Letters, April 10

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2024 (520 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Unsightly messes

Winnipeg takes its fair share of knocks. I often defend our fine city to those who might not know about its forest canopy, affordable housing, vibrant arts communities, fantastic museums, beautiful parks, world-class venues such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, The Leaf and The Forks. Winnipeg is home to Folklorama, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and has a large French-speaking community.

Sadly, my weekend outings dampened my civic pride. After having attended a stellar play at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, my husband and I were aghast at the litter in front of the Pantages Theatre. The area was so unkempt and unsightly. We stood on that spot and gazed at city hall, the concert hall and the RMTC, and knew that hundreds of others passed this unsightly mess. The amount of garbage entangled in the shrubs would suggest it had been there for some time.

We took our bikes for the first spin of spring. Regrettably, the amazing bike paths were so “slippery” with sand and gravel it made riding, walking and any form of active transit very sketchy and unsafe for young and old alike. The active-transit path connecting Harrow Street to Pembina Highway, which was closed for construction for several months last year, has reopened.

Unbelievably, there is a 50-foot stretch of the bike path that’s not paved. All active-transit path users must navigate deep construction ruts of mud and gravel which makes using this stretch very unsafe and, for users of mobility devices, impassable.

All this to say that I was disappointed our city doesn’t prioritize keeping very public spaces clean and accessible. It seems to me the things I’ve mentioned are easy wins. More effort is needed in these areas. People need an enjoyable downtown experience and when using active-transit paths. I’d like to add these things to the list of positive things about Winnipeg.

Lori Tighe

Winnipeg

A more philosophical view

It is often remarked that the political temperature in Canada has been elevated recently. We seem to have dozens of advocacy groups claiming their concern is an emergency or crisis.

In my 73 years, I have seen many issues come and go. What strikes me is how many of these issues have faded to insignificance or are not remembered at all.

We place too much emphasis on the issues of the moment, not realizing that perhaps a decade from now, these issues will have disappeared from the public consciousness.

By adopting a more philosophical view of life, we perhaps achieve a more dignified approach to political life.

It’s worth a try.

Kurt Clyde

Winnipeg

Taxes have their uses

I find it fascinating to see how the mere mention of the word “tax” causes people to react with abject outrage.

Our governments raise the vast majority of their revenue that funds public services through taxes, be it federal income, provincial income, municipal, goods and services, provincial sales, fuel, cigarettes and carbon to name a few.

The recent public outcry over the carbon tax that raised the cost of a litre of gas by three cents has given Pierre Poilievre his battle cry of “axe the tax” national fame. His mantra and rallying cry reminds me of our neighbours to the south with their “MAGA” rhetoric.

It doesn’t matter to the vast majority of his supporters or his Conservative counterparts that it has been proven over and over again that this carbon tax is the most effective way to decrease our consumption of fossil fuels or that it does not substantially increase the cost of living. People love to hate taxes.

When our provincial government opted to drop the provincial tax of 14 cents a litre for six months (now extended by three months ), the public was elated and claimed it made life so much more affordable. Twice within a two-month period following this reduction, the price of gasoline jumped, far surpassing the reduction due to an increase in the base price of oil per barrel by the oil-producing countries. Where was the outrage at the oil companies’ price increase?

Do these same people that claim to be so angry have any alternative plans or even care about the future of our planet?

We need to be less angry and more inventive with solutions if we are to mitigate the destruction happening to our environment.

It is also interesting to note that the countries that have the highest degree of happiness are also the ones with the highest taxes.

Alice French

Winnipeg

Carbon tax worth having

Re: A tale of two taxes (Think Tank, April 9)

Rochelle Squires’ opinion piece appears critical of two taxes; the widely misunderstood (thanks to Pierre Poilievre) federal carbon tax and the NDP’s revised scheme for tax credits to homeowners, which is intended in part to offset school taxes levied as part of the property tax bill. I don’t have a problem with either tax.

The carbon tax, while complicated, is intended to fight climate change, which is something Conservative politicians don’t seem to regard as important. If they took the time to discuss this with young people they might discover the next generation is very concerned about the mess we are creating that they will have to live with.

The revisions to property tax rebates will result in reductions for people of modest means and an increase for those who can afford to pay more. I guess this goes against the previous Conservative mantra of taking from the poor and rewarding the rich, but I’m good with it, even though it will end up costing our household more money.

It’s all about good government and responsible stewardship, and cleaning up the mess left by former premiers Brian Pallister and Heather Stefanson.

Tom Pearson

Winnipeg

Can’t understand cruelty

Re: Trafficking in hurtful words (Editorial, April 8)

Trafficking in hurtful words anonymously online is certainly disturbing, as is the deliberate trafficking in divisive lies and the promotion of those lies through either deliberate ignorance or challenged mental health, all with names attached.

Although I am aware of these activities, I do not experience them personally as I do not engage with social platforms on which they exist. I do, however, observe their consequences and the damages done.

What I do experience via mainstream media, both through bona fide reporting and in recorded footage of people speaking, can be equally disturbing. The absolute madness in our neighbouring country and in our own, fomented by actual Canadian politicians, is hard to fathom. I see it, I hear it, but I struggle to comprehend what my eyes and ears tell me.

Is it lust for power? It seems to be more than that.

People in my social circles, service people I interact with such as at grocery stores and restaurants, people with whom I have casual conversations, whether young or old, seem to share the same experience of disbelief of such hurtful thinking and speaking.

I want to believe the mean-spirited and distributors of hurtful nonsense are a small majority, yet this seems perhaps not to be the case.

I am aware of a group of young adults loosely involved in politics and directly connected to practising politicians, who speak and commit what I view to be gross acts of disrespect towards our prime minister. So I know it to be real.

I don’t get it. I really don’t. How did we get here? What combinations of failures in parenting, failures in public education and failures in an economic structure that encourages and rewards such behaviour has led to this madness?

I get frustration, confusion, anger and the feeling of being overwhelmed, but I do not get simplistic blaming and the promulgation of deliberate and hurtful lies.

Garrett Loeppky

Winnipeg