Wasyliw’s head to roll. Rather than demanding his resignation, as Mr. Alder suggests, I prefer a kinder solution, one that is in keeping with our new, kinder government.

Mr. Wasyliw’s behavior is inexcusable and he has embarrassed himself and his family, but to say he has “dishonoured democracy, public office, and the people of Manitoba” is a gross exaggeration and only stirs the pot of intolerance. Mr. Wasyliw has made a mistake, a very large and public mistake, one that in his heart of hearts, he most surely regrets.

Mr. Wasyliw owes an authentic apology to Premier Wab Kinew, the NDP team, and the constituents of Fort Garry. He must own his mistake and prove he is a team player by doubling down on his commitment to serve. He must rise above false pride and the stereotype of lawyers never apologizing. In his present state, he is an anchor in an otherwise progressive government and is doomed both politically and in the court of public opinion.

Michael Bennett

Winnipeg

We are not there, we are not here

These past weeks have been nothing we have known for generations.

As Jews throughout the Diaspora, we feel pain, anguish and horror. If our hearts are not just broken, but shattered, how can we begin to imagine theirs, when we are here and not there?

As citizens of the world, we fail to comprehend how ‘human beings’ can be filled with a type of venom so potent to allow themselves to commit acts of such savagery. We want to turn our eyes away from the pictures that serve as testament to their brutality, but we are forced to look, we must look.

We try to capture in our minds snapshots of the land we love; the rich and wonderful places we have visited on times spent there and the vitality of the strong, diverse and beautiful people that crowd their usually bustling streets.

We WhatsApp, email and call family and friends to check on their safety. We are without words. We don’t have the vocabulary. It is hard to put together sentences or know what to ask. We type and erase, erase and then type again. Of course, they are not OK, we know they are not, but grasping the depth of their despair we cannot know for we are here; we are not there.

We turn to the media to tell us what they know; or what they think they know. We scroll at an accelerated pace through social media and, if brave enough, we post our thoughts and then we wait; we wait for response.

We try not to judge, but we do judge those we thought could understand our anguish. Why haven’t they reached out? Why haven’t they written? Do they find it harder to find the words, than we find ours?

We go to gatherings and rallies thinking how can we even begin to feel afraid. We are not in harms way, for we are here and not there. And yet, we catch glimpses of the helicopter hovering above and the uniformed police and security guards stationed outside our community institutions. Some debate going to classes on university campuses, sending precious children to school and attending synagogue services. We measure the size of the protests that take place on the streets of our home.

And as the days go by, we try to go back to some sort of normal, feeling guilty that we actually can, because we are here and not there.

This time, however, something feels eerily different. Things are not the same. Until now, perhaps we lived under the illusion that we are safe, protected and fully accepted because we are here and not there. We have tricked ourselves into believing that double standards do not exist, that under the surface bias toward us cannot lurk. But we know better now that it can, and it does, and it is painful and lonely and real.

We must not be complacent as we cannot fade into the masses. We must put on our own armor of pride, strength and morality and endure all that lies ahead. And while we go on, we do so having to sit with the uncomfortable truth, that while we are not there, we are not really here either.

Danita Dubinsky Aziza

Winnipeg

Put money where it matters

Re: Elderly resident at Deer Lodge hasn’t been bathed in weeks, concerned relative says (Oct. 31)

I read in the paper that an 84-year-old gentleman at the Deer Lodge Centre has not had a bath in over three weeks. Yet, we have money in the millions of dollars being used for dubious reasons that I am sure the readers have a very good idea as to what they are.

People pay taxes for services, not providing funds for a bunch of social warriors in government. In short this is just disgusting. If one cannot govern for the people just plain get out.

Rob Elgar

Winnipeg