Letters, Feb. 7

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/02/2024 (948 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Warm up to geothermal

Re: Environment groups urge NDP to turn to geothermal heating (Feb. 6)

In the educational process leading up to a decision at the United Church in Meadowood to replace our aging natural gas system with a geothermal one, we learned that there is a lot of misunderstanding about geothermal heating and cooling. We heard a lot of worry and apprehension about the technology, and a resulting fear about investing in it. After being educated, the congregation made the commitment, and we now are trying to raise the money.

The technology is not new, it is well tested, but there is not enough awareness and the fear is not unlike that which caused resistance in the 1950s to gasification. Isn’t that ironic. We agree that the government needs to incentivize early adoption for homes, but likewise this should be done for public installations which have community visibility. The initial cost of geothermal exceeds natural gas, but factoring in the real costs of the devastation of continuing to burn fossil fuels, it is a bargain.

Yet, it is a reach for a not-for-profit like the congregation to fund this alone. Until there is broader uptake and the costs come down, which they will, just as we have seen with solar panels, the government needs to provide support to groups like us who can make the conversion and be a demonstration to the whole community of what is possible.

We have been pleading our case, we hope the NDP is listening fast and hard.

Caryn Douglas,

Minister, United Church in Meadowood

Winnipeg

In 2005 we retired and moved from Ottawa to Portage la Prairie, where we built our home.

Having checked geothermal heating in Ontario and recoiling at the cost of drilling into the Canadian Shield granite, we came to the land of clay and ease of construction, just like that of milk and honey. Since we have had this method of power usage for our home, we have kept all Manitoba Hydro bills and, annually, total them up to see the average monthly costs.

In-floor heating, hot water, air conditioning from geothermal heating and gas for cooking and our average for the 1,750 square-foot home has been $225 monthly for the last 15 years. We recovered the extra cost of installing geothermal (over gas or oil or electricity) in 6.4 years.

This city council and others in Manitoba could set requirements for new houses to use this system, as it is one of easiest uses of the clay sea bottom that we used to be. Tax incentives, anyone? Or does it need a shake of the head?

If only pensioners could afford solar panels on the roof and use the wind.

Bill Knott and Yvette Souque

Portage la Prairie

Questionable calculations

Things sure changed quickly post election. While I recall the premier expressing support for public sector workers multiple times during the election campaign, I don’t recall him or his party ever expressing concerns about hybrid work until just recently.

I too want the downtown to thrive, but don’t understand the math some folks are using to support arguments that the full-time presence of office workers will allow their businesses to thrive. People only have so much money to spend. I will spend the same amount downtown regardless of how many days I am working there (maybe one lunch every two or three months).

I might actually spend less at restaurants overall if I have to spend more time and money on the commute. (Plenty has been said about the state of public transit.) I would rather spend money on a restaurant meal when I can sit and enjoy it, versus rushing through a lunch break. I avoid buying takeout drinks due to the cost and environmental impact.

Employers and businesses need to listen and respond to their employees and potential customers to create attractive spaces and value for them. Unlike the premier, the average worker has little control over the culture of their workplace. Some prefer to physically distance themselves from any dysfunction in the workplace. The average remote or hybrid worker has figured out how to collaborate using technology. The work-life balance benefits have been discussed multiple times.

Dictating where people work is an overly simplistic solution and will not automatically translate into an improved culture, or a thriving downtown. It could, however, impact how those most impacted vote in the next election.

Michelle Burdz

Winnipeg

Ticked over tipping

During COVID, I would often call my favourite restaurants and order takeout.

Under normal circumstances I would not have tipped for a takeout order, as putting it in a bag and taking my payment applies to every business, but because the servers were now without the opportunity to provide their service, I made the exception by tipping them.

It seems since the start of COVID, many businesses chose to take advantage of our generosity in this unprecedented time to set their handheld payment devices, to include an option for tipping, starting at the minimum 15 per cent. This makes many of us feel guilted into tipping, where, in my opinion (and probably most of us) it is not appropriate at all, as in the past, these businesses never considered themselves to be eligible for “tips,” unlike the hospitality sector, whose staff rely on tips to make a living.

In a recent experience, we took our puppy to the groomer for her very first haircut. We were concerned that it might not go well.

When we went to pick up our pup, they handed us the payment device which prompted us first, with the tip options, without even seeing our dog’s haircut or answering any of our questions regarding her first grooming. (I’m still on the fence about whether a dog groomer should get tipped. Maybe a gift certificate or a fine bottle of wine at Christmas, all based on a good relationship, not by obligation.)

Tipping is a privilege, not an obligation. We, as a society, should preserve this privilege for great services provided by hard working folks in the hospitality industry. Let’s not let these businesses, that do not qualify for gratuities, erode this privilege.

Brad Enns

Winnipeg

Where’s the investigation?

Re: World junior hockey sex assault case goes to court (Feb. 5)

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was quoted in this article as saying that “the most responsible and prudent thing for us to do is await the conclusion of the judicial proceedings, at which point we will respond as appropriate.” Are we seeing a pattern here where employers like the NHL, the University of Manitoba and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba are deferring to police and the criminal justice system, rather than conducting their own investigations concerning their employees?

Shouldn’t these organizations try to find out as much as they can about alleged employee misconduct without interfering with a police investigation? It took the London police six years to lay charges re: this alleged junior hockey sexual assault. How long will it take for the criminal charges to be resolved?

And what will be the “appropriate” response should these players be found not guilty of the charges?

An employer has a responsibility to make a determination based on a balance of probabilities versus “beyond a reasonable doubt” as to whether or not an employee’s actions have violated the basic trust that needs to exist between an employer and employee.

Unfortunately, it seems that certain organizations don’t trust their investigatory skills. If what we have seen from the London Police Service is any indication I am not sure we can trust police investigations.

Mac Horsburgh

Winnipeg