Letters, Dec. 5

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/12/2023 (1030 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bus not all bad

I am a senior. I ride the bus weekly, to and from the West Broadway neighbourhood. Like many Winnipeggers, I have read with concern the reports of aggressive behaviour and violence on buses. I sympathize with fellow riders who have been affected. I have occasionally witnessed persons on the bus who are having a ‘bad day’ and acting out.

But I have also had positive experiences. Drivers patiently explain routes to newcomers. A woman of a certain age helps the driver by shepherding passengers toward the back of the bus. A young man with face tattoos leaps to his feet to help a young mother secure her stroller. People often offer me their seat. Gen Z-ers call out “Thank you!” to the driver when they exit. Almost always, someone who has departed pauses to hold the back door open, to help other passengers exit.

The bus has become for me a place to marvel at acts of kindness. I look forward to my next ride.

Dan Torbiak

Winnipeg

Denialism law unworkable

Re: Criminalizing denial wouldn’t work (Editorial, Dec. 2)

I have written justice minister Arif Virani urging the federal government not to accede to pressures from some parliamentarians and advocates to criminalize what they call residential school denialism.

Canadian hate crime jurisprudence is strong, the result of decades of deliberation and implementation since a special parliamentary committee convened in the mid-1960s to consider how the law could address hate propaganda. A new law to criminalize such denialism is not only unworkable, but not needed in light of existing criminal and human rights law. Robust public debate, ongoing scholarly research, and resolute anti-racism are needed to counter anti-Indigenous hate speech, not the draconian measures imposed by criminal law.

Helmut-Harry Loewen

Winnipeg

In addition to the good points made in the Free Press’s editorial, there is another key concern with criminalizing speech — the challenge of defining what constitutes the banned language. Who is the arbiter of the criteria? The mere presence of the law will have a chilling effect on open debate in areas that are not clear-cut.

As a case in point, what effect would criminalizing residential school denialism have on the discussion around the potential unmarked graves at former residential school sites? At the present time, nearly all the evidence is in the form of ground-penetrating radar anomalies. There have been no exhumations that have proven that Indigenous children were murdered and buried in these alleged grave sites. That is not hate speech — it is the mere statement of a fact.

However, if a law is passed that criminalizes residential school “denialism,” what becomes of the sentence I just wrote above? Am I put on my back foot in even uttering such a statement, for fear of being pursued for criminal “denialism”?

Steve Teller

Winnipeg

CPR should deal with yard

Re: Bridge closure an opportunity (Editorial, Dec. 1); A history of kicking the can (Think Tank, Dec. 1)

I couldn’t agree more with Bridge closure an opportunity and A history of kicking the can. The recent closure of the Arlington Bridge is an opportunity to fix a serious problem: having rail yards in the middle of Winnipeg.

The rail yards need to be moved. But this should not become an opportunity for Canadian Pacific Railway to milk Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Canadian citizens yet again by making us foot the bill to relocate the rail lines. We’ve already given enough to the private owners of the CPR.

Canadian historian Gustavus Meyers documented the government largesse to “railway promoters”: 56 million acres of land, $244 million in cash (about $7 billion in current dollars), and $245 million in bond guarantees (another $7 billion). Regarding the CPR in particular, Meyers tells us that the charter to the George Stephen/Donald Smith company gave them 25 million acres of land and the CPR “virtually free of cost.”

Economic historian Lloyd Mercer shows that of the seven large North American railroads built in the late 19th century, the CPR was the most heavily subsidized. Mercer calculates that at the very least 55.6 per cent of the cost of building the CPR came from land grants ($139 million), cash handouts ($27.6 million), railway subsidies ($30.9 million), bond guarantees, and several hundred miles of already built rail lines.

Let’s not go through all the constant gnashing of teeth and multiple studies to figure out how much more money we will pour into a private railroad that endangers the lives of Winnipeggers. Instead, we should simply pass a law that makes it illegal to run freight rail cars through the middle of Winnipeg, forcing the owners of those rail lines to move them outside the city — and on their own dime.

Our community has already given enough to the CPR. It’s time for CPR to own up to its responsibility.

Wayne Antony

Winnipeg

Nuclear truths

Re: Nuclear site oversight needed (Think Tank, Dec. 1)

As I read Dave Taylor’s column I wondered how frustrating it must be for him to be so right about the outcome of Whiteshell labs, an environmental/ economical disaster that he warned about for decades.

Imagine a cleanup costing billions of dollars that has left the radioactive waste still there.

(As well as Whiteshell contamination there also is Saskatchewan uranium mine site contamination to consider.)

So is nuclear energy a reasonable alternative energy form? Doesn’t sound very green or very clean or very desirable to me. Why would we want more of that? Let’s stay awake to the truth about nuclear energy as an alternate fuel.

Let’s make sure the cure isn’t worse than the disease.

Sybil Shaw Hamm

Winnipeg

Timely advice

Re: Listening to the ancestors (Think Tank, Dec. 4)

This thoughtful article speaks of many things, such as connecting with others, including those who do not necessarily see the same thing as you.

It also encourages us to pause and reflect on the bigger picture, a worthwhile thought in these turbulent times. There is a multitude of messages the article offers.

To connect with ancestors, a simple one is the encouragement to “talk to your parents and grandparents”, to not only preserve family stories and histories, but also build relationships. The concluding invitation to pause and witness the Northern Lights is very timely.

Dan Furlan

President, Manitoba Historical Society

Winnipeg

Where does food fit into future?

Re: Dreaming of Winnipeg, 2030 (Nov. 29)

Scott Forbes’ picture of Winnipeg in 2030 missed one image: food. How will we be growing it? Will mid- and especially low-income people have survived the global inflationary and climate crises, well-fed?

Food systems are responsible for one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. About half of these GHGs come from edible food, mostly fruits and vegetables, thrown away at home. So perhaps in 2030, resilient farmers are sequestering carbon — an idea from Farmers for Climate Solutions — and we’re all using the Love Food Hate Waste website and Winnipeg’s Residential Food Waste program.

One in five children across Manitoba, and 60 per cent of on-reserve northerners experience household food insecurity, meaning they don’t have enough money to buy food, let alone fruits and vegetables. A 2021 Nature article showed it’s possible to take strong climate action and protect the poor with a carbon tax and equal per-capita dividend. So perhaps in 2030, we’ve worked out the details of universal sufficient income and land sovereignty, and are still all receiving Climate Action Incentive deposits.

We do need strong climate action as Forbes envisions. We also need a carbon fee that’s returned to everyone equally. Then we can also dream of seeing low-and-mid income folks with fruits and vegetables in their fridge, freezer, and/or backyard.

Virginia CaIl

Winnipeg